A US Army sergeant accused of deserting to North Korea in 1965 and now hospitalised in Japan is willing to appear before the US military in Japan for a plea bargain, Japanese media reports said on Saturday.
Charles Robert Jenkins, 64, was brought to Japan for medical care last month after being reunited with his Japanese wife, Hitomi Soga, and their two daughters in Jakarta on July 9.
The United States has said it wants him to face a court-martial but has held off seeking custody while he is in hospital.
Kyodo news agency quoted informed sources as saying that Jenkins had told Japanese government officials of his intent to appear before the US Army headquarters in Japan at Camp Zama near Tokyo.
The Asahi Shimbun daily, which carried a similar report, said Jenkins may hold another meeting with a US military lawyer as early as next week before moving to Camp Zama.