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Hatoyama to start from scratch on key mly deal

Posted on: Tue January 26, 2010

TOKYO: Japan s prime minister pledged on Monday to start from scratch  in re-examining a key military deal with Washington on relocating American troops, risking the ire of its key ally after a local election in Okinawa showed that residents oppose any new Marine base in their region.    The US reacted cautiously on Monday, issuing a statement that it was consulting closely  with Tokyo on the issue.After the small Okinawan city of Nago elected a mayor opposed to moving the facility there, Japan will be hard pressed to honour its 2006 agreement to relocate a US military base on the southern island. Sunday s vote is reverberating to Tokyo and beyond, widening an already growing rift with Washington.Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama appears to be caught in a no-win situation of either antagonising local citizens or Japan s main alliance partner. With upper house elections this summer, he can t run roughshod over voters voices.     He can t make a decision now that s going to make both the Americans and Okinawans happy,  said Jeff Kingston, Temple University Director of Asian Studies in Tokyo.     It does give Hatoyama a bit of cover: Hey, I have to listen to the voice of the people. But I don t think that s going to cut much weight with Washington,  Kingston added.    At issue is a 2006 plan to reorganise US troops in Japan. A key sticking point in that agreement forged between Washington and Tokyo s previous conservative government involves moving Futenma Marine Corps air station in the crowded, southern part of the island to a coastal area near Nago - a move that many locals oppose.Hatoyama, who swept into power in September, has frustrated Washington by refusing to commit to the move to Nago at a time of rising Asia security concerns from North Korea s nuclear programme and China s growing military strength. One member of his Cabinet, the left-leaning Mizuho Fukushima, has flatly said she wants Futenma moved off Japanese territory altogether.US officials have insisted the agreement must be kept. Backing out could scrap the whole realignment plan, which would lighten the burden on Okinawa - where more than half the 47,000 US troops in Japan are based by sending 8,000 Marines to the US territory of Guam.Reacting on Monday to the Nago vote, Hatoyama said the election reflected the will of the people and that Tokyo would re-examine all its options on the Futenma issue. The country will start from scratch on this issue and take responsibility to reach a conclusion by the end of May,  he told reporters.The US State Department refrained from criticising Hatoyama or pushing its stance in a statement issued on Monday. We are consulting closely with the Japanese government on the Futenma relocation issue,  the statement said. Decisions related to national security, including base realignment, are typically made by central governments, after taking into account relevant factors, including the interests of base-hosting communities.Japanese officials have examined other possible locations on Okinawa, and some have even traveled to Guam, to look for alternative relocation sites, but none have fit the bill. And Washington has insisted on sticking with Nago, saying it is the best option.Ever since winning August s elections, ending the conservatives five decades of nearly uninterrupted rule, Hatoyama has said he wants a more independent relationship with Washington and has suggested he wants revisions in the 2006 military realignment plan.

Courtesy : The News