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Japan to demand US forces clean up pollution: report
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 14, 2009 Japan's incoming government plans to oblige US forces stationed in the country to clean up any environmental damage when they move bases, a report said Monday. The coalition led by the centre-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which takes power this week, wants to add an environmental clause to the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the Sankei newspaper said, without naming its sources. US forces are not obliged to make good any pollution or other damage within their bases under the 1960 agreement and local governments that host US bases have demanded a clause for environmental restoration. Under a 2006 accord between Japan and the United States, the Futenma Marine Corps base on southern Okinawa island is set to be relocated from a crowded urban area to a coastal site, which is to be constructed by 2014. DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama is expected to be voted in as prime minister on Wednesday, when he will launch his coalition government with the Social Democratic Party and the tiny centre-right People's New Party. The United States has been Japan's main ally since defeating the country in World War II and now has around 47,000 troops stationed in the nation. More than half of them are based on Okinawa, where their presence has often caused tensions with local residents, especially when American service members have committed crimes. Okinawa's government has stressed that "the environment is one of the most important issues" in reviewing the SOFA, said Tatsuo Oyakawa, who is in charge of US base issues for the Okinawa administration. The prefecture has in the past found problems when US bases reverted to Japanese use, including soil contaminated with arsenic, lead and other pollutants, he told AFP by telephone. "We definitely want to have a clause on the environment," he said. The three parties in a coalition accord last week pledged that they would seek "a close and equal partnership in the Japan-US alliance." They also said that, "to reduce the burden on the Okinawan people, we will raise the issue of reviewing the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement... and the realignment of US troops and the role of the US bases in Japan." None of the three parties was immediately available to comment on the Sankei report. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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