Pentagon Official Worried over Japan Decision on Futenma

Washington, Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)--A senior Department of Defense
official on Tuesday showed concern over the Japanese government's decision
to put off a conclusion on the issue of relocation of a key U.S. base in
Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan.

The United States believes that the military realignment roadmap
agreed on in 2006 between the U.S. and Japanese governments "is the
foundation for a sustainable U.S. force presence in Japan, will ensure our
ability to uphold U.S. treaty commitments to the defense of Japan, and will
reduce our footprint on Okinawa," the official told Jiji Press.
The official made the remarks after the government of Japanese
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday decided to spend more time on
selecting an alternative relocation site for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma
air station.
The Hatoyama government is reviewing the 2006 Japan-U.S. agreement
that calls for moving the base in Ginowan, Okinawa, to a replacement
facility to be built at the Marine Corps' Camp Schwab in Nago in the same
prefecture. The Futenma relocation is a centerpiece of the two countries'
accord on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.
The Pentagon official said that the existing option "represents the
best and only viable plan."
At a press conference, Gen. James Conway, commander of the Marine
Corps, said, "The Futenma replacement facility is absolutely vital for the
defense that we provide, of the entire region."
Noting that the United States has agreed to move the base from "a
very populous area to a more sparsely populated area," Conway said the
Japanese government's latest decision is "unfortunate in terms of what we're
attempting to plan on our end."
Meanwhile, Philip Crowley, Department of State assistant secretary
for public affairs, showed some understanding for the complex situation in
Japan over of the Futenma issue. "We understand that these are complex
issues," he said at a separate press conference.
Crowley apparently pointed to the Social Democratic Party's
opposition to relocating the Futenma base within Okinawa under the existing
plan and Okinawa people's strong expectations for a Futenma base relocation
to outside the prefecture. The SDP is a junior member of the Democratic
Party of Japan-led coalition government.
Asked whether the Hatoyama government's way of handling the Futenma
issue bothers the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, Crowley
said, "The Japanese government has indicated to us that they'd like a little
more time to work through these issues."
He also said the United States will "continue to have our
high-level consultations with the Japanese in the coming weeks and months."
Still, Crowley said the United States believes that the existing
relocation plan is "the best way forward." The U.S. military presence in
Okinawa is "a manifestation of primarily our U.S.-Japanese bilateral
relationship and alliance," he said.

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