01 September 2009

Changing governments does not mean changing treaties

The US has refused to acquiesce to a renegotiation of the deal that stations US troops in Japan and Okinawa just because Japan's government changed hands.

The United States ruled out renegotiating a deal on US military bases with Japan's new left-leaning government, which has pledged a fresh look at US forces in its territory.
Japan's incoming prime minister Yukio Hatoyama in the past called for the United States to remove the Futenma Marine base -- long a sore point as it lies in a crowded urban area on the southern island of Okinawa.
But State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States would not revisit a deal finalized just months ago by Japan's long-ruling conservatives that also includes moving troops to the US territory of Guam.
'The United States has no intention to renegotiate the Futenma replacement facility plan or Guam relocation with the government of Japan,' Kelly said.

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