EDITORIAL: Futenma relocation plan

Prime Minister Naoto Kan should remember that "haste makes waste" as he goes about the job his predecessor couldn't hack--the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture.

Having agreed to transfer Futenma's heliport functions to the Henoko district of Nago in the prefecture, Tokyo and Washington will complete by the end of this month a report on the specifics of two different runway plans envisioned for Henoko.

Japan is pushing a single-runway design, while the United States favors two runways in a V-shaped formation. The final decision on which plan to execute will be made after the Okinawa gubernatorial election in November.

Kan says his Cabinet is resolved to fully live up to Tokyo's agreement with Washington, but he has also asserted, "I will not make a decision over the heads of local residents."

The danger posed by the Futenma base, which sits in the center of densely populated Ginowan, needs to be removed as soon as possible. But if Tokyo hastens to honor its agreement with Washington to the letter in the absence of any local support, that would only create further complications. We believe Tokyo and Washington have made a wise and pragmatic decision, at least for now.

Politically, however, nothing is likely to make the relocation to Henoko any easier. The mayor of Nago is opposed to the relocation itself, irrespective of the method of runway construction. And should the people of Okinawa elect a governor who doesn't want the air station in the prefecture, the odds will definitely mount against the planned relocation.

More than anything, Okinawans feel they are being discriminated against by the rest of the nation because they have been forced to bear the heavy burden of hosting 75 percent of U.S. military bases in Japan.

They strongly desire Futenma's relocation outside their prefecture or outside Japan. We just cannot imagine them softening their stand.

The central government couldn't be more wrong if it thinks its deferred decision on Henoko will help keep the Futenma relocation issue from dominating the Okinawa gubernatorial election campaign.

The government should be taking a firm step, right now, toward rebuilding a relationship of trust with Okinawa.

There is no easy solution to easing Okinawa's burden and removing the danger posed by military bases while simultaneously meeting the nation's security needs. And whatever solution the government may seek, it must be acceptable to Okinawans, at least to a certain degree.

The government is considering setting up a panel for talks with Okinawa. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku has made remarks that could be interpreted to mean that the establishment of this panel will be conditional on Okinawa's acceptance of the proposed relocation to Henoko.

But irrespective of how the relocation issue unfolds, the government has the responsibility to strive for the alleviation of Okinawa's burden and implement economic measures to correct the gaps that exist between the southernmost prefecture and the country's mainland. Any strings to these initiatives should not be attached.

Kan has reiterated his resolve to lighten Okinawa's burden. He must make every effort to make this come true ahead of relocation talks with Washington.

The Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court last week ordered the Japanese government to compensate residents living near the Futenma base for noise pollution. The presiding judge said that a Japan-U.S. agreement on noise reduction, which restricts nighttime and early morning flights, is turning into a matter of form. Tokyo must raise this issue with Washington.

As for the transfer of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, Washington has effectively abandoned its plan to complete this by 2014, saying Guam cannot be readied in time to receive the Marines.

How long will it be before Okinawa's burden is lifted and the bases cease to jeopardize the people? The governments of Japan and the United States have a lot of work ahead.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 4