Govt to speed jet move plan following vote

Kenji Yoshimura and Tsuneyo Muraoka / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
Feb 13, 2008

Yoshihiko Fukuda's victory in Sunday's mayoral election in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, was a boost for the government and ruling parties, which have struggled to win support for a plan to transfer some U.S. carrier-based aircraft to the city as part of a wider realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.

Since Fukuda's victory suggests that voters in Iwakuni may be ready to accept the basing of U.S. aircraft in the area, a government source said, "There now seems to be a chance for constructive dialogue with local residents."

The government plans to hold negotiations with the new mayor as part of steps to realize the planned transfer.

Late Sunday night, Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued a statement expressing his expectation of progress on the transfer plan following Fukuda's victory. It said, "I'll listen to the new mayor's opinions about the U.S. forces' realignment as soon as possible and do everything possible to obtain support from Iwakuni citizens." Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Bunmei Ibuki also issued a statement, which said, "Considering Japan's security and the importance of Japan-U.S. relations, the election result has great significance."

During the closely fought election campaign, the government insisted that the transfer plan would proceed regardless of the result. But many in the government expressed relief after the victory by Fukuda, who supports the plan. Hidehisa Otsuji, chairman of the LDP caucus in the House of Councillors, expressed the consensus view in the ruling parties: "Mr. Fukuda fought well. We welcome the result."

In the wake of the election, the government is aiming to move forward with the transfer plan as quickly as possible. For example, the government has started negotiations to pay subsidies to the Iwakuni city government that the city government estimates amount to 13.4 billion yen, but which have been withheld due to the dispute over the jet transfer.

The government aims to pay the subsidies by the end of this month, and also will consider lifting a freeze on about 3.5 billion yen in further subsidies to the municipal government for the purpose of constructing a new city government building.

Speaking Sunday night, Fukuda told reporters: "I'll negotiate with the central government regarding noise and public safety problems to secure citizens' safety and tranquility. I'll never let myself become a puppet of the central government."

The new mayor indicated he would enter the negotiations with a view to accepting the transfer of the jets. "I'll hold talks with the central and prefectural governments to obtain subsidies and other aid that can help us," he said.
While agreeing to the transfer plan, Fukuda urged the central government to implement steps including noise-reduction measures to help overcome opposition to the transfer plan.

In a city referendum in March 2006 on whether to approve the transfer plan, 87 percent of voters opposed it. In a mayoral election in April 2006, Katsusuke Ihara, who opposed the plan, won by a margin of more than two-to-one.

In the latest election, Fukuda refrained from mentioning the transfer issue as much as possible, instead promoting himself as well-placed to solve the city's economic problems using his close ties to central government.
An aide to Fukuda said, "Citizens are more interested in how to revive the battered local economy than about the aircraft transfer issue."

The administrations of former prime ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe took a hard-line attitude with Iwakuni and other local governments that refused to accept the U.S. forces realignment plan.

In August, the central government created a system of subsidies to local governments that were linked to their degree of cooperation in the realignment plan in an attempt to pressure local governments to accept it.

Ihara resigned and sought reelection because the central government froze payment of the subsidy for construction of the city government's new office building.

The subsidy was originally awarded in return for the city's acceptance of refueling aircraft currently based at Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture--a transfer that was decided in 1996 by the Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO).

But then Mayor Ihara refused to accept the transfer of carrier-based aircraft, which had been agreed in 2006 by the Japanese and U.S. governments.
The central government excluded Iwakuni from the list of local governments eligible to receive the realignment-related subsidies, and also froze the subsidy provided by SACO.

Some local governments have complained that the central government's carrot-and-stick approach was never acceptable.

But 36 of 39 local governments eligible for the subsidies have announced that they will accept the U.S. forces realignment plan. Three in Okinawa Prefecture--Kincho, Onnason and Ginozason, which had opposed joint use of Camp Hansen by U.S. forces and the Ground Self-Defense Force--dropped their opposition in November.

At that point, there remained only three local governments--Iwakuni; Nago in Okinawa Prefecture, to which the functions of Futenma Air Station are scheduled to be transferred; and Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture, to which the U.S. Army 1st Corps Forward Headquarters is scheduled to move--that opposed the realignment plan.

Following Iwakuni's apparent about-face, the city governments in Nago and Zama became the last holdouts. A senior Defense Ministry official said, "Though there has been criticism, the carrot-and-stick approach was successful in the end."

However, an increasing number of government officials have voiced doubts about the merit of continuing the denial of subsidies as a way to pressure local governments.

A senior government official insisted more dialogue was necessary saying, "The U.S. base issue won't be resolved as long as the central government keeps slapping people around the face with bundles of bank notes."

Regarding the transfer of the functions of Futenma Air Station, the administration of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is trying to shift to a policy of dialogue with local citizens.