Aiming to deter crime, Japan and the United States will sign an agreement next week narrowing the scope of legal immunity granted to U.S. military base workers, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday.
The pact will supplement the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), under which the United States has primary jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel and base workers accused of crimes while on duty.
The move is a response to the arrest in May last year of a civilian U.S. base worker in Okinawa Prefecture over the violent death of a local woman.