Ono said he reported to Koizumi about his June 4 meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Singapore, and the premier urged the Defense Agency to step up cooperation with the Foreign Ministry in handling the realignment issue.
Ono and Rumsfeld agreed in their meeting on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Singapore earlier this month to aim to reach agreement on the realignment plan by the end of the year.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has instructed Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono to clearly convey to the United States the need to reduce the stress suffered by areas hosting U.S. bases, such as noise pollution, in negotiations over the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, Ono said Tuesday.
'Until now, we have only been saying 'yes' or 'no' in response to proposals tabled by the United States in bilateral negotiations, but the premier said we must state clearly what Japan should say,' Ono, who met Koizumi for dinner at the prime minister's office Monday night, told reporters Tuesday morning.
Ono said he reported to Koizumi about his June 4 meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Singapore, and the premier urged the Defense Agency to step up cooperation with the Foreign Ministry in handling the realignment issue.
Ono and Rumsfeld agreed in their meeting on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Singapore earlier this month to aim to reach agreement on the realignment plan by the end of the year.
Japan wants the United States to reduce the number of troops and facilities especially in Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan, while the United States maintains that keeping deterrence in the region is also important.
