MNeagle
23rd May 2010, 06:56 AM
May 23 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Japan will relocate a U.S. military base within Okinawa to Cape Henoko, overriding local opposition and resolving an eight-month dispute with the Obama administration.
Hatoyama is reversing a campaign pledge to break a 2006 U.S.-Japan agreement and transfer the Futenma Marine Air Base off Okinawa. Thousands of residents have demonstrated against keeping the facility, citing noise, pollution and crime, and public criticism of Hatoyama has increased since he took office in September as he delayed making a decision.
“We have no choice but to ask that the base be moved to Henoko,†he said today in a meeting with Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima in the prefectural capital of Naha. “It’s a heartrending decision, and I apologize to the people of Okinawa with all my heart.â€
Nakaima called the decision “extremely regrettable and very tough to accept,†and protesters outside his office waved banners saying ‘Don’t Betray Us.’ Residents have held several rallies against keeping the base on Okinawa, and have elected politicians who oppose the plan.
“There’s a strong feeling of betrayal,†Nakaima told reporters after the meeting.
$10.3 Billion Plan
The U.S. has pushed Japan to uphold the 2006 agreement to move Futenma within Okinawa, as part of a $10.3 billion plan that would also transfer 8,000 Marines to Guam. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Hatoyama and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in Tokyo two days ago and said both countries sought “an operationally viable†solution.
Clinton and Okada met to discuss a coordinated response to a report finding that North Korea fired a torpedo that sank a South Korean naval vessel in March, killing 46 sailors.
Hatoyama today said one reason for his decision was because “security concerns in East Asia are fragile, such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula.†A U.S. official traveling with Clinton said two days ago that the incident improved Japan’s willingness to reach a deal on the base.
“The prime minister has done the right thing, both in his decision and in apologizing,†said Tsuneo Watanabe, author of “Japan’s New Security Strategy†and director of policy research at the Tokyo Foundation. “But there are many things he has to do now,†including finding ways to improve the situation for the people of Okinawa.
Joint Agreement
The two sides will release a joint agreement on relocating Futenma on May 28, Japanese media including the Yomiuri newspaper said last week. Under the original agreement, helicopter units at Futenma would be moved to new facilities at Henoko near the existing Camp Schwab, and a runway would be built on reclaimed land.
Hatoyama’s popularity has plummeted since his Democratic Party of Japan took office in September, having ousted the Democratic Party of Japan from half a century of almost unbroken rule. He suggested in April that he may step down should he fail to reach a deal on Futenma before the end of the month, and the Social Democratic Party has threatened to quit his coalition should he keep the base on Okinawa, ahead of an upper-house election set for July.
Okinawa, 950 miles (1,530 kilometers) south of Tokyo, hosts 75 percent of the U.S. bases and more than half of the 50,000 American military personnel stationed in the country.
Hatoyama’s approval rating fell to 21 percent, down 4 percentage points from last month, while his disapproval rating rose 3 points to 64 percent, the Asahi newspaper said on May 17. Sixty-one percent of respondents said Hatoyama would be breaking his commitment if the U.S. Futenma Air Base stays in Okinawa, the Asahi reported.
The paper obtained 2,077 valid responses in the May 15-16 poll, and didn’t provide a margin of error.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=apXZgzwr2.RI&pos=8
Hatoyama is reversing a campaign pledge to break a 2006 U.S.-Japan agreement and transfer the Futenma Marine Air Base off Okinawa. Thousands of residents have demonstrated against keeping the facility, citing noise, pollution and crime, and public criticism of Hatoyama has increased since he took office in September as he delayed making a decision.
“We have no choice but to ask that the base be moved to Henoko,†he said today in a meeting with Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima in the prefectural capital of Naha. “It’s a heartrending decision, and I apologize to the people of Okinawa with all my heart.â€
Nakaima called the decision “extremely regrettable and very tough to accept,†and protesters outside his office waved banners saying ‘Don’t Betray Us.’ Residents have held several rallies against keeping the base on Okinawa, and have elected politicians who oppose the plan.
“There’s a strong feeling of betrayal,†Nakaima told reporters after the meeting.
$10.3 Billion Plan
The U.S. has pushed Japan to uphold the 2006 agreement to move Futenma within Okinawa, as part of a $10.3 billion plan that would also transfer 8,000 Marines to Guam. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Hatoyama and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in Tokyo two days ago and said both countries sought “an operationally viable†solution.
Clinton and Okada met to discuss a coordinated response to a report finding that North Korea fired a torpedo that sank a South Korean naval vessel in March, killing 46 sailors.
Hatoyama today said one reason for his decision was because “security concerns in East Asia are fragile, such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula.†A U.S. official traveling with Clinton said two days ago that the incident improved Japan’s willingness to reach a deal on the base.
“The prime minister has done the right thing, both in his decision and in apologizing,†said Tsuneo Watanabe, author of “Japan’s New Security Strategy†and director of policy research at the Tokyo Foundation. “But there are many things he has to do now,†including finding ways to improve the situation for the people of Okinawa.
Joint Agreement
The two sides will release a joint agreement on relocating Futenma on May 28, Japanese media including the Yomiuri newspaper said last week. Under the original agreement, helicopter units at Futenma would be moved to new facilities at Henoko near the existing Camp Schwab, and a runway would be built on reclaimed land.
Hatoyama’s popularity has plummeted since his Democratic Party of Japan took office in September, having ousted the Democratic Party of Japan from half a century of almost unbroken rule. He suggested in April that he may step down should he fail to reach a deal on Futenma before the end of the month, and the Social Democratic Party has threatened to quit his coalition should he keep the base on Okinawa, ahead of an upper-house election set for July.
Okinawa, 950 miles (1,530 kilometers) south of Tokyo, hosts 75 percent of the U.S. bases and more than half of the 50,000 American military personnel stationed in the country.
Hatoyama’s approval rating fell to 21 percent, down 4 percentage points from last month, while his disapproval rating rose 3 points to 64 percent, the Asahi newspaper said on May 17. Sixty-one percent of respondents said Hatoyama would be breaking his commitment if the U.S. Futenma Air Base stays in Okinawa, the Asahi reported.
The paper obtained 2,077 valid responses in the May 15-16 poll, and didn’t provide a margin of error.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=apXZgzwr2.RI&pos=8