THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/06/26
Prime Minister Naoto Kan has tapped Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku to serve as point man in dealing with Okinawa Prefecture to help soothe local anger over the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
Behind the Sengoku pick is a desire to avoid the flip-flopping on the Futenma issue by Kan's predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama, due mainly to a lack of communication among Cabinet ministers working on the issue.
In a meeting Wednesday in Naha, Kan told Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima that Sengoku would serve as the lead Cabinet minister on the Futenma issue.
Because Sengoku was not involved in the Futenma issue under the Hatoyama Cabinet, the move will allow Kan to set up a fresh team to try to repair relations with local governments in Okinawa. Sengoku is known for his negotiating skills and is expected to work closely with central government bureaucrats.
At the same time, officials in the foreign and defense ministries who have played a key role in negotiations until now are concerned about Kan veering from his predecessor's course.
While Kan said he would abide by the deal reached with the United States in late May to move Futenma's functions to the Henoko area of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, he also said his government would not simply ignore the concerns of Okinawa.
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