Military

U.S. and Japanese officials said the leaders agreed to hold ministerial-level talks on
how to reduce Okinawa’s burden of hosting about half of the 47,000 U.S. troops in
Japan and providing 75 percent of the land used for U.S. bases in the country.

According to news reports, Bush and Koizumi, during their meeting at the Foreign
Ministry’s guesthouse in Tokyo, declared that both countries continue to support the
1996 Special Action Committee on Okinawa report that called for returning about 21 percent
of the land on Okinawa now used for U.S. bases. That includes closing the Marine Corps Air
Station at Futenma once a new base is constructed on a reef in the waters off northeast
Okinawa.

However, several issues remain on the table concerning the new base, including
Okinawa’s demand that the military use of the facility be limited to 15 years. U.S.
officials have consistently rejected the limit, stating that it is impossible to forecast
what the region’s security needs will be that far in the future.

Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine said he was pleased by Bush’s pledge to discuss
Okinawa issues.

"I welcome his positive stance toward U.S. military-related issues on Okinawa and
expect positive ministerial-level talks," he said.

During the reception, Inamine extended an invitation to Bush to come to Okinawa during
his next visit to Japan.