Japan vows to stick by accord on U.S. base relocation+

TOKYO, April 28 Kyodo -
Japan's foreign and defense ministers assured a visiting U.S. senator on Thursday that Japan will stick to a bilateral accord on the relocation of a U.S. Marine base within Okinawa Prefecture, government officials said.
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa was quoted as telling Carl Levin, chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, that the ''political climate in Okinawa is extremely tough'' regarding acceptance of the relocation plan but he intends to ''steadily implement'' the accord.
Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto called for the support of U.S. lawmakers to fulfill the base relocation accord, which is linked to the transfer of 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam as part of a bilaterally agreed realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, according to the officials.
In a deal struck in May 2010, Tokyo and Washington reaffirmed the plan to relocate the Futenma Air Station within the island prefecture, as its implementation had hit a snag due to the strong opposition of local residents, who want the base moved outside of Okinawa.
The central government has been trying to persuade local people to accept the planned relocation, while making efforts to alleviate the longtime burden of hosting the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan.
During talks with Kitazawa at the Defense Ministry, Levin called for progress on the relocation issue and said a lack of movement on the issue is against everyone's interests, according to the officials.
Levin also met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, who doubles as minister in charge of Okinawa, at the prime minister's office.
The senator told reporters afterward, ''We talked about...how important (it is) for everybody that the relocation of the Marines occur and progress be made on Okinawa,'' hopefully gaining the support of local residents.
Levin, who is in Japan to follow up on the bilateral accord, flew to Okinawa and held a meeting Wednesday with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, who told him he wants the base to be relocated to another part of Japan.
Levin and other members of the U.S. delegation will visit Friday areas hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, according to the officials.
In his meeting with Matsumoto, Levin said he will express U.S. support for disaster victims on Friday. The senator also said he appreciated the partnership between the U.S. forces in Japan and the Self-Defense Forces in their joint efforts to provide relief to devastated areas.
Matsumoto told him that the joint relief operations helped Japanese people to realize the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and enhanced their confidence in the security arrangement.