A base Okinawans can live with

The Japan Times: Friday, Oct. 23, 2009

EDITORIAL

A base Okinawans can live with

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa in Tokyo this week. The two sides failed to resolve differences over the relocation of a U.S. military base on Okinawa Island. Under a 2006 bilateral agreement, the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in the urban area of Ginowan (southern part of the Island) would move to the shore area of Camp Schwab, in Nago (northeastern part of the island).

Mr. Gates reiterated that the present plan is the only feasible one, although he hinted that the U.S. might accept an alternative — floated by the Okinawa prefectural government — to move the proposed site at Camp Schwab about 50 meters toward the sea. He also stressed that unless the Futenma air facility is moved to Camp Schwab, the plan to move some 8,000 U.S. Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to Guam will not go ahead.

The Japanese side is apparently trying to postpone a final decision on the Futenma air facility's transfer. Referring to the fact that the four single-seat constituencies in Okinawa Prefecture in the Aug. 30 Lower House election elected candidates who are against the plan to move the Futenma facility to another part of Okinawa Prefecture, Mr. Okada said Japan cannot make a quick decision on the matter.

Mr. Hatoyama hinted that he will make a final decision by around June 2010 — after the Nago mayoral election in January that year. Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima wants the transfer issue resolved sooner. The government should start looking for a location that will satisfy both the Okinawan people and the U.S. Merely postponing the decision will not be in Japan's interest.

Mr. Okada also proposed that Japan and the U.S. discuss a "no-first-use" policy for nuclear weapons. Mr. Gates stressed the importance of the U.S. having a flexible nuclear deterrence policy, although U.S. President Barack Obama has urged the creation of a world without nuclear weapons. Japan needs to carefully handle the no-first-use issue as it could disrupt security cooperation with the U.S.

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