Okinawa governor pushes to rewrite US forces pact after Marine murder charge

Koja told a news conference in Tokyo on Nov 9 that he would formally request a fundamental review of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement, the 1960 pact critics say leaves US bases effectively extraterritorial. Prosecutors indicted the Marine in October on suspicion of murdering a 39-year-old Japanese woman at an Okinawa hotel, a killing Koja called an extremely heinous crime that has caused great anxiety among residents.

Under SOFA, US military authorities hold the primary right to investigate and punish service members in Japan when they are on official duty. Critics argue that has at times blocked indictments by Japanese investigators, while the bases' extraterritoriality has discouraged Japanese authorities from probing suspected soil pollution around them. Okinawa lawmakers passed a resolution in October calling for revisions to the accord, which will soon be sent to the US embassy.

Koja wants the review to cover prompt handover of suspects detained before indictment and the extension of Japanese laws such as the aviation act to US military personnel. He said Okinawa has repeatedly lodged strong protests with the US military and both governments after every incident involving service members or civilian employees.

Washington and Tokyo agreed on Nov 6 to measures aimed at preventing crimes by US personnel on Okinawa, including talks on community relations and Japan's legal system. US officials also said that day they would extend a 30-day curfew imposed after the woman's murder to a portion of service members through Dec 7.

Koja, elected governor in September, is the first Okinawa leader in 12 years to back a contentious plan to relocate the US Marine Corps' Futenma airbase to a less populated spot on the main island. He also said he would seek the swift return of land used for other US bases in Okinawa's commercial centre under a 2013 agreement, arguing it would boost the local economy.