Editorial
Hatoyama digging himself a deep hole through procrastination on Futenma
The government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has decided to postpone its decision on the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma until next year. The reason for this decision are the hints that have been dropped by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) -- which advocates relocation of Futenma out of both Okinawa and the country -- that it may pull out of the ruling coalition if Japan goes forward this month with the Futenma relocation to Henoko in the Okinawa Prefecture city of Nago, agreed upon between the two countries.
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which does not hold a majority of the seats in the House of Councillors, wants to prevent a breakdown of the ruling coalition ahead of the regular Diet session set to begin in January. However, the Futenma issue is one of the biggest concerns currently facing the government. Calling in the new year with no resolution in sight is mere procrastination. Prime Minister Hatoyama must do his utmost to build a consensus within the government, and set a clear vision even if the issue ends up being carried over into the year 2010.
Finding a relocation site that is in accordance with "re-examining ... the role of U.S. military bases in Japan" as promised in the DPJ's election manifesto, whether it be "out of Okinawa Prefecture, at the least," as Hatoyama pledged, or a site within Okinawa Prefecture that does not include Henoko, will require renewed negotiations with the U.S., further delaying any sort of resolution. However, the decision to postpone the Futenma issue has failed to address such issues, and appears merely to be a quick-fix response to a political situation.
As Hatoyama recognizes, the postponement will make a resolution even more difficult to reach. The issue of Henoko as the site of relocation will undoubtedly dominate the Nago mayoral election scheduled for Jan. 24. And if the candidate backed by the DPJ's Okinawa prefectural chapter -- who supports relocation out of the prefecture -- wins, the Futenma issue is likely to be forced back to the drawing board. It will also make it more difficult for Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, who has embraced relocation to Henoko, to ignore the voices of anti-relocation residents and authorize landfill work needed to prepare for the construction of replacement facilities.
It is highly unlikely that the SDP will change its mind, even if noise reduction policies at Kadena Air Base and other U.S. bases are guaranteed. Furthermore, after the Upper House election takes place next summer and attention turns to the Okinawa gubernatorial race in November, it is unclear whether Nakaima will maintain his stand on Henoko.
The problem here is Prime Minister Hatoyama's lack of leadership. He has promised to respect local Okinawa needs and to reduce their burden while simultaneously pointing out the importance of the Japan-U.S. agreement, repeating that he will make a final decision -- albeit without indicating the direction in which he hopes to lead. The responsibility for the Futenma quagmire lies with Hatoyama.
Noise from U.S. military planes has been a major problem for Futenma Daini Elementary School, which is located on the other side of a fence separating it from Futenma base. Every spring, a school-wide evacuation drill is conducted in case a U.S. aircraft crashes onto the school grounds. The relocation of a base situated in a densely populated residential area is imperative in alleviating such a troubling state of affairs and in securing the safety of local residents. And it is the responsibility of the government.
Hatoyama's relinquishment of leadership will do nothing but help allow Futenma Air Station to remain where it is.
(Mainichi Japan) December 4, 2009