30 January 2010 / AP, TOKYO
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledged on Friday to decide by May on where to relocate a US Marine base on the southern island of Okinawa that has strained ties between the nations.
More than half of the 47,000 US troops stationed in Japan under a 1960 security treaty are on Okinawa, where residents have complained for years about noise, pollution and crime around the bases. “We will find what’s best to keep our alliance with the US as a cornerstone of peace in Japan and Asia, while reducing the burden of the Okinawan people,” Hatoyama said. Hatoyama, mapping out his key goals in a policy speech in parliament, said an “unshakable” alliance with the US is crucial in deepening Japan’s ties with Asia under his proposed plan to establish an East Asian community. Strengthening economic ties with other Asian countries is key to Japan’s future growth, and such a community should include the US, he said.
