Japan calls on public support for US military realignment

Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono on Friday reiterated their call for the public's understanding and support for agreements on realignment plans for US forces in Japan, ahead of their departure for a security meeting in Washington on Saturday.

"This is the beginning of a significant era for the military transformation of the Japan-US alliance," Ono said at a news conference in the morning. "I can understand the concerns and opposition among local residents, but it is necessary to maintain Japan's national security under the alliance."

Meanwhile, Machimura emphasized that the report to be adopted at Saturday's talks will only be "interim" and that the Foreign Ministry will make efforts to explain the realignment plans to local authorities to gain their support.

Machimura and Ono are scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a "two- plus-two" meeting Saturday morning to adopt an interim report as the blueprint for the realignment plans and the meeting is expected to pave the way for greater military integration between the two allies.

Ono particularly called for understanding from residents of Okinawa Prefecture for Japan's last-ditch agreement Wednesday with Washington on a new relocation site in the prefecture for the US Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station.

He said the overall realignment plan includes a reduction of the number of US Marines stationed in Okinawa and integration of bases there.

Source: Xinhua