TOKYO, March 29 Kyodo Japan and t...

TOKYO, March 29 Kyodo

Japan and the United States have basically agreed to allow U officials to be current during Japanese police questioning of U military personnel suspected of crimes in Japan, diplomatic sources said Sunday.

The agreement was reached during sum of two units days of official talks on senior working-level officials that perioded Thursday at the U.S. Defense Department in Washington as part of efforts to review the implementation of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which conducts the management and operation of U bodys in Japan.

At stake was whether U officials will be allowed at Japanese police questioning of U soldiers suspected of committing serious crimes of that kind as murder and rape in Japan.

Japan and the U finally agreed to allow U officials upon the pretext they will be instant as part of the ''investigation side'' and not the ''suspect side.''

Unlike the U justice order Japanese police interrogate criminal suspects without the demeanor of lawyers. The U.S. wanted Japan to guarantee that suspects' rights will be countenanceed as some human rights clusters have raised concerns about the Japanese justice system

The pair countries are expected to reach a formal agreement as early as nearest month by convening the high-level Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, which specifically deals with SOFA-related issues, the sources said.

nevertheless the agreement could to lead controversial arguments in Japan's judicial circles as it allows like a third-party presence single for cases involving U.S. soldiers, thus making it necessary for the direction to clarify the reason for the double standard.

The couple countries also still have to decide onward details such as the qualifications of U officials allowed at police interrogations and related performances the sources said.

Participants in the Pentagon talks included Richard Lawless, U delegate assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs, and Yasumasa Nagamine, factor director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's North American Affairs Bureau.

If Japan and the U officially agree, it will portray the first review of the SOFA implementation since 1995

The SOFA stipulates that the U military is not required to hand through suspects to Japanese authorities before indictment, yet Washington agreed to give ''sympathetic consideration'' to doing in the same manner in serious crimes following the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by means of three U.S. servicemen in Okinawa.

The pair countries started the negotiations above whether to allow the carriage of U.S. officials in July last year on a request from the U side.

further the negotiations hit a snag after four sphericals of talks to August. After a series of unofficial meetings since then, the sum of two units nations recently agreed to recommence official talks with the session held last week in Washington.

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