Japan, U.S. agree to drop deadline to relocate Futenma base by 2014+

WASHINGTON, June 21 Kyodo -
Japan and the United States agreed at security talks between their defense and foreign ministers in Washington on Tuesday to drop their earlier deadline for the relocation of a key U.S. base within Okinawa Prefecture by 2014, a move that will likely further stall the already protracted negotiations over the base.
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto also agreed with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a new set of ''common strategic objectives'' in a joint statement, which called for China to play a constructive role in regional stability.
In the statement issued after the ''two-plus-two'' defense and security meeting, the four ministers reaffirmed a bilateral accord reached in May last year on the relocation of the base as part of the overall realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.
Kitazawa said in a joint news conference afterward that the agreement on the configuration of the replacement facility for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station marked an ''important'' step forward in efforts to relocate the U.S. base.
He was referring to building the facility in the form of two runways in a V-shaped configuration.
There is strong opposition in Okinawa, which has long hosted the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan, to the relocation of the Futenma Air Station from Ginowan to the less populated coastal area of Nago's Henoko district.
Influential U.S. lawmakers have also called for a review of the current Futenma relocation plan, arguing it is expensive and unrealistic.
Gates said, ''It is critical that we move forward with the relocation of Futenma,'' stressing the importance of making ''concrete progress'' over the course of next year.
The ministers committed to completing the relocation ''at the earliest possible date after 2014,'' but provided no specific timeline or steps to address the concerns in Okinawa and the U.S. Congress regarding the feasibility of the current Futenma relocation plan.
Based on a new set of ''common strategic objectives,'' which were originally drawn up in February 2005 and updated in May 2007, the two nations said they will boost the bilateral security alliance amid regional security challenges such as the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
Japan and the United States agreed to deter provocative actions by North Korea, apparently in light of incidents last year including the North's fatal artillery attack on a South Korean island, and to seek the denuclearization of North Korea, including its uranium enrichment program, in a verifiable manner.
The ministers also called for the maintenance of maritime safety and security by defending the principle of freedom of navigation.
Although the statement did not name a specific country, Japanese officials have expressed concern in past documents about China's growing military power and increased naval activities around Japan's southwestern islands.
In the statement, the two countries urged China to take a ''responsible and constructive role in regional stability and prosperity'' and called for ''its cooperation on global issues, and its adherence to international norms of behavior.'' They also called on China to be more open and transparent in its military modernization.
Regarding the modernization of U.S. forces, Gates said the United States will maintain a strong presence with forward deployment in East Asia, noting that the latest Futenma accord marks ''steady progress'' in modernizing U.S. forces.
Despite reaffirming the agreement on the relocation of Futenma as well as of 8,000 Marines stationed in Okinawa and their 9,000 dependents to Guam, the two countries made little headway in moving the issue forward.
Beyond the issue of realigning U.S. forces, the ministers reaffirmed cooperation between the U.S. military and Japan's Self-Defense Forces, which worked closely together on disaster relief operations in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
The ministers agreed on the importance of setting up a regional logistics hub in Japan for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
Meeting face-to-face under the two-plus-two framework for the first time in four years, the ministers also agreed that the United States can export a jointly developed ballistic missile interceptor to third countries.
==Kyodo