National News
Japan, U.S. defense chiefs agree to push for Futenma relocation plan
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's new defense minister, Naoki Tanaka, and U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta agreed Friday to make further efforts to realize a bilateral accord to relocate a key U.S. Marine base within Okinawa Prefecture.
Tanaka told a press conference that he and Panetta reaffirmed in their first telephone talks that the Japan-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
During their 20-minute conversation, Tanaka also welcomed the new U.S. defense strategy, which places importance on the Asia-Pacific region, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. The details of the new strategy were announced Thursday by the U.S. Defense Department.
Tanaka, who assumed his post in a Cabinet reshuffle Jan. 13, faces a challenging task to secure consent from the local community and governments in Okinawa to accept the relocation deal.
Under the Japan-U.S. accord, the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station will be moved from Ginowan to the less populated coastal Henoko district in Nago.
Residents remain deeply opposed to the relocation within Okinawa, which has long hosted the bulk of the U.S. forces in Japan, and have called for the Futenma base to be moved out of the prefecture, citing concerns about noise and safety.
On another defense matter, Tanaka said in the news conference that he sees "no change" in the U.S. schedule for delivery of the F-35 stealth jet by fiscal 2016.
His remark comes amid concerns that the delivery of the F-35, which Japan chose last month as the next-generation mainstay fighter of its Air Self-Defense Force, will be delayed following a recent U.S. announcement that it will slow its F-35 procurement.
Tanaka also said that he plans to send Hideo Jimpu, parliamentary vice defense minister, to the United States soon.
Jimpu is expected to be given a flight on the MV22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to assess its safety as well as check on the development of the F-35.
The U.S. plan to deploy the Osprey at Futenma within this year has sparked protests from residents in Okinawa who are concerned about the aircraft's noise and safety given that it has been involved in a number of fatal crashes during test flights.
(Mainichi Japan) January 27, 2012
