http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68111

Japanese factions still differ on Futenma

By David Allen, Stars and Stripes

GINOWAN, Okinawa — At odds over plans to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Okinawa’s northeast shore, the two minority parties of a special committee backed away from promises to submit their ideas for alternate locations at a meeting Wednesday evening.

Kantoku Teruya, a committee member and Social Democratic Party representative from Okinawa, told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday that there was some “out-of-the-ring fighting” between members of the two minority parties in the ruling coalition.

“Apparently, more adjustment is needed,” said Mikio Shimoji, a People’s New Party representative on the committee from Okinawa, in a telephone interview Wednesday. “However, I have no intention of changing our proposals.”

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama formed the committee to review the 2006 agreement to build a new air facility on the lower part of Camp Schwab and reclaimed land in Oura Bay.

After a two-day visit to Guam last week, members of the SDP and the PNP announced they would submit their ideas for alternatives to the Camp Schwab plan at the committee’s next meeting.

The SDP was expected to favor moving the Marine air operations to Guam. The PNP favors moving the Marines to Kadena Air Base and a portion of Camp Schwab away from the pristine waters of Oura Bay.

The committee committed itself to making a final report on its review to Hatoyama in March.