Japan’s prime minister says moving all of key US Marine base off Okinawa ‘impossible’
By APMonday, May 3, 2010
Japan PM: Moving US base off Okinawa ‘impossible’
TOKYO — Japan’s prime minister says moving all of a key U.S. Marine base out of Okinawa is “impossible,” breaking with past promises to move the base outside the southern island.
It was the first time since Yukio Hatoyama became prime minister in September that he officially acknowledged that at least part of Futenma Marine air field would remain in Okinawa, which hosts more than half the 47,000 American troops based in Japan.
Hatoyama had frozen a 2006 agreement with Washington on moving Futenma to a less crowded part of the island, straining ties with the U.S.
On Tuesday he said “it is impossible” to move all of the base out of its current location, saying that Okinawa must share some of the burden.
