On Jan. 12, 2011, 24-year-old American Rufus J. Ramsey III, a civilian U.S. Department of Defense employee working for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, lost control of his car after overtaking another vehicle, crossed into the oncoming lane on a national highway in Okinawa City and collided head-on with a minicar, killing the 19-year-old driver, Koki Yogi.
Since Ramsey was driving home from work, the U.S. armed forces certified that he was on duty. In accordance with the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which stipulates that the United States holds the primary right to try U.S. service members and civilian employees who have committed crimes or caused accidents while on duty, the prosecutors gave up on trying to indict Ramsey.
At the request of the victim's family, the Naha Prosecution Inquest Committee, a citizens' panel, discussed the case and voted in favor of indicting Ramsey. While the prosecutors were carrying out a second investigation on the basis of the vote, Japan and the United States reached agreement Nov. 24 to improve the operation of SOFA in connection with crimes and accidents involving on-duty U.S. DOD civilian employees. On the strength of the new agreement, the prosecutors the next day indicted Ramsey on the charge of vehicular manslaughter.