Nov 8 09:41 AM US/Eastern(AP) - TOKYO, Nov. 8 (Kyodo) — Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates agreed Thursday on the need for Japan to resume refueling support in the Indian Ocean for U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.
Ishiba and Gates also told a joint news conference after their meeting in Tokyo that they agreed to promote the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, including the stalled relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma [Futenma] Air Station within Okinawa Prefecture without a major change in the relocation plan although the local government is calling for it.
Ishiba also said they agreed to boost cooperation in the operational stage of a joint ballistic missile shield scheme.
Earlier in the day, Gates also confirmed the importance of Japan's continued refueling mission in a separate meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda prior to the premier's first visit to the United States for talks with President George W. Bush later this month.
"The refueling mission serves the national interest and the responsibility Japan should take on the international stage," Ishiba said, referring to the ongoing efforts by Fukuda's administration to resume the mission.
"If the suspension of the mission drags on, it could be taken to indicate Japan is reluctant to fight against terrorism," Ishiba said.
Gates praised Japan's refueling mission, which lasted for about six years until earlier this month, and voiced hope of its early resumption.
"We're grateful for this international role that Japan has played and we appreciate the efforts of the government to renew the fueling operation," he said.
The Ishiba-Gates talks come as the Japanese government is trying to resume the suspended refueling mission.
Fukuda's government has already presented to parliament a bill for the resumption of the MSDF mission. But there is no prospect of an early enactment of the law, which would become another temporary law, as the opposition camp that controls the House of Councillors is opposed to it.
The temporary law authorizing the mission expired last week and Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels have been pulled out of the area despite repeated calls from the United States, Japan's closest ally, and other countries for the mission to continue.
On a related note, Ishiba said he explained to Gates the ongoing discussions in Japan on the need for a permanent law authorizing dispatches of the Self-Defense Forces overseas.
Gates stressed the need for pushing the Futemma [Futenma] relocation plan "just as negotiated" and Ishiba echoed the view, according to a Japanese Defense Ministry official.
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima is requesting a change in the plan in the Futemma [Futenma] relocation accord reached last year by the Japanese and U.S. governments, asking to build a relocation site far offshore of the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago.
But the central government is pressing its case for using the base's shoreline and a new landfill following the 2006 bilateral agreement.
In the meeting with Fukuda, Gates thanked Japan for its contributions in the fight against terrorism and expressed hope that Japan will resume the refueling mission during the meeting with Fukuda, Japanese officials said.
Fukuda told reporters that Gates told him the mission should be resumed not for the United States but for the whole of international society.
The premier stressed the need for mutual efforts to settle bilateral problems such as the suspended refueling mission, saying, "With every country, there are various problems. If it is an important relationship, we have to overcome it."
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, who spoke to reporters after his 50- minute meeting with Gates, said he assured the defense secretary that Japan is doing its best to pass legislation to resume the activities as soon as possible and that Gates expressed appreciation for Japan's contribution so far.
Komura also said he and Gates agreed to continue efforts to press China to improve transparency with regard to its military capabilities and to work together to encourage China to play its role as a responsible member of the international community.
During a three-nation trip to East Asia starting earlier this month, Gates agreed with his Chinese counterpart Cao Gangchuan in Beijing to set up a telephone hot line aimed at bolstering bilateral ties. In Seoul, Gates discussed with his South Korean counterpart Kim Jang Soo issues such as the U.S.-South Korea military alliance and the North Korean nuclear situation.
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