Reappointed to a second term as Defense Agency chief, Fumio Kyuma reaffirmed that he will complete the review of the Japan-U.S. defense guidelines and implement the relocation of the U.S. Marines' Futenma Air Station in central Okinawa.
With the review to be completed on Sept. 24, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's new Cabinet must thoroughly examine Japan's ability to cooperate with the U.S. under the current legislation, Kyuma said in a joint interview with reporters.
To put the guidelines into practice, Kyuma said his agency will cooperate with other interested government offices in setting up liaison deliberation bodies at the section chief and bureau chief levels immediately after the final report comes out, and introduce relevant bills during the next regular Diet session.