 New Japan-U.S. agreement on access to U.S. forces' accident sites The new Japan-U.S. agreement reached in April concerning on-site investigation into accidents involving U.S. forces shows that the Japanese and U.S. governments have backpedalled on their 1958 accord stipulating that Japan can decide on access to accident sites. Japanese Communist Party representative Akamine Seiken revealed this at the House of Representative Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on May 18, citing the recent agreement stating that access to accident sites requires the consent of both governments. The two governments reached the new agreement following the August 2004 U.S. helicopter crash at Okinawa International University. Akamine showed a secret Justice Ministry Investigation Bureau document of 1972 concerning criminal suits against U.S. forces personnel in Japan. It states that in 1958 both governments agreed that the Japanese government will decide on Japanese investigators' rights or necessity to conduct on-site investigations. The 1972 document states that the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee on October 16, 1958 agreed on steps to be taken at U.S. forces' accident sites, and that the U.S. Forces in Japan's directive on aircraft accidents inside and outside of U.S. military facilities in Japan stipulates that Japanese officials may decide on the right and necessity of Japanese access to the sites. Following the August 2004 crash, however, the U.S. military sealed off the site and barred Japanese police from investigating at the accident site. Facing strong criticism, both governments last April established a new guideline concerning U.S. Forces' accidents stipulating that access to such a site requires mutual agreement. JCP Akamine criticized the government for this setback. Foreign Minister Machimura Nobutaka said, "I would choose to not comment on that," but he didn't deny the existence of the 1958 Japan-U.S. agreement. Akamine called on the Diet to inquire into the matter, criticizing the government for withholding the truth from the public and allowing outrageous U.S. military activities to continue. - Akahata, May 19, 2005 |