There was disappointment, again, after the recent leadership contest of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) failed to lead to any movement on the issue of the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa Prefecture.
Act 2 of the political stalemate is about to begin now that Naoto Kan, who supports the relocation plan agreed to by Japan and the United States, has been re-elected DPJ leader and is staying on as prime minister.
The Japan-U.S. accord is not a realistic policy anymore because local residents have rejected it. The two countries agreed in May to relocate the Futenma base from a densely populated area in Ginowan to the Henoko coastal district in Nago, also in Okinawa Prefecture.