Former Prime Minister Hatoyama to set up Okinawa office of think tank

Former Prime Minister Hatoyama to set up Okinawa office of think tank

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.


March 13, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo

The East Asian Community Institute, for which former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is president, will open an office in Naha, Okinawa next week. “I want to explore potential ways to resolve the Futenma issue,” Hatoyama said in an interview with the Ryukyu Shimpo on March 12.” The former prime minister showed his willingness to move the Futenma base outside Okinawa or Japan. The office in Naha will be named the Ryukyu Center. The office will have one resident staff member. The East Asian Community Institute is holding a symposium to commemorate the opening of the office.

The institute aims to create a community initiative to advance cooperation in various fields in East Asian countries. “Japan’s relationship with China and Korea have been seriously strained in recent years. We can increase trust through cultural events and dialogue among the people of various countries such as Japan, China, Korea, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United States,” he said. Hatoyama visited Okinawa from March 10 to 12 to open the office. He met with Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine and U.S. Consul General in Okinawa Alfred Magleby. In addition, the former prime minister visited the beach at Henoko, Nago, where the planned site for replacement of the Futenma base is located.

(English translation by T&CT)

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