US Will Not Renegotiate Okinawa Troop Accord With New Japanese Government

[Orwellian_Ghost]

US Will Not Renegotiate Okinawa Troop Accord With New Japanese Government
By David Gollust
State Department
31 August 2009


The United States on Monday said it would not renegotiate a deal on U.S. military bases in Japan with that country's incoming government, which campaigned for a review of the U.S. troop presence in Japan. U.S. officials add that the incoming Japanese officials might moderate their views when they take office.

The Obama administration says it looks forward to working closely and maintaining a strong alliance with the next Japanese government, but that it is ruling out any renegotiation of the bases agreement that was finalized earlier this year.

Under the agreement, painstakingly negotiated with the outgoing Japanese government over several years, the United States will move 8,000 U.S. Marines from the Futenma base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa to the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam.

The move, aimed at reducing noise and other complaints of the so-called U.S. "footprint" on Okinawa will be underwritten with nearly $3 billion provided from Japan.

...

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-31-voa43.cfm

[Joanne98]

1. That's ridiculous. We've been there for over fifty years. GET OUT!

I hope they stop lending us money over this.

[FreakinDJ]

2. Yep - who needs all those troops spending their money there

Military bases are an Oasis of Federal Dollars into the local economy.

The US has been quitely negotiating with the Philippines for years to reopen a new smaller base on 1 of the southern most islands

[DBoon]

3. incoming Japanese officials will "moderate their views"

when shown the dirt on them in various NSA wiretaps