A U.S. military lawyer met with accused U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins at a Tokyo hospital on Thursday to offer advice on his options in facing the charges against him, government sources said.
The independent lawyer, who reportedly arrived from South Korea earlier in the day, was expected to offer information on the court-martial process and what would happen if Jenkins were to seek a plea bargain. Jenkins is married to Hitomi Soga, a Japanese abductee repatriated from North Korea.
The government hopes Jenkins, who allegedly deserted his army unit as a sergeant in 1965 and defected to North Korea while on a Demilitarized Zone patrol, will seek a plea bargain that will enable him to live with his family in Japan.