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2010/04/21
Hatoyama reiterates intention of resolving Futenma issue by end of May
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On April 21, a head-to-head debate of party leaders took place in the Diet. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama reiterated his intention of finding a solution to the Futenma base issue by the end of May, saying, “Without the agreement of the Japanese people and the residents of Okinawa, the agreement of the residents at the new location for the base, the agreement of the United States and the agreement of the coalition government, it will be impossible to go ahead. We will carefully obtain the agreements [of each of the parties involved] and resolve the issue. I have no intention of changing my deadline of the end of May.”
Hatoyama went on to say that the will of the people of Okinawa as expressed in last year’s general election, was that the sea off Henoko should not be turned into a landfill site, and therefore, under the current proposal of landfilling Henoko Bay, construction would in fact be delayed, a resolution to the issue would slip further away, and consequently the Japan-US security alliance and Japan-US relations would be damaged. For these reasons, as the new government of Japan, it was necessary to find a new proposal, and work to eliminate the dangers posed by Futenma and to reduce the burden placed on Okinawa.
Furthermore, he stated that the government was now engaged in negotiating the various proposals he had mentioned during the recent head-to-head debate with the US, and that since it was necessary to obtain the understanding of the US, he could not reveal the name of the proposed relocation site at this stage.
Hatoyama made these comments during exchanges with LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki.
In response to a comment from New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi stated that the Prime Minister himself should go to Okinawa, Hatoyama responded, “Naturally, I will pay full attention to opinions in Okinawa. When the time is right, I intend to go.”
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