When Mizuho Fukushima was re-elected president of the Social Democratic Party in December, she promised to pull the SDP out of the ruling coalition if the Futenma air base was relocated within Okinawa, as called for in a 2006 agreement with the United States.
Now that it looks increasingly likely that the administration intends to move forward with a plan to relocate Futenma to the Henoko coast in Nago, Okinawa, the SDP is being rocked by internal rifts with opinions split over whether it should part ways with the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
"The SDP is walking a tightrope, where on one side it needs to keep its promise of alleviating the burden on Okinawa, while on the other side it can't afford ditching the coalition," said Hidekazu Kawai, an honorary professor at Gakushuin University.