Japan's Okinawa island approved the long-stalled relocation of a controversial US military base, putting an end to a decades-long source of friction between Tokyo and Washington.
Local bureaucrats signed on Friday a document that gives the governor's green light to a landfill, paving the way for the construction of a new base on the coast.
An Okinawan official confirmed Friday that Governor Hirokazu Nakaima approved the Japanese Defense Ministry's application to reclaim land for a new military base on Okinawa's coast. It would replace the U.S. Marine Corps base in Futenma, a more congested part of Okinawa's Governor Approves main island.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe persuaded Nakaima to approve the move in a meeting Wednesday. As part of the agreement, the central government will provide increased financial assistance to the island.
The Futenma relocation is an emotionally charged issue in Okinawa, where anti-base sentiment runs deep amid safety concerns about U.S. military operations.
In 2009, Yukio Hatoyama, the first prime minister after the Democratic Party of Japan took power, raised local hopes by pledging that the base would be moved out of the prefecture “at least.” But he later backed off and decided on a deal with the United States that was almost identical to the 2006 bilateral agreement.
Local bureaucrats signed on Friday a document that gives the governor's green light to a landfill, paving the way for the construction of a new base on the coast.
An Okinawan official confirmed Friday that Governor Hirokazu Nakaima approved the Japanese Defense Ministry's application to reclaim land for a new military base on Okinawa's coast. It would replace the U.S. Marine Corps base in Futenma, a more congested part of Okinawa's Governor Approves main island.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe persuaded Nakaima to approve the move in a meeting Wednesday. As part of the agreement, the central government will provide increased financial assistance to the island.
The Futenma relocation is an emotionally charged issue in Okinawa, where anti-base sentiment runs deep amid safety concerns about U.S. military operations.
In 2009, Yukio Hatoyama, the first prime minister after the Democratic Party of Japan took power, raised local hopes by pledging that the base would be moved out of the prefecture “at least.” But he later backed off and decided on a deal with the United States that was almost identical to the 2006 bilateral agreement.
No comments:
Post a Comment