U.S. Ambassador Baker sympathizes with Jenkins case but says it's a legal matter

Wednesday, June 4, 2003 at 07:06 JST

TOKYO — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker expressed sympathy Tuesday for Charles Robert Jenkins, the American husband of former abductee Hitomi Soga, as his status as a deserter of the U.S. military puts him at risk of arrest or court-martial if he visits Japan from North Korea.

"I have a deep sympathy for the abductees and for their families and that includes Mrs Soga's husband," Baker said referring to Jenkins, 63, a former U.S. Army sergeant who is listed as having deserted in 1965.

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