Friday, February 3, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2011 in review: Futenma fills year with political intrigue - JapanUpdate.com
2011 in review: Futenma fills year with political intrigueBy: By Bill Charles Date Posted: 2011-12-30 After all, Japan was insisting the plan agreed upon by the U.S. and its Japanese hosts in 2006 to move Futenma from crowded Ginowan City to the sparsely populated Henoko district of Nago City, was on track despite local objections to the project. As the months flew off the calendar, more and more evidence that Futenma's relocation was in trouble became apparent, yet U.S. and Japanese authorities continued to insist all would be accomplished per the plan. But how was that to be, when Okinawa officials flatly insisted they'd never support the relocation? The central government in Tokyo was hinting that money was the answer, coupled with patience in explaining to Okinawa Prefecture leaders why they needed to go along with the plan that would remove 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, and lands now occupied by U.S. bases, including Futenma, would be returned as soon as the new airfield with its two V-shape 2,500-meter runways was complete. The plan began eroding and crumbling as spring came, and U.S. senators visited Okinawa to declare their opposition to moving Futenma to the Henoko district of Nago City. Senators Carl Levin of Michigan, John McCain of Arizona and James Webb of Virginia declared the Henoko option all but dead, suggesting instead that the controversial Marine base be consolidated with the Air Force 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base. Neither Air Force nor Marine leadership were in favor, but the idea continued to grow. And then the U.S. Congress spoke with another voice; the pen slashed millions from budget bills that would have created new infrastructure in Guam to accommodate the Marines' move with families. It became more complicated only days ago, when the Japanese government slashed 41.6% of the current year's budget earmarked for the Guam transfer, choosing to grant only ¥7.3 billion toward the project that would move Marines. The whole defense spending for U.S. forces in Japan is being cut in the coming fiscal year, including the entire $150 million for Guam preliminary operations. Japan's world radically shook, quite literally, at 2:46 p.m. on Friday afternoon, March 11th, when an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale struck 43 miles east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku in east-central Japan. As the quake rumbled, tsunami waves towering 40.5 meters / 133 feet began rolling across Tohoku's Iwate Prefecture. The quake was enough to move Honshu 2.4 meters / 8' east, while shifting the Earth on its axis by something between 10~25 cm / 4~10", causing meltdowns at three of the Futkushima Nuclear Power Plant complex' nuclear re actors. The National Police Agency confirmed the deaths of 15,842, injuries to 5,890, and 3,485 missing across 18 prefectures. More than 125,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged, millions left homeless. The World Bank's estimated economic cost is $235 billion, the most expensive national disaster in world history. The tsunami's waves were only five feet high when they lapped at Okinawa's coastline, but the power was humanitarian. Okinawans and Americans joined together to help, with Operation Tomodachi quickly gearing up by the U.S. military to send more than 140 aircraft, nearly two dozen ships and 19,703 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to the disaster zone. The USS George Washington and USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike groups were shifted into the area, and the III Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa scrambled men and equipment. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma had both aircraft and helicopters in the disaster zone, performing search and rescue and disaster relief missions. In January, Miyu Kaname was known to nobody except her family. By the end of the month, as word circulated the 13-year-old junior high school girl needed a new year, everyone on Okinawa knew who she was. Fundraisers were held to raise more than ¥180 million needed to send her to New York for a new heart at Columbia University Medical Center. The surgery to rid the Kamimori Junior High School first grader of restrictive cardiomyopathy was a success, and Miyu is now back in Okinawa. Kevin Maher, on the other hand, wasn't a stranger to Okinawa news media, having served as the Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General Naha before being posted to the State Department Japan Desk in Washington D.C. It was there that he got in trouble, giving a lecture to American University students and declaring Okinawans were "lazy" and "greedy", and "masters of deceit and manipulation" as they pumped the central government in Tokyo for more money. That was enough to get Maher fired, despite his denials of what was said at the supposedly off-the-record lecture. Maher said "the Japanese people as a whole have an 'extortionist culture' " and noted "Okinawans…are masters at this." The murder of a 30-year-old Air Force Technical Sergeant at his off-base quarters near Camp Lester in Chatan Town sent ripples through the community. Curtis Eccleston, assigned to the 733rd Air Mobility Squadron at Kadena Air Base, was stabbed to death in February. His Brazilian-Japanese wife has already been convicted in Japanese court, and a 27-year-old airman, Staff Sergeant Typhoon Songda launched the year's typhoon season, the first ever typhoon to hit Okinawa in May. It brought 155mph winds and heavy rains. The typhoon, on top of record breaking floods and landslides, kept officials worrying through May after the Aja River overflowed, flooding buildings in Nagata district, while Nishihara Town found the Kohatsu River overflowing its banks and causing more damage. And then came Typhoon Muifa in August, injuring 51 during a 40-hour visit. Muifa brought record rains and winds both, taking out power to more than 100,000 homes. The yen, Japan's currency, put the world on edge as it gained strength during the summer, frustrating both military and civilian realms. The yen slipped to ¥80 = $1 briefly before settling around ¥75 in the fall. Predictions of a doomsday scenario where the yen would strengthen to ¥70 by year's end haven't materialized. The stronger yen tends to make Japanese competitiveness weaken as exporters' overseas earnings are impacted. Okinawans heard the news in June that the MV-22 Osprey would be coming to Okinawa's Futenma Marine Corps Air Station. Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said there's little Japan could do to block the deployment of the vertical take off and landing tilt wing aircraft, which would replace CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters now at Futenma. The planes are due in September 2012, and while residents are expressing fear for their safety, the U.S. began planning a campaign to give rides to Japanese Self Defense Forces to demonstrate the Osprey's safety. Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima was unhappy at the news of the two dozen Ospreys coming to his island. He demanded explanations from the Defense Ministry, but together with Deputy Governor Yoshiyuki Uehara never got the answers they wanted. A new tunnel linking Naha International Airport and Naha City's Wakasa District opened this year, shaving a dozen minutes off travel through the capital city's downtown area. The three-kilometer road burrows beneath Naha Harbor for 800 meters, coming out and connecting by Tomari Grand Bridge. The tunnel's been in the planning stage since 1992, and is part of a project that ultimately will link Yomitan Village to Itoman City, a distance of 50 kilometers. Okinawa's professional basketball team, the Ryukyu Golden Kings, powered their way to the Basketball Japan League's Western Conference Title, easily hammering the Miyazaki Shining Suns and Osaka Evessa. The League title was a different story though, as the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix proved they were the powerhouse. The Phoenix won their second straight league title, outdistancing Okinawa 82-68. Okinawa won the title in 2008-2009 and finished third in 2009-2010. The television era went digital in Japan this summer, blanking the American Forces Network from the free airwaves and sending hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for decoders to tune in the new signals. Analog television was completely retired, leaving the nation in the fully digital age, with high definition signals promising to fully claim the screens within a couple years. An experiment on the nation's expressways was called off by the Transportation Ministry after concluding it was too costly. An election campaign promise by the Democratic Party of Japan to end tolls on the country's expressways was implemented once the DPJ took power, but it didn't last but a few months. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism called off the freebie, citing expense. The aftermath of the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami was said to be part of the reason, as the country's leaders searched for money that could be applied to rebuilding the nation's midsection. Did the U.S. military use Agent Orange in Okinawa? Good question, and thus far officials don't have good answers. The U.S. military's denied Agent Orange was ever used in the prefecture, but former soldiers have stepped forward to say otherwise. In August, a veteran charged that he helped bury the toxic chemical while assigned here between 1968-70. The 61-year-old veteran claims he helped load a boat with drums of chemical, and one broke. While tests were being run, to more soldiers stepped forward saying they recognized the smell while working at Makiminato Service Area. In the latest round of allegations, a veteran last month charged there was Agent Orange in the vicinity of the Hamby Army Airfield in Chatan, close to Camp Foster. The U.S. military continues to deny the allegations, and Japanese officials have said they'll run tests of their own. Threats of the Chinese military building strength and testing their power in Japanese waters has Japan more conscious of Chinese fishing boats, research vessels and Chinese military ships plying territorial waters. Since August, disputes have taken place in the Senkaku Islands area in southern Okinawa, and also in other regions of Japan. Several Chinese fishing vessel captains have been arrested, and several fined, but all have thus far been released. Prime Minister Naoto Kan hung on for months, signaling he'd step down, then backing off, then reiterating he had not plans to remain as the Japanese leader. In August, Kan finally stepped down, paving the way for Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda to win a runoff and become the country's seventh Prime Minister in six years. The 54-year-old Noda was one of five candidates for the PM position. Four women went through a 16-hour ordeal off Ishigaki Island in September after a snorkeling several hundred meters off shore when high winds snet the four women out to see on an offshore current. A high waves advisory was in effect at the time, and the women were able only to grab some debris to hang onto during their overnight ordeal. The women stuck together, clinging to a pair of 15" square Styrofoam tiles, while a third held onto a one-meter-long buoy. All four suffered from hypothermia when taken to an Ishigaki Hospital. Some 6,000 Okinawans converged on Naha and surrounding cities in October for the 5th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival The four0day event drew native Okinawans from North and South America, as well as other countries around the world. Since the first festival in 1990, when 2,400 participated from 41 regions in 17 