US base in Okinawa should stay: Gates

US leaders expect Japan's new government to stick with already-forged agreements between the two nations, America's top defence official said Tuesday amid debate over whether to shutter a US military air field on Okinawa.
Pentagon chief Robert Gates did not specifically mention the controversy over the Futenma base, a major US Marines hub, during brief remarks with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.
But the defence secretary made clear that the Obama administration would frown on any action by Tokyo to block a new runway at another base on Okinawa when Futenma is closed.
"As your government exercises its new responsibilities, I want you to know the United States stands with you," Gates told Okada at the start of their half-hour meeting in Tokyo.