US moves Okinawa air base to heal rift

US moves Okinawa air base to heal rift
By Colin Joyce 

The United States agreed yesterday to move an air base into another military site on the Japanese island of Okinawa in a climbdown aimed at reducing friction between the US military and locals.

Okinawans, whose small, southern island houses more than half the 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan, have long protested about the disruption to daily life caused by the heavy military presence.

Washington and Tokyo agreed to move the Futenma air base a decade ago after massive anti-US demonstrations were triggered by the rape of a schoolgirl by three servicemen from the base.

However, no firm plans had been agreed by a 2003 deadline, and the standoff strained bilateral relations. Washington had wanted to build an offshore facility on a coral reef, but Tokyo rejected this on environmental grounds…

The US has now accepted Tokyo’s proposal to move the air station from a heavily populated area to an existing base, Camp Schwab, in a less-crowded spot. Pressure has been building to resolve the dispute before President George W Bush visits Tokyo next month.

The deal paves the way for the redeployment of US forces throughout Japan.

Japan’s foreign minister, Nobutaka Machimura, said the agreement had averted what might have been an “irreparable schism” in ties. It would cut the number of American marines in Okinawa by several thousand.

“I want to show the people in Okinawa what kind of burden-reduction there will be,” he said.

The agreement fell short of the hopes of the local authority which had wanted the base moved off the island.

The Americans see their presence on Okinawa as central to the security of the Asia-Pacific region.