No 'delay' in schedule

The Yomiuri Shimbun

A joint document due to be released Friday on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture is to include a clause stating there will be "no significant delays" in the relocation site's scheduled 2014 completion, sources close to the issue said Thursday.

Washington has requested that such an expression be included in the document, the sources said.

The U.S. government also has requested that the government adhere to the environmental assessment process used under the previously agreed upon 2006 relocation plan, under which Futenma's alternative facility would be constructed on reclaimed land in the Henoko district in Nago in the prefecture.

Both governments have agreed to reach consensus on the alternative runway's construction method, shape and exact location by the end of August. The decision is to be confirmed at a bilateral "two-plus-two" meeting of foreign and defense ministers.

The government is also seeking more joint use of U.S. bases by the U.S. military and the Self-Defense Forces, which will lessen the burden on Okinawa Prefecture, the sources said.

It is expected that the government will in the first instance ask the United States for this to occur at Camp Schwab.

Based on Article II of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, the government will ask the United States to return Camp Schwab to Japan's jurisdiction so U.S. military activity falls under the administration of the SDF, they explained.

If the bases are shared by the U.S. military and the SDF, the SDF will lead communication and coordination with the relevant local governments. In that sense, deeper consideration can be given to residents living near the bases regarding, for example, the hours and types of training exercises conducted, they added.

The philosophy on the joint use of U.S. bases in Okinawa Prefecture was previously discussed in an October 2005 bilateral document, an intermediate report on realignment of the U.S. forces in Japan, titled "U.S.-Japan Alliance: Transformation and Realignment for the Future."

(May. 28, 2010)