Hirano says gov't could take legal step to settle U.S. base issue

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TOKYO, Jan. 26 Kyodo -
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano indicated Tuesday that the government
could resort to legal action to settle the issue of where to move a U.S.
Marines base in Okinawa if it could not secure consent from the local
government that has jurisdiction over a relocation site.
Hirano also said the government does not necessarily have to obtain a local
government's consent in reaching a conclusion on where to move the Futemma Air
Station by the self-imposed end-of-May deadline.
The remarks could provoke a sharp reaction from local governments in the
southernmost prefecture because they could be taken to mean that the central
government may proceed to build U.S. military facilities without the consent of
local governments.
''There could be a case in which it (the base relocation) could be legally
implemented,'' the top government spokesman said. ''There are various
scenarios.''
He also indicated that he hopes there will be a way to ''move things forward
without an agreement.''
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama later dismissed the possibility of seeking legal
action to settle the issue, telling reporters, ''Although I don't know what the
chief Cabinet secretary meant by the remark, I will seek acceptance (of the
government's decision) without adopting a high-handed manner.''
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada also hastened to clarify Hirano's remarks,
telling a news conference, ''It would be wrong if they were taken to mean that
we (the government) would proceed by ignoring local views or without listening
to local views at all.''
Meanwhile, Hatoyama expressed his willingness to meet with Susumu Inamine, who
won Sunday's mayoral election in Nago, Okinawa, advocating opposition to
Futemma's planned relocation to his less densely populated city under an
existing deal between Japan and the United States.
''I want to meet with people when I can, whether they are mayors or
governors,'' the prime minister told reporters in the evening.
Earlier in the day, Hirano reiterated that the government will not exclude from
consideration the existing relocation plan just because a candidate opposed to
it won Sunday's local election.
''I have said the introduction of a new mayor and his remarks are one
manifestation of the popular will,'' Hirano said at a news conference. But
''that does not mean we should perceive it entirely the popular will on the
base issue, which is part of national security,'' he said.
''It's not that I take the popular will lightly, but in my view the mayoral
election was not fought only on that one (issue),'' the top government
spokesman added.
Hirano has drawn fire from coalition partners in Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama's government for saying the previous day that there is ''no reason why
we have to take that (the election result) into account'' in considering where
to relocate the Futemma base in Ginowan.
Tokyo is reviewing the existing relocation plan to draw a conclusion on the
issue by the end of May.
Inamine, who will assume the mayoral post on Feb. 8, said Monday he will seek
passage of a resolution opposing Futemma's relocation to his city. In Sunday's
closely watched election, the 64-year-old beat incumbent Mayor Yoshikazu
Shimabukuro, who had expressed his willingness to accept the relocation.
==Kyodo