Japanese row over US base intensifies with survey halt
Print Edition
A clash between Japan鈥檚 central government and Okinawa island, host to the bulk of US troops in Japan, deepened yesterday when the southern island鈥檚 governor ordered a halt to underwater work at the site of a planned relocation of a US Marine base.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe鈥檚 government and Okinawa have been on a collision course since anti-base conservative Takeshi Onaga was elected governor last November and ruling party candidates were trounced in a December general election.
Onaga told a news conference that he was ordering local defence ministry officials to halt the underwater survey work, which the prefecture fears is harming local coral reefs, a prefecture official said.
If those activities are not stopped within a week, Onaga may rescind approval for drilling operations given by his predecessor in December 2012, he said.
Delays to the plan to move the Futenma base to a less populous area of northern Okinawa could be a headache for Abe ahead of an April 26-May 3 visit to the US, announced yesterday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference the defence ministry was examining the documents from the governor but that the very fact he had taken this step was 鈥渆xtremely regrettable鈥 since the work had previously been approved by the prefecture. That approval was given by Onaga鈥檚 predecessor, whom he defeated in last year鈥檚 election.
鈥淎t present we do not recognise any reason to halt the work,鈥 he said.
The US and Japan agreed in 1996 to close the Futenma Marines air base. But plans for a replacement stalled in the face of opposition from residents, many of whom associate the bases with noise, pollution and crime and resent bearing what they see as an unfair burden for the US-Japan security alliance.
Okinawa still hosts nearly 75 percent of the US military presence in Japan.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
