News

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada has decided not to visit the United States ahead of President Barack Obama's first trip to Japan on Nov. 12-13, as tensions over the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma appear to rise.

"We tried working out a visit with the U.S. government, but it just wasn't possible," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, clear friction between the U.S. and Japan has emerged over the relocation of Futenma Air Station, with U.S. State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly stating at a news conference Tuesday that the shape of future relations between the two countries was up to the Japanese government.

Kelly indicated that there was serious worry in Washington over Japan-U.S. relations should the Japanese government decide to pull out of the Futenma relocation plan, and called on Japan to abide by the agreement to move the air station to the coast off Camp Schwab, also in Okinawa Prefecture.

Furthermore, regarding the negotiations for restructuring U.S. forces in Japan -- of which the Futenma relocation was a part -- Kelly stated that they addressed issues arising from the mutual security guarantee, and that an agreement was reached with the Japanese government of the time through a cooperative and transparent process. He also criticized Prime Minister Hatoyama's claim that the restructuring negotiations were held behind closed doors.

The U.S. had suggested the foreign minister arrive Friday morning Washington time, which would clash with an House of Councillors Budget Committee meeting, and an alternative schedule could not be worked out. The cancellation announcement means there will be no talks at the foreign ministerial level before Obama arrives in Japan, and that Okada will instead have discussions with Under Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who arrives in Japan on Thursday.

"The foreign minister intended to visit the United States to make Japan-U.S. relations smoother, but the cancellation will not have an effect on relations between Japan and the U.S.," Hirano stated at the news conference.