From left to right, Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrive for the "2 plus 2" talks at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, June 21, 2011.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- Japan and the United States agreed at security talks between their defense and foreign ministers in Washington on Tuesday to drop their deadline for the relocation of a key U.S. base within Okinawa Prefecture by 2014, a move that will likely further stall the already protracted negotiations over the base.
Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa and Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto also agreed with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a new set of "common strategic objectives" in a joint statement, which called for China to play a constructive role in regional stability.
In the statement issued after the "two-plus-two" defense and security meeting, the four ministers reaffirmed a bilateral accord reached in May last year on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, which is a key point in implementing the overall realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, and finalized the configuration of Futenma's replacement facility.
"This is a very important progress toward relocation," Kitazawa said in a joint news conference after the two countries' first face-to-face, two-plus-two meeting in four years, referring to an accord to build the facility with two runways in a V-shaped formation.
The ministers committed to completing the relocation "at the earliest possible date after 2014," but provided no specific timeline or steps to address the concerns in Okinawa and U.S. Congress regarding the feasibility of the plan.
Okinawa, which has long hosted the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan, strongly opposes the relocation of the Futenma base from Ginowan to the less populated coastal area of Nago's Henoko district, seeking it to be moved out of the prefecture.
Air Station Futenma.(Mainichi)
Gates said, "It is critical that we move forward with the relocation of Futenma," stressing the importance of making "concrete progress over the course of the next year."
While the Futenma relocation remains a pending issue that needs to be worked out, the Japanese and U.S. defense and foreign chiefs agreed on the key role of U.S. forces' participation in disaster drills held by local authorities to enhance ties between the forces and base-hosting communities.
They also agreed to improve contingency access for U.S. forces and Japan's Self-Defense Forces to facilities in Japan.
Cooperation between the U.S. military and the SDF have been notable on disaster relief operations in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. U.S. forces had engaged in relief activities under Operation Tomodachi, named after the Japanese word for "friend," with more than 24,000 personnel involved.
For humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, the ministers agreed on the importance of setting up a regional logistics hub in Japan.
Based on the "common strategic objectives," which were originally drawn up in February 2005 and updated in May 2007, the two nations said they will boost the bilateral security alliance amid regional security challenges such as the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
In view of the uncertain security environment in the region, Gates said the United States will maintain a strong presence with forward deployment in East Asia, claiming that the latest accord on Futenma marks "steady progress" in modernizing U.S. forces in the region.
Kadena Air Base.(Mainichi)
Japan and the United States agreed to deter provocative actions by North Korea, apparently in light of incidents last year including the North's fatal artillery attack on a South Korean island, and to seek the denuclearization of North Korea, including its uranium enrichment program, in a verifiable manner.
As for China, the two countries urged it to take a "responsible and constructive role in regional stability and prosperity," and called for "its cooperation on global issues, and its adherence to international norms of behavior."
They also asked Beijing to be more open and transparent in its military modernization.
Apparently alluding to the territorial rows in the South China Sea involving China and some Southeast Asian nations, the ministers urged the maintenance of maritime safety and security based on freedom of navigation.
During the talks, Matsumoto and Clinton agreed to deal with the matter together with Southeast Asian nations, with Clinton saying that China's naval activities are creating tension in the region, a Japanese official said.
The ministers also agreed that the United States can export a jointly developed ballistic missile interceptor, known as the new Block 2A type of the sea-based Standard Missile-3 interceptor, to third countries if the transfer would contribute to Japan's national security or global peace and stability.
