【ワシントン＝問山栄恵本紙特派員】訪米中の安倍晋三首相は１０日午後（日本時間１１日未明）、トランプ米大統領とホワイトハウスで初の首脳会談を行った。米軍普天間飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾市）の返還問題について、飛行場移設に伴う名護市辺野古への新基地建設計画を「唯一の解決策」とし、推進することを確認した。共同声明にも盛り込んだ。
米軍普天間飛行場の移設が計画される沖縄県名護市辺野古のキャンプ・シュワブ沿岸部＝５日
両首脳は日米同盟を一層強化することでも一致。中国が領有権を主張する尖閣諸島については米国の対日防衛義務を定めた日米安全保障条約第５条の適用対象と確認した。
首脳会談の成果として、安全保障と経済の両面での協力強化をうたった共同声明を発表。辺野古新基地建設については「普天間飛行場の継続的な使用を回避するための唯一の解決策である」と明記した。
これまで外務・防衛担当閣僚による安全保障協議委員会（２プラス２）の共同声明には「辺野古唯一」の文言が明記されていたが、首脳会談での共同声明にこの文言が明記されるのは初めて。
首相は会談後の共同記者会見で、沖縄の米軍基地問題について「普天間飛行場の全面返還を実現すべく唯一の解決策である辺野古移設に向け、引き続き日米で協力して取り組んでいく」と強調。同時に抑止力の維持と負担軽減を進めるために、在日米軍の再編に取り組むことを表明した。
一方、トランプ氏は「日米同盟はアジア太平洋地域の平和と安定の礎石だ」と強調し、日本の米軍駐留受け入れについて「感謝する」と述べるにとどめ、沖縄に関する言及はなかった。
首相は会談で沖縄の基地負担軽減に向け、嘉手納より南の米軍施設の返還やグアム移転など計画を加速するよう要請したとみられる。ただし、共同声明には沖縄の負担軽減についての直接的な文言は明記されなかった。
「普天間の停止、今回も求めず 日米首脳、「辺野古唯一」を声明に明記」
2017年2月12日琉球新報
The
maritime area of U.S. Marine Corp Camp Schwab, where the governments of
Japan and the United States plan to relocate the Futema airfield.
(Photograph taken on February 5.)
Heads of Japan, U.S. assert “Henoko is the only solution”, with no mention of pledge to close Futenma
February 12, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
Sakae Toiyama reporting from Washington D.C.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump held their first summit meeting at the White House on the afternoon of February 10 (the dawn of February 11 Japan Time).
The heads of the two states agreed to promote the plan to build a new base at Henoko, Nago, as “the only solution” for returning the U.S. Futenma airfield.
The two leaders included this issue in the joint statement.
President Trump for the first time officially confirmed he would support the Japanese government in promoting the construction of new base in Henoko.
The prime minister did not seek assurances from the U.S. side that the Futenma base would be deactivated within five years despite the Japanese government’s promise to achieve this by February 2019.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen the bilateral alliance, and they confirmed they would apply Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. security treaty, which states that the United States will defend Japan, to the Senkaku Islands dispute.
The statement stressed the strengthening of cooperation in the security and economic fields.
“It is the only solution that avoids the continued use of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma,” the statement reads regarding the construction of the new U.S. base in Henoko.
The phrase “Henoko is the only solution” was included in the joint statement issued by the security consultative committee, the so-called “2+2” meeting between defense and foreign ministers. It is the first time this phrase has been included in a statement from the summit meeting.
The prime minister stressed at the joint press conference that the two governments would work together to advance the Henoko relocation, which he claimed was the only solution to achieve the whole return of the Futenma airfield.
He stated that he would grapple with the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan to preserve deterrence and reduce the burden on Okinawa at the same time.
Meanwhile, Trump told reporters at the joint press conference, “The U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Pacific region,” and he thanked the prime minister for hosting U.S. military bases. However, he did not refer to Okinawa.
It is speculated that the prime minister requested the U.S. to speed up the plan, which includes transferring a portion of the U.S. Marines to Guam from Okinawa and returning the U.S. facilities located south of Kadena Air Base, in order to reduce the burden on people in Okinawa. However, the joint statement did not refer to the reduction of the burden.
(English translation by T&CT)
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