A pact governing the legal status and conduct of U.S. military and nonmilitary personnel in Japan is back under the spotlight following last month's arrest of an American civilian base worker in Okinawa Prefecture suspected of raping and killing a local Japanese woman.
Fueled by the murder of the 20-year-old woman, tens of thousands of protesters in Okinawa rallied Sunday to vent their frustration at the way the Japanese and U.S. governments have dealt with crimes committed by U.S. service personnel and base workers.
Rather than revising the 1960 Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement to better deal with such crimes, the two governments have just tinkered with its implementation, Okinawa officials say.