70% of prefectures back revising pact governing U.S. troops in Japan

Thirty-three of Japan's 47 prefectural governments back revising a pact governing the U.S. forces in the country, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday, underscoring widespread concerns associated with U.S. military bases and the agreement restricting Japanese investigation rights in accidents.The survey was conducted in November and December after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, a proponent of the first-ever revision to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, took office in October.The wariness over SOFA, which critics view as overly protective of American service members who have broken J…READ FULL ARTICLE