Employee of Major Trading Firm Arrested for Trespassing into U.S. Base

Yokohama, Feb. 20 (Jiji Press)–Police in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, arrested an employee of a major Japanese trading company on Thursday for allegedly trespassing into a U.S. military base in violation of the Special Criminal Act under the Japan-U.S. status-of-forces agreement. The suspect, 45-year-old Yoshitaka Mizuno, returned from Iraq, where he had been stationed for work, earlier in the day. Mizuno told police that he had been attracted by the U.S. military and wanted to interact with them as much as possible, according to investigative sources. Mizuno is suspected of entering the U.S. Navy’s Yokosuka base in Kanagawa without authorization on Oct. 23 last year. Within the base, he carried a fake ID card and drove a rented car. His suspected trespassing came to light after he was cited by police for a parking violation near his home in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. To enter U.S. military-related facilities, outsiders are required to have an ID card issued by the U.S. military or be accompanied by U.S. military personnel. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]