TOKYO — The nephew of alleged U.S. Army deserter Charles Robert Jenkins accused the U.S. and Japanese governments Saturday of keeping his uncle in isolation in a Tokyo hospital while they try to orchestrate a plea bargain that would "wash their hands" of an awkward diplomatic problem.
James Hyman, who is campaigning to exonerate his uncle on charges that he deserted the military and defected to North Korea nearly four decades ago, told reporters that the Japanese government had blocked his attempts to visit Jenkins in the last week.
Hyman said his uncle was probably unaware that "the U.S. government does not have proof" of the accusations against him. He suggested that he was kept away from Jenkins because "the Japanese government and the U.S. government believe I may say something wrong."
The Pentagon has vowed to prosecute Jenkins, a 64-year-old former sergeant, for allegedly deserting his military unit while patrolling the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea in 1965, though officials say they are prepared to delay a court-martial until his health improves.
The Japanese government has called on Washington to show leniency so that Jenkins can remain with his Japanese wife, Hitomi Soga, and their two adult daughters in Japan.
Jenkins left North Korea on July 9 for medical treatment after spending nearly 40 years in the secretive communist state. He arrived in Japan a week ago, appearing far frailer than when he had left North Korea, and was immediately admitted to a hospital.
His ongoing hospitalization provides Tokyo and Washington with a slim window to resolve their clashing goals.
Quoting government sources, Japanese media reported Saturday that Tokyo and Washington were trying to cut a deal whereby Jenkins would plead guilty to desertion in return for permission to live in Japan. But Jenkins could balk at such a compromise if he knew how weak the Army's evidence against him was, his nephew said.
Jenkins' family has long maintained that he did not defect but was captured by North Korean soldiers and forced to participate in anti-American propaganda films to save his life. At the time of his disappearance, the Army said it had found four notes in which Jenkins confessed his intention to cross over to the enemy. Those notes have vanished from Army records -- if they ever existed, Jenkins' family says, adding that the notes would have been forgeries in any event because they were signed "Charles" instead of "Robert," as Jenkins is known to family and friends.
