Your April 9 editorial "Murder in Yokosuka" is very appropriate and timely. Criminal cases involving American soldiers are becoming far too numerous for comfort and there is a need to work out new arrangements so that such criminals are treated as such, and are not given any special privileges by virtue of their belonging to the American armed forces.
It might be pertinent to mention a recent case that was reported in newspapers on March 15. An American soldier went to his German girlfriend's house, threatened her with a gun, tied her up and left. The girl somehow freed herself and reported the matter to the police. The police located the soldier and tried to arrest him but he threatened them as well. At this point the police shot him and he died later in the hospital.
According to German authorities, there was nothing improper about the police's conduct and the prosecutors will not proceed in the matter. The matter was probably left at that by American authorities as well because I did not see any further news. So, if Germans can have stricter control over such matters, why not Japan?
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