By Jeff Marchesseault

GUAM - On Saturday Japan's prime minister appeared to harbor doubts and confusion about how to resolve a contentious issue: moving the disruptive operations of an American air base from a crowded city in Okinawa.

(Guam News Factor concluded this from a Tokyo press conference transcript at the White House website.)

But he may find wise counsel in an observation made by his visiting American counterpart. And he may soon discover that Guam will play a pivotal role in the resolution to his problem.

The pending $15 billion military buildup on Guam and the transfer of 8,000 U.S. Marines and their 9,000 dependents to this U.S. island both hinge on the successful implementation of a bilateral agreement to reduce American troops in Okinawa while relocating and upgrading air base operations in a remote, coastal part of Okinawa.

Juggling Conflicting Concerns

Japan premier Yukio Hatoyama has been pressured in recent personal visits to Tokyo by members Obama's cabinet, contradicted by his own cabinet, and buffeted by politicians and protesters calling for the ouster of American forces.

In a joint press conference with President Obama in Tokyo today while Obama was in the capital for high-level talks, Hatoyama, not surprisingly, sounded flustered.

"During the election campaign, especially to the Okinawans, I've stated that we would consider relocation outside of Okinawa and outside of the country," Hatoyama said. "It is a fact that we did campaign on this issue, and the Okinawans do have high expectations."

"It will be a very difficult issue for sure, but as time goes by, I think it will become even more difficult to resolve the issue. Especially the residents in the Futenma district will find it even more difficult to resolve the issue as time goes by."

The Reason For The Okinawa-Guam Transfer Is The Key To Resolution

But when given his turn to address the issue, President Obama reminded reporters of the socially relevant reasons behind the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

"Our goal remains the same, and that's to provide for the defense of Japan with minimal intrusion on the lives of the people who share this space," Obama said.

Therein may lie the answer to Hatoyama's question: How does he balance the concerns of those who elected him on the premise that he would remove Futenma's operations from Okinawa without jeopardizing the strength of the U.S.-Japan security alliance?

Getting Back To Basics...And Remembering The Art Of Give-And-Take

Inasmuch as the inhabitants of Futenma and nearby Ginowan City are chiefly concerned with the intrusiveness of having active foreign defense operations impinging on their neighborhoods, perhaps a compromise is in order. One that best represents the mutual security and commercial interests of Japan and the U.S. throughout the Pacific while cutting back on the disruptions to daily civilian life -- the noise, pollution, social tension, and traffic congestion associated with bustling base activity in civilian municipalities.

Perhaps the U.S. Territory of Guam can be of assistance. Not only does more than two-thirds of Guam's population support a military buildup, but the island is notoriously patriotic; generous in its rates of enlistment into active-duty, reserve and guard positions; steeped in U.S. traditions; and thoroughly committed to America's democratic, republican form of government.

The point is this. Guam is ready, willing and able to work out the details to the buildup, to start building, and to begin receiving Okinawa-based Marines -- incrementally and in due course -- and to play its rightful role in fulfillment of America's realignment agreement with Japan. As Futenma phases down and its operations are relocated away from Ginowan to peninsular Nago, Guam can and should be Okinawans' pressure-release valve.

This has always been America's and Japan's intention from the start, and Hatoyama should not forget that a great deal of time-consuming research and compromise are the factors that led to the bilateral accord of 2006. For the Prime Minister or his supporters to think that they can propose a timely alternative in the six or eight months before bulldozers begin moving earth is a notion out of touch with reality. Perhaps it is best that his administration spend what time they have left trying to figure out how to peacefully and constructively break the news to voters that no alternative merits consideration, while selling the enhanced regional security and domestic peace the agreed-to realignment will mean.

By and large, Guam wants to make the sacrifice and to make way for Marines. Yes, it's going to be a long, dusty, noisy, sweaty road to the finish. But Guam is hungry for the economic growth, job opportunities, and upward mobility that will come with the activity and the population boom.

But even so, Japan and its Okinawa prefecture must also be willing to make sacrifices during the 2010-14 realignment. That's the price of freedom and the price of American security. And now that Hatoyama's once-outspoken, out-of-power Democratic Party has suddenly found itself leading a nation unwinding five and a half decades of conservative Liberal Democratic Party rule, the realities of diplomacy, compromise and pragmatism are staring the prime minister straight in the face and demanding timely answers to a pressing problem.

Does he honor the troop-transfer accord he inherited from the previous government and dismiss campaign rhetoric that may have helped get him into power, or does he upset a best-laid plan that took 15 years to research and negotiate in a manner that imperfectly but optimally balances the quality-of-life concerns of Okinawans with the security of Asia?

To America and Guam, the answer is obvious. And we should all hope that Hatoyama will reach the same conclusion in time to avoid any delay in a buildup that is due to get started this summer.

Here is a Voice of America news story covering President Obama's speech in Tokyo and underscoring America's commitment to bolstering its involvement in Pacific Asia:

Obama Calls For New Era In Trans-Pacific Relations

By Paula Wolfson, Voice Of America

Tokyo - 14 November 2009 - U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for a new era in trans-Pacific relations. In a speech in Tokyo, the president said America is determined to partner with Asia to meet the global challenges of today.

President Obama says America is and always has been a Pacific nation. "The United States of America may have started as a series of ports and cities along the Atlantic ocean, but for generations we also have been a nation of the Pacific. Asia and the United States are not separated by this great ocean; we are bound by it," he said.

Looking out at the crowd in a packed auditorium in Tokyo, Mr. Obama addressed the people of East Asia as extended family. He spoke of his childhood in Indonesia, and said he knows first hand the dynamism of the region. "There must be no doubt: as America's first Pacific President, I promise you that this Pacific nation will strengthen and sustain our leadership in this vitally important part of the world," he said.

He said America's commitment to the region begins with Japan, but does not end there. He said it is important to strengthen old alliances and build new partnerships, including with China. "I know there are many who question how the United States perceives China's emergence. But as I have said - in an inter-connected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game, and nations need not fear the success of another. Cultivating spheres of cooperation - not competing spheres of influence - will lead to progress in the Asia Pacific," he said.

President Obama made clear he is seeking a delicate balance in relations with China - seeking cooperation on key global and regional issues, while keeping the human rights agenda very much alive. "The United States will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear - and that includes respect for the religion and cultures of all people. Because support for human rights and human dignity is ingrained in America. But we can move these discussions forward in a spirit of partnership rather than rancor," he said.

The president - who will arrive in China on Sunday - did not specifically refer to Tibet. But he did call for action by Burma's leaders to free political prisoners and launch a dialog with democracy advocates. And he vowed greater engagement on this and other members with ASEAN, the regional grouping of Southeast Asian nations.

Overall, cooperation across the Pacific was the dominant theme of the president's speech. He spoke of the possibility of progress in areas ranging from the global economy to climate change and the challenge posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions. "We will not be cowed by threats, and we will continue to send a clear message through our actions, and not just our words: North Korea's refusal to meet its international obligations will lead only to less security - not more," he said.

To cheers from his audience, the president reaffirmed America's commitment to the security of Japan and South Korea. And he said the United States seeks broader engagement throughout East Asia because closer ties and stronger cooperation across the Pacific will benefit all.

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