Japan and the United States have
decided to cancel a joint security drill to recapture a remote island in Okinawa
Prefecture, according to sources.
Tokyo and Washington were
considering holding the drill on the uninhabited island of Irisuna as part of
joint military exercise slated for November.
Sources said that the drill could
lead to a backlash from Beijing, which has reacted harshly to Japan's
nationalization of the Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China and
Taiwan.
According to the Japan Times, a
government source said that the decision to skip the Irisuna recapturing drill
'reflects the opinion of the prime minister's
office'.
Another reason was opposition
from residents on Okinawa Island, about 60 km away, where sentiment against U.S.
bases has flared up following allegations that a Japanese woman was raped by
U.S. sailors on Tuesday, the report said. ANI
America sent a nuclear-powered
aircraft carrier on a cruise through the South China Sea on Saturday, projecting
its power in waters that are fast becoming a focal point of its strategic
rivalry with Beijing. The USS George Washington’s
mission could raise hackles in China, which is locked in disputes with Vietnam,
the Philippines and other governments over ownership of islands in the
region. The United States is building
closer economic and military alliances with Vietnam and other nations in the
region as part of a ‘‘pivot’’ away from the Middle East to
Asia. China is also locked in an
unexpectedly fierce dispute with American ally Japan over the ownership of
islands in the nearby East China Sea. On Friday, Beijing staged military
exercises near the islands to demonstrate its ability to enforce its
claims. China claims nearly all of the
South China Sea, where the U.S. says it has a national interest in ensuring
freedom of navigation in an area crossed by vital shipping lanes. Vietnam, the
Philippines and several other Asian nations also claim parts of the
sea. The U.S. Navy regularly patrols
the Asia-Pacific region, and the trip by the George Washington off the coast of
Vietnam is its second in two years. Boston.com
AHT/ARA
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