Distinguished Grad Takamichi Sekine

Takamichi Sekine, LL.M. '91, is a professor at the School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University, where he teaches courses in the areas of Environmental Law, Comparative Environmental Law, Environmental Assessment. He is also legal adviser for Japan's largest environmental organization, the Nature Conservation Society of Japan, and a member of the Environmental Center of the Japan Bar Association. Takamichi recently won a major environmental case in Japan, when the Naha District Court ordered former Okinawa Governor Masahide Ota to pay approximately 328 million yen ($3 million) in damages to his client, an environmental group. The governor was charged with illegally implementing development projects in an area inhabited by rare birds. Takamichi continues to actively pursue environmental cases in Japan which are likely to become significant precedent for the coming decade.

http://www.lclark.edu/dept/elaw/grad_sekine.html

Takamichi Sekine, LL.M. '91:

Professor, School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University

Legal adviser for Japan's largest environmental organization, the Nature Conservation Society of Japan

Brought landmark case to conserve Okinawan dugong

http://www.lclark.edu/dept/elaw/graduates.html

Okinawa governor eyes revised airfield plan for Futemma relocation

Dec 29 09:36 AM US/Eastern
NAHA, Japan, Dec. 29 (AP) - (Kyodo)— Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima has suggested a revision for the Japan-U.S. plan to build new V-shaped runways in relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station, local political sources said Friday.

The idea is to build one runway more offshore than in the original plan for an airfield with two 1,800-meter runways in a V-shaped formation using the coastal area of the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab and nearby landfill areas in Nago, according to the sources.

Nakaima's proposal is based on a projection that flight paths to and from the airfield will not come over nearby communities in Nago if it is moved slightly offshore from the current plan, which would require only one runway, the sources said.

The governor, who succeeded Keiichi Inamine earlier this month, has expressed his acceptance of the bilateral plan to relocate the Futemma Air Station to another part of Okinawa from a densely populated area in Ginowan.

But he won the gubernatorial election in November with a pledge to oppose the planned airfield with V-shaped runways, and has hence suggested his new idea to a locally elected parliamentary member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the sources said.

If the Japanese government accepts the proposed revision, chances will increase that the local government will give the green light to the relocation plan -- a major pillar of the Japan-U.S. accord in May on realigning the U.S. military presence in Japan, they said.

Nakaima was quoted as saying in a meeting Dec. 9 in Okinawa, the day before he assumed office, "Wouldn't it be possible to make it with one runway somewhat more seaward?"

Participants in the meeting agreed to the idea, according to the sources.

But the central government's response is unpredictable as Nakaima's idea is similar to a U.S. proposal, which was opposed by Japan during the course of negotiations due to worries that opponents to the relocation could again block the envisaged offshore construction.

The initial Japan-U.S. accord for relocating Futemma to an offshore airfield in Nago had stalled for a decade due in part to protesters blocking construction.

The latest idea, however, could be a basis for discussions as Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma has informally told his deputies to consider the possibility of revising the current Futemma relocation plan.

While the Nago municipal government has accepted the new airfield plan in the May bilateral accord, Tokyo has yet to gain approval from the Okinawa prefectural government. Under current laws, landfills for airfield construction require authorization from the Okinawa governor.

Kyuma tells deputies to mull possibility of revising Futemma plan

Dec 28 02:23 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Dec. 28 (AP) - (Kyodo)— Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma has told his deputies to consider the possibility of revising the current Japan- U.S. plan to relocate the airfield functions of a U.S. military base in Okinawa Prefecture, agency sources said Thursday.

Kyuma has also informally told some representatives of local governments concerned with the relocation plan, which is opposed by the Okinawa prefectural government, that the central government intends to deal flexibly with the issue, the sources said.

Kyuma asked the agency's Vice Minister Takemasa Moriya and other officials to see whether a revision was possible, apparently as part of efforts to gain acceptance of the central government's plan by the southernmost island prefecture, they said.

But it is unclear whether a revision is feasible or whether the government can come up with a revised plan that is acceptable to Okinawa, according to the sources.

Agency officials generally view Kyuma's move unfavorably, given that any revision to the latest plan finalized in May by the Japanese and U.S. governments would require readjustment of the scheme in agreement with Washington, they said.

"The relocation will not move forward if the plan is changed frequently depending on the (Okinawa) governor's wishes," an agency source said.

The latest plan involves building an airfield with two runways in a V- shaped formation in Nago using the coastal area of the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab and some landfill areas nearby to replace the heliport functions of the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station, now in a densely populated area in Ginowan.

The Nago municipal government has accepted the new airfield plan, but Tokyo has yet to gain approval from the Okinawa prefectural government. Under current laws, landfills for airfield construction require authorization from the Okinawa governor.

New Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima reiterated his opposition to the plan during talks earlier in the week in Tokyo with representatives of the central and related local governments.

One proposed revision would involve moving the V-shaped runways slightly to the southwest from the current plan and shortening the construction period, the sources said.

Kyuma to mull moving forward Futemma relocation schedule

Dec 25 03:27 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Dec. 25 (AP) - (Kyodo)— Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma said Monday, at a meeting between representatives of the government and local authorities regarding the relocation of a U.S. military base in Okinawa, that he will consider moving forward the relocation schedule currently planned for completion by 2014, national government officials said.

Kyuma's remarks are believed to have come in response to demands by new Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima that the government should bring the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station to a state of virtual closure in three years to eliminate the danger it poses to the densely populated area of Ginowan where it is located.

"It is important to complete it before 2014," Kyuma was quoted by the officials as saying in reference to the Japan-U.S. plan to build an airfield with two runways in a V-shaped formation on the coast and to landfill an area in Nago in and around the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab.

He also sought the understanding of the Okinawa prefectural government over the current relocation plan, finalized by the Japanese and U.S. governments in May, because Nakaima said in his campaign for the Okinawa gubernatorial election in November that he opposes the plan.

Nakaima said the current relocation plan was decided without considering the opinions of Okinawa Prefecture and he asked the central government for an "appropriate response," the officials said.

Kyuma told reporters after the talks, "I said I am sorry and it is regrettable if (Okinawa) views the situation that way and said we will discuss the matter fully from no on."

The Okinawa governor said in a press conference following the consultative meeting, "It is one or two steps forward that (the government has said) it will make efforts to tackle the issue, but it is not perfect yet."

Nakaima said he hopes the government will show a specific response that heeds the demands of the southwestern prefecture.

Monday's talks at the prime minister's official residence represent the second consultative meeting between the central and local governments on the Futemma relocation issue and the first to be held after both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Gov. Nakaima took office.

The participants agreed to meet again in January, the officials said. The first consultations took place in late August.

Although Abe did not attend the August meeting -- when he was chief Cabinet secretary -- Yasuhisa Shiozaki, who succeeded him as the government's top spokesman, said he attended the meeting on Monday in line with Abe's decision to listen to local government representatives as part of the government's efforts to coordinate U.S. military realignment.

The Nago municipal government has accepted the new airfield plan, but Tokyo has yet to gain approval from the Okinawa prefectural government. Under current laws, landfills for airfield construction will require authorization from the Okinawa governor.

Nakaima, who took office earlier this month, is seen as showing more flexibility on the Futemma issue than his predecessor, Keiichi Inamine. The former governor was strongly opposed to the latest Japan- U.S. plan to build the two runways to replace Futemma's heliport functions and called for relocating the airfield outside of Okinawa.

The Futemma relocation is a main pillar of the overall plan for the realignment of the U.S. military presence in Japan, which also includes moving 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam and dispersing flight drills from congested bases to other facilities across the country.

Japan to boost spending on missile defense in FY 2007

Dec 23 08:23 PM US/Eastern

TOKYO, Dec. 24 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The Cabinet approved Sunday the government's plans to boost spending on a missile defense system to 182.6 billion yen ($1.54 billion) in the next fiscal year and newly set aside subsidies to convince local communities to accept the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.

The spending on the missile defense being co-developed with the United States marks a rise of 42.7 billion yen, or 30.5 percent, from the initial budget for the current fiscal year. This is part of the overall defense budget of 4,801.6 billion yen for fiscal 2007 beginning April 1, down 12.3 billion yen, or 0.3 percent, for the fifth straight year of decline.

The defense budget approved by the Cabinet is some 3 billion yen more than the Finance Ministry's draft released Wednesday due partly to an increase in the subsidies for local communities hosting U.S. bases and costs for reorganization in the Defense Agency. But the amount is still short of the agency's request for a 1.5 percent increase to 4,863.6 billion yen.

The decision to boost the outlays for Japan's missile defense capabilities comes after North Korea test-launched ballistic missiles in July and put the region around the countries into unease.

The government's plan includes upgrading of Aegis destroyers and the Patriot missile system to make them capable of ballistic missile defense.

In the budget for the coming year, the government will also set aside a total of 7.2 billion yen in connection with the planned U.S. military realignment, with some 5 billion yen earmarked as subsidies for related local communities to convince them to cooperate.

Japan and the United States in May concluded their final realignment plan despite many local communities opposing the plan.

The other 2.2 billion yen is to cover a number of on-site surveys in local communities hosting U.S. military bases, including 1.0 billion yen to conduct an assessment of possible environmental impacts from the planned relocation of the heliport functions of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma [Futenma] Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture to the coastal area of Camp Schwab in Nago in the prefecture.

