Okinawa’s Governor Urges Cut in U.S. Forces

In a meeting at his offices, Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine pleaded with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to remove some of the 28,000 U.S. forces stationed on the Japanese island and ease the environmental impact of military facilities.

Inamine told Rumsfeld that Okinawans bear too much of Japan’s burden as hosts and that the U.S. military presence has become an economic and social impediment.

Rumsfeld said he was not ready to make a decision on Okinawa because the Pentagon is studying its entire global network of bases, of which Okinawa is an important element.