Policy chief pitches alternative Futenma plan

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Policy chief pitches alternative Futenma plan
By Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Thursday, January 7, 2010

NAHA, Okinawa — Transferring 23 F-15 fighter jets from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, to Misawa Air Base in mainland Japan would free up room for operations at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to be moved to Kadena, according to a proposal pitched Tuesday by the policy chief of one of the two junior partners of Japan’s coalition government.

Mikio Shimoji, a New People’s Party representative and a senior member of a subcommittee set up to find a settlement on the relocation issue, said his party’s plan included moving training normally conducted at Kadena to mainland Japan.

Sending the visiting aircraft to train at Kansai Airport in Osaka, as well as using Ie-Shima island and the Higashi Fuji training ground for Marine helicopter exercises, will greatly reduce the noise that is a frequent complaint of Okinawans, Shimoji told reporters at his campaign office.

On Camp Schwab, meanwhile, helipads would be built instead of runways, Shimoji said.

“Additionally,” he said, “if the United States wishes, Futenma air station can remain under U.S. military control for contingency purposes,” which would allow the Okinawan landowners to continue to receive rent from the U.S. military.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=67033