LOCAL IRE

    Residents of Okinawa have in recent weeks held a number of protests demanding that their prefecture carries less of the U.S. military burden, or that American troops leave the area all together.

    For local residents, the issue is emotive. In just the latest incident, a staff sergeant in the U.S. military is accused of being involved in a hit-and-run incident that led to the death of a 66-year-old man on Nov. 7. Okinawans are demanding that the U.S. hand the suspect over, but he remains on a U.S. base. On Sunday, some 1,500 people, including politicians, took to the streets to demand the soldier is handed over to Japan.

    Over the years, crimes by U.S. servicemen and servicewomen have received a large amount of coverage in local media. In one of the most notorious incidents of U.S. military crime to come to light, three U.S. servicemen kidnapped, beat and raped a 12-year-old girl, sparking an outcry in Okinawa, and perhaps damaging the reputation of the U.S. forces in the region permanently.

　　MIXED MESSAGE

    The leader of the LDP Sadakazu Tanigaki has looked to capitalize on the confusion surrounding the SOFA agreement, calling into question the DPJ's ability to lead the nation. "One mistake could leave a scar on bilateral ties between Japan and the United States," he said in the Diet last month, adding "Japan's security policies will be hampered."

    There has also been criticism from within the coalition government on the DPJ's handling of the Futenma affair. While the DPJ has an absolute majority in Japan's lower house, it depends on the support of the People's New Party (PNP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to maintain a majority in the upper house.

    The SDP has been a vocal opponent of U.S. bases in Okinawa for many years, and party leader Mizuho Fukushima said earlier this month that if the SOFA agreement is kept in its current form, she would have to "seriously consider" taking drastic action, in a threat to leave the governing coalition.

    Within the DPJ, there have been contradictory statements given by cabinet members, often on the same day, leading to questions about Hatoyama's ability to lead the country. For his part, the prime minister has said that any final decision on the SOFA agreement "will be his and his alone."

    The DPJ has said that all options remain on the table, including maintaining the current SOFA agreement. The United States has asked Japan to reach a decision on the issue by Friday, so the issue is likely to come to a head this month.