Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's recent interview with Okinawan newspapers on his failed attempt to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma out of Okinawa Prefecture has caused strong reactions from Okinawa's people and its newspapers. But his interview sheds valuable light on how and why his attempt failed despite his good intentions.
His interview caused anger because he admitted that the justification he used for the May 28, 2010, Japan-U.S. agreement to transfer the Futenma functions from a densely populated urban area in Ginowan in the central part of Okinawa Island to Henoko, a less populated area in Nago in the northern part of the island was an expedient excuse.
In a May 4, 2010 meeting with Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima of Okinawa Prefecture, Mr. Hatoyama said in effect that he had no alternative but to give up the idea of moving the Futenma air station out of Okinawa Prefecture. Asked why the facility has to remain in Okinawa, he said that as he "studied the issue more and more," he came to realize that various U.S. armed forces units, including marines, combine to maintain a deterrent.