Some in the Japanese government are considering broadly accepting a 2006 plan to relocate a US air base on Okinawa to meet a deadline at the end of next month to resolve a row with Washington, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday.
In the US, the Washington Post reported that Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsuya Okada told US Ambassador John Roos on Friday Tokyo was moving toward accepting major parts of the 2006 deal to move the US Marines’ Futenma air base from the center of a city to a less populated part of Okinawa.
The reports by Tokyo Shimbun and the Washington Post of movement on the deal seem likely to spark anger on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, whose residents plan to hold a big anti-base rally today.
They also come a few days ahead of a visit to Japan by US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying they were pleased by the latest proposal. The paper said on its Web site the move would ease months of discord between the two allies.
Okada suggested some changes, including altering the design of the runway at the new air station, planned for the town of Henoko, and moving parts of the Marine Corps facility to an island about 160km from Okinawa, it said.
It was unclear whether the proposal referred to the small island of Tokunoshima, where a crowd of 15,000 recently rallied against accepting the air base.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, whose support rates have been sinking ahead of a key mid-year upper house election, has said he would stake his job on settling the feud by a self-imposed end of next month deadline.
He has also said any deal must be acceptable to Washington, local residents and his Democratic Party’s small coalition partners.
In the absence of a deal, speculation has simmered that Hatoyama might even have to step down if he fails.
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