首相沖縄訪問 遅すぎた方針転換と説得工作

The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 7, 2010)
Futenma policy change, efforts to persuade too late
首相沖縄訪問　遅すぎた方針転換と説得工作（5月5日付・読売社説）

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama at last visited Okinawa Prefecture, his first visit since he took office in September.
　鳩山首相がようやく、昨年９月の就任以来初めて沖縄県を訪れた。

While the self-imposed deadline of May 31 is approaching for concluding the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture, Hatoyama could not even express concrete relocation plans.
　米軍普天間飛行場の移設問題の期限が今月末に迫る中、具体的な移設案を明示することさえできなかった。

As his change of policy, from one that would relocate the functions of the Futenma base outside the prefecture to one that would relocate them mostly within the prefecture, came too late, his efforts to persuade the people of Okinawa into accepting his new policy has become even more difficult.
「県内移設」への方針転換が遅すぎたため、地元への説得工作は一段と困難な状況にある。

During his talks with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima on Tuesday, Hatoyama said: "It would be difficult to relocate all the functions [of the Futenma base] outside the prefecture. I have to ask the residents of Okinawa to bear a burden."
　鳩山首相は沖縄県の仲井真弘多知事との会談で、移設先について「すべて県外というのは難しい。沖縄に負担をお願いしなければならない」と語った。

By saying this, Hatoyama hinted he planned to keep part of the functions of the Futenma air base within the prefecture.
普天間飛行場の機能の一部は沖縄県内に残すとの考えを示したものだ。

The government is coordinating views to replace the existing plan--agreed on in 2006 between Tokyo and Washington--to construct a V-shaped pair of runways by reclaiming land from the sea near the marines' Camp Schwab in the Henoko district of Nago in the prefecture with one to build part of the runway on a so-called quick installation platform, coupled with transferring helicopter troops to Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture.
　政府は、沖縄県名護市の米軍キャンプ・シュワブ沿岸部を埋め立てる現行計画を杭(くい)打ち桟橋方式に変更する案と、鹿児島県・徳之島へのヘリ部隊の移転を組み合わせる方向で調整している。

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U.S. unhappy with plan

Yet the U.S. side showed its disapproval of transferring the helicopter troops to Tokunoshima island, which is far from Okinawa Prefecture, where other marines are stationed. Furthermore, because of safety concerns, it remains uncertain whether the U.S. side would agree to the installation platform method.
　だが、米側は、他の海兵隊部隊の駐留する沖縄から遠い徳之島への移転に難色を示す。杭打ち桟橋方式にも安全面などの理由から同意するかどうかは不透明だ。

Hatoyama made no reference to any specific relocation sites during his visit to Okinawa, presumably because of these circumstances.
　首相が今回、具体的な移設先に言及しなかったのは、こうした事情があるようだ。

If he was earnestly considering settling the relocation issue by the end of May, he should have presented to Okinawa concrete plans and started coordinating views with the local governments much earlier. It is no longer the time for Hatoyama to meet with heads of local governments concerned as if he was merely setting up an excuse for failure.
　本気で５月末の問題決着を考えていたのなら、もっと早期に具体案を示し、地元との調整に入るべきだった。もはやアリバイ作りのように地元の首長らと顔合わせをしている段階ではない。

The meandering course of action taken so far by the government is just dreadful.
　ここに至る政府の迷走ぶりは目を覆うばかりだ。

To protect the honor of its coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party, which calls for relocating the Futenma base functions outside the country, the government wasted precious time by inspecting alternative sites, including Guam.
　国外移転を主張する社民党の顔を立ててグアムなどを視察し、貴重な時間を浪費する。

Meanwhile, ideas surfaced and then sank, such as the one of building a land-based replacement facility for Futenma in Camp Schwab or the one of reclaiming an area off the U.S. Navy's White Beach facility in Uruma, also in Okinawa Prefecture. Both ideas were rejected in the past. The quick installation platform method was also taken up for study 14 years ago.
過去に否定されたシュワブ陸上部案やホワイトビーチ沖合案が浮上しては消える。杭打ち桟橋方式も、１４年前にも検討されたことがある。

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Past lessons ignored

While the government has not made any use whatsoever of the results and knowledge accumulated through many years of study done by Japan and the United States, and politicians have offered one relocation plan after another--with none of them informed by principle--every new plan seems to have been giving the people of Okinawa the runaround.
　長年の検討作業の成果・蓄積を何ら活用せず、政治家がにわか勉強でまとめた移設案を無定見に打ち出し、その度に、移設先の地元を振り回した。

This can be considered a typical example of the pernicious results of "initiatives taken by politicians in forming policies," which the Democratic Party of Japan much advocates.
「政治主導」の悪弊の典型と言えよう。

Needless to say, it is Hatoyama who is most to blame.
　無論、最も罪が重いのは鳩山首相である。

While Hatoyama fanned expectations of the people of Okinawa for realizing "the relocation outside the prefecture at a minimum" but now says, "It would be difficult to relocate all the functions from the viewpoint of deterrence," it is only natural for the people of Okinawa to feel resentful.
「最低でも県外移設」と沖縄県民の期待をあおり、今になって「抑止力の観点から県外移設は難しい」と言うのでは、沖縄県側が反発するのは当然だ。

Hatoyama should have changed his policy much earlier to aim at relocating the functions within the prefecture from the viewpoint of security and have apologized to the people of Okinawa for the policy shift.
　もっと早く安全保障の観点から県内移設を目指す方針に転換し、沖縄県民に謝るのが筋だった。

It is also absurd for him to condemn the existing plan. Hatoyama recently began calling the land reclamation of the waters near Camp Schwab as envisaged under the plan a "sacrilege against nature." If he truly believes this, he should have said so in the first place. It appears that Hatoyama is trying to modify the existing plan merely for the sake of saving face.
　現行計画を否定しているのもおかしい。首相は最近、埋め立てを「自然への冒涜(ぼうとく)」と言い出した。本当にそう考えるなら、最初にそう言うべきだろう。単に自らのメンツを守るため、現行計画の修正を図っているとしか見えない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 5, 2010)
（2010年5月5日01時21分 読売新聞）