Thursday, May 22, 2008NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) The Fukuoka High Court has ordered the government to present it with documents on Japan-U.S. talks about the 2006 crash of a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter in Okinawa that it has refused to disclose to an Okinawa citizen, lawyers said.
Presiding Judge Osamu Nishi issued the order on May 12 during an appeal from the citizen against a lower court rejection of his demand for the government to disclose all the documents.
In the decision, Judge Nishi said the court will decide if the government-rejected information disclosure was proper.
The court battle involves the crash of a CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter on the campus of Okinawa International University in Ginowan on Aug. 13, 2006. The university is located adjacent to the marines' Futenma Air Station.
The crash damaged the walls of the main university building and injured the three crew members aboard the chopper.
According to the Fukuoka District Court's decision in November 2006, the man, a resident of Naha, demanded that the Foreign Ministry disclose documents on Japan-U.S. talks over the crash.
In December 2004, the ministry refused to disclose all or part of 19 out of the 24 sets of documents on the talks.
Dissatisfied with the Foreign Ministry's decision, the man sued for disclosure of all the documents.
When the Fukuoka District Court rejected the suit, it said Japan's security relations with the United States might be damaged if the documents are released without Washington's consent.
The Foreign and Justice ministries are currently in talks about filing an objection against the high court order, an official said.
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