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U.S., Japan settle Okinawa base dispute

shake hands

Land to be returned, but
troop count stays the same

December 2, 1996
Web posted at: 10:05 a.m. EST (1445 GMT)

In this story:

TOKYO (CNN) -- After a year of healing, soul-searching and negotiating, the United States and Japan on Monday settled a bitter dispute over U.S. bases on Okinawa, agreeing that the United States would return some of the land it uses and announcing plans for a multi-billion-dollar floating helicopter base off the island.

However, the number of U.S. troops on Okinawa, 650 miles southeast of Tokyo, would remain unchanged at 28,000.

The agreement was spurred by the September 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen, an incident that ignited simmering tensions among Okinawans unhappy with the U.S. presence.

land

Land to be returned

The pact was signed by U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry, Japanese Foreign Minister Yokuhiko Ikeda, Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma and U.S. ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale.

By the year 2008, the U.S. military will return 12,000 acres -- about one-fifth of the land it uses on Okinawa -- and close part or all of 11 facilities. It will also reduce aircraft noise.

The agreement "reduces the burden on the Okinawan people" while preserving "vital security," in the region, said Perry, who flew to Tokyo from the Middle East late Sunday to sign the accord. icon (153K/14 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Base to be closed

The two countries agreed to close the noisy Futenma Marine Corps Air Station -- home to 100 aircraft and 4,000 troops -- within seven years and made plans to build a 1,500-yard (meter)-long floating helicopter base somewhere off the island's east coast.

The facility, five times longer than an aircraft carrier, would be connected to shore by a short causeway. The two countries will study the plan for a year before making final decisions on the method of construction and exact location.

plane

'Cost will be enormous'

Japan will foot the estimated $2 billion bill for the base. "The cost will be enormous," said Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. "The entire (Japanese) population will have to share the burden."

"A lot of work is yet to be done," Mondale acknowledged. But, he added, "more serious work has occurred in the last year than in the last 25 years put together." icon (204K/19 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Asked how an agreement which removes no U.S. troops could soften Okinawa's bitterness over the rape and the continuing military presence, Ikeda said it would require a public relations campaign.

To soften the burden, the Japanese government has promised to revitalize Okinawa with an extensive economic aid package. Although the peace offerings have helped calm the anger on the island, they haven't silenced the demands.

Masahide Ota, Okinawa's outspoken governor, has said he is still determined to remove all bases and troops by the year 2015.

troops

China shouldn't fear

The United States has 47,000 troops stationed throughout Japan and has said that it will continue to maintain a total of 100,000 in the entire Asia-Pacific region.

China has voiced strong concerns over the planned enhancement of U.S.-Japanese military ties, but Perry said those fears are unfounded.

"What this alliance has done has provided peace and security and stability in this entire region," he said. "This, in turn, has provided the conditions which allowed the remarkable economic growth in the entire region.

"It has benefited not just the United States and Japan; it has benefited all of the nations of this region, including China."


Correspondent May Lee and Reuters contributed to this report.


 
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