With Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa remaining in his post despite the passage of a censure motion against him, further turmoil over the relocation of the U. S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture is inevitable.
The House of Councillors on Friday passed a censure motion against Ichikawa over a series of gaffes, including an injudicious statement related to the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl in Okinawa Prefecture. As a result, the Okinawa prefectural government has said it would be difficult to establish a relationship of trust with Ichikawa.
According to observers, it has become harder for the central government to obtain the understanding of the Okinawa prefectural government about the transfer of the Futenma base to the Henoko district of Nago in the prefecture as long as Ichikawa remains in the post. (Yomiuri)
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