Japan: U.S. Soldier Says He May Have Run Over Man

November 21, 2009

World Briefing | Asia

By REUTERS

An American soldier has admitted that he may have run over a Japanese man who was found dead two weeks ago on the southern island of Okinawa, his lawyer said on Friday. Under an agreement that irritates many Okinawans, the United States is not obliged to hand over American personnel suspected of a crime outside the base unless they are charged. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has called for the soldier to be transferred to Japanese police custody if he was involved in the death. The soldier, who is being held by the United States military, previously denied that he had hit the man. The case comes as Japan and the United States are locked in a dispute over the relocation of an American Marine air base on Okinawa.

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