Hatoyama boxed in on Futenma Relocation

Relocating the Futenma base has turned into a nightmare for Prime Minister Hatoyama, as he attempts to please his own political supporters and also offer reassurances to his American counterpart. Washington is increasingly stressing that the 2006 agreement over the base relocation be adhered to. According to the deal, the current Futenma operations would be transferred to Camp Schwab in Nago, Okinawa. Hatoyama's coalition government announced a while back that it would be reviewing this agreement.

The main issue is that protests in Okinawa over American military presence are swelling. Ozawa, with growing political clout is openly second guessing Hatoyama's weak stance in the face of American pressure. And to top it all off, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a coalition partner in Hatoyama's government is insisting that the base be located outside of Japan. Hatoyama dismissed the SDP proposal of moving the base operations and personal to Guam earlier this week.

When Obama visited Japan in November it sparked protests of opposition in Okinawa over the US military presence on the South Island. Citizens came out in droves to call on their newly elected DPJ government to stand firm against Washington. The local mayor in Okinawa called on new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama "to put an end to Okinawa's burden and ordeal".

One protester at the November rally, Yoshiko Yonamine, was quoted in a BBC article as saying "Okinawans voted for the new administration, thinking it would remove the base from the island. I don't want it to betray us."

According to an article in the Mainichi Daily News today, Ozawa is now proposing that the relocation be carried out from Futenma to Shimoji Island. "Ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa has proposed relocating U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Shimoji Island in Okinawa Prefecture, ruling coalition sources said," reports the newspaper's online service. Ozawa apparently made the comment Tuesday, at a party celebrating year end.

"There are no regular flights to and from Shimoji Island Airport on Shimoji Island -- located about midway between Okinawa's main island and Taiwan -- and the airport has been mainly used by airlines for pilot training. Shimoji Island Airport had previously been named as a possible site for the relocation of Futenma," further reports the Mainichi Daily News.

The Japanese Foreign Service is in discussions with counterparts in Washington arranging a trip for Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada to visit the American Capital in the near future. The visit will focus on discussions relating to the base relocation. In the past week Okada has proposed a plan to reach a decision by May on where the base should be transferred. He conveyed this to American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The strong statements and the extensive coverage of Ozawa's proposals on the Futenma base issue are increasingly undermining the Prime Minister's authority. Furthermore, the mounting pressure from coalition members and America's insistence that the 2006 deal be followed, as well as public backlash, specifically in Okinawa, but also spread throughout the country has Hatoyama boxed in on the issue. He has little recourse of finding an amicable solution, but it is growing apparent that the relocation of Futenma will be a long drawn out process that will involve political tradeoffs here at home as well as concessions made to the Americans.