Japan defense minister visits Okinawa
to address ‘military related problems’
By David Allen and Chiyomi Sumida, Okinawa bureau
David Allen / Stars and Stripes
Japan Defense Agency Chief Gen. Nakatani is greeted by Marine Lt. Gen. Wallace C. Gregson
Friday during a tour of U.S. bases on Okinawa. |
NAHA — Gen. Nakatani, director-general of the Japan Defense
Agency, Friday promised “to do the best I can” to “reduce the burden of the
people of Okinawa.”
The “burden” is the U.S. military bases that occupy 20
percent of the main island in the prefecture and some 26,000 troops stationed here.
“I was told by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi when I was
appointed to this post to make extra efforts in solving Okinawa’s military-related
problems,” Nakatani said during a meeting with Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine on
Friday.
But he cautioned that Okinawa will remain key to the security of the
region for quite some time and the U.S. presence is important to maintaining peace.
“The present security environment surrounding Japan requires
careful observation,” he said. “China is increasing its military power and
China’s survey ships are frequent visitors to Japan’s southern waters.”
“Okinawa Prefecture is fully aware of the importance of the
bilateral security treaty,” Inamine said. “However, reducing the presence of
U.S. military on the island is also important. About 75 percent of U.S. military
facilities in Japan are concentrated on this small island prefecture. It is the keen
desire of people of Okinawa to reduce the military presence, which hampers our economic
development and adversely affects the lives of the people of Okinawa.”
Nakatani arrived for a two-day visit to Okinawa on Thursday, his
first visit to the prefecture since being appointed chief of the Defense Agency in April.
During his visit, he met the mayors of 23 municipalities that host U.S. military
facilities, and visited the Peace Prayer Park in Itoman, American Village in Chatan, Camp
Kinser, Futenma Air Station, Kadena Air Base, Camp Schwab and Camp Hansen.
The American Village is a popular shopping area built on a former
U.S. Army base near Kadena Air Base and two Marine bases. It is also the location of an
alleged rape in June of a 24-year-old Okinawa nurse by an Air Force staff sergeant.
“It is very regrettable that incidents and accidents involving
American servicemembers cause great trouble to the lives of people of Okinawa,”
Nakatani told Inamine. “When I met [Marine] Lt. Gen. [Wallace C.] Gregson, the
Okinawa area coordinator, today, I asked him to take measures to prevent any recurrence.
“Under any circumstances, trusting relations between the
military and the local communities must be maintained,” he said.
Inamine said the incidents could be reduced if fewer Americans were
stationed on Okinawa.
Nakatani met with Gregson for about an hour at Futenma Marine Corps
Air Station, which is slated to be replaced by a new base in a more rural area in
northeast Okinawa.
In his talk with Inamine, Nakatani said progress is also being made
in the relocation of the Naha Military Port to an alternative location on the waterfront
of Urasoe, adjacent to the Marines’ Camp Kinser.
Along with returning base property, Inamine asked for Nakatani’s
support for a special measure to provide local communities redevelopment funds for any
returned base property and to set a 15-year time limit for the use of the airport to
replace MCAS Futenma.
The new airport, which will also be used by commercial aircraft, is
currently in the planning stages and will take years to complete.
Nakatani said he conveyed Okinawa’s request to U.S. Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld when the two met in June.
Inamine and the mayors Nakatani met Thursday pressed the defense
minister to push for changes in the Status of Forces Agreement between Japan and the
United States, ensuring American servicemembers charged with crimes in Japan are handed
over swiftly to Japanese authorities.
The mayors also asked Nakatani to press U.S. military officials for a
midnight curfew on all troops on Okinawa.
Nakatani said he was disappointed that an agreement was not reached
last week during high-level talks in Tokyo concerning the custody issue. Japan wants to
take custody of suspects prior to indictment, but the U.S. wants to ensure the rights of
the accused servicemembers are protected.
According to published news accounts of the talks in Tokyo, Japan
demanded that the U.S. agree to hand over suspects in abduction, arson, robbery, rape and
murder cases prior to indictment, especially after arrest warrants are issued.
U.S. officials reportedly argued that U.S. suspects should be turned
over to Japanese authorities prior to indictment only when defense lawyers are allowed to
sit on police interrogations.
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