The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its two smaller non-Cabinet allies agreed April 10 on a program designed to promote the economic development of Okinawa Prefecture and help it achieve financial independence. The program suggests that a large part of the island prefecture be turned into a free-trade zone under some sort of "one-country, two-system" formula, to be mapped out by the end of 1997.
The eight-point program includes a call for "special attention to be paid to the budgetary front" in order to make better use of land that is left vacant by U.S. the military in the wake of cuts, realignment or integration of the U.S. forces.
The agreement was reached in a meeting of policymakers from the LDP, the Social Democratic Party and New Party Sakigake and despite lingering local resentment toward the U.S. military presence in the prefecture.