ID :
97187
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 23:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/97187
The shortlink copeid
3 ruling parties agree to work out Futemma issue by May
+
TOKYO, Dec. 28 Kyodo -
Japan's three ruling parties agreed Monday to make maximum efforts to reach a
decision by May on where a U.S. Marines base in Okinawa Prefecture should be
transferred by examining various relocation sites regardless of whether they
are in Japan or abroad.
At the first meeting of a three-party working-level consultation body, the
Democratic Party of Japan and its two junior partners -- the Social Democratic
Party and the People's New Party -- agreed to frame their basic thoughts on the
relocation in about a month, according to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kinya
Takino.
The SDP had been opposed to setting any deadline on the stalled issue, but the
tiny party agreed with its two partners to make ''utmost efforts'' with a view
to reaching a decision by May, Takino told reporters after the meeting held at
the premier's office.
Members of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet have suggested that the
issue should see a conclusion by May, after parliament clears a fiscal 2010
budget proposal.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada conveyed the government's plan to U.S. State
Secretary Hillary Clinton during their telephone talks last week, effectively
making it a pledge to Washington.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Hatoyama said that the government would aim
not just to come to a conclusion among the three parties but also reach an
agreement with the United States by May.
The Japanese leader made the remarks in the Indian capital, which he is
visiting to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh after meeting
with business leaders in Mumbai.
''The ruling parties will make no decision that does not take into
consideration U.S. intentions,'' Hatoyama said.
But Washington has pressed Japan to stick to a 2006 agreement between Tokyo and
Washington to move the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station, which currently
sits in a residential area in Ginowan, to a less densely populated area in
Nago, another Okinawa city, to reduce the burden on people in Okinawa.
Hatoyama also said he would examine ''every possibility'' based on discussions
by the body and that any decision by the body must be respected.
As for a relocation site, Takino said that the parties would choose a location
without conditions.
Prior to the start of the meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said
that Guam remains a possible relocation site for the Futemma air station in the
southernmost prefecture.
Hirano, who leads the consultation body, made the comments at a regular press
conference after Hatoyama over the weekend called into question the feasibility
of a transfer to the U.S. territory from a deterrence standpoint.
''I have no intention of ruling out the possibility (of relocating the Futemma
facility to Guam) from the outset of our consultations,'' Hirano said,
stressing the issue needs to be discussed in terms of maintaining the U.S.
deterrence in the region.
During a recording for a radio program Saturday, Hatoyama said, ''I don't think
it is possible to transfer all the functions at Futemma to Guam in terms of
deterrence.''
But the Japanese leader said Sunday that Guam is ''one idea,'' slightly
changing his stance, apparently out of consideration for the SDP, which has
pushed for the Guam plan.
The 2006 deal is part of a broader agreement on the realignment of U.S.
military forces in Japan, including the transfer of 8,000 Marines stationed in
the prefecture to Guam.
Hirano said that the government will also proceed with negotiations with
Washington in tandem with the three-party consultations, and that either he
himself or Okada will serve as the primary contact with U.S. negotiators to
avoid confusion.
Before May, members of the body will meet every seven to 10 days, Takino said,
while denying that any member would visit the United States anytime soon for
negotiations on the matter.
The members include Senior Vice Foreign Minister Koichi Takemasa and Senior
Vice Defense Minister Kazuya Shimba, as well as Tomoko Abe and Mikio Shimoji,
who are the policy chiefs of the SDP and PNP respectively.
Shimoji told reporters after the meeting that Hirano asked the members to come
up with ''a feasible plan'' and dismissed the plan advocated by the SDP of
moving the facility to Iwoto Island, otherwise known as Iwojima.
Also on Monday, DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, who is believed by some to
have a controlling influence in the running of the government, expressed a
cautious view over transferring the Futemma facility under the 2006 deal,
citing local sentiment in Okinawa Prefecture.
Muneo Suzuki, head of the New Party Daichi and chairman of the House of
Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, quoted Ozawa as saying to him, ''I
will see what decision the prime minister's office will make, but the voices of
people in Okinawa must be respected. Those blue waters should not be
polluted.''
==Kyodo
2009-12-28 23:32:51
TOKYO, Dec. 28 Kyodo -
Japan's three ruling parties agreed Monday to make maximum efforts to reach a
decision by May on where a U.S. Marines base in Okinawa Prefecture should be
transferred by examining various relocation sites regardless of whether they
are in Japan or abroad.
At the first meeting of a three-party working-level consultation body, the
Democratic Party of Japan and its two junior partners -- the Social Democratic
Party and the People's New Party -- agreed to frame their basic thoughts on the
relocation in about a month, according to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kinya
Takino.
The SDP had been opposed to setting any deadline on the stalled issue, but the
tiny party agreed with its two partners to make ''utmost efforts'' with a view
to reaching a decision by May, Takino told reporters after the meeting held at
the premier's office.
Members of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Cabinet have suggested that the
issue should see a conclusion by May, after parliament clears a fiscal 2010
budget proposal.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada conveyed the government's plan to U.S. State
Secretary Hillary Clinton during their telephone talks last week, effectively
making it a pledge to Washington.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Hatoyama said that the government would aim
not just to come to a conclusion among the three parties but also reach an
agreement with the United States by May.
The Japanese leader made the remarks in the Indian capital, which he is
visiting to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh after meeting
with business leaders in Mumbai.
''The ruling parties will make no decision that does not take into
consideration U.S. intentions,'' Hatoyama said.
But Washington has pressed Japan to stick to a 2006 agreement between Tokyo and
Washington to move the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station, which currently
sits in a residential area in Ginowan, to a less densely populated area in
Nago, another Okinawa city, to reduce the burden on people in Okinawa.
Hatoyama also said he would examine ''every possibility'' based on discussions
by the body and that any decision by the body must be respected.
As for a relocation site, Takino said that the parties would choose a location
without conditions.
Prior to the start of the meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said
that Guam remains a possible relocation site for the Futemma air station in the
southernmost prefecture.
Hirano, who leads the consultation body, made the comments at a regular press
conference after Hatoyama over the weekend called into question the feasibility
of a transfer to the U.S. territory from a deterrence standpoint.
''I have no intention of ruling out the possibility (of relocating the Futemma
facility to Guam) from the outset of our consultations,'' Hirano said,
stressing the issue needs to be discussed in terms of maintaining the U.S.
deterrence in the region.
During a recording for a radio program Saturday, Hatoyama said, ''I don't think
it is possible to transfer all the functions at Futemma to Guam in terms of
deterrence.''
But the Japanese leader said Sunday that Guam is ''one idea,'' slightly
changing his stance, apparently out of consideration for the SDP, which has
pushed for the Guam plan.
The 2006 deal is part of a broader agreement on the realignment of U.S.
military forces in Japan, including the transfer of 8,000 Marines stationed in
the prefecture to Guam.
Hirano said that the government will also proceed with negotiations with
Washington in tandem with the three-party consultations, and that either he
himself or Okada will serve as the primary contact with U.S. negotiators to
avoid confusion.
Before May, members of the body will meet every seven to 10 days, Takino said,
while denying that any member would visit the United States anytime soon for
negotiations on the matter.
The members include Senior Vice Foreign Minister Koichi Takemasa and Senior
Vice Defense Minister Kazuya Shimba, as well as Tomoko Abe and Mikio Shimoji,
who are the policy chiefs of the SDP and PNP respectively.
Shimoji told reporters after the meeting that Hirano asked the members to come
up with ''a feasible plan'' and dismissed the plan advocated by the SDP of
moving the facility to Iwoto Island, otherwise known as Iwojima.
Also on Monday, DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, who is believed by some to
have a controlling influence in the running of the government, expressed a
cautious view over transferring the Futemma facility under the 2006 deal,
citing local sentiment in Okinawa Prefecture.
Muneo Suzuki, head of the New Party Daichi and chairman of the House of
Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, quoted Ozawa as saying to him, ''I
will see what decision the prime minister's office will make, but the voices of
people in Okinawa must be respected. Those blue waters should not be
polluted.''
==Kyodo
2009-12-28 23:32:51
