Japan PM vows to ease US base burden

Japan’s PM has apologized to the Okinawans for the concentration of US military bases on the island, vowing to ease the burden of the US military presence on the area.

Naoto Kan took over earlier this month from Yukio Hatoyama, who stepped down mainly because he had mishandled a dispute over the relocation of a contentious US airbase on the island, sparking public outrage.

“I promise to seriously try all the more to reduce Okinawa’s burden of the US bases and removing the dangers associated with Futenma (airbase),” Kan said Wednesday at a ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa at the end of World War Two, in which about 150,000 were killed, AFP reported.

“I sincerely express my heartfelt sorrow for the dead,” Kan told an audience of more than 5,000 of the people of the southern island.

Kan was on his first visit to Okinawa since he took office earlier in June.

The Futenma base has provoked a wave of anger in the country, with the nation demanding a complete removal of the airbase off Okinawa.

Despite widespread criticism, the new premier has confirmed that he would honor the recent Japan-US deal to only move the base to a less crowded part of Okinawa.

Kan is expected to raise the issue during his upcoming meeting with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a summit of G8 and G20 leaders this weekend in Canada.