countries, the numbers have swollen to this year attracting the largest number even. Most of Okinawa's 41 communities joined in sponsoring the Uchinanchu Festival. Proving that no politician is immune to stupidity, the senior defense official in Okinawa got his walking papers in November for making stupid remarks. Satoshi Tanaka, the Okinawa Defense Bureau Chief, had been drinking with reporters when he was asked about why the government wasn't being clear about when to release an environmental assessment report on Futenma. Tanaka's answer was that "before you rape a woman you cannot tell her you will rape her now." That was enough to get him fired by Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa. Many outraged citizens were demanding that the Defense Minister himself be sacked, but Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told the Diet's Budget Committee "I would like Minister Yasuo Ichikawa to straighten up and perform his duties." After months of wrangling and wrestling with which was best for Japan's future, the Japanese 'Defense Ministry has chosen Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter as the country's next-generation fighter. The F-35 survived the competition between Boeing's F/A-18 'Super Hornet and Eurofighter GmbH's Typhoon. The F-35 will replaced Japan's aging F-4 fighter fleet over the coming few years. The fist planes will be delivered in fiscal year 2016, with a total of 40 ultimately hitting the Japan Air Self Defense Forces. |
Monday, March 14, 2011
"Akitoshi Muraoka" site:http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/
POLITICAL PULSE / 3 pitfalls await govt in Dec. : Commentary ...
26 Nov 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. The government will have to grapple with three knotty problems in December. The first is the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/commentary/20091126dy02.htm - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / DPJ to put power in MPs' hands / Huge change ...
- 1:56am18 Sep 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. The administration to be led by Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama is about to drastically change the relationship between ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Content before slogans / LDP, DPJ must present ...
24 Jul 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. After months of wavering, Prime Minister Taro Aso at last has dissolved the House of Representatives to call a general election as fiery ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / 'Moxa revolution' in the making : Commentary ...
30 Sep 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. "Before long, there will be a 'moxa revolution' in Japan. Voters who thought they had punished [politicians] with a round of moxibustion, ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Ozawa must continue walking thorny path ...
10 Feb 2010 - Akitoshi Muraoka. Though Democratic Party of Japan kingpin Ichiro Ozawa narrowly escaped the clutches of the nation's strongest investigative organization, ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/commentary/20100210dy01.htm - CachedPolitical pulse / 'Heisei Reformation' gets under way : Commentary ...
30 Oct 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka Yomiuri Shimbun Political News Editor. The administration led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Aso's fate could rest on results of Tokyo ...
24 Jun 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. It is increasingly likely that the results of the upcoming Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election on July 12 will play a large part in the ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Can Ozawa reshape politics? : Commentary ...
17 Oct 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. No true democracy can develop without reform of the conventional Japanese political culture in which everything is decided at collusive ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/commentary/20091017dy01.htm - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Will Suga speed LDP's fall / Ambitious aide's ...
10 Jul 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. From 49.5 percent to 19.7 percent. These are Cabinet approval ratings in The Yomiuri Shimbun's nationwide opinion surveys conducted in ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/commentary/20090710dy04.htm - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Hatoyama's leadership like soft ice cream ...
24 Dec 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. People in this country have begun asking themselves a serious question: Is Yukio Hatoyama really qualified to be prime minister? ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Aso aides lack political smarts / Dearth of ...
12 Jun 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. Dearth of talent compared with past administrations hampering PM. The lack of tactical nous or political wisdom among Liberal Democratic ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Reading between prime ministers' tears ...
7 Jan 2010 - Akitoshi Muraoka. At the beginning of this new year, I turned my thoughts to the qualifications needed to be prime minister. My musings took me back nearly ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Masuzoe--asset or albatross? : Commentary ...
25 Feb 2010 - Akitoshi Muraoka. Of late, the largest opposition Liberal Democratic Party has been wallowing in the political doldrums. Although the party's archrivals, ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/commentary/20100225dy01.htm - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Ozawa faces damaging fight to survive ...
27 Jan 2010 - Akitoshi Muraoka. Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa is facing a situation that threatens his political life. ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / David pushing Goliath around : Commentary ...
