TOKYO—Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said he will accept a longstanding U.S. proposal for positioning American troops in Japan, removing a major source of friction between the two allies, but raising the prospect of new domestic political troubles for the fragile ruling coalition.
Mr. Hatoyama’s agreement to keep a large Marine presence on Okinawa breaks one of the most prominent promises of his administration: to reduce significantly the American military footprint on the southern island. His eight-month-old government has tried in vain to persuade the U.S. to accept alternative locations, or to persuade local communities in other parts of Japan to host more U.S. troops.
Full story: Japan Accepts Base in Okinawa – WSJ.com