TOKYO, July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. authorities have charged a soldier with deserting to North Korea in 1965, Mainichi Shimbun reported Saturday.
Charles Jenkins, 64, was recently released by North Korea and has been undergoing medical tests at a Tokyo hospital.
Japanese sources said although the United States has not asked Japan to hand Jenkins over immediately, it has charged him with desertion, abetting desertion, acts that served the interests of the enemy and encouragement of disloyalty. The charges were filed when Jenkins was reported missing.
Those sources also said Tokyo plans to ask for leniency in a plea bargain that would allow Jenkins to live in Japan with his Japanese wife and their two daughters.
U.S. authorities have told their Japanese counterparts that if Jenkins cooperates with questioning and reveals information concerningn North Korea, he would receive a light punishment and avoid a jail term.
