TOKYO, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- The United States would be asked to include an environmental clause in the military agreement with Japan if the DPJ comes to power, party members said.
The DPJ, or the Democratic Party of Japan, is favored to defeat the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Taro Aso in the general elections set for Sunday.
If DPJ wins, party members said it would propose a revision in the Status of Forces Agreement to include a clause on environmental pollution or destruction on U.S. military bases in Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported.
Such a clause would allow Japanese agencies to conduct on-site inspection of pollution and make the United States responsible for any remedial measures, the report said.
Party members said the military agreement between the United States and South Korea already has such a clause.
A Japan-U.S. bilateral summit is set for Sept. 23 in New York, the report said.
Kyodo quoted a Japanese Foreign Ministry official as saying the United States may go along with such a request because of President Barack Obama's environmental policy.
