Mayoral vote tests US-Japan relations
Source: Agencies |
January 25, 2010, Monday
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THE future of a United States military base and US-Japan relations were thrown into further question yesterday as voters in a small city far from Tokyo elected a mayor opposed to the base.
Residents of the Okinawan city of Nago chose challenger Susumu Inamine - who campaigned against any expansion of US military presence in the area - over incumbent Yoshikazu Shimabukuro.
Nago is where Washington and Tokyo agreed in 2006 to move the Futenma US Marine airfield from a more crowded part of the southern Japanese island. The deal was part of a broader realignment of US troops forged after a helicopter from the base crashed into a nearby university.
Japan's new government - led by a party that was in the opposition when the deal was inked - is reconsidering the agreement, which has strained ties between the two allies.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has postponed a decision on Futenma until May and yesterday's election result could play a pivotal role in his verdict.
More than half of the 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan are in Okinawa, where many residents complain about noise, pollution and crime linked to the bases.
Turnout in the election was high, with nearly 77 percent of the city's 45,000 registered voters casting ballots. Inamine won with 52.3 percent of the vote.
The Futenma facility is home to about 2,000 Marines. The US insists the base must stay on Okinawa so the Marine units remain cohesive. But some Japanese politicians have suggested moving it off the island altogether - or even out of the country.
Residents of the Okinawan city of Nago chose challenger Susumu Inamine - who campaigned against any expansion of US military presence in the area - over incumbent Yoshikazu Shimabukuro.
Nago is where Washington and Tokyo agreed in 2006 to move the Futenma US Marine airfield from a more crowded part of the southern Japanese island. The deal was part of a broader realignment of US troops forged after a helicopter from the base crashed into a nearby university.
Japan's new government - led by a party that was in the opposition when the deal was inked - is reconsidering the agreement, which has strained ties between the two allies.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has postponed a decision on Futenma until May and yesterday's election result could play a pivotal role in his verdict.
More than half of the 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan are in Okinawa, where many residents complain about noise, pollution and crime linked to the bases.
Turnout in the election was high, with nearly 77 percent of the city's 45,000 registered voters casting ballots. Inamine won with 52.3 percent of the vote.
The Futenma facility is home to about 2,000 Marines. The US insists the base must stay on Okinawa so the Marine units remain cohesive. But some Japanese politicians have suggested moving it off the island altogether - or even out of the country.
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