U.S., Japan decided on 'best option' on Futemma in 2006: Roos+

TOKYO, Jan. 29 Kyodo -
U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos said Friday that an existing plan to move a
U.S. Marine airfield within Okinawa was ''the best option'' the United States
and Japan decided in 2006, while adding that the southernmost island prefecture
is becoming ''more important'' in the current security environment.

Given some views in Japan that the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station
should even be moved outside the country, Roos warned that moving the Marines
outside Japan would impact their mobility and effectiveness and could be
''perceived negatively'' with regard to the U.S. commitment to the Asia-Pacific
region.
Roos made the remarks during a speech in Tokyo, about a week after a local
mayoral election increased pressure on the Japanese government to seek an
alternative to the planned relocation site in Nago, Okinawa, as the winning
candidate is opposed to the relocation of the base there.
The Futemma Air Station currently sits in a crowded residential area of
Ginowan, and Japan and the United States agreed in 2006 to relocate it to a
less-crowded area in the city of Nago to ease the burden on local people who
face noise pollution and the risk of accidents.
But the new government led by the Democratic Party of Japan is reviewing the
relocation plan, which is part of a broader agreement on the realignment of
U.S. forces in the country, saying it will reach a conclusion by the end of
May.
''This arrangement is certainly not perfect; no compromise ever is. But what
makes this issue especially difficult is that our two nations studied and
debated virtually every conceivable alternative for more than a decade before
deciding that the current plan is the best option to enable us to close Futemma
as quickly as possible without degrading our ability to fulfill our treaty
commitments,'' Roos said at Waseda University.
While noting the need to maintain deterrent capability over the long term, Roos
admitted that there is a need to ''reduce the footprint of our forces in
heavily populated areas,'' as seen in Okinawa.
But referring to China's dramatic military modernization and North Korea's
nuclear and missile threats, he also said, ''Unfortunately, given trends in the
security environment, Okinawa is becoming not less but more important for the
defense of Japan and maintenance of peace in the region.''
Roos also said that closing Futemma would not be the ''end of our work'' and
expressed willingness to work with Japan to address the local concerns related
to hosting the bases over such issues as noise and the environment.
''Much more can be done to make our bases in Japan environmentally friendly,
including for example, by using the latest green technology on on-base
construction,'' he said.
Meanwhile, Wallace Gregson, visiting U.S. assistant secretary of defense for
Asia and the Pacific, met with Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa to discuss the
Futemma relocation following the Nago mayoral election. Roos accompanied
Gregson at the meeting at the Defense Ministry.
Kitazawa told reporters that during hourlong ''candid'' talks, the senior U.S.
defense official said Washington is weighing the decision of Nago voters. The
two also agreed to coordinate with each other as Tokyo tries to reach a final
conclusion on the matter by the end of May, he added.
A government panel chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano has been
exploring candidate sites for the Futemma transfer without excluding an
existing plan under the 2006 accord.
Gregson will visit Okinawa over the weekend and take part in a high-level
bilateral foreign and defense officials' meeting on security issues slated for
next week, according to Kitazawa and the U.S. Defense Department.
==Kyodo
2010-01-29 23:11:57


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