Japan's FM says high-level group on Okinawa issue suspended
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A high level working group between the Washington and Japan to resolve the issue of what will happen to U.S. troops based in Okinawa has been suspended, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said on Tuesday.
"The working group is suspended and we are now waiting to see if a situation develops where there is a need for talks again," Okada said.
The working group was set up in November shortly after a visit to Japan by U.S. President Barack Obama, in which Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expressed his hope that the two countries could work together to find a solution to solve the Okinawa issue.
Since coming to power in September, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has argued for a "more equal" relationship with the United States, in which more discussions between the two nations are held on issues such as Okinawa.
The island chain in southern Japan is home to around 40,000 members of the U.S. army, a presence not welcomed by all civilians in the prefecture. A current agreement signed between the U.S. and Japan states that from 2014, 8,000 American personnel will be moved to Guam, but the rest will remain in the prefecture.
Within the governing coalition, the Social Democratic Party ( SDP) has been the most vocal critic of the current agreement, and its leader last week said that they may consider leaving the government if the deal is not changed.
Okada admitted on Wednesday that the SDP move had effected the talks. "We have discussed the SDP's position, previous agreements and alternatives," Okada said.
