Apr 27 10:19 PM US/Eastern
(AP) - TOKYO, April 28 (Kyodo) — Japanese government officials met with the top U.S. diplomat for Asia on Wednesday in Tokyo to discuss issues related to the bilateral alliance as Tokyo seeks to put the final touches to a government proposal for where to move a U.S. base in Okinawa.
The visit by Kurt Campbell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, comes about a month ahead of Japan's self- imposed deadline of May 31 to settle the thorny dispute involving the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station.
Before coming to Japan, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia said in Hong Kong on Monday that Tokyo's recent proposals in relation to the issue are "encouraging," without elaborating on what has actually been discussed between the two countries.
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Tuesday that the talks between senior Japanese and U.S. government officials are expected to focus on ways to deepen the bilateral alliance, a process that is taking place as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of the current bilateral security pact this year.
The Japanese government is considering modifying an existing bilateral accord reached in 2006 to relocate the heliport functions of the Futemma facility from Ginowan to a coastal area of the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago, also in Okinawa, but without significantly changing the area involved.
Under the modified plan, a pile-supported platform would be built in shallow waters off the coast of Nago instead of reclaiming the sea nearby -- a construction process believed to be more eco-friendly, according to government sources.
The United States appears to be positive about the plan, which would not fundamentally change the 2006 accord, but it is uncertain whether local people would feel the same.
On Sunday, a total of about 90,000 local residents and politicians, including Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, gathered in a village in Okinawa, calling for the relocation of the Futemma base outside the southern island prefecture, which has hosted the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.
It is Campbell's first visit to Japan in about three months. He abruptly cancelled a stopover in Japan during his Asian trip in March, prompting speculation that Washington had opted against a meeting with Japanese officials due to the stalemate on the Futemma issue.
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