THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/04/29
Yukio Hatoyama's first visit to Okinawa Prefecture as prime minister next Tuesday will have all the allure of walking into a lion's den.
But with time running out on a self-imposed deadline, Hatoyama must seek the cooperation of Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima to have any hope for fixing the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma by the end of May.
Nakaima on Sunday attended a large rally that called for relocating the Futenma base outside the southern island prefecture. He was cautious in his speech, not clearly stating opposition to keeping the air base in the prefecture.
"Governor Nakaima is not necessarily opposed to a relocation inside the prefecture," a government official said.
Hatoyama plans to move the Marine Corps' Futenma functions, namely part of the helicopter operations and training, to Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture, which would include about 1,500 soldiers, sources said Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Hatoyama visited Torao Tokuda, a former Lower House lawmaker who has much influence on the island, in a Tokyo hospital to air his relocation plans.
Tokuda "told the prime minister the relocation plan would not be possible," said Takeshi Tokuda, Tokuda's son and a Lower House member who was also at the meeting.
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