Japan opposition calls for U.S. troop cuts

KASHIBA, Japan, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The number of U.S. troops in Japan should be cut with Tokyo assuming more responsibility for its own defense, an opposition leader says.

Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, said Tuesday that stationing U.S. soldiers in Japan doesn't make much sense given the geopolitical realities of the day, the Kyodo news agency reported.

"I think putting Japan-based troops on the front line does not have much significance in times like these and the 7th Fleet would be enough for the U.S. presence in the Far East from a strategic viewpoint," Ozawa told reporters in Kashiba, Japan.

Ozawa said that if U.S. forces were trimmed in the future, an agreement could be reached for Japan to assume a greater role for its own security.

"The Americans' role should become smaller if Japan has a decent strategy for dealing with global issues and shares greater burdens at least on matters associated with our country," said Ozawa, whom Kyodo said is widely expected to become Japanese prime minister if his party ousts the ruling Liberal Democratic Party from power in the next general election.