Japan seeks US troop deal despite local ‘No’ vote

By George Nishiyama

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan said on Monday it would seek to
seal a comprehensive deal with the United States on
reorganizing American forces in the country even after voters
in a local referendum overwhelmingly rejected a plan to
increase the U.S. presence at a nearby base.

Voters in the southwest city of Iwakuni, home to a U.S.
Marine base, gave a thumbs-down on Sunday by a margin of 8-1 to
bringing more planes and troops to the facility. The expansion
is part of an agreement already reached in talks between Tokyo
and Washington.

While the vote is non-binding, the result will complicate
plans by the two sides to wrap up negotiations and finalize a
comprehensive plan to reorganize the nearly 50,000 U.S. troops
in Japan by the end of March.

“We will respect the result of the referendum, but on the
other hand, we would like to reach an agreement in the
Japan-U.S. negotiations,” Shinzo Abe, the top government
spokesman, said.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tokyo would aim to
meet the end-March deadline, but acknowledged the plan faces
stiff opposition from local communities.

“If a referendum were held, the result would be a ‘No’ vote
anywhere. That is the difficulty with issues related to
national security,” he told reporters.

Opposition from local communities concerned about noise,
accidents and crime associated with U.S. bases has hindered
efforts to finalize the overall plan, part of Washington’s
global strategy to make its military into a more flexible
force.

NATIONAL VS LOCAL INTERESTS

More than 43,000 residents voted to reject the plan while
just over 5,000 were in favor, according to officials in
Iwakuni, 600 miles west of Tokyo.

The turn-out was almost 59 percent, slightly above the 50
percent needed for the referendum to be considered valid, even
though the government does not have to abide by it.

The Yomiuri Shimbun daily said central and local
governments should hold talks to better meet the interests of
residents, but added that the realignment is aimed at dealing
with changing security concerns, including North Korea’s
nuclear development and China’s growing military.

“Iwakuni should not cause confusion by uselessly opposing
the government,” the conservative paper said in an editorial.

Situated 350 miles from the border between North and South
Korea, U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni would play an
important role in any conflict involving the peninsula.

But Iwakuni Mayor Katsusuke Ihara, who called the
referendum, said residents had the right to be heard.

“This is the voice of the people,” Ihara told a private
Japanese TV broadcaster late on Sunday.

“I have no right to comment on national issues such as
security, but it is only natural for the people of Iwakuni to
speak out on aspects that affect their lives,” he said.

The Iwakuni referendum could add momentum to opposition in
other communities, including the southern island of Okinawa,
home to the bulk of the U.S. forces in Japan.

Okinwa Governor Keiichi Inamine reiterated on Sunday his
opposition to a plan to relocate a Marine heliport inside the
prefecture.

Besides troop movements, Tokyo and Washington are also
discussing how much Japan should pay to move 7,000 Marines to
Guam from Okinawa.