The US says it is planning to relocate several thousand marines off Okinawa, but has linked their departure to progress on the stalled baserelocation plan.
They helped doom Mr Hatoyama, when he stumbled into a fruitless row with America over the relocation of a marine base in the Japanese island of Okinawa.
US-Japan ties were strained somewhat under the previous Japanese Democratic Party (DPJ) administration amid a row over the relocation of a US military base in Okinawa.
The dispute over relocation of the Futemba air base on Okinawa must be quickly resolved through direct, personal representation by the Prime Minister to the people of Okinawa and compensatory legislation.