April 29, 2010
Click for Video
A senior US State Department official has indicated that Japan and the United States are not getting any closer to an agreement on relocating the US Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, southern Japan.
On Wednesday, US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley told reporters in Washington that the United States has not changed its view that the 2006 bilateral agreement is the best option. But he said the US would continue its consultations with Japan.
Crowley also said both countries are seeking an arrangement that is operationally viable as well as politically sustainable.At an airport outside Washington on Wednesday, US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said he had a good discussion with the Japanese foreign and defense ministers on the relocation issue. But he declined to offer any details.
The Japanese government is now planning to modify the existing plan and build a runway on pilings in the shallow waters off Camp Schwab in Okinawa. It is also considering moving as many of the Futenma facility's functions as possible to Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, about 200 kilometers north of Okinawa.
But the people of Okinawa and Tokunoshima have each held massive rallies to protest the idea.
2010/04/29 11:34(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
Posts
