With the Futenma base never moved out, Okinawans will suffer most and the US will benefit the most. For Okinawans and the rest of the Japanese people, it's a danger of continuing the status quo. The Asahi Shimbun should have grilled him about this point, but they did not...
Thanks, Kosuke
WASHINGTON-- The United States will not insist on resolving the Futenma relocation issue before a planned visit by Prime Minister Naoto Kan to the United States this spring, according to a senior State Department official.
In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said Washington is "not going to again get into the business of setting deadline and timing" on relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma now in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture.
According to a report issued by the two governments in late August 2010, the two sides had agreed to reach a final decision on the location and construction of the alternative airfield before the next two-plus-two defense and foreign ministers' meeting.
A two-plus-two meeting is scheduled to be held ahead of Kan's visit.
Campbell went on to say the two sides have spent too much time focusing on the relocation issue at the cost of stalling progress in addressing other pressing issues facing the alliance, such as changes in the security environment in the East Asia and Pacific region.
"We found it difficult to make progress on the many challenges in the U.S.-Japan relationship because we were so focused on one issue: the challenge of Futenma," Campbell said.
The statements suggest Washington is ready to shelve Futenma for the time being, and discuss separately how Japan and the United States should address more global issues.
They also back up previous comments by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that Washington is ready for deliberations, separate from the Futenma issue, on revising the Common Strategic Objectives set in 2005 to meet recent security challenges posed by China and North Korea.
Meanwhile, Campbell declined to comment on Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima's calls to have the airstrip relocated outside of the prefecture.
As the Kan Cabinet has no apparent means to persuade Okinawa to accept a relocation within the prefecture, the latest U.S. position suggests that the relocation will not be completed before the 2014 deadline set by Tokyo and Washington.
Washington's change of heart appears to reflect a growing sentiment that it would be better to press Japan to take on a larger share of the burden in resolving global problems, than to drive it into a corner over an issue with no apparent exit.
With the worst fiscal deficit on record, the administration of President Barack Obama is looking to cut ballooning defense spending while fighting simultaneous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Gates earlier this month announced a plan to cut defense spending by $178 billion (about 14.8 trillion yen) over a five-year period starting fiscal 2012. A feature of the controversial proposal is to cut up to 47,000 Army and Marine personnel from the military payroll.
While the White House has not changed its stance on maintaining the presence of its armed forces on mainland Japan and Marines on Okinawa, it hopes to cut back on forward deployed troops worldwide.
Despite a shortage of personnel and funding, U.S. forces are faced with growing challenges, including China's naval expansion and North Korea's nuclear development program. To ease the pressure, Washington is looking for specific cooperation from Japan.
Regarding Futenma, the underlying sentiment seems to be that if relocation is not feasible, then the current facility, located in a densely populated area, will have to stay.
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