US-Japan disagree over Okinawa base

US President Barack Obama's Asian trip begins in Tokyo this Friday. It's the first time for the US President to visit Japan since the new Japanese government took office. But the row over the relocation of the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Base in Okinawa has threatened to sour ties between Japan's new government and the country's key security ally.

Some 47-thousand American troops are based in Japan and more than half of them in Okinawa. People living near the base have been complaining of noise, crime, pollution and accidents.

Japan and the US agreed in 2006 to relocate the Futenma base from an urban area to another part of the island. But Japan's August election has rekindled opposition. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama suggested it could be re-located outside the island.

But the Obama administration bluntly rejected the suggestion, and insists that Japan stick to the pact until 2014.

Observers say Japan is seeking to shift the dynamics of the long-standing alliance. Tokyo wants to create a more equal relationship, going against the domination of ties by the US since the end of World War II.

At the same time, analysts say the country also hopes to maintain good relations with Washington.

Obama's Japan visit will come amid prickly relations with its major ally. He is due to have talks with Hatoyama on Friday.