The Yomiuri Shimbun
NAHA -- Sunday's victory of anti-Futenma candidate Susumu Inamine in the Nago mayoral election in Okinawa Prefecture prompted Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to reiterate that it was his government's responsibility to decide the new location of the U.S. Marine Corps base by May.
It has not proven easy to find a new site, as the U.S. government is steadfast on the current plan, which calls for the air base to be transferred to the coastal area along the Camp Schwab marine base in the Henoko district of Nago.
During a press conference outside of the prime minister's official residence, Hatoyama told reporters the election result reflected the will of Nago's residents.
However, Hatoyama did not make it clear whether he would abandon current plans because of the election results.
"Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano and the government panel on relocation have been seriously discussing this," he said. "We are sticking to the May deadline--the panel will start from scratch and come to its final decision by the end of May."
At a press conference at the Diet Building on Monday morning, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told reporters, "We have to accept [the election results] as it is the will of the people in Nago."
He also said Okinawans' desire to relocate the air base to somewhere outside of the prefecture--or even outside the country--affected on the results, saying, "With the change of the administration, the Okinawan people's rising expectations were palpable for relocating the air base somewhere else."
At a press conference, the newly elected mayor of Nago once again stated his opposition to the relocation in his city. "We will adopt a resolution at the municipal assembly that communicates to the people of Japan, the prefectural government and the central government that Nago's residents are opposed to this relocation plan," he said.
He also insisted on reconsidering the issue from scratch, saying: "It's difficult to secure alternative facilities within Okinawa Prefecture. I want the central government to reconsider the plan; I hope the whole nation will consider this problem from the standpoint of national security."
Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima said at a press conference at the prefectural government office that he would keep a watchful eye on the central government's measures for the relocation issue. "I wonder how the central government will deal with this situation. We have no choice but to make our judgment after hearing the conclusion of the central government panel," he said.
(Jan. 26, 2010)
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