USA: The United States and Japan drop the 2014 deadline for the base-transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam

Record ID: 465342

  • Title: USA: The United States and Japan drop the 2014 deadline for the base-transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam
  • Date: 22nd June 2011
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 21, 2011) (REUTERS) WIDE SHOT OF U.S. SECRETARY HILLARY CLINTON, JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TAKEAKI MATSUMOTO, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES AND JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER TOSHIMI KITAZAWA WALK TO MICROPHONES (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES SAYING: "It is critical that we move forward with the relocation of Futenma and the construction of facilities in Guam for the U.S. Marines. ... Doing so will reduce the impact of our presence on local residents in Okinawa while allowing us to maintain capabilities critical to the alliance in Japan." MEDIUM SHOT OF (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER TOSHIMI KITAZAWA, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES, JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TAKEAKI MATSUMOTO AND U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER TOSHIMI KITAZAWA SAYING "We also decided on the V-shaped configuration for the runways in connection with the Futenma relocation issue and I think this is very important progress toward the relocation of the facilities. We decided to remove the deadline of 2014 for its completion but in order to avoid the continued use of the air station, we also confirmed that we shall strive for the earliest possible relocation. MEDIUM SHOT OF (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER TOSHIMI KITAZAWA, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES, JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TAKEAKI MATSUMOTO AND U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TAKEAKI MATSUMOTO SAYING: "And also with regard to U.S. forces realignment, we also reaffirm that we shall continue the consultations at work that has been underway. The purpose of the realignment is to maintain deterrence and reduce burdens on local communities and the agreement this time is to achieve both." WIDE SHOT OF (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER TOSHIMI KITAZAWA, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES, JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TAKEAKI MATSUMOTO AND U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON SAYING: "For more than 50 years the alliance between Japan and the United States has been the cornerstone of security in the Asia Pacific region. Our agenda today embodied in the documents that we have just released reflects the breadth and depth of our alliance. We are cooperating more closely on a wider range of issues and challenges than ever before." WIDE SHOT OF (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER TOSHIMI KITAZAWA, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES, JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TAKEAKI MATSUMOTO AND U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES SAYING: "I leave this post convinced that the future of our alliance is a bright one, that will continue to be a cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Asia Pacific." U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON, JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TAKEAKI MATSUMOTO SHAKE HANDS AND U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES AND JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER TOSHIMI KITAZAWA SHAKE HANDS AND THEY ALL LEAVE THE ROOM
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3OJC3ENYU8ZQSJ2GYUP358FPB
  • Story Text: The United States and Japan on Tuesday (June 21) agreed to drop a 2014 deadline for building a new airstrip on Okinawa and transferring about 8,000 U.S. Marines from that Japanese island to Guam, top officials said in a statement.
    "Completion of the FRF (Futenma Replacement Facility) and the Marine relocation will not meet the previously targeted date of 2014," the two allies said in a statement following cabinet-level talks in Washington. They vowed to complete the projects "at the earliest possible date after 2014."
    The widely anticipated delay in the troop realignment was announced after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates hosted Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa for the annual Security Consultative Committee talks.
    Tokyo and Washington agreed in 2006 to shift the U.S. Marines' Futenma airbase in Okinawa to a less crowded area on the island, which is host to about half the U.S. troops in Japan.
    But successive Tokyo governments have yet to win support for that plan from local residents of Okinawa, who associate U.S. bases with noise, pollution and crime. Japan's March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor disaster has caused further delays in decision-making in Tokyo.
    "It is critical that we move forward with the relocation of Futenma and the construction of facilities in Guam for the U.S. Marines," Gates said.
    "Doing so will reduce the impact of our presence on local residents in Okinawa while allowing us to maintain capabilities critical to the alliance in Japan," he added.
    Kitazawa said the Japanese government would continue to work to build consensus on Futenma with the Okinawa government and residents.
    "We decided to remove the deadline of 2014 for its completion but in order to avoid the continued use of the air station, we also confirmed that we shall strive for the earliest possible relocation," he said.
    Both the Japanese and U.S. ministers said the massive aid efforts made by the American military after the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan left a positive impact on the relationship between the two nations.
    "I leave this post convinced that the future of our alliance is a bright one, that will continue to be a cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Asia Pacific," said Gates.
    Gates is preparing to retire from his post as defense secretary at the end of June.
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