Taxi driver murder near Yokosuka - arrest warrant issued
Well, one of the main stories this morning coming out of Japanese domestic news feeds is that an arrest warrant has been issued for a U.S. Sailor in connection with the murder of a taxi cab driver near Yokosuka naval base on March 19th. The taxi driver was found with a kitchen knife embedded in his neck, struck so hard that it actually punctured his lung too. The story comes from Kyodo News:
Japanese police to arrest U.S. sailor on suspicion of murder
Thursday 3rd April, 04:08 AM JST
Japanese police decided Wednesday to arrest a 22-year-old U.S. Navy sailor Thursday on suspicion of murdering and robbing a Japanese taxi driver last month in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, police sources said.
Police will seek an arrest warrant Thursday and take the seaman into custody after the U.S. side agrees to hand him over at a meeting to be convened by the Japan-U.S. joint consultation committee on matters related to U.S. bases in Japan, Kanagawa police sources said.
The U.S. side is expected to swiftly agree on the handover under special improved implementation arrangements in the Status of Forces Agreement, and Japanese police intend to begin a full investigation after the sailor is moved from the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, the sources said.
The sailor, identified as a man of Nigerian nationality and held by the U.S. military, admitted Wednesday to killing the taxi driver last month in Yokosuka during questioning by Japanese police, the sources said.
Japanese investigators went to the base on Wednesday to question the sailor, who is being detained on suspicion of desertion. Questioning started at around 9:30 a.m. with an interpreter and U.S. Navy officials present, according to the sources.
The man, who is a member of the crew of the U.S. 7th Fleetfs cruiser Cowpens based at Yokosuka, had also admitted to killing the driver during earlier questioning by U.S. Navy investigators, according to navy officials.
Taxi driver Masaaki Takahashi, 61, was found dead with a kitchen knife in his neck in his cab in Yokosuka on the night of March 19, apparently after he picked up his last customer at Tokyofs Shinagawa station. A credit card was left inside the cab and the U.S. serviceman was identified as its owner.
The sailor had not returned to the base since March 8 and was seized by U.S. Navy personnel in Tokyofs Gotanda area on March 22. He initially denied the accusation against him and insisted on his alibi, but later admitted to it, navy officials said.
According to investigations by Japanese police and the U.S. Navy, the serviceman had taken the kitchen knife from the home of a female acquaintance in Tokyo, and also called a male acquaintance immediately after the murder and hinted he had killed the driver, the sources said.
A man who looks like the serviceman was also captured by security cameras at Shinagawa station and in a commercial district of Yokosuka city, the sources said.
Japanese police are currently checking logs of the sailorfs mobile phone, and have also received fingerprints and DNA samples of the sailor from the U.S. Navy, the sources said
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SOFA curfew to be lifted somewhat?
This is from an unconfirmed source, but there are a lot of rumours going round that, as of this Friday, the 10pm curfew will be lifted. This is what I’ve heard:
“Effective this Friday night, April 4 (i.e., Friday overnight to Saturday), the starting hour of the ongoing general curfew will be adjusted. The curfew will, from that point forward, begin at 2400/0000 and end at 0500 daily. Movement limitations during the curfew period will remain unchanged from those currently in effect. Restrictions on alcohol consumption will also remain unchanged.”
Gate 2 Street (a street in Okinawa City, just outside one of the main exits to Kadena Air Base) has been pleading with people in the military for them to lift restrictions. Apparently some of the bars there are about ready to go out of business, and no surprise really. Everything in that area is catered for the military. I’ve driven down the street a few times on an evening and it really is like a ghost town. Eerily quiet.
Anyway, only a small update for now but I’ll follow this up if I hear more.