ID :
100161
Fri, 01/15/2010 - 02:00
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/100161
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U.S. senator seeks reasonable resolution of Futemma stalemate
TOKYO, Jan. 14 Kyodo -
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said Thursday he hopes for a ''reasonable resolution''
of the current stalemate between Japan and the United States over where to
relocate a U.S. Marines airfield in Okinawa Prefecture.
''I look forward to a reasonable resolution of the Futemma matter,'' the
visiting senior Democratic senator told reporters after meeting with Defense
Minister Toshimi Kitazawa at the Defense Ministry.
Inouye urged Japan to reach a conclusion on where to transfer the military base
as soon as possible so as not to damage bilateral relations, according to a top
ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Bilateral ties have come under strain as the Japanese government led by the
Democratic Party of Japan has explored the possibility of moving the U.S.
Marines' Futemma Air Station outside the prefecture or even abroad.
Doing so would go against a 2006 accord between Japan and the United States to
transfer the airstrip within the prefecture.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he plans to reach a conclusion on where to
move the heliport functions of the Futemma facility by May.
Inouye, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Kitazawa that he
and Sen. Thad Cochran, vice chairman of the committee, intend to ''acquaint
ourselves with the issues and problems involved in the relocation of troops
from Okinawa to Guam, most specifically the so-called Futemma'' issue.
The 2006 deal is part of a broader agreement on the reconfiguration of U.S.
forces in Japan, including the transfer of about 8,000 Marines stationed in
Okinawa to Guam by 2014.
The veteran Japanese-American lawmaker met with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima
on Wednesday in the southernmost Japanese prefecture and suggested Japan should
implement the existing Futemma transfer plan under the 2006 pact.
He also warned the governor that failure to break the deadlock over relocating
the base at an early date could adversely affect the stability of the entire
East Asian region.
The United States has repeatedly warned that if Japan does not go ahead with
the existing plan, the U.S. Congress will not earmark spending for the transfer
of Marines to Guam from Okinawa.
Inouye also met in Tokyo with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada over lunch.
==Kyodo
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said Thursday he hopes for a ''reasonable resolution''
of the current stalemate between Japan and the United States over where to
relocate a U.S. Marines airfield in Okinawa Prefecture.
''I look forward to a reasonable resolution of the Futemma matter,'' the
visiting senior Democratic senator told reporters after meeting with Defense
Minister Toshimi Kitazawa at the Defense Ministry.
Inouye urged Japan to reach a conclusion on where to transfer the military base
as soon as possible so as not to damage bilateral relations, according to a top
ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Bilateral ties have come under strain as the Japanese government led by the
Democratic Party of Japan has explored the possibility of moving the U.S.
Marines' Futemma Air Station outside the prefecture or even abroad.
Doing so would go against a 2006 accord between Japan and the United States to
transfer the airstrip within the prefecture.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama says he plans to reach a conclusion on where to
move the heliport functions of the Futemma facility by May.
Inouye, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Kitazawa that he
and Sen. Thad Cochran, vice chairman of the committee, intend to ''acquaint
ourselves with the issues and problems involved in the relocation of troops
from Okinawa to Guam, most specifically the so-called Futemma'' issue.
The 2006 deal is part of a broader agreement on the reconfiguration of U.S.
forces in Japan, including the transfer of about 8,000 Marines stationed in
Okinawa to Guam by 2014.
The veteran Japanese-American lawmaker met with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima
on Wednesday in the southernmost Japanese prefecture and suggested Japan should
implement the existing Futemma transfer plan under the 2006 pact.
He also warned the governor that failure to break the deadlock over relocating
the base at an early date could adversely affect the stability of the entire
East Asian region.
The United States has repeatedly warned that if Japan does not go ahead with
the existing plan, the U.S. Congress will not earmark spending for the transfer
of Marines to Guam from Okinawa.
Inouye also met in Tokyo with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada over lunch.
==Kyodo
