sentences:  The families of the defendants initially claimed that Japanese officials had racially discriminated against the men because they were all black and coerced confessions from them, but later retracted the claims.After the incident became known, public outrage erupted, especially over the U.S.–Japan Status of Forces Agreement, which gives the U.S. service members a certain measure of extraterritoriality (exemption from jurisdiction of local law) only as it relates to the place the suspects were detained.While the crime was committed away from a U.S. military base, the U.S. initially took the men into custody, on September 6.