THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/06/29
TORONTO -- Visiting Prime Minister Naoto Kan and U.S. President Barack Obama, meeting for the first time on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here, agreed to follow through on a controversial deal to relocate a U.S. base in Okinawa Prefecture.
The two leaders appeared eager to put the sticky issue behind them. It was exacerbated over the past year by strong Okinawan opposition to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to Nago on the same island.
Obama said he understood the concerns of Okinawa residents and vowed to do what he could to address the issue.
Acknowledging the difficulties involved, Obama said Washington will try to ensure that the presence of the U.S. bases becomes acceptable to local communities.
However, the base issue has been around for decades and could run aground again. Okinawans are still vociferously opposed to relocating the Futenma airfield within the prefecture, despite the Japan-U.S. agreement in May.
If a candidate opposed to the relocation is elected governor in the November election, the issue could deadlock again and undermine U.S. security policy in the region.
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