Hatoyama Seeks Okinawa's Consent to Futenma Relocation to Nago

Naha, Okinawa Pref., May 23 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister
Yukio Hatoyama officially asked Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima on Sunday
to accept the idea of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air base in
this southernmost prefecture to a coastal district of the Marines' Camp
Schwab in Nago, also Okinawa.
At their meeting in Naha, the capital city of Okinawa, Hatoyama
told Nakaima that his government concluded there is "no other choice" but to
ask people in Okinawa to agree to the plan to set up a replacement facility
to Futenma, now in a crowded area of Ginowan, in the less populated Henoko
district, where Camp Schwab is located.
This was "a heartbreaking decision," Hatoyama said, adding that the
U.S. deterrence should not be weakened for the sake of security in East
Asia.
If the Futenma base is moved out of Okinawa, the functions of the
U.S. Marines would be significantly undermined, he said.
But Nakaima said that any plan to relocate Futenma within the
prefecture cannot be accepted, saying that Hatoyama's proposal is "very
regrettable."
Hatoyama underscored the need to ease Okinawa's base-hosting burden
and reduce the danger posed by the heavy U.S. military presence in the
prefecture by moving the functions of U.S. bases in Okinawa, especially
their training operations, to other Japanese prefectures as much as
possible.
Hatoyama added that he will seek cooperation from governors of
prefectures concerned in sharing the burden of hosting U.S. base functions
when he attends an extraordinary meeting of the National Governors
Association on Thursday. Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities
and troops in Japan.
The prime minister apologized for failing to fulfill his past
promise to transfer the Futenma base from Okinawa and for causing confusion
among Okinawa citizens.
Nakaima showed dissatisfaction at Hatoyama's apology.
Disappointment among Okinawa citizens is very large, Nakaima said, noting
that Okinawa's hope to see the Futenma base moved out of the prefecture has
grown strong since the September 2009 House of Representatives election that
ended in a huge victory of Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan and led to a
change of government as a result.
The prime minister should take time to make full explanations and
find a solution acceptable to Okinawa, Nakaima said.
After the talks with Nakaima, Hatoyama met in Nago with leaders of
some municipalities in Okinawa, including Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine, and
explained the plan to relocate Futenma to the Henoko district in Nago.
But Inamine said that he resolutely opposes the plan and that the
proposal is extremely regrettable.
Hatoyama is visiting Okinawa for a second time after making the
first visit May 4 since he took office last September following the general
election. In the previous visit, Hatoyama said that it is difficult to move
all of the Futenma functions out of Okinawa, but stopped short of referring
to a specific candidate site for relocation.
Japan and the United States agreed in 2006 to relocate the Futenma
base by constructing V-shaped runways on a landfill off Camp Schwab.
The Hatoyama government had been reviewing the agreement and
looking for an alternative relocation site. But the prime minister has now
concluded that it is difficult to find a site other than the Henoko
district.
The government's relocation plan is basically in line with the 2006
original plan although details including methods for constructing a Futenma
replacement facility have yet to be decided.
Having broken his Lower House election pledge to transfer the base
from Okinawa, Hatoyama's political responsibility may be called into
question.
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, one of the
two junior coalition partners of the DPJ, showed strong opposition to the
Futenma relocation to the Henoko district.
At a press conference in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka,
Fukushima, also consumer affairs minister, said that the proposal is
infeasible and that she does not think the Okinawa governor will give his
nod. She said she is resolutely opposed to it.
Regarding documents the Japanese and U.S. governments plan to
compile by the end of May to stipulate their agreement on an outline of the
Futenma relocation, Fukushima said that Japan-U.S. relations would
deteriorate sharply if an infeasible relocation plan is included in the
documents. An agreement that does not reflect the will of Okinawa people is
impermissible.
But Fukushima said that the SDP has not decided whether to quit the
coalition. The SDP wants the base to be moved out of Okinawa.


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