Okinawa Gov. Masahide Ota on Mar. 25 turned down Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's request for support for revising a 1952 special land lease law that would allow the U.S. military to legally continue using facilities in Okinawa Prefecture beyond the expiry of forced land leases.
The prime minister unveiled his decision to try to toughen the law during an almost two-hour meeting with the Okinawa governor, Ota told reporters after the meeting. Ota told Hashimoto that he "cannot accept" revision, citing the strong sentiment of Okinawans over the issue. Revising the law is considered offensive to many prefectural residents who have long resented the U.S. presence.
Later in the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiroku Kajiyama told a press conference that, given the time constraints, the government may submit a bill to revise the law to the Diet, even if the Social Democratic Party continues to oppose revision. Cabinet approval for a bill would be expected by the end of this month at the earliest, and the government may try to have the bill passed by the Diet next month, according to government sources.