Japan PM's plight deepens:

Okinawa says 'no' to US base

JAPAN: The re-elected Governor of Okinawa stood firm Monday on his demand for the removal of a US military base, hitting the Japanese Government's hopes of a breakthrough on an issue that has strained ties with Washington.

Voters on the southern island re-elected Hirokazu Nakaima on Sunday, who promptly reiterated his call for the sprawling Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to leave the prefecture.

Tokyo promised Washington it would honour an accord to move the base to a coastal location in Okinawa, but must deal with local opposition to the base on the island, which has hosted the bulk of the US forces in Japan for decades.

"I'll work in the direction the people of the prefecture want," Nakaima said before television cameras early Monday in Okinawa, where opposition to the large US military presence has hardened.

Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa admitted the Government was "in a very tough situation" over the relocation of the US base.

But he argued there would be "room for negotiations" with Nakaima, who has also called for more economic development of the nation's poorest prefecture.

The election result has worsened the political plight of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who has seen his support ratings plunge amid pressure over his handling of a faltering economy and territorial rows with Moscow and Beijing.

Japan and the United States squabbled for much of the past year over the relocation of the base, which lies in an urban area of Okinawa, where residents have long complained about aircraft noise and the risk of accidents.

The governor has authority to block any offshore runway construction, potentially putting a major obstacle in the way of a relocation.

Incumbent Nakaima, 71, beat his rival Yoichi Iha, 58, former mayor of Ginowan city, which currently hosts Futenma, in Sunday's election.

Tokyo, Monday, AFP