Ichida criticizes prime minister for being irresponsible on Futenma base issue

Japan Press Weekly

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Ichida criticizes prime minister for being irresponsible on Futenma base issue

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on November 2 criticized Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio for being irresponsible in regard to cabinet members’ recent remarks contradicting the Democratic Party of Japan’s election promise regarding the Futenma base relocation issue.

During the August general election campaign, Hatoyama said that the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station should be relocated to outside Okinawa or even outside Japan. But Foreign Minister Oakda Katsuya recently said, “It is hard to accept the relocation of the Futenma base to outside Okinawa as an option” and Defense Minister Kitazawa Toshimi also changed his position and accepted the argument that the Futenma base should be relocated within Okinawa.

Concerning these cabinet members’ remarks, Prime Minister Hatoyama stated, “Individual ministers are free to say anything, until I make up my mind in a final decision.”

Pointing out that Prime Minister Hatoyama is expressing confusion, Ichida said that it is natural for people to blame Hatoyama for breaking his election promise.

Ichida also said that the new government should conduct negotiations with the U.S to demand the removal of the Futenma base from Japan without condition.

70% of Okinawans oppose base construction

A survey on the Futenma base issue jointly conducted by Mainichi Newspaper and Ryukyu Shimpo shows that 67% of respondents oppose the plan to relocate the Futenma base to a new base site in the Henoko district of Nago City.

In the survey, 70% said, “The government should negotiate with the U.S. Forces to move the Futenma base outside the prefecture or outside Japan.” In addition, 72% said “No” to the plan to consolidate the Futenma base with the U.S. Kadena Air Base in Kadena Town.

Commenting on the survey, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on November 2 said, “70% of Okinawans oppose the current relocation plan. The government should respond to this unambiguous demand.”

- Akahata, November 3-4, 2009