The mayor of the southern Japanese city Iwakuni on Thursday demanded Tokyo to withdraw a relocation plan which is to move the U.S. carrier-based warplanes to his city, according to Kyodo News.

"I have come to tell (the government) to seriously take to heart the plebiscite results as they reflect the residents' will," Kyodo News quoted Iwakuni Mayor Katsusuke Ihara as saying.

Among the near 50,000 residents who cast vote on Sunday in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi prefecture, an overwhelming 89 percent voted " no" to the plan which aims to relocate 57 carrier-based warplanes to the U.S. Marine Corps' base in the city, where over 3,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed.

Ihara met with Noriyuki Shikata, director of the Foreign Ministry's Status of U.S. Forces Agreement Division, who said the government will continue to try to persuade Iwakuni and other affected local communities to accept the plan, according to Kyodo.

The realignment plan includes moving 57 aircraft, including F/A- 18 fighters, and 1,600 troops from the U.S. Navy's Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo to Iwakuni.

The U.S. military realignment plans, preliminary approved by Tokyo and Washington in October 2005, face strong local opposition in related areas of Japan. Residents have long complained about crime, noise and crowding associated with the U.S. military presence.

Recently, people in Okinawa and those in Kanoya, southern prefecture of Kagoshima have protested against the plans which may affect their life.

Japan and the United States have been trying to finalize the overall realignment plans by the end of March.

Source: Xinhua