Photo/Illutration Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, right, hands over a request letter to Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at the Okinawa prefectural government building in Naha on Dec. 15. (Mizuki Sato)

NAHA--In the first meeting of Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, both sides remained far apart on the contentious relocation of a U.S. military air station within the prefecture. 

The meeting, which marked the first between the two sides since the start of the Ishiba administration, was held at the Okinawa prefectural government office on Dec. 15. 

However, there was no sign of compromise between the two sides amid the ongoing conflict over the relocation plan of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, located in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the Henoko district in Nago.

Tamaki also expressed concerns over the safety of U.S. Osprey transport aircraft deployed to bases in the prefecture and recent crimes committed by U.S. service members. 

TAMAKI CALLS FOR OSPREY WITHDRAWAL

During the meeting, Nakatani reported that part of the U.S. Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa had begun relocating to Guam, as had been announced on the previous day.

He said that he had met with top U.S. military officials in Okinawa that day and requested that they prevent the recurrence of criminal incidents committed by U.S. servicemen.

Nakatani emphasized the central government’s efforts to reduce Okinawa’s base burden. The prefecture, which represents 0.6 percent of Japan’s land area, hosts 70.3 percent of facilities exclusively used by the U.S. military in Japan.

“We will do our best to reduce the base burden, sympathizing with the feelings of people in Okinawa,” Nakatani told reporters after the meeting.

However, it was notable that the defense minister's remarks primarily mirrored those voiced by the previous Kishida administration.

Regarding the Henoko relocation, Nakatani stressed to reporters after the meeting the intention to continue the project, saying, “Having seen the Henoko relocation site in person, I understand once again that the land reclamation construction can be completed and the airfield can be built without any problems.”

Meanwhile, Tamaki, while handing Nakatani a 16-item written request, expressed his dissatisfaction with the U.S. military’s Osprey deployment.

“It is completely unclear how they are being operated and this is amplifying the anxiety of Okinawa residents,” the Okinawa governor said.

Regarding the Osprey, the U.S. military temporarily suspended the flights this month, citing reported mechanical problems with the aircraft in the United States.

In response, Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force announced on Dec. 10 that it would suspend the flights of its Osprey.

Immediately after that, however, on Dec. 11, the U.S. Osprey at Marine Corps Futenma air station resumed flights.

Tamaki criticized the order as the “utter disregard for human life” and again called for the withdrawal of the Osprey deployment.

SOFA CHANGES ON TABLE

Tamaki also called for revisions to U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement, which grants privileged status to the U.S. side.

At the meeting, Tamaki mentioned the four cases of sex crimes committed by U.S. military personnel since the end of last year that have surfaced.

On Dec. 13, in one of the four cases, a U.S. airman was found guilty of the abduction and rape of a girl under 16 and sentenced to five years in prison by the Naha District Court. 

Tamaki told Nakatani of his hopes that Ishiba’s administration will improve the situation, saying, “I know that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is open to revisions in the SOFA.”

This meeting was the first between a Japanese defense minister and Okinawa governor since Minoru Kihara’s visit in February under the previous Kishida administration.

There continues to be no sign that the gap between the two sides has been bridged with the change in national leadership.

After the meeting, Tamaki told reporters that he anticipates changes in negotiations since the Ishiba administration, which now is a minority ruling party, lost its majority in the Oct. 27 Lower House election.

“The reality is that the administration cannot be run as before," Tamaki said. "I look forward to further talks between the ruling and opposition parties on the issues of Okinawa.”

(This article was written by Mizuki Sato and Satsuki Tanahashi.)

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