LEAD: Locals protest Futemma transfer within Okinawa ahead of Obama visit+

GINOWAN, Japan, Nov. 8 Kyodo -
Around 21,000 people protested against the planned relocation of a U.S.
military airfield within Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday ahead of U.S. President
Barack Obama's visit to Japan, in a sign of growing local frustration over the
new Japanese government's vague stance in reviewing the transfer plan.

The protesters called for the immediate closure of the U.S. Marine Corps'
Futemma Air Station located in a downtown residential area of Ginowan and urged
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to reject the transfer of the facility to a
coastal zone in Nago, northern Okinawa, in his talks with Obama slated for
Friday in Tokyo.
Demonstrators braved the heat to pack into an open-air theater in a seaside
park in Ginowan, central Okinawa, and adopted a resolution stating, ''The small
island of Okinawa doesn't need a base any more. We oppose the construction of a
new facility in the Henoko (district of Nago) and (Futemma's) relocation within
Okinawa.''
They accused U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates of ''intimidating'' the
Japanese government over the relocation issue when he pressed Japan last month
to stick to a 2006 bilateral deal on the Futemma transfer and to resolve the
matter before Obama's arrival.
Under the 2006 pact, the two countries agreed to transfer the heliport
functions of the Futemma facility to the Marines' Camp Schwab in the less
densely populated city of Nago by 2014.
The demonstrators also urged the Japanese government in the resolution ''not to
cave in to U.S. pressure and convey Okinawan people's voices without hesitation
to the United States in bilateral negotiations from 'equal' position.''
The rally brought together the heads of U.S. base-hosting local municipalities
as well as Diet members elected from Okinawa who belong to the ruling
Democratic Party of Japan and its coalition partners -- the Social Democratic
Party and the People's New Party.
The DPJ, which came to power in September after a sweeping election victory,
has promoted the idea of moving the Futemma airfield out of Okinawa or even out
of Japan, even though it would go against the 2006 accord signed as part of the
realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.
But Hatoyama has recently appeared evasive on the issue, saying Tokyo will take
time to consider the matter, as the issue has developed into a major headache
for bilateral relations.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said in a television program earlier in the day
that Hatoyama and Obama are likely to skip in-depth discussions on the Futemma
relocation during their talks because they are unlikely to find a breakthrough.
Okada has complicated the issue by advocating merging the Futemma functions
with the nearby U.S. Kadena Air Base. The proposal had been considered but
dismissed during past negotiations between Tokyo and Washington due to
operational difficulties and local protests.
Over 2,000 people staged a rally Saturday in the town of Kadena in protest
against Okada's proposal.
While Okinawa makes up only 0.6 percent of Japan's land mass, it accounts for
around 75 percent of the land area for facilities exclusively used by U.S.
forces in Japan.
Naha Mayor Takeshi Onaga, who took part in the rally, and other participants
are scheduled to make an appeal to the defense and foreign ministries as well
as the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo over the Futemma issue ahead of Obama's arrival.
At the rally, Ginowan Mayor Yoichi Iha said the Futemma facility is ''the most
dangerous base in the world'' and urged Hatoyama to tell Obama that Japan will
not allow a new U.S. military facility to be constructed in Okinawa. In that
way, the two countries can create ''new future-oriented bilateral relations,''
he said.
In August 2004, a Marine helicopter crashed on the campus of Okinawa
International University in Ginowan. The campus is located adjacent to the
Futemma air station.
Zenshin Takamine, chairman of the Okinawa prefectural assembly, said the burden
on Okinawa residents of hosting bases ''has exceeded a level acceptable'' to
the people. He also blasted Gates for ''pressuring'' Japan to abide by the 2006
accord, saying the U.S. defense secretary still regards Okinawa as a ''U.S.
colony.''
A majority in the assembly is opposed to the transfer of the Futemma heliport
functions to Camp Schwab, following an assembly election in June last year. In
July 2008, the assembly adopted a resolution objecting to the planned
relocation of the Futemma base to Nago.
Takekiyo Toguchi, a resident of Nago, said the Japanese people ''took a
historic step forward'' by realizing a change of government in the Aug. 30
House of Representatives election and that a different approach on the base
issue will prove that the country has changed.
Claiming the construction of V-shaped runways in the coastal area would destroy
the rich marine environment, Toguchi urged Hatoyama and Obama to ''hear local
voices.'' ''By allowing the construction of the new military facility, we will
indirectly aid killings. Don't create a 'base for murder' anymore,'' he said.
Toguchi's 12-year-old son also asked why the planned relocation of the Futemma
base to Nago is still being discussed, although a referendum in the city
conducted in 1997 clearly showed a majority of local residents opposed the
plan.
''Are adults allowed to break their promises? I hope Mr. Hatoyama will not ruin
our future,'' he said at the gathering.
The Nago city government accepted the transfer of the Futemma base to its
Henoko district despite the referendum result, in exchange for stimulus
measures for the local economy provided by the central government.
==Kyodo
2009-11-08 21:33:24