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On May 23, Prime Minister and DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama visited Okinawa Prefectural Office, to discuss the Futenma base relocation issue with the governor of Okinawa, Hirokazu Nakaima.
During the meeting, Hatoyama explained the circumstances leading up to his visit, saying “The object of the government’s efforts is to reduce the burden placed on the residents of Okinawa and to eliminate the dangers they face. I believed that the most certain way to achieve this was to relocate Futenma outside of Okinawa, and have seriously considered how to achieve this.” He went on to explain, “After repeated discussions both within Japan and with the US side, it was with a heavy heart that I came to the conclusion that there is no alternative but to ask the local residents around Henoko to accept the relocation of the facilities there. I would like to offer my sincere apologies, both for the fact that I was unable to keep my word of “if at all possible, outside of Okinawa”, and for the great deal of confusion I have caused the residents of Okinawa during the process of reaching this conclusion.”
Hatoyama continued, “By no means does this mean that we intend to leave the current situation where 75% of US bases in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa unchanged. I believe that it is important to realize the actual elimination of the burden and risks faced by the people of Okinawa by moving the US military training outside of Okinawa as much as is possible.” Hatoyama said that in order to facilitate the shift of training outside of the prefecture, he intended to make an appeal at the National Governors’ Association Meeting on May 27, to call for cooperation to enable the burden borne by Okinawa to be borne by the entire nation. He added that he would like to create a proposal for reducing the burden on Okinawa that fully reflected the opinions of the residents of the prefecture.
Following the meeting, a reporter said to Hatoyama that Governor Nakaima’s reaction to his proposal was that it would be difficult to accept the plan to build a facility near to Henoko, and asked what steps he intended to take to obtain the understanding of the residents of Okinawa for the plan. Hatoyama answered, “I would like to hold discussions as much as is possible, in order to obtain the understanding of the Governor and the residents of the prefecture. I will make sincere efforts to obtain their understanding.”
Another reporter said that Governor Nakaima had expressed the opinion that it would be difficult to obtain the understanding of the people of Okinawa, and asked, bearing that in mind, what kind of measures Hatoyama intended to take to reduce the burden on Okinawa. Hatoyama responded, “From the beginning, the most significant issue has been how to reduce the burden on the residents of Okinawa, and that is why I said ‘outside of Okinawa’. I would like to continue to work actively to persuade other prefectures regarding moving training for US Marines outside of Okinawa, in order to lighten the burden on the prefecture.
Hatoyama was asked what he had meant by his comment during the meeting with Governor Nakaima, that “This is not the end of matter”. He responded, “I would like to continue with my ongoing efforts to reduce the burden on Okinawa. I do not believe that everything will come to a stop at the end of May, and I intend to continue to engage in discussions with the United States.”
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