The U.S. military Tuesday rejected a request by police to conduct a physical investigation of the wreckage of a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that crashed on a university campus near the Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture last week.
A Marine Corps representative hand-delivered a letter of refusal to a police station in Ginowan, where the crash took place.
Under the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which governs the management and operation of the U.S. military in Japan, Japanese authorities must obtain U.S. consent for investigations involving U.S. military personnel and property.
Citing such bilateral agreements, the U.S. side said that the local authorities can request investigation results through the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, which deals with SOFA-related matters.