Regarding Yoshio Shimoji's July 31 letter, "Hurdles to prosecuting (U.S.) soldiers": The writer doesn't seem to realize why those "hurdles" are in place. It's simple; the Japanese police have a horrible track record of maintaining the rights of those under arrest, especially foreigners.
As reported in the latest U.N. "Human Rights Report," many countries encourage Japan to do a better job of respecting the basic human rights of detainees. There have been multiple cases of foreigners being denied a translator, something required upon request. It is also well known that Japanese police try to get you to sign a "guilty" document without telling you what it is. Thus it's common knowledge among foreigners not to sign anything if you can't understand Japanese fully -- until a translator is provided -- no matter how much police try to persuade you. So, basically, the U.S. military forces are protecting its members from what is a well-known situation.
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