NAHA, Okinawa Pref. — Following a weekend visit to Okinawa by Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada that succeeded in upsetting local residents, it remains far from clear how the central government will settle the thorny issue of where to relocate Futenma air base.
While Okada was desperate to gain understanding of the difficulties he faces in trying to review the Japan-U.S. accord that keeps the base within the prefecture, he did not endear himself to residents who attended a meeting Saturday to exchange opinions.
"I don't think there was any point to this meeting. . . . The minister probably just wanted an alibi so he could say he had listened to the people," Ikuo Nishikawa, 65, who runs a hardware store in Henoko, said after attending the one-hour gathering.