Under the slogan "Politics that values humans, not concrete," the Hatoyama administration is taking a different direction from that of the Liberal Democratic Party when it was the ruling party. Symbolic of the change are decisions to stop the Yanba dam project in Gunma Prefecture and to introduce monthly child-rearing allowances.
Inevitably, perhaps, the new administration's approach to achieving its goals appears confusing and incoherent at times, but that impression must not be allowed to continue for long. A conspicuous example of such confusion is the attitudes of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa on the issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, now in the southern part of Okinawa Island.
Mr. Kitazawa appears to basically accept the 2006 Japan-U.S. accord to move the Futenma base to Camp Schwab, in the northern part of the island, while Mr. Okada calls for moving it to Kadena Air Base in the central part of the island. Mr. Hatoyama sounds unclear about his preference, and does not seem to be in a hurry to make a final decision. Putting the matter off without working towards a clear decision on the new site could harm Japan's relationship with the United States.