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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 9754

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 001977 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA 
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST 
DIVISION; TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS 
OFFICE; SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN, 
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA 
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 
ADVISOR; CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA
SUBJECT:  DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 04/12/06-1 
 
INDEX: 
 
(1) Poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, DPJ President 
Ozawa 
 
(2) Close-up 2006: Abductee Megumi Yokota's husband identified; 
Whether Japan-ROK cooperation is possible remains an open 
question 
 
(3) Japan, China, ROK bustling about trying to bring about US- 
DPRK dialogue that they view as key to resumption of six-party 
talks 
 
(4) Defense Agency, Nago City differ on airstrip length; Nago 
insists on 1,500 meters 
 
(5) Futenma relocation plan: Government has to pay high price for 
prioritizing talks with US over local communities 
 
(6) Probing the Futenma relocation agreement: Behind-the-scenes 
spadework conducted for X-shaped plan; Cabinet ministers 
pretended to allow only minor changes; Giving in to local 
request, government settled on V-shaped plan 
 
(7) Okinawa in dilemma over Futenma relocation; Government eyes 
final report later this month, hoping that agreement reached by 
affected municipalities will help soften Inamine's stance 
 
ARTICLES: 
 
(1) Poll on Koizumi cabinet, political parties, DPJ President 
Ozawa 
 
YOMIURI (Page 2) (Full) 
April 11, 2006 
 
Questions & Answers 
(Figures shown in percentage. Parentheses denote the results of a 
survey conducted in March.) 
 
Q: Do you support the Koizumi cabinet? 
 
Yes                      56.0       (54.9) 
No                       35.5       (35.9) 
Other answers (O/A)       2.3        (3.0) 
No answer (N/A)           6.2        (6.2) 
 
Q: Which political party do you support? 
 
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)                 42.8       (42.3) 
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ or Minshuto)    14.0       (11.1) 
New Komeito (NK)                                2.2        (3.0) 
Japanese Communist Party (JCP)                  1.5        (1.3) 
Social Democratic Party (SDP or Shaminto)       1.0        (1.9) 
People's New Party (PNP or Kokumin Shinto)      0.1        (0.2) 
New Party Nippon (NPN or Shinto Nippon)         0.2        (0.1) 
Other political parties                         ---        (0.1) 
None                                           36.9       (39.2) 
N/A                                             1.2        (0.8) 
 
Q: The DPJ elected Ichiro Ozawa as its new leader. Do you have 
expectations for him? 
 
 
TOKYO 00001977  002 OF 011 
 
 
Yes                           32.1 
Yes to a certain degree       24.2 
No to a certain degree        17.1 
No                            22.4 
N/A                            4.2 
 
Q: (Only for those who answered "yes" to the foregoing question) 
Why? Pick as many reasons as you like from among those listed 
below, if any. 
 
He has leadership ability                       28.0 
He's a man of action                            28.0 
His political ideal is clear-cut                18.4 
He's a policy expert                            13.5 
He's strong in debate                            9.6 
He's trustworthy                                 6.3 
He's rich in political experience               57.5 
He can stand up to Prime Minister Koizumi       31.8 
O/A+N/A                                          2.3 
 
Q: Do you think new DPJ President Ozawa can turn around his 
party? 
 
Yes                           17.0 
Yes to a certain degree       33.0 
No to a certain degree        20.9 
No                            22.3 
N/A                            6.8 
 
Q: Do you think new DPJ President Ozawa will be a threat to the 
LDP? 
 
Yes                           24.0 
Yes to a certain degree       28.0 
No to a certain degree        21.6 
No                            21.4 
N/A                            5.0 
 
Q: Do you think the DPJ is competent enough to take office? 
 
Yes       30.1 
No        61.2 
N/A        8.7 
 
Polling methodology 
Date of survey: April 8-9. 
Subjects of survey: 3,000 persons chosen from among all eligible 
voters throughout the country (at 250 locations on a stratified 
two-stage random sampling basis). 
Method of implementation: Door-to-door visits for face-to-face 
interviews. 
Number of valid respondents: 1,823 persons (60.8%). 
Breakdown of respondents: Male-48%, female-52%. 
 