10 Dec 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. A bizzare scene is unfolding in the Nagatacho political arena in which the tail appears to be wagging the dog. ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - CachedPOLITICAL PULSE / Women hold key to DPJ success / Ozawa figures ...
7 Aug 2009 - Akitoshi Muraoka. With the official start on Aug. 18 of campaigning for the upcoming House of Representatives election less than two weeks away, ...
www.yomiuri.co.jp › Home › Columns › Commentary - Cached
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 31 - Kyodo Articles
Opposition lawmakers slam DPJ power struggle
Aug 31 09:36 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday criticized the ruling Democratic Party of Japan following failed attempts to avoid a showdown between Prime Minister Naoto Kan and DPJ heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa in the party's Sept. 14 presidential election. ...
Japan, U.S. to give due consideration to dugongs in base talks+
Aug 31 09:32 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ Japan and the United States said Tuesday they will consider the possible impact of the planned construction of a facility to accommodate the heliport functions of a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa on the dugong, an endangered marine mammal spotted in the area. ...
LEAD: Nago mayor criticizes Japan-U.S. report on Futenma relocation+
Aug 31 09:29 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: CLARIFYING BACKGROUND INFO ON FLIGHT ROUTES IN LAST 2 GRAF) Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine strongly criticized a report unveiled Tuesday by Japan and the United States on on the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan to Henoko in the city of Nago in Okinawa. ...
3RD LD: Japan, U.S. eye 2 base shape options, continue flight route talks+
Aug 31 09:04 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Aug. 31 (Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING NAGO MAYOR'S COMMENT IN 9TH-10TH GRAFS, OKADA'S COMMENTS IN PENULTIMATE GRAF) Japan and the United States unveiled Tuesday a report on the technical details of the planned replacement facility for a key U.S. Marine base in Okinawa that presents two options for its design -- either two runways in a V-shaped formation or a single runway. ...
Defense Ministry to seek U.S. bases costs under special framework+
Aug 31 08:02 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ The Defense Ministry said Tuesday it will request 4.71 trillion yen in fiscal 2011 budget appropriations, up 0.6 percent over its fiscal 2010 initial budget, including 185.9...
LEAD: Kan regrets DPJ will hold leadership election+
Aug 31 07:36 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: RECASTING WITH MORE INFO) Prime Minister Naoto Kan expressed regret Tuesday that his Democratic Party of Japan will hold a presidential election, saying he had wanted ...
Nago mayor criticizes Japan-U.S. report on Futenma relocation+
Aug 31 07:13 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine strongly criticized a report unveiled Tuesday by Japan and the United States on the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in
30-month prison term finalized for former top defense bureaucrat
August 31 2010 19:55 JST
TOKYO, Aug. 31 KYODO_ A ruling of 30 months in prison has become final for former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya who was convicted on bribery and perjury charges in a lower court, as last Friday he withdrew his appeal to the Supreme Court, court officials said Tuesday. ...
LEAD: Japanese GSDF helicopters begin flood relief work in Pakistan+
1 minute ago
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: FIXING LOCATION OF PAKISTAN MILITARY DEPOT, 2ND GRAF) The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force kicked off its flood relief work in Pakistan on Tuesday, using two...
3RD LD: Ozawa to challenge Kan in DPJ leadership election+
8 minutes ago
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING DETAILS, 4TH LEAD TO FOLLOW) Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa said Tuesday he will go ahead with his plan to challenge Prime Minister Naoto Kan...
Okada calls for party unity after DPJ leadership race+
18 minutes ago
(Kyodo) _ Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, who backs Prime Minister and President of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan Naoto Kan in the upcoming party leadership election, called...
Gist of Japan-U.S. officials' report on transfer of U.S. Futenma base+
Aug 31 06:10 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ The following is the gist of a report on the technical details of the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture unveiled by Japan ...
URGENT: Kan formally declares candidacy for DPJ presidential election+
49 minutes ago
(Kyodo) _ Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday formally announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party of Japan's presidential election next month. Kan, current DPJ president, said...
2ND LD: Kan-Ozawa set to battle in DPJ leadership election+
1 hour ago
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING) Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa reiterated Tuesday that he will challenge Prime Minister Naoto Kan by running in the upcoming ruling...
URGENT: Ozawa to run in DPJ's presidential election+
1 hour ago
(Kyodo) _ Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa reiterated Tuesday he will run in the upcoming ruling party's presidential election to challenge Prime Minister Naoto Kan. ...
REFILLING: 2ND LD: Japan, U.S. eye 2 base shape options, keep flight route talks+
Aug 31 04:49 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Aug. 31 (Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING BYLINE) Japan and the United States unveiled Tuesday a report on technical details of the planned replacement facility for a key U.S. Marine base
2ND LD: Japan, U.S. eye 2 base shape options, keep flight route talks+
Aug 31 04:44 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING DETAILS) Japan and the United States unveiled Tuesday a report on technical details of the planned replacement facility for a key U.S. Marine base in Okinawa ...
LEAD: Kan, Ozawa hold talks to ease DPJ's internal power struggle+
2 hours ago
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING WITH START OF KAN-OZAWA TALKS) Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday held talks with ruling party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa in an attempt to avoid a destabilizing...
LEAD: Japan, U.S. eye 2 base shape options, keep flight route talks+
Aug 31 02:15 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE INFORMATION) Japan and the United States unveiled Tuesday a report on technical details of the planned replacement facility for a key U.S. Marine base
Kan, Ozawa to hold talks to ease DPJ's internal power struggle+
Aug 31 01:10 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ Prime Minister Naoto Kan and ruling party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa are scheduled to hold talks later Tuesday aimed at avoiding a destabilizing power struggle in the upcoming party leadership ballot at a time when Japan faces economic uncertainty. ...
Chronology of key events related to U.S. Futenma base in Okinawa+
Aug 31 12:48 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ The following is a chronology of major events related to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. Sept. 1995 -- 3 U.S....
Japan, U.S. eye 2 base shape options, forgo flight route decision+
Aug 31 12:30 AM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ Japan and the United States unveiled Tuesday an experts' report on technical details of the planned replacement facility for a key U.S. Marine base in Okinawa that presents two options for its design -- either two runways in a V-shaped formation or a single runway. ...
S. Korea, U.S. to start 5 days of naval drills from Sun.+
Aug 30 11:50 PM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ South Korea and the United States will begin five days of naval exercises Sunday off the Korean Peninsula's west coast, aimed at sending a message of deterrence to North Korea, a military source told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday. ...
Ozawa should not be Japan's prime minister: Financial Times+
56 minutes ago
(Kyodo) _ The Financial Times on Monday signified a sense of caution against the challenge by Ichiro Ozawa, a powerful figure in Japan's ruling party, for the leadership of the Democratic
Futenma relocation policy may reflect Okinawa's views+
Aug 30 01:06 PM US/Eastern
(Kyodo) _ Japan and the United States have agreed to state in a written policy that they will bear in mind the Okinawa people's views on the exact relocation and construction method of a key U.S. base within the prefecture, provided this does not result in a significant delay in building the facility, bilateral diplomatic sources said Monday. ...
US welcomes Futenma report
August 31, 2010
The United States has welcomed the release of the report.
The US government has yet to issue an official statement, but officials say they are relieved that the 2 countries reached an agreement by the August 31st deadline they set in May.
The US is expected to pressure Japan to steadily implement the relocation plan and put the process on track by the time of President Barack Obama's visit to Japan scheduled for November.
2010/08/31 17:27(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
Futenma relocation experts suggest 1 or 2 runways
August 31, 2010
Click for Video
A report by experts on relocating the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa includes 2 options for runway construction off US Camp Schwab on the same island.
On Tuesday, Japanese and US officials disclosed the contents of the report on moving functions of Futenma to the area off Camp Schwab in Nago city.
The report proposes building two runways in a V-shaped formation or a single runway as recently requested by Japan.The report says both ideas meet safety standards, but that building only 1 runway would require aircraft to fly near mountains, possibly interfering with the planes' instruments.
It says 1 runway would require 40 hectares less in reclaimed land and would thus have a smaller effect on marine life.
Construction work for 1 runway would take 6 months less than building twin runways but would require new designs and further environmental assessments, making the single-runway process 9 months longer.
The report did not refer to changes in helicopter flight routes as requested by the US, and the two sides are expected to continue discussions on this issue.
Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told reporters that both proposals have pros and cons that he hopes to discuss with local people. Kitazawa said he hopes to consider a new framework between the two countries so that the new facility can be used jointly by the US military and Japan's Self-Defense Forces.
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told reporters that the report is based only on technical aspects, and that the government will officially decide on a proposal after factoring in political judgments.
Okada said what's important is gaining the understanding of the people of Okinawa, and that progress on the issue is impossible if a decision is reached without such understanding.
He added solid efforts and communication with Okinawa are necessary.
2010/08/31 17:02(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
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