TOKYO Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Wednesday the Japanese government would review a set of rules governing the presence of U.S. military personnel in the country, but added the pact would stay untouched for now.

"We have to review it, but negotiations will take time," he said. "Before that, we have to improve the practical use" of the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement.

"Considering Okinawa's burden, we want to proceed with the consolidation and reduction of the U.S. base," he added.

Under the agreement, U.S. commanders do not have to hand over service personnel suspected of crimes until they are indicted by Japanese prosecutors.

However, after the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawa girl by three U.S. servicemen, Washington agreed to give "sympathetic consideration" to any request by Tokyo for an immediate handover of those suspected of serious crimes such as rape or murder.

Calls are mounting for a revision of the agreement after Washington dragged its feet prior to handing over air force staff Sergeant Timothy Woodland who is accused of raping an Okinawa woman in her 20s.

Police in Okinawa obtained an arrest warrant for Woodland on Monday, July 2, but it was not until July 6, after days of intense lobbying by Tokyo, that the U.S. agreed to the transfer.

"Such crimes have damaged Japan-U.S. relations and angered residents," AFP quoted Koizumi as telling a television talk show.

Earlier in the day Okinawa Governor Kiichi Inamine met Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka to urge a hasty review of the rules to allow U.S. servicemen suspected of crimes to be handed over before they are officially indicted.

The governor of the southern Japanese island focused on two key elements.

"First, we want to have effective measures to prevent crimes (by U.S. servicemen). Secondly we want (the central government) to review thoroughly the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement," Inamine told Tanaka, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Sergeant Woodland was finally handed over "thanks to your efforts. But the anger in Okinawa was pushed to the limit because of the long delay," Inamine told Tanaka.

Politicians and local activists have asked repeatedly for a reduction in U.S. troops on Okinawa and for curfews on U.S. servicemen to curb crime.

But U.S. officials maintain their troops are responsible for a disproportionately low percentage of crimes committed on Okinawa.

Tanaka responded to Inamine by saying she realized the burden on Okinawa residents and would do her best to prevent serious crimes by U.S. forces.

"I regard the issues related to the status of forces agreement as issues to be taken up by the entire cabinet, and we will do our best to improve the situation," she said, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told a news conference in Tokyo that he believed Washington would react more swiftly should a similar crime occur.

"Because it became a problem this time, I think the United States has a deeper understanding of Japan's situation," he said. "Of course, it should not happen again, but if it does, I think the situation will be dealt with swiftly."

Okinawa reluctantly hosts 25,200 of the 51,500 U.S. troops in Japan.