(2) Close-up 2006: Abductee Megumi Yokota's husband identified; 
Whether Japan-ROK cooperation is possible remains an open 
question 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) 
April 12, 2006 
 
By Akiko Horiyama, Seoul 
 
 
TOKYO 00001977  003 OF 011 
 
 
The Japanese government yesterday unveiled the results of DNA 
testing showing that the husband of Megumi Yokota, who was 
abducted by North Korea, is most likely Kim Young Nam, a South 
Korean man also abducted by North Korea. The test results were 
released to coincide with a high-level North Korean official's 
visit to Tokyo. Behind this was Japan's calculation aimed at 
boosting international pressure on North Korea together with 
South Korea, which is also in the position of victim like Japan. 
The South Korean government, however, does not want its range of 
its policy options toward North Korea narrowed by the abduction 
issue. Whether Seoul will respond to Tokyo's call for cooperation 
is a delicate question. 
 
Seoul concerned about strained relations with Pyongyang 
 
"His being the father of Hye Gyong (the daughter of Megumi 
Yokota) means he is related to Megumi's parents. What I want to 
do first is to arrange an occasion for Hye Gyong's grandparents 
to meet," said Choi Sung Yong, president of South Korea's Family 
Assembly Abducted to North Korea. 
 
After persuading the family members of five South Korean men 
allegedly abducted to North Korea, including Kim Young Nam, to 
cooperate on DNA testing, Choi called on the Japanese and South 
Korean governments to conduct DNA analysis. Bolstered by the 
outcome of the DNA testing, he expects progress on the process of 
rescuing victims. But Kim Young Nam's blood sister, Kim Young 
Cha, 48, gave this skeptical comment: "I don't think North Korea 
will admit to the abduction. I wonder whether the South Korean 
government, which until now has been unwilling to take action, 
will move to negotiate with North Korea, taking a risk that it 
might bring strains to North-South relations." 
 
The South Korean government has assumed a wait-and-see attitude 
after releasing a statement that it would verify the facts. 
Apparently, it does not want to worsen North-South relations. In 
addition, it does not want to be fettered by the abduction issue 
at the negotiating table of the six-party talks like Japan. 
Seoul's concern is that if it were to be put in the same 
situation as Japan is, it would be forced to narrow (its policy 
options in the area of diplomacy) and thereby weaken its 
bargaining ability, according to a senior official of the South 
Korean Foreign Affairs & Trade Ministry. 
 
South Korea has recognized 485 South Koreans as abductees. Of 
them, 434 were fishermen. The South Korean government has 
regarded them, as well as former South Korean soldiers who were 
held as prisoners during the Korean War (1950-1953) and have not 
returned home (estimated to be over 500), as special separated 
families. It also has asked North Korea via the family reunion 
project run by the Red Cross societies of South and North Korea 
to arrange meetings with those soldiers or investigate into their 
whereabouts. 
 
But North Korea has never budged from its official position that 
there are neither former South Korean soldiers held as prisoners 
of war nor are there South Korean abductees, and it has said that 
it can instead investigate into missing people. So far, only a 
dozen cases of family reunions between South Korean abductees and 
their family members have been realized in the name of reunions 
of separated families. The abductees' return to South Korea has 
not been realized yet. 
 
 
TOKYO 00001977  004 OF 011 
 
 
Faced with sharp criticism from abduction victims' organizations, 
Unification Minister Lee Jong Seok stated in February: "I'll 
strive to bring abductees back to our country." But a senior 
Unification Ministry official opined that whether the South 
Korean delegate will bring up the abduction issue in the upcoming 
ministerial discourse "remains an open question." There is no 
knowing what will happen then. 
 
