Editorial
Doubts raised over relocation of Futenma base to ground area of Camp Schwab
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP) have submitted their respective proposals on the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the ruling coalition panel on U.S. bases in Okinawa Prefecture.
The SDP offered three options -- relocation to Guam or another area outside Japan; shifting of most functions of Futenma base to Guam while allowing the Marine Corps to conduct drills in Japan as a temporary measure; and temporary relocation of the base to an area in Japan outside Okinawa.
The PNP submitted two proposals -- relocation to the ground area of Camp Schwab on condition that the period of its use be limited and merging Futenma with U.S. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture.
In other words, the SDP places priority on relocation out of Japan, while the PNP calls for relocation within Okinawa Prefecture.
The government does not have much time left before reaching a final agreement on the issue by the May deadline that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has set. The government must gain approval of the plan from the United States, and if the government chooses relocation within Japan, it must also gain consent from the local governments that would host the substitute facility. It is difficult to work out a plan that would satisfy both Washington and local bodies.
Amid such confusion, the PNP proposal to build a substitute facility at the ground area of Camp Schwab in the Henoko district of Nago has emerged as a major plan. The Prime Minister's Office, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry share the view that it is unrealistic to move Futenma base out of Okinawa Prefecture. They apparently believe that the PNP's plan, which calls for the construction of a runway and relevant facilities on the premises of an existing base, would likely be unaffected by a campaign by opponents.
However, doubts have been raised over the proposal.
During a campaign for last year's general election, Hatoyama, who leads the Democratic Party of Japan, declared that he would aim for relocation out of the country -- or at least out of the prefecture. After he took office, his administration announced that it would go back to the drawing board and consider the issue. Nonetheless, there is no sign that Hatoyama, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano who chairs the coalition panel on U.S. bases in Okinawa and the DPJ as an entity have seriously considered relocation out of the prefecture.
While the DPJ-led coalition administration was confused over the issue, the situation in Okinawa Prefecture has drastically changed. In January, a candidate opposing the relocation of Futenma to Nago won the mayoral election in the city, which has been rocked by the pros and cons of hosting a Marine Corps base over the past 13 years.
In his first policy speech on Monday, the newly elected mayor reiterated that the municipal government will refuse to host a substitute facility for Air Station Futenma, while the Nago Municipal Assembly adopted a resolution against relocation to the ground area of Camp Schwab. Last month, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly also unanimously voted to oppose the relocation of Futenma within the prefecture.
The confusion over the relocation of Futenma that has lasted for many years illustrates the difficulties in building a U.S. base in Japan without consent from the local community. If the Hatoyama administration forcibly goes ahead with the PNP's plan without seriously considering the possibility of relocating the base out of the prefecture, citing the principle that the national government has jurisdiction over diplomatic and defense policies, then Okinawa residents would undoubtedly view it as an insincere response to their desires.
Moreover, relocation to the premises of Camp Schwab would mean shifting the issues of noise pollution and danger, which Futenma base poses to nearby residents, to those of the Henoko district of Nago. Some experts have pointed out that the relocation to Henoko would lead to the deterioration of the living environment for Henoko residents as compared with the plan previously agreed on between Tokyo and Washington to move the base to an offshore area of Camp Schwab.
Moreover, a mountain on the compound of Camp Schwab needs to be flattened to build a runway, which is feared to adversely affect the environment around the base and polluting the sea with the outflow of soil. This is the main reason why the plan had been once rejected.
One cannot help but wonder how the DPJ-led government will respond to Okinawa residents' doubts about the plan to move the Futenma base to the ground area of Camp Schwab and whether a consensus can be formed among the local community on the proposal.
(Mainichi Japan) March 9, 2010