The Japanese government is welcoming an agreement with the us at the redeployment of U.S. marines from Okinawa.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba described the agreement as a favorable achievement.
He said the transfer of 9,000 marines to Guam and other Asia-Pacific sites and the eventual return of several military facilities represent concrete steps towards reducing the weight of the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.
Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said the deal will maintain and reinforce the deterrence posed by U.S. forces within the region.
The deal demands separate discussions at the issue of Futenma, a U.S. base located within the heart of an urban area. In 2006, Japan and the U.S. agreed to maneuver the bottom inside the prefecture to the more rural area of Henoko.
But the plan has faced strong local opposition, including by the governor of Okinawa, who wants the bottom to be moved outside the prefecture.
Defense Minister Tanaka said the alternative of Henoko remains the “only viable option†for the relocation of Futenma.
Tanaka said the govt. is just not considering any alternatives because they might be too difficult to implement.
The governor of Okinawa said Friday that he welcomed the government's efforts to decouple the problem of Futenma from the deal over the local bases. He said he's waiting to profit exactly when the army facilities would be returned to Okinawa.
From WhatNewsToday.net
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