The Yomiuri Shimbun
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Wednesday that the government may seek settlement by law of the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, if a local government where the air station was initially to be relocated refuses to accept the government's decision.
Speaking at press conferences Tuesday morning and evening, Hirano said the consent of the local government is not necessarily needed.
Observers said Hirano's remarks may intensify reaction in Okinawa Prefecture against him and the central government.
Touching upon the Futenma relocation issue, Hirano said the government would settle the issue while obtaining the understanding of the concerned local governments to the extent possible.
However, he also said, "Do things not go forward if we can't get consent? We'd like to fully examine [various possibilities], but there may be a case in which we can do it by law."
He went on to say, "There are many patterns when we can get consent of the localities concerned. There may be cases not bound by an agreement."
"It is very difficult to determine whether we should obtain agreement of 50 percent or 70 percent. There are cases that legally require [consent] and other cases that don't require it."
The government will try to settle the Futenma relocation issue by the end of May. However, selection of a site to host the functions of the air station is expected to be rough going in terms of negotiations with the local government of the site.
Observers said Hirano anticipated the opposition from the local government and had in mind legal measures such as compulsory acquisition of land and a special law.
The former administration led by the Liberal Democratic Party and the United States had agreed that the base functions would be moved to an area off the Henoko district in Nago where Camp Schwab is located.
The Okinawa governor has the authority to allow reclamation of the coastal area of the camp.
If the Henoko plan is resurrected, Hirano seems to anticipate a situation that would give priority to the decision of the prefectural governor, rather than new Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine, who is an opponent of the Henoko plan.
(Jan. 27, 2010)
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