The fifth consecutive year of cuts in spending by the government on national defense comes as a result of its continued cost-cutting efforts that range from methods of purchasing equipment to more efficient use of facilities.

For example, the government will reduce the cost of eight F-2 fighter jets to 105.6 billion yen from 121.8 billion yen by buying them together in a one-year contract rather than separately over two years.

Gov't, Okinawa to hold 2nd meeting on Futemma base relocation

Dec 20 04:41 AM US/Eastern
NAHA, Japan, Dec. 20 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The Japanese government will resume talks with Okinawa Prefecture on Monday after a four-month hiatus in hopes of gaining their cooperation in realizing a Japan-U.S. agreed plan to relocate a U.S. Marine Corps airfield within the prefecture, a government source said Wednesday.

The Okinawa prefectural government will demand that the U.S. Marine Corps Futemma Air Station be brought to a state of virtual closure in three years at the latest to eliminate dangers it has been posing on densely populated Ginowan where it is located, the source said.

Japan is eager to proceed with the plan it agreed with the United States in May to relocate Futemma's heliport functions to a new airfield to be built at the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago in the northern part of Okinawa.

The Nago municipal government has accepted the new airfield plan, but Tokyo has yet to gain the nod from the Okinawa prefectural government. Under current laws, landfills for the airfield construction will require authorization from the Okinawa governor.

Yoritaka Hanashiro, who heads the Executive Office of new Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, has said in a prefectural assembly committee, "Unless the government presents specific measures to eliminate the dangers (of Futemma), we will not proceed to the next stage of discussions."

Nakaima, who took office last week, is seen to have shown more flexibility on the Futemma issue than his predecessor, Keiichi Inamine. The former governor has called for relocating the airfield outside of Okinawa and was strongly opposed to the Japan-U.S. plan to build two runways in a V-shaped formation on the coast and landfill area in Nago.

The previous meeting between the central and Okinawa local governments was held Aug. 29.

The relocation of Futemma is a main pillar of the overall plan for the realignment of U.S. military presence in Japan, which also includes moving 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam and dispersing flight drills from heavily concentrated bases to other facilities across the country.

A draft budget for defense spending in the next fiscal year presented by the Finance Ministry on Wednesday earmarked some 5 billion yen as subsidies for the affected local communities to convince them to cooperate.

Approach paths limited for new U.S. airstrip

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006
Kyodo News

Japan and the United States agreed Monday to place aircraft approach lights only at the seaward-most ends of the two runways planned for the U.S. Marine Corps Camp Schwab near the city of Nago, government sources said.

The move is aimed at keeping the aircraft traffic pattern away from populated areas.

Photo: Approach lights will only extend off the seaward-most ends of the two runways planned for the U.S. Marine Corps Camp Schwab in Okinawa, thus off the lower end of the left leg of the V and the upper end of the right leg.

The accord was reached after Japan rejected a U.S. request for approach lights extending from both ends of both 1,800-meter runways, which are to be in a V configuration. However, U.S. military aircraft may have to fly over residential areas in emergencies.

Senior foreign and defense officials from the two countries worked out the agreement in a meeting Monday in Tokyo, the sources said.

Sources familiar with the trans-Pacific relationship said last month that the U.S. had requested that its military aircraft be allowed to land or take off using both directions of both runways. Tokyo rejected the request, they said.

The runways will straddle the tip of Cape Henoko and extend offshore on both ends.

They are to be built at Schwab as a replacement for the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma farther south in the city of Ginowan.

Japan, which wants to limit approach routes, rejected the U.S. request because allowing four approach routes would conflict with the central government's promise to local authorities to keep the flight paths away from residential areas.

In April, the Defense Agency struck a deal with Nago and four towns and villages in the vicinity to build two runways in a V pattern, with the seaward-most ends extending approximately northeast and east-northeast into Oura Bay.

The airport is to be built by 2014 and is not to be used by fighter planes.

The Futenma and marine relocations in Okinawa are key elements of a comprehensive package of measures to step up integration of Japanese and U.S. forces as part of Washington's military reorganization.

The dispute between Okinawa and the central government over the Futenma relocation has dragged on for a decade as it involves a complex mixture of factors, including noise and safety issues, local sentiments and environmental concerns.

Deal done: Lawless

A visiting U.S. defense official implied Tuesday that Okinawa is unlikely to get a response from the United States on its demands to change the plan for moving the Futenma air base in Ginowan.

"We do not get involved in the discussions between the local community and the central government," Richard Lawless, the deputy defense undersecretary for Asia and Pacific affairs, said.