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US deserter held after murder of Japanese driver

The US military yesterday took into custody a deserter in Japan wanted for questioning over the killing of a taxi driver, a report said.

The US military, which has been looking for the sailor since early this month, informed Japan early yesterday that he was found in the military hub of Yokosuka near Tokyo, Kyodo News said, quoting police sources.

The report said the sailor's credit card was found on Wednesday in a parked taxi in which the 61-year-old driver was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife, which penetrated his neck so deeply that it reached its lung.

The US Navy had condemned the incident and said it would fully cooperate in the probe.

Japan has had tense relations recently with the US military after a series of alleged crimes linked to troops.

More than 40,000 US troops are stationed in Japan under a security alliance with the close US ally.

Japanese media said that the sailor, 22, had been missing since the beginning of the month. He was serving on the US Navy's 7th Fleet in Yokosuka.

The city is the biggest US naval hub in the Pacific.

Reports have said that the slain driver was suspected of arguing with the customer over the fare, which police said was about ?17,000 (US$170).

Police found about ?62,000 in cash in a bag left in the driver's seat and tens of thousands of yen in Takahashi's pocket, Kyodo News said.

The incident comes a month after a furor on the southern island of Okinawa, the biggest US military hub in Japan, after a US Marine was arrested for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl.
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