The Diet on Wednesday voted into law a bill to promote the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan with majority support of the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito. The new temporary law, which expires in 10 years, is designed to help implement U.S. military realignment plans, such as the transfer of thousands of Marines and their families from Okinawa Prefecture to Guam and the relocation of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan.
The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had been hustling to enact the legislation as part of its efforts to strengthen Japan's security alliance with the United States. But in its rush to push the bill through the Diet, the government failed to address some important questions raised about its provisions.
The government's estimates of the costs for moving U.S. troops and facilities have been criticized as unreliable due to slipshod calculations. Controversy erupted over a system of offering financial rewards in the form of state subsidies to municipalities that cooperate in the moves. |