Govt must represent citizen concerns on secret nuclear pacts and Futenma base

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Govt must represent citizen concerns on secret nuclear pacts and Futenma base

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on March 12 criticized the Hatoyama Cabinet for being unable to represent citizens’ concerns while negotiating with the U.S. government, and raising for serious discussion the issues of secret pacts on nuclear arms entry and the Futenma base relocation.

“The Hatoyama Cabinet has pledged to make the Japan-U.S. relation equal. How did it tackle this mission during the last six months?” asked Shii in his lecture in Nagoya City.

A government panel report issued on March 9 acknowledges the existence of the 1960 “Record of Discussion” which was signed by officials of the Japanese and U.S. governments and which excluded port calls of vessels carrying nuclear weapons from prior consultation, but does not recognize it as a secret agreement reached between the two nations.

“By officially designating it as a secret pact and abrogating it, the government can pave the way for creating a truly nuclear weapons-free Japan,” Shii stressed.

In the Futenma base issue, after trying to find an alternative site to relocate it, the Hatoyama Catinet is now moving to confirm a plan to construct a new base in Okinawa.

The JCP chair stated, “In the House of Representatives election last summer, the DPJ called for the Futenma base to be relocated to outside Okinawa or even outside Japan. Construction of a new base within Okinawa goes against the promise it made with Okinawans in particular and Japanese in general.”

He stressed that the JCP will continue to struggle to achieve the unconditional return of the Futenma base and to block the construction of a new U.S. base in Okinawa by joining forces with the local people.

- Akahata, March 13, 2010