those stationed in okinawa japan may take part. they plan to conduct military exercises every other year. they did not specify when they would hold this year's drill. it's likely to be part of an annual joint exercise in march. it's a show of force to check military by north korea following kim's death. >>> japan's minister in charge of the abduction issue says he welcomes a north korean diplomats remark they intend to continue bilateral dialogue. abduction minister, the north korean diplomat in charge of normalizing ties with japan. >> translator: since coming to office, i have been saying in order to resolve the abduction issue, it's important not to rule out any possibilities. i also think it's necessary to hold ongoing dialogue with north korea. i believe that mr. song is sending a positive message to japan in response to my statements. >> matsubara said he will try to resume bilateral talks with north korea on the abduction issue. >>> an american auto maker is back at number one. >> not so surprising when considering the compa

marine corps futenma air station within okinawa prefecture. the futenma issue is expected to reach a critical juncture in the first half of this year because members of japan's central government are going to try to win the approval of local authorities in okinawa. >>> president obama also faces some serious challenges ahead of november's presidential election. the u.s. economy is struggling and unemployment remains high. the latest data shows unemployment at 8.6%. the housing market remains sluggish and has failed to stimulate the u.s. economy. the federal reserve bank is keeping interest rates exceptionally low in order to provide enough cash flow. no president has been re-elected with an unemployment rate above 8% since the 1940s. obama also needs to reduce the country's debt. he wants to increase tax revenue from high-income earners and cut spending on defense and health insurance. but he will need cooperation from the republican party, which also has its eye on the election. without cross-party support, the president will find it tough to

marine corps futenma air station within okinawa prefecture. the futenma issue is expected to reach a critical juncture in the first half of this year because members of japan's central government are going to try to win the approval of local authorities in okinawa. >>> president obama also faces some serious challenges ahead of november's presidential election. the u.s. economy is struggling and unemployment remains high. the latest data shows unemployment at 8.6%. the housing market remains sluggish and has failed to stimulate the u.s. economy. the federal reserve bank is keeping interest rates exceptionally low in order to provide enough cash flow. no president has been re-elected with an unemployment rate above 8% since the 1940s. obama also needs to reduce the country's debt. he wants to increase tax revenue from high-income earners and cut spending on defense and health insurance. but he will need cooperation from the republican party, which also has its eye on the election. without cross-party support, the president will find it tough to

marine corps futenma air station within okinawa prefecture. the futenma issue is expected to reach a critical juncture in the first part of the year because members of the japanese government are going to try to win the approval of local authorities in okinawa. >>> south korea's president, lee myung-bak, used his new year's address to promise to do all he can to maintain peace and stability on the korean peninsula. >> translator: the government's priority is to properly manage an uncertain situation, so the public can have peace of mind. >> he said he anticipates big changes on the korean peninsula and in northeast asia because of the death of kim jong-il. he said south korea is opening a window of opportunity for improving relations with the north, but he said the south will maintain tight national security as long as there's a possibility of military provocation. he said the two koreas have the main responsibility for maintaining peace and security on the korean peninsula and that he hopes neighboring countries will help them. >>> north kore

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two thousand five hundred marines in or stroke but again that doesn't match nearly what you have at okinawa what you have is you will go in guam and other places in the pacific right president obama though you know we heard in his speech recently that he doesn't want to shift more of the focus away from the middle east and to this region china now you know becoming more of an economic world player a political world player but you know. our strategy in the middle east that was a counterterrorism and it's very arguable now that that we're better off now than we were ten years ago so why i kind of pull away from that mission and now. focus more and this region well again the reason you pull out of that you're out of iraq you're on your way out of afghanistan and so basically that's how you can save money by cutting your ground troops the president decided not to cut the number of aircraft carrier so he's not increasing the you had up there yes they build new carriers every secures. i've been doing that you know basically since the end of world war two so there's nothing you know i understand w

. >> residents of okinawa have re-affirmed their opposition by recent moves of the japanese government to re-elect a u.s. military base on the island. a majority of assembly members voted for a resolution criticizing the government. it comes after the delivery of a controversial environmental assistant report last month on a site for the u.s. marine corp. air station. >> translator: the government delivered the report before dawn and at the end of the year. what it did was unprecedented. >> the government took the measure because protesters had blocked delivery of the report during the day. the resolution says such action reflects a subordinate attitude of the administration toward the united states. it also says the local people cannot accept the government neglecting their wishes. many want the base moved elsewhere in japan or overseas. the assembly will deliver the resolution to a regional wur bureau of the defense ministry. a nationwide manhunt for a convict who escaped from a prison in western japan on wednesday is over. police recap chaured a chinese national on friday. lee was f

members of japan's central government are trying to win the approval of local authorities in okinawa. >>> south korea's president, lee myung-bak, used his new year's address to promise to do all he can to maintain peace and stability on the korean peninsula. >> translator: the government's priority is to properly manage annal uncertain situation so the public can have peace of mind. >> he said he anticipates big changes on the korean peninsula and in northeast asia because of the death of kim jong-il. he said south korea is opening a window of opportunity for improving relations with the north but the south will maintain tight national security as long as there is a possibility of military provocation. he said the two koreas have the main responsibility for maintaining peace and security on the korean peninsula and that he hopes neighboring countries will help them. north korea's new leader, kim jong-un, inspected a tank force on sunday. he is now the supreme commander of the military, a position held by his late father. the country's state media said that the inspection was conducted

. >> residents of okinawa have re-affirmed their opposition by the japanese government to advance a plan to relocate the military base on the island. a majority of assembly members voted for a resolution criticizing the government. it comes after the delivery of a controversial environmental assistant report on a candidate site for the u.s. marine corp. air station. >> translator: the government delivered the report before dawn and at the end of the year. what it did was unprecedented. >> the government took the measure because protesters had blocked delivery of the report during the day. they say it reflects a subordinant attitude of the administration towards the united states. it also says the local people cannot accept the government neglecting their wishes. many want the base moved overseas. a nationwide manhunt for a convict who escaped from a prison in western japan on wednesday is over. police recaptured the chinese national on friday. he was found on a street near an elementary school in the afternoon only two kilometers from the prison. police say he was carrying a knife. the 4

coast guard says the four japanese, including two members of the municipal assembly from the city in okinawa left on a fishing boat on sunday. they landed on the island on tuesday. the coast guard says the four people approached the islands on a raft saying they were going to fish. then they landed despite warnings by japan's coast guard. the group left the island about two hours later after strolling along the shore. one of the two municipal assembly members visited the senkaku in december of 2010. a spokesperson said in a statement that the chinese government has already protested strongly to japan. he said the country plans to protect its territory. >>> japanese archers are hoping to improve their skills have practiced their first shots at the new year. more than 80 students gathered on tuesday for the event at an event. the practice session was held on january 3rd every year. t they wore traditional japanese clothing, but some were dressed in colorful festive kimono for ontrolled their breathing before shooting arrows at the 36-centimeter diameter targets from a distance of about 30 mete

>> reporter: on may 3, 1945, clark was a young sailor fighting in the world war ii battle of okinawa. his ship the uss aaron ward was attacked by kamikaze planes nearly sinking it. clark picked up a fire hose normally operated by four people and protected the ammunition locker, saving the ship. and then despite having a broken shoulder, he carried six of his shipmates to safety. but the navy refused to acknowledge any of this because clark was black. >> racism robbed carl of recognition after white officers even complained about attending his purple heart ceremony, carl just moved on. >> my name is carl clark. >> reporter: 66 years later clark's story was unveiled when he participated in a veterans remembrance documentary produced by foothill college. the injustice was finally acknowledged and today, navy secretary ray mavis presented clark with a commendation medal for valor. >> simply put, carl clark was and is a hero. [ applause ] >> i want to share this honor and this medal with all of those men that were playing their part and got very little recognition for what they did. [ appl

brief okinawa's from world news this friday the french president nicolas sarkozy has announced his countryis suspending all training operations for afghan troops and also warned of a possible early pull out of the french contingent the move was in reaction to an attack on nato troops in the eastern afghan province of capias copy should say during which four french soldiers were killed because of this and blames a rogue afghan army soldier for the shooting the incident brings the total number of french troops killed in the afghanistan campaign to eighty two. million students have taken to the streets of the country's capital spend jago demanding the government provides more funding for public education mass protesters joined the group and clashed with security officers police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the one thousand strong crowd students have been regularly demonstrating over cuts to education funding since last april. where a huge debate show cross talk is coming your way as we put the points of the controversial stop online piracy act to the test first though the lates

. >> reporter: they did so may 3rd, 1949, near okinawa. battle station was damage control, fighting fires on deck and helping the wounded. >> i was the only survivor of an eight-man damage control team. i stared at the pilot, as he guided his plane right into our ship. >> reporter: single-handedly, he kept the fires from reaching the big guns, saving the ship from exploding. >> we lost over 40 men that day. >> reporter: but while his white comrades received medals for bravery, clark did not, even though the ship's captain strongly felt he deserved it. the navy finally set that right. the secretary of the navy pinned the medal himself. a country's debt, finally repaid. they made a big deal of it. >> all these people. and the applause and all that. and almost overwhelming. >> reