U.S. Senate move threat to realignment / Attempt to slash budget seen by some as warning to Hatoyama over Futenma

Satoshi Ogawa, Yoshikazu Shirakawa and Hideki Kawasaki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

A U.S. Senate move concerning the fiscal 2010 budget could jeopardize the realignment of U.S. forces stationed in Okinawa Prefecture.

A Senate committee has voted for a budget bill that slashes 211 million dollars, or about 70 percent, from the 300 million dollars (27.2 billion yen) sought by the U.S. administration for the planned relocation of 8,000 marines from Okinawa Prefecture to Guam. Senators are now discussing the bill in a plenary session.

The move apparently reflects the Senate's mistrust of the Japanese government concerning its reluctance to make a final decision on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan.

Such a huge budget cut for the plan to realign U.S. forces stationed in Okinawa Prefecture could threaten the entire proposal.

The White House has submitted to the U.S. Congress a document in which it objects to the proposed budget reduction, saying such a move would hurt the Japan-U.S. agreement reached in February on the relocation of U.S. marines to Guam. It was from this document that the intended budget reduction came to light.

The U.S. House of Representatives has already approved a bill that preserves the originally proposed budget for the relocation. The two houses of Congress are expected to coordinate opinions to reach an agreement on a final budget bill.

Some U.S. lawmakers oppose the relocation plan, apparently reflecting the opinion of the U.S. Marine Corps that such a move would weaken deterrence against China.

Observers also point out that lawmakers are displeased that the United States will have to shoulder a huge financial burden for the relocation project, which is meant to ease Japan's burden. The United States is supposed to pay 4.18 billion dollars for the relocation, while Japan would shoulder 6.09 billion dollars.

The U.S. administration has tried to persuade the military and Congress, explaining the dangers presented by the Futenma station, which is in downtown Ginowan.

Shortly before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Japan last month, a senior Pentagon official told a U.S. Congressional source that there was no guarantee that if a helicopter crashed at the air station that civilians nearby would not be killed, and if it did happen, it could force the closure of the station, the source said.

The relocation agreement signed by former Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in February stipulates that the United States does not have to prepare any budget for the Futenma relocation if Japan does not implement the Japan-U.S. agreement.

It is as if the Senate's frustration with Japan, which refuses to reach any early conclusion on the relocation issue, reached a breaking point and the Senate decided to show its displeasure by attempting to slash the budget.

Some observers say Congress, in coordination with the White House, is warning Japan, considering Gates told Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa that Congress would not approve a budget for the relocation to Guam if Futenma could not be relocated.

Senior officials of relevant U.S. government entities usually try to persuade members of Congress to cut or revise items in a budget bill that are inconvenient to the administration to prevent a presidential veto.

However, it is not clear whether the White House will ask Congress to withdraw the proposed budget cuts concerning the realignment. The administration of President Barack Obama might take a wait-and-see attitude for now that utilizes Congress' move to put pressure on the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

If the bill passes, the United States will be able to conduct only 30 percent of the construction planned for fiscal 2010 for the relocation of the marines to Guam, which would translate into a significant delay in the relocation project.

Congress is expected to start full discussions over the final budget bill in December.

A diplomatic source said the U.S. side, particularly the Pentagon, is increasingly dubious about Japan's intentions.

The United States suspects the Hatoyama administration "may be considering a cancellation of the existing relocation plan, depending on the result of the Nago mayoral election in January," the source said.

In light of this, the United States plans to urge Japan to make its decision within the year.

"The United States will be disappointed unless Prime Minister Hatoyama at least tells President Obama during his visit to Japan when he will make a decision," a diplomatic source said.

(Ogawa is a Yomiuri Shimbun Washington correspondent.)