[Shadow Kira01]

Okada tells Okinawa mayor situation 'tough' over U.S. base issue

‘‘Going on like this may lead to the situation that should be feared the most,’’ Okada told Ginowan Mayor Yoichi Iha in the city of Naha at the outset of their meeting. He was apparently referring to the possibility that the danger to local residents posed by the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station, located in a crowded residential area of Ginowan, will not be removed for some time to come.

Okada’s visit to the southernmost prefecture comes as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama faces difficulty reaching a conclusion on the relocation issue by the end of the year, triggering concern from the United States which is urging Japan to swiftly abide by an existing bilateral deal.

‘‘The situation is extremely tough,’’ Okada told Iha in the meeting, which took place a day after a high-level Japan-U.S. working group met to discuss the issue in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Okinawa Gov Hirokazu Nakaima has said that expectations are growing in the prefecture that the government led by the DPJ, which has achieved a historic change of power, will move the Futenma facility outside of the prefecture.

U.S. dismisses base issue's adverse impact on ties with Japan

‘‘I think our relationship is just so broad and so deep…We of course have expressed what our concerns are. But we have a mature relationship with Japan. They are one of our most important allies,’’ a senior State Department official told reporters. The remarks came after the United States voiced concerns Friday as Japan appears unable to draw a conclusion on where the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station should go by the year-end.

Defense Ministry looking at alternative options for Futenma relocation

The Defense Ministry has been studying the feasibility of alternative sites for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Okinawa, including the possibility of moving the facility to Mage Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, government sources said Friday.

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa has instructed the ministry to conduct a survey of the site but the United States is unlikely to welcome the idea because it wants the new facility to be located near troops and training sites, according to the sources.