Washington to hand over air traffic control rights around Okinawa to Japan, for the first time since 1945;
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    • Reports noted that Washington has agreed to hand over to Japan air traffic control rights around Okinawa on March 31. These have been under US control since 1945.1 Meanwhile, the US was insisting on the need to maintain a base on Okinawa to effectively defend the region. Senior US officials told Congress that they hoped to go ahead with a plan to move the Futenma air base within Okinawa.2 PM Hatoyama meanwhile stated that he has not given up on the option of moving the Futemma Air Station in Okinawa outside of the southernmost prefecture.3 In a sign of difficulties in the relationship, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell canceled a planned visit to Tokyo for discussions with senior Foreign Ministry officials.4 In a related development, the Ministry of Finance confirmed that the Japanese government deposited $103 million into a zero-interest account at the US Federal Reserve Bank of New York over the reversion of Okinawa.5

    Foreign Minister Okada meanwhile, reiterating that the government would continue to follow Japan's ‘three non-nuclear’ principles, added that the possibility of nuclear weapons being brought into Japan by US forces in a future emergency as a defensive measure cannot be ruled out.6 Okada also stated that he did not think that the US will load nuclear Tomahawk cruise missiles on its attack submarines when they make port calls in Japan, in line with US policy to withdraw tactical nuclear weapons on its ships.7

    In a related development, a Japanese Foreign Ministry panel concluded that secret pacts on nuclear arms and other issues were reached between Japan and the US during the Cold War era. The existence of such pacts has already been exposed through declassified US documents and other sources. However, the panel investigation launched after the Hatoyama government took over not only exposed previous Japanese government’s assertions to the contrary but also raised questions over the management and disclosure of diplomatic documents.8

    US government officials meanwhile told a congressional panel that the procurement cost of the F-35 next-generation stealth fighter will likely be more than double the initial estimates of $95 million per plane. The higher-than-expected cost could force Japan to think twice about selecting the aircraft as the nation's next-generation mainstay fighter.9

    In other developments, reports indicated that Japan and Australia would jointly seek to reinforce security assurances against the use of nuclear weapons on non-nuclear-weapon states at the upcoming NPT Review Conference.10 China gained direct access to the Sea of Japan for the first time in 100 years through a North Korean port. Japan and South Korea on their part expressed concerns about the development.11 PM Hatoyama and Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in natural resources development and in nuclear power technology.12 In the wake of the visit of Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada to Haiti, Japan has decided to increase its aid to the quake-hit country to $100 million. Japan has already pledged $70 million in emergency aid and long-term reconstruction.13

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