SearchFeatures
Buy & SellLifeExtra Services |
Diet passes U.S.-Japan defense guidelines billsDate Posted: 1999-05-29 The latest amendments to the defense cooperation guidelines, almost two years since revisions were last made to shore-up security ties between the two nations, do not include any reference to ship inspections, a contentious issue that split party ranks and forced New Komeito and the Liberals to delete the clause. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura has asked Okinawa to understand the need for the new guidelines, stating it is a necessary part of Japan's security policy. According to a report in the Asahi newspaper, Komura said, "We have drawn up the guidelines legislation in an attempt" to avoid military emergencies. The foreign minister said several scenarios involving such emergencies in "areas surrounding Japan" incorporate U.S. military facilities in Okinawa. "I would be very grateful if the people of Okinawa would understand the importance of the guidelines," the Asahi quoted Komura as saying Sunday. |
   
|
