You are here
According to reports, Japan and the United States on April 5 agreed on a plan that will see some land occupied by the U.S. military returned to Japan in a phased manner. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Ambassador John Roos issued a joint statement on the agreement, under which five U.S. military facilities and other areas on Okinawa’s main island will return to Japan over the coming years. Tokyo and Washington also agreed they will return land currently occupied by the controversial Futenma airbase “in fiscal 2022 or later,” the joint statement said. 1
In another development, according to reports, North Korea has said it cannot assure the safety of embassies in Pyongyang after April 10 and has urged Britain, Russia and other European nations to evacuate diplomatic staff amid soaring nuclear tensions. Russia, which has relatively close ties with North Korea, also received the missive, following its criticism of the North’s actions as “categorically unacceptable.” 2
- 1. “U.S. Military To Return Some Okinawa Land to Japan,” Defense News, April 5, 2013, at http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130405/DEFREG03/304050010/U-S-Milit...
- 2. “N. Korea Warns It Cannot Protect Embassies After April 10,” Defense News, April 5, 2013 at www.defensenews.com/article/20130405/DEFREG03/304050011/N-Korea-Warns-Ca...