April 12, 2010
Tokyo, April 12 (Jiji Press) -- Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Monday that there could be delays in carrying out the current roadmap for the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.
Some delays may have been caused by various processes following the change of government in August last year, including a plan on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa, Hirano told a press conference.
The remark can be taken as indicating that the government may fail to settle the Futenma issue by its self-imposed May 31 deadline, pundits said.
According to the roadmap, agreed on with the United States in 2006, Japan will by 2014 complete constructing a replacement facility for the Futenma base in Ginowan.
Tokyo and Washington also agreed in 2006 to relocate the key Marine base to Camp Schwab in Nago, also in Okinawa. But the current Japanese government led by the Democratic Party of Japan has been reviewing the accord due to strong opposition from people in Okinawa and the Social Democratic Party of Japan, the DPJ's coalition partner.
(2010/04/12-19:33)
Posts
