Okinawa leader tells gov't 'no' to Futemma onshore relocation plan+

TOKYO, March 10 Kyodo -
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima conveyed his opposition Wednesday to a so-called
onshore relocation plan for a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa during a meeting with
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano in Tokyo.

Nakaima also cast doubt on the other alternative, which is to move the Marines'
Futemma Air Station to an area between the U.S. military's White Beach Area in
Uruma and Tsuken Island by reclaiming the shallow waters in between.
While the government intends to coordinate moves with the United States mainly
over the two options, the Okinawa leader's opposition has added yet another
layer of difficulty to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's promise to settle the
matter by the end of May.
The onshore plan is one of two alternatives the government is weighing
regarding moving Futemma and involves building a helipad or a 1,600-meter
runway at the Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago, also in Okinawa. It would require
no reclamation unlike the current plan, which will reclaim the camp's coastal
area.
''This kind of thing is totally incomprehensible,'' Nakaima said he told the
top government spokesman during their meeting at the prime minister's office.
''People live on the land. A Marine airfield that would be built closer there
is unthinkable,'' he told reporters.
Citing environmental concerns, Nakaima said, ''Okinawa consists of islands.
Will they remove the green by scraping it?''
''It's rather more sensitive than (building an airfield on) the sea,'' he added.
Nakaima said Hirano made no response to his remarks but said the government is
currently weighing options to come up with a plan by the end of March.
Such a plan would serve as the basis for talks with the parties concerned,
including the United States.
Nakaima said he told Hirano that hopes are growing in Okinawa for Futemma's
relocation outside of the prefecture and that the central government should
consult with the prefecture once it comes up with its plan.
''I asked him to consult with us in advance about an affair that is intertwined
with local interests, and he said, 'Of course, I'm thinking of it','' Nakaima
said, adding that Hirano did not seem to have forgotten to explore relocation
outside of the prefecture, either.
As a key part of the 2006 Japan-U.S. agreement on the realignment of U.S.
forces in Japan, the current relocation plan seeks to move Futemma's functions
to a new airfield to be built in a coastal area of the camp in the less
populated city of Nago.
The Hatoyama government began reviewing the relocation plan after it was
launched last September through a historic change of power, but the United
States has said the current plan is best, creating room for a rift between the
two security allies.
==Kyodo
2010-03-11 00:34:44