Okada favors relocating Futemma base to Kadena in Okinawa+

TOKYO, Oct. 23 Kyodo -
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Friday he personally favors a plan to
transfer the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station to the nearby U.S. Kadena
Air Base, although Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has indicated his intention to
seek to move the facility out of Okinawa Prefecture.

''I don't think it's an option,'' Okada told a press conference, referring to
the possibility of moving the Futemma facility outside the southernmost
prefecture.
He said he favors the idea of consolidating the Futemma and Kadena bases
because the latter already has a runway and it would take less time to realize
the relocation of Futemma than the current plan under a 2006 Japan-U.S. accord
to construct V-shaped runways off the coast of Nago, northern Okinawa, by 2014.
The foreign minister said attempting to transfer the air base outside Okinawa
would prolong the negotiation process with the United States and subsequently
the burden on residents of Ginowan, the densely populated area that currently
hosts the U.S. Marine facility.
During his visit to Tokyo earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert
Gates pointed to difficulties in moving the Futemma heliport functions to
Kadena, citing operational reasons.
Okada said while he is aware that both Washington and the residents of Kadena
as well as neighboring municipalities oppose the plan to consolidate the
Futemma and Kadena bases, it is necessary to verify the plan's feasibility.
The foreign minister also suggested that the government should set its policy
direction on whether it will alter the Japan-U.S. accord on the Futemma
relocation by year-end, because it has to draft a fiscal 2010 budget involving
expenses for the realignment of U.S. forces by that time.
Under the bilateral pact, the two countries agreed to relocate the Futemma
airfield in downtown Ginowan to off the coast of the Marines' Camp Schwab in
Nago, a less densely populated city in northern Okinawa, by 2014.
Okada said it would be impossible for the government led by the Democratic
Party of Japan to decide on its approach to the issue before U.S. President
Barack Obama's visit to Japan scheduled for Nov. 12 to 13.
''We don't have much time before the president's visit and I don't think we can
prepare an answer that would convince the people of Okinawa by then,'' Okada
said.
Hatoyama reiterated Friday that he will take his time in reaching a conclusion.
''We do not have to feel pressed,'' the prime minister said in the morning in
front of his home. ''The point will be how (Japan and the United States) can
avoid risks. That's diplomacy.''
The timing has drawn much attention since Gates pressed Japan earlier this week
to decide on its stance before Obama's visit. Gates urged the new Japanese
government to honor the 2006 accord, saying it is ''the best alternative for
everyone'' and the only viable option.
Visiting U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen also called on
Japan to abide by the existing accord, saying moving the Futemma functions out
of Okinawa ''would diminish security support for Japan.''
''I don't believe, from the military standpoint, it is possible to provide the
kind of security and defense support to Japan and to the region without it,''
Mullen told reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, referring to the current
Futemma relocation plan.
The U.S. Navy admiral met with Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa on
Friday. He expressed hope at the embassy that Tokyo will draw its conclusion on
the Futemma issue before Obama's visit to Japan.
Hatoyama has repeatedly said that he wants to wait until after the Nago mayoral
election in January before making a decision. The relocation issue will likely
be the focus of the election.
But Hatoyama on Friday sought to clarify his remarks about the mayoral
election, telling reporters, ''I don't mean at all to say that it (a decision)
has to come after the Nago mayoral election.''
While saying it would be better if a decision is made quickly, he added, ''We
should not make mistakes by embracing the idea that there's a point by which we
should draw a conclusion.''
The prime minister told reporters he has instructed Okada and Kitazawa to
examine alternative options to the current Futemma relocation plan.
==Kyodo
2009-10-23 23:03:21