日本尋求在沖繩的美國軍事用地於年底歸還

NAHA — A cabinet minister in charge of Okinawa base issues has told local officials that the central government is seeking the return of roughly half of a large U.S. military training area in the island prefecture by year-end.

那霸 —— 一位負責沖繩基地問題的內閣部長告訴當地官員，中央政府正在尋求於年底前歸還島上的大約一半的大型軍事訓練區。

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga’s remarks over the return of land—within the U.S. military’s Northern Training Area in northern Okinawa—are viewed as a way for the government to demonstrate to local residents it is taking steps to ease Okinawa’s base-hosting burden.

內閣官房長官菅義偉對衝繩北部美軍北方訓練區內的土地歸還所作的評論被視爲政府向當地居民展示緩解沖繩基地運營負擔的一種方式。

“(Japan) wants to negotiate with the United States to achieve the year-end return of the training area,” Suga said Saturday during a meeting with the chiefs of the villages of Kunigami and Higashi where the training area is located.

“（日本）希望與美國談判以實現於年終時訓練區的歸還”，菅義偉於星期六在與訓練區所在地的國頭村和東村的村長會面時如此說。

A source familiar with the meeting, which took place in Okinawa’s Nago, said it was the first time a high-ranking official from the central government had said the land would be returned “by year-end.”

一位在沖繩的名護參加會議的消息靈通人士說，這是中央政府的一位高級官員第一次說出土地將於“年底”歸還。

Suga conveyed a similar message to Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga in a meeting in Naha. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Suga said he told Onaga that the central government is “negotiating with the U.S. military for the return of 4,000 hectares.”

菅義偉在那霸會議上傳達了類似的消息給沖繩縣政府的翁長雄志。 菅義偉在會後向記者說，他告訴翁長，中央政府正在“與美國軍方談判歸還4000公頃土地。”

The United States agreed in 1996 to return to Japan about 4,000 of the approximately 7,800 hectares that make up the training area, provided helipads are relocated from the portion of the base to be returned to an area to be retained.

美國在1996年時同意由大約7800公頃土地所組成的訓練區中的大約4000公頃土地歸還日本，只要將基地中的直升機停機坪搬遷到一個需要保留的地區。

The return would reduce the acreage of land occupied by U.S. military facilities in Okinawa by 17 percent, and would be the most land returned since the 1972 reversion of Okinawa to Japan from U.S. control.

此次土地歸還將把沖繩縣內的美國軍事設施所佔用的土地面積減少17％，並且是自1972年從美國控制下回歸到日本沖繩手中最大的一次土地歸還。

Onaga, Kunigami Mayor Hisakazu Miyagi and Higashi Mayor Seikyu Iju supported seeking the return by year-end.

翁長，國頭村村長宮城久和與東村村長伊集盛久都支持尋求於年底歸還土地。

“There are various issues but the prefecture’s policy is for the early return, so this is welcome,” the governor said after meeting Suga, who is on a weekend trip to the southwestern prefecture.

“雖然有各種各樣的問題，但是縣政府的政策是爲了早日土地歸還，所以這是歡迎的，”縣知事在一個週末到縣西南部旅行時會見菅義偉如此說道。

The outlook for construction of the helipads remains uncertain, however, as local residents oppose further construction due to noise and other concerns over their use by Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

然而，直升機停機坪的建設前景仍然不確定，因爲當地居民擔心由於使用魚鷹傾斜旋翼飛機所產生的噪聲以及其它原因而反對進一步建設。

Two of the six helipads have already been completed. Construction work began in 2007, but was later suspended due to protests. The work resumed in July, but protests around the construction site continue.

六個直升機停機坪中有兩個已經建造完成。 建築工程始於2007年，但後來由於抗議而暫停。 工程於7月恢復，但建築工地周圍的抗議活動還在繼續。

Suga, in his meeting with the mayors, suggested the remaining helipads will be completed by year-end. Onaga has opposed the restart of construction work.

菅義偉在與村長們會面時建議剩餘的直升機停機坪將在年底前建造完成。翁長反對重新開始建設工作。

As the bulk of the U.S. military facilities in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa, the prefectural government has been calling for the central government to reduce the Okinawa people’s base-hosting burden, particularly by relocating a controversial U.S. military air base outside of the prefecture.

由於美國在日本的大部分軍事設施集中在沖繩，縣政府一直呼籲中央政府減少衝繩人民的基地運營負擔，特別是通過搬遷一個有爭議的美國空軍基地到縣內別處。

By highlighting the land return as the central government’s way to alleviate the burden, Suga appears to be hoping for progress in the long-stalled plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps’ Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential area in Ginowan to a less populated area in Nago.

通過突出土地回報作爲中央政府減輕負擔的方法，菅義偉似乎希望在長期擱置的計劃中取得進展，將位於普天間的美國海軍陸戰隊空軍基地從吉諾灣一個擁擠的住宅區遷移到名護市某個人口較少的地區 。

Suga last visited Okinawa in June. On Saturday he sat down with the governor in earnest for the first time since a court last month ruled in favor of the central government over Onaga’s high-profile move to block the relocation of the Futenma base within OKinawa.

菅義偉最後於6月訪問了沖繩。 星期六，他第一次認真地與縣知事一起坐下來，因爲上個月一個法庭裁決中央政府針對翁長阻止位於沖繩島的普天間基地的搬遷這一高調舉動有權進行干涉。