http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201003280234.html
Tokunoshima eyed for U.S. helicopters
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/03/29
More than 4,000 people attended a rally on Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture on Sunday to protest its possible use as a relocation site for some of the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture.
Sources said Tokunoshima was mentioned by Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa in their respective discussions Friday with U.S. and Okinawa prefectural government officials in which the central government’s proposal was explained.
Tokunoshima has been mentioned as a possible site for helicopter training exercises as a way of lessening the U.S. military burden on Okinawa Prefecture.
However, because of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s stated wish to transfer as many of Futenma’s functions outside of Okinawa Prefecture as possible, Tokunoshima has now emerged as a candidate for an alternative base site.
In a speech Saturday in Nagano, Kitazawa said: “There is no location willing to accept all 60 of the helicopters at Futenma. We may need to redistribute this number to at least two different locations.”
In addition to Tokunoshima, the other possible relocation site for Futenma’s functions within Okinawa Prefecture is at U.S. Camp Schwab in Nago.
One reason why no one wants the U.S. base in their prefecture is because of the crimes commited against some of the Japanese citizens. Why not change the law and have the Americans who commit the crimes accountable to tne Japanese government since it was commited in their country.