DNA analysis released, timed with Vice Minister Kim's Japan visit 
 
By Takuji Nakata 
 
"It has been made clear that the abduction issue is an 
international issue. Japan and South Korea will work in close 
cooperation to resolve the issue down the road." This remark came 
from Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe at a press briefing 
yesterday, in which he unveiled the results of DNA tests. 
 
Kim Young Nam has already been known as a (South Korean) 
abductee, but "It is a more tragic thing to have married one 
abductee to another after having abducted them from different 
countries," a government source pointed out. The Japanese 
government wants to build an international coalition against 
North Korea in calling international attention to the 
humanitarian issues related to North Korea. By doing so, it would 
like to check the South Korean government, which tends to take a 
markedly soft attitude toward the North. Tokyo intends to urge 
Seoul to line up with Japan and the United States, which have 
both taken a tough-line on North Korea, including their response 
to Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Japan will provide South Korea 
with Hye Gyong's blood to help Seoul to conduct an independent 
DNA test on Kim Young Nam. 
 
Considering the abduction issue as a top priority issue, the 
government attended the Japan-North Korea Comprehensive and 
Parallel Talks held in February, but the talks ended without any 
progress. The next step the government will take is to put more 
pressure on North Korea to give a true account of the abduction 
of Megumi, including whether Megumi's husband Kim Chol Jun, who 
North Korea says works at a special agency, is Kim Young Nam. 
 
The government already knew the general picture of the results of 
DNA tests in mid-March, but it delayed the release of the results 
until yesterday, when North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye 
Gwan was in Japan. 
 
In that regard, Abe told a press conference, "The results 
happened to be released today," but he emphasized at the same 
time: "It was very good timing, because we were able to convey 
this fact directly to Mr. Kim Kye Gwan and urge him to resolve 
the issue. We were able to reveal our strong will to him." 
 
(3) Japan, China, ROK bustling about trying to bring about US- 
DPRK dialogue that they view as key to resumption of six-party 
talks 
 
NIHON KEIZAI (Page 2) (Slightly abridged) 
April 11, 2006 
 
Japan, China, and South Korea are all seeking to bring about an 
early resumption of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear 
ambitions. They yesterday were seen trying to set the stage for 
the United States and North Korea to have contact. On the other 
 
TOKYO 00001977  005 OF 011 
 
 
hand, during three days of talks between Japan and North Korea 
over such issues as Japanese abductees, Japan failed to bridge 
the gap with the North. Japan and South Korea held consultations 
with the United States together, while China made contact twice 
with North Korea. The key to breaking the stalemate apparently 
lies in whether direct contact will take place between the US and 
North Korea, both of which are in confrontation over financial 
sanctions imposed by the US on the North. 
 
Japan-North Korea 
 
Japan ranked first in terms of the total length of meetings with 
a high-level North Korean official who arrived in Japan on April 
¶7. It spent a total of 5 hours and 40 minutes for three days of 
talks with that official. 
 
Emerging from Japan-North Korea talks yesterday, Kenichiro Sasae, 
chief of Japan's Foreign Ministry Asian and Oceanian Affairs 
Bureau, remarked: "We brought up the abduction issue, but we 
focused our attention on the six-party talks." Japan did so 
thinking that progress on the nuclear issue would help the 
security of Japan and the abduction issue to advance. 
 
Meanwhile, Japan-North Korea talks would have been a good 
opportunity for North Korea to underscore its dialogue line to 
the international audience. Both sides enjoyed the benefits of 
the talks, but their talks got them nowhere. 
 
Japan-US-South Korea 
 
During a meeting last night, Japan, the US, and South Korea 
looked for ways to bring North Korea back to six-party talks. 
After the meeting, US Assistant Secretary of State Hill gave this 
account: "I had a very good discussion with Japan and South 
Korea." 
But the Bush administration and the Roh Moo Hyun administration 
are far apart over North Korea policy. Japan, the US, and South 
Korea can join hands to call on North Korea to abandon its 
nuclear programs and return to the six-party talks at an early 
date. But, Hill stressed, "The point is that North Korea needs to 
make clear its willingness to take part in the talks," indicating 
his intention to pressure the North to return to six-party talks 
unconditionally. Meanwhile, South Korea's chief negotiator, Chun 
Young Woo, director in charge of the Korean Peninsula peace 
talks, insisted on concessions from the US, noting: "All members 
need to be flexible." 
 
China-North Korea 
 
North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan late yesterday 
reiterated that "financial sanctions" stood in the way of the 
efforts to resume the six-party talks and revealed to the press 
that he sounded out Hill about holding bilateral talks between 
North Korea and the US. North Korea's diplomatic goal in the 
short run is to get the financial sanctions removed and in the 
medium- to long-term to keep the Kim Jong Il regime in place. The 
North views the US as the only negotiating partner from which 
Pyongyang can expect some results in both areas. 
 
Paying close attention to North Korea, Vice Foreign Minister Wu 
Dawei of China, the host nation of the six-party talks, yesterday 
indicated his willingness to take part in talks with North Korea 
at anytime, while he was bustling about trying to realize US- 
 
TOKYO 00001977  006 OF 011 
 
 
North Korea dialogue by arranging an individual meeting this 
morning. 
 
"We can expect a certain extent of change (in North Korea's 
attitude)." Making this remark in one negotiation and another 
with his counterparts from other nations, Wu revealed his 
enthusiasm about realizing a one-on-one meeting between the US 
and North Korea. Behind this move seems to be his hope of scoring 
points ahead of President Hu Jintao's planned visit to the US 
scheduled for late this month. The time left for him to do so is 
limited, because Hill is set to leave Japan as early as tomorrow. 
 
(4) Defense Agency, Nago City differ on airstrip length; Nago 
insists on 1,500 meters 
 
RYUKYU SHIMPO (Page 1) (Full) 
April 12, 2006 
 
The Defense Agency and the municipal government of Nago City (in 
Okinawa Prefecture) have now concurred on a remodified plan to 
lay down a V-shaped pair of airstrips on an alternative facility 
to be built in a coastal area of Camp Schwab for the US Marine 
Corps' Futenma Air Station. However, the agency and the city were 
found yesterday to have differed on the length of the newly 
planned runways. The agency has plans to build 1,500-meter 
runways, which are as long as the one previously planned to be 
built in the camp's coastal area (across the cape of Henoko in 
the city of Nago) but which will have an overall length of 1,800 
meters with buffer zones, according to Defense Agency 
Administrative Deputy Director General Takemasa Moriya's April 10 
press remarks. Meanwhile, Nago City's Deputy Mayor Bunshin 
Suematsu said yesterday afternoon that the agency and the city 
have yet to concur on anything about the tarmacs, including how 
long and what scale. 
 
"In our consultations (that led to the basic agreement), we 
didn't talk about any figures, such as the length and size of the 
runways," Suematsu said. He also said: "They didn't tell us why 
they need that long runways. We'll need to discuss specifics from 
now on." Nago City has asked the Defense Agency to shorten the 
runways alone to 1,300 meters with an overall length of up to 
1,500 meters. 
 
In the meantime, Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga 
has declared that the runways would have an overall length of 
1,800 meters. "The runway's length was set at 1,800 meters in the 
interim report released last fall," Nukaga stated before the 
House of Councillors Foreign and Defense Affairs Committee in its 
meeting held yesterday. 
 
Nukaga also stated, "When it comes to how large the runways will 
be, we've yet to determine anything in detail." The defense chief 
went on, "We will talk well with the city of Nago about details." 
This can be taken as indicating that the Defense Agency and Nago 
City will focus on the runways' size in their talks to be held 
from now on. 
 
The basic agreement, which was reached in written form on April 7 
between the government and Nago City, is an accord on where to 
build the replacement facility for Futenma airfield. It has no 
mention of the runways' length. 
 
The government is planning to set up a consultative body with 
 
TOKYO 00001977  007 OF 011 
 
 
local officials on the Futenma replacement facility. However, the 
government's view diverges from local requests. This will likely 
become a new problem to be resolved. 
 
Nago Mayor Yoshikazu Shimabukuro stressed in a press conference 
held on the evening of April 8 that Nago would hold talks with 
the government about where to build the runways. The mayor also 
referred to the city's proposal to shorten the runways to 1,300 
meters. "Basically," he said, "that's our stance." Meanwhile, he 
also explained that the government and the city did not talk 
about the runways' length whatsoever. 
 
Nago City's Deputy Mayor Suematsu also reiterated the city's 
basic way of thinking: "SACO (Japan-US Special Action Committee 
on Facilities and Areas in Okinawa) has agreed to set the 
runway's length at 1,300 meters. So the runways should not be 
longer than that. That's our stance." 
 
(5) Futenma relocation plan: Government has to pay high price for 
prioritizing talks with US over local communities 
 
ASAHI (Page 2) (Excerpts) 
April 9, 2006 
 
By proposing an unexpected plan to construct two runways in a V- 
shape, the government managed to reach agreement with the Nago 
and nearby municipal governments on relocating the US Marine 
Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. But Okinawa 
Governor Inamine has expressed his opposition to the plan. On US 
force realignment plans in base-hosting areas other than Okinawa, 
as well, the government has yet to reach agreement with local 
communities. Local communities involved in such plans are now 
distrustful of the government's stance of prioritizing talks with 
the US over negotiations with them. 
 
After meeting with Governor Inamine, Defense Agency (JDA) 
Director General Nukaga told reporters yesterday: 
 
"I do not think Governor Inamine will make requests regarding 
each specific base problem. He supposedly intends to determine 
the prefectural government's response after seeing details set by 
Japan and the US for a final report." 
 
Nukaga indicated, though choosing his words, that even if the 
governor continued to oppose the Cape Henoko plan, the government 
would not allow him to obstruct the process of formation of a 
final report by the Japanese and US governments. 
 
The government's attention is focused on "a final report." Japan 
and the US missed a March 31 deadline for settling details of 
realigning US forces in Japan. The government is eager to strike 
a deal for a final report by breaking the impasse on the issue of 
Japan bearing part of the cost of transferring US Marines from 
Okinawa to Guam during the planned talks with the US on April 13- 
¶14. 
 
However, the Okinawa governor has the right to approve or deny 
land reclamation projects in public waters as "an ace in the 
hole." Without the agreement of the governor, it will be 
impossible for the government to start construction work. 
 
The construction work at Cape Henoko would finally begin after 
three years of environmental impact assessment. Inamine's term of 
 
TOKYO 00001977  008 OF 011 
 
 
office expires in December. But an informed source said: "Should 
Inamine or anyone who assumes the same stance as Inamine be 
elected in the upcoming gubernatorial election, the relocation 
plan will not move forward." 
 
In the government and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), some 
officials have suggested the government should enact a law that 
would transfer authority on land reclamation from the prefectural 
governor to the central government. A senior LDP member said: 
"Mr. Inamine does not need to change his stance. We will take 
appropriate measures." But such a high-handed approach would 
inevitably evoke strong reactions from the Okinawa government. 
 
In a referendum in March, a majority of residents said "no" to 
the planned relocation of carrier-based aircraft to the US Marine 
Corps' Iwakuni Air Base in Yamaguchi Prefecture. As seen from 
this, the government is having difficulty persuading base-hosting 
local communities to go along with realignment proposals. 
 
(6) Probing the Futenma relocation agreement: Behind-the-scenes 
spadework conducted for X-shaped plan; Cabinet ministers 
pretended to allow only minor changes; Giving in to local 
request, government settled on V-shaped plan 
 
TOKYO SHIMBUN (Page 2) (Full) 
April 11, 2006 
 
The subject of relocating the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air 
Station has taken a large step forward with an agreement reached 
between the government and Nago to build two runways in a V-shape 
on the coastline of Camp Schwab. Defense Agency Director General 
Fukushiro Nukaga had scurried around in order to come up with an 
X-shaped plan, known as the "Nukaga magic" by persons concerned. 
The plan required meticulous coordination behind the scenes. 
 
Nukaga secretly met with Chief Cabinet Shinzo Abe and Foreign 
Minister Taro Aso in Tokyo March 13, and the defense chief 
unveiled the X-shaped plan for the first time. Abe and Aso were 
asked by Nukaga to keep the plan to themselves. 
 
Japan and the United States reached an agreement last year. 
Shimabukuro opposed it, demanding the planned airfield be removed 
further offshore. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi refused to 
make any changes to the government's plan, but the three cabinet 
ministers kept studying compromise plans. 
 
Koizumi thought that meeting with protests by anti-base members, 
construction work would not start unless the new facilities were 
built on an existing US base. Abe successfully convinced Koizumi, 
telling him that there would be no construction work without 
local consent. This prompted Koizumi to order Abe to work things 
out with the Defense Agency. As a result, Nukaga, Abe, and Aso 
held talks March 13. 
 
Having served as deputy chief cabinet secretary in the Hashimoto 
and Obuchi cabinets, Nukaga had strong personal ties to Okinawa. 
Nukaga attempted to determine Nago's bottom line behind the 
scenes. He eventually learned from an influential individual in 
Nago that steps like moving the runway would be insufficient to 
convince the city. 
 
This forced Nukaga to resort to the X-shaped plan, which was the 
most dramatic plan of all the revision schemes secretly worked 
 
TOKYO 00001977  009 OF 011 
 
 
out by the Defense Facilities Administration Agency since 
February. The X-format plan would satisfy the government's desire 
for ground-based construction work and Nago's call for avoiding 
the residential areas. The option would also be able to generate 
a far greater impact than just moving the runway. 
 
An additional runway was certain to prolong the construction 
period and boost the construction cost. As a result, talks were 
held March 16 among Nukaga, Abe, Aso, Okinawa Affairs Minister 
Yuriko Koike, and Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki. Nukaga then 
called on Koizumi at his official residence on March 21, a 
Japanese holiday, to obtain his informal consent. 
 
The government still could not afford to show its cards to Nago. 
Koizumi and Nukaga continued to pretend that the government would 
only allow minor changes by saying to reporters, "We don't mean 
to be so stubborn to refuse moving it even 1 centimeter." 
 
Negotiations between Nukaga and Shimabukuro began on the night of 
March 21. After then, the defense chief held five rounds of talks 
with Shimabukuro, which gave him confidence to bring the Futenma 
issue to a settlement. 
 
Abe also met with US Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer on 
March 28 to obtain his understanding about constructing an 
additional runway. Late that night, Abe assembled the five 
cabinet ministers at a Tokyo hotel. Nukaga searched for the 
timing to propose the two-runway plan to Nago. 
 
Nukaga met with Shimabukuro for the sixth time on April 7. Their 
talks lasted four and a half hours. Shimabukuro asked to move the 
southern runway a little southward in order to avoid an impact on 
the eastern residential area. Giving in to Shimabukuro's request, 
Nukaga eventually agreed to change the X-shaped runway plan into 
a V-shaped plan. 
 
(7) Okinawa in dilemma over Futenma relocation; Government eyes 
final report later this month, hoping that agreement reached by 
affected municipalities will help soften Inamine's stance 
 
YOMIURI (Page 3) (Abridged) 
April 9, 2006 
 
Talks on April 8 between the central government and Okinawa on 
the relocation of the US Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station ended 
without reaching an agreement. But because Okinawa Gov. Keiichi 
Inamine showed a certain level of understanding of a plan to 
build two runways in a V-shape, the government thinks it is 
possible for Tokyo and Washington to produce their US force 
realignment final report later this month and obtain Okinawa's 
consent. 
 
Koizumi-Inamine talks envisaged 
 
On April 8, Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga held 
talks with Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine for about three hours. In 
the final hour, five local chiefs, including Nago Mayor Yoshikazu 
Shimabukuro, joined them. The Defense Agency envisaged talks 
between Prime Minister Koizumi and Gov. Inamine for settling the 
issue. The Defense Agency allowed Shimabukuro and other local 
chiefs to attend its talks with Inamine in a bid to soften the 
governor's stance by underlining the fact that the concerned 
municipalities, who have more direct interests in the plan, 
 
TOKYO 00001977  010 OF 011 
 
 
reached a basic agreement. 
 
Shimabukuro sat across from Inamine, who reportedly commented at 
one point, "I'm not opposed to the government plan." But the 
talks broke off in the end, and the envisaged Koizumi-Inamine 
talks did not occur. 
 
Inamine in agony 
 
In November 1999, the year after his election, Inamine announced 
his acceptance of the government's original Henoko offshore plan 
on the condition that the envisaged airport be used as a military- 
civilian airport that the US military could use for 15 years. 
Inamine rejected the Nukaga-Shimabukuro agreement because such an 
announcement made by himself. He cannot accept the revised plan 
so easily that would give no access to civilian planes and 
carries no time limit. The gubernatorial election coming up in 
November makes it more difficult for Inamine to change his policy 
direction. 
 
But the affected municipalities have strong expectations for the 
financial assistance from the government. 
 
Governor's support essential 
 
The central government intends to make every possible effort to 
win Inamine's support on the issue, because the governor has the 
authority to approve projects using public waters. 
 
The government stressed the advantage of the plan agreed last 
week, saying the original plan would require more than 10 years 
to complete, whereas the new plan will take only about eight 
years. Yet unless Inamine endorses the reclamation project, the 
plan could end up as pie in the sky. 
 
Nukaga said: "Governor Inamine plans to make his decision after 
Japan and the US finalize their report on the realignment of US 
forces in Japan." The government intends to compile the final 
report later this month following the April 13-14 Japan-US senior- 
working-level talks of defense and foreign affairs officials. The 
government also intends to win Inamine's support by clearly 
spelling out ways to reduce Okinawa's burden in the final report. 
 
But it is not clear whether the government's scenario will go 
smoothly, as the two countries have yet to agree on how to share 
the cost of relocating US Marines from Okinawa to Guan. 
 
Nukaga's secret X-shaped plan turned into V-shaped plan 
 
The V-shaped plan that won Nago's consent was a product of 
concessions made in the four-and-a-half hours of talks April 7 
between defense chief Nukaga and Nago Mayor. 
 
Their talks started at 4:00 p.m. On the table was a design to 
build two runways in an X-shape. The plan was designed to build 
the main runway by slightly turning the direction of the 
government-proposed runway counterclockwise and the takeoff-only 
sub-runway clockwise. Nukaga reportedly came up with the X-shaped 
plan in February to strike a balance between Nago's demand to 
remove Henoko, Toyohara, and Abu districts and Ginozason from the 
flight path and the government's intention not to move the 
facilities offshore. 
 
 
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Nukaga did not present his "secret plan" in his talks with 
Shimabukuro on March 26 and April 4 out of concern that it would 
prompt Nago to pursue opposition for opposition's sake, arming 
itself with all the knowledge it can gather. Upon obtaining US 
consent, the defense chief used his trump card in his talks with 
Shimabukuro at the final phase. 
 
Shimabukuro insisted on Nago's plan to build a single runway 
further offshore. Nukaga rebutted, "The X-shaped plan meets the 
city's demand to remove residential areas from the flight paths." 
 
Shimabukuro asked for a break. After returning to the negotiation 
table, the Nago mayor again pressed Nukaga to move the runway a 
little further offshore, citing a residential area in the 
Toyohara district. Nukaga refused to make major changes. The V- 
shaped plan resulted from their concessions while giving 
consideration to the marine habitat in shallow waters and other 
factors. 
 
SCHIEFFER