Japan PM vows to cut US base burden

By Chen Liu and Zhang Wen

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan pledged Wednesday to reduce "the burden" of Okinawa, where a US military base has been located since World War II, AFP reported.

"I want to express my gratitude for the fact that this burden contributes to the peace and security of the Asia-Pacific region," Reuters quoted Kan as saying at a ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa at the end of World War II, in which about 150,000 Okinawan men, women and children were killed.

"I promise to seriously try all the more to reduce Okinawa's burden related to the US bases and eliminate the associated dangers," he said.

This is the prime minister's first visit to the island since he took office earlier this month. His predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama, stepped down after sparking public outrage for breaking a promise to relocate the unpopular US airbase, which also soured ties between Tokyo and Washington.

According to AFP, Kan noted that the US presence on Okinawa had contributed to peace in the Asia-Pacific region but added, "I promise to continue to seriously tackle the reduction of the burden in connection with US military bases."

"He (Kan) obviously cannot win the trust of the local residents with words alone. He must act. For a start, he should negotiate with Washington on alleviating Okinawa's burden," the Asahi Shimbun newspaper pointed out in an editorial Wednesday.

Kan is expected to touch on the issue when he meets President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a summit of G8 and G20 leaders this weekend in Canada.

Washington and Tokyo have agreed to work out a detailed plan by the end of August.

Liu Shilong, a researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said such a plan can be expected if Japan and the US can overcome some technical problems, despite many difficulties involving the interests of the different parties.

Agencies contributed to this story