Ozawa floats Shimoji, Ie islands as Futemma's possible alternative+

TOKYO, Dec. 30 Kyodo -
Ichiro Ozawa, the powerful No. 2 figure in the ruling Democratic Party of
Japan, referred to two small Okinawa islands as a possible alternative site to
relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station on the main island of
Okinawa, coalition lawmakers said Wednesday.
But it remains unclear how viable as an alternative these islands -- Shimoji
and Ie -- can be given that they were written off in the process of forming the
existing relocation plan between Japan and the United States.
Reiterating his reservations about the existing plan, which is to move
Futemma's heliport functions to an airfield to be built on the shore of the
Marines' Camp Schwab in a less populated part of Okinawa, the DPJ secretary
general said Tuesday night, ''There is an airport not being used on Shimoji
Island.''
Ozawa also asked Social Democratic Party Secretary General Yasumasa Shigeno,
''Is the SDP opposed to (relocation in) any part of Okinawa Prefecture?''
according to the lawmakers, who participated in their dinner.
The SDP has called for relocating the Futemma facility outside of the
southernmost prefecture or abroad to lighten burdens on the people of Okinawa,
which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.
Shozaburo Jimi, secretary general of the People's New Party, which forms Prime
Minister Yukio Hatoyama's three-party coalition government along with the DPJ
and SDP, was also among those who took part in the dinner.
Prior to the dining session, Ozawa was quoted by a coalition source as telling
it, ''The airports not being used in Okinawa should be among those to be
considered (for a possible relocation).''
Shimoji is a small island that lies about 280 kilometers southwest of the main
island. It hosts a 3,000-meter runway that is mostly used by airlines for pilot
training. Ie, on the other hand, is an island just off the main Okinawa
island's west coast and has an airstrip used as a Marine training facility.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama refrained from commenting on
Ozawa's remarks, telling reporters, ''This is not the time for me to say
various things.''
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa cautioned that plans to relocate Futemma to
either of the islands would face hurdles to clear.
''It's not easy for Shimoji Island or Ie Island to be an alternative to Futemma
in a straight manner because of geographical and capacity issues,'' he said.
Japan and the United States mulled relocating the Futemma airfield to Shimoji
or Ie, but they decided in the end to relocate it to the Marine camp in the
Henoko district in Nago, Okinawa, as part of a broader 2006 bilateral agreement
on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said relocating the Futemma facility
within Okinawa as agreed on between the two countries can be an option to
pursue in the event that Tokyo fails to find what he calls a ''better''
relocation site.
The ruling parties had agreed the previous day to make maximum efforts to reach
a decision by next May on where to relocate Futemma by examining various sites
regardless of whether they are in Japan or abroad.
The consensus was reached amid Washington's strong pressure on Tokyo to swiftly
implement the existing deal.
Many in Okinawa are already unhappy about having to host U.S. forces for
decades, given the noise pollution, accidents, crimes and other problems
associated with their presence on their soil.
Under the road map on the U.S. forces' realignment agreed on in 2006, the
Futemma facility will be moved to the Henoko district by 2014, while around
8,000 Marines will be transferred from Okinawa to Guam.
==Kyodo
2009-12-30 21:33:17