23-05-2010, 07:56 PM
Psy-op finishes off Japanese resistance to US occupation - for now:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...7LxY&pos=8
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...7LxY&pos=8
Quote:Hatoyama Accepts U.S. Base on Okinawa, Says He Has ‘No Choice’
By Takashi Hirokawa and Sachiko Sakamaki
May 24 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama decided to move a U.S. military base within Okinawa in adherence to a bilateral agreement, saying security threats from countries such as North Korea trump local sentiment to shift it elsewhere.
Hatoyama has “no choice” but to relocate the Futenma Marine Air Base on the island, he told Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima yesterday, abandoning a campaign pledge to move the Marines elsewhere. Apologizing for the “heartrending decision,” he said it was made “given security concerns in East Asia such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
The decision resolves an eight-month dispute with the Obama administration that has contributed to a plunge in Hatoyama’s popularity ahead of elections slated for July. He spoke two days after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss how to respond to North Korea’s deadly attack on a South Korean naval vessel in March.
“The North Korean attack is good news for Hatoyama in that he can say we’re in a heightened state of alert,” said Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies at Temple University’s Tokyo campus. “At least he can go into the election without this over his head, but I don’t know how much it will help him.”
‘Tough to Accept’
Hatoyama told Nakaima at a meeting at the governor’s office in Naha that Japan will move the base to the coastal area of Henoko, as envisioned in the original agreement. Thousands of residents have demonstrated against keeping the facility in Okinawa, citing noise, pollution and crime, and have voted in local politicians who oppose the base. Protesters waved banners saying “Don’t Betray Us” outside yesterday’s meeting.
Nakaima told Hatoyama the decision was “extremely regrettable and very tough to accept.” Speaking to reporters later, the governor said “There’s a strong feeling of betrayal,” given Hatoyama’s campaign pledge.
The U.S. has pushed Japan to uphold the 2006 agreement to move Futenma within Okinawa, as part of a $10.3 billion plan that would also transfer 8,000 Marines to Guam. Clinton met with Hatoyama and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in Tokyo two days ago and said both countries sought “an operationally viable” solution.
Clinton and Okada met to discuss a coordinated response to a report finding that North Korea fired a torpedo that sank a South Korean naval vessel in March, killing 46 sailors. A U.S. official traveling with Clinton said on condition of anonymity two days ago that the incident helped remind Japan of the need for an American military presence.
‘The Right Thing’
“The prime minister has done the right thing, both in his decision and in apologizing,” said Tsuneo Watanabe, author of “Japan’s New Security Strategy” and director of policy research at the Tokyo Foundation. “But there are many things he has to do now,” including finding ways to improve the situation for the people of Okinawa.
The two sides will release a joint agreement on relocating Futenma on May 28, Japanese media including the Yomiuri newspaper said last week. Under the original agreement, helicopter units at Futenma would be moved to new facilities at Henoko near the existing Camp Schwab, and a runway would be built on reclaimed land.
Public Awareness
Hatoyama’s popularity has plummeted since his Democratic Party of Japan took office in September, having ousted the Democratic Party of Japan from half a century of almost unbroken rule. He suggested in April that he may step down should he fail to reach a deal on Futenma before the end of the month, and the Social Democratic Party has threatened to quit his coalition ahead of July’s elections for the upper house of parliament, should he keep the base on Okinawa.
“The South Korean ship incident raised the public’s awareness of Japan’s security situation, but it won’t help Hatoyama convince Okinawans or help his approval ratings,” said Atsuo Ito, a Tokyo-based independent political analyst.
Okinawa, 950 miles (1,530 kilometers) south of Tokyo, hosts 75 percent of the U.S. bases and more than half of the 50,000 American military personnel stationed in the country.
Hatoyama’s approval rating fell to 21 percent, down 4 percentage points from last month, while his disapproval rating rose 3 points to 64 percent, the Asahi newspaper said on May 17. Sixty-one percent of respondents said Hatoyama would be breaking his commitment if the Marine units stay in Okinawa, the Asahi reported.
The paper obtained 2,077 valid responses in the May 15-16 poll, and didn’t provide a margin of error.
"There are three sorts of conspiracy: by the people who complain, by the people who write, by the people who take action. There is nothing to fear from the first group, the two others are more dangerous; but the police have to be part of all three,"
Joseph Fouche
Joseph Fouche