*EPF105 08/04/2003
Text: U.S., Japan Discuss Status of Forces Agreement
(Question taken at August 1 State Department briefing) (300)

The United States and Japan are continuing to discuss refinements to the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which governs American military forces stationed on Japanese territory.

A State Department response to a question taken at the August 1 briefing notes that the most recent series of talks held July 31 and August 1 in Washington, D.C. were "useful," but that "substantial differences continue to exist" regarding the issue of criminal jurisdiction procedures.

Following is the text:

(begin text)

Taken Questions
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
August 1, 2003

Question Taken at Daily Briefing of Aug. 1, 2003

Japan -- Talks on SOFA Issues (Taken Question)

Question: Is there any movement with the Status of Forces Agreement with the Japanese?

Answer: On July 31 and August 1, U.S. and Japanese officials met in Washington, DC, to continue discussions on criminal jurisdiction procedures under the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The 45 days of discussions began as a result of an agreement reached in Tokyo on June 18 when the U.S. agreed to the pre-indictment custody transfer of a service member. The discussions focused on procedural measures that the U.S. has requested since the beginning of negotiations that led to the 1995 agreement creating the possibility of pre-indictment custody transfers.

Both sides acknowledged that the four meetings had been useful in deepening each other's understanding of their respective positions. Although both sides expended considerable effort to refine and explain their respective proposals, substantial differences continue to exist.

The two sides continue to study each other's proposals and will report the outcome of the series of meetings to their respective senior officials for the consideration of future steps.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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