Abe agrees to suspend US base project
Print Edition
JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday that he has agreed to suspend construction of a controversial United States military base on Okinawa, a rare conciliatory step aimed at easing tensions with the southern island.
Still, Abe reiterated there is no change to his policy that a new US Marine air base must be built in a remote part of Okinawa to replace an existing one in a heavily populated area widely seen as a danger to residents.
The deal, brokered by a court on the island, means Okinawa and Tokyo will drop rival lawsuits against each other and resume talks in a bid to reach a compromise. If the dialogue fails, the two sides will promise to abide by a court ruling.
It came amid deepening mistrust between central authorities and the island, considered a strategic linchpin for the US and Japan as they face the regional threat of North Korean missiles.
Pacifist sentiments run high on Okinawa, the site of a bloody World War II battle between Japan and the US, which makes up less than 1 percent of Japan’s land area but is home to about 75 percent of US military bases in the country.
“If the legal battle between the central government and Okinawa continues in an endless fashion, this can only stall the process,” Abe told reporters.
Despite accepting the settlement proposal, Abe said the relocation must go ahead, calling it “the only solution.”
Okinawan Governor Takeshi Onaga criticized Abe’s stance, calling it “very regrettable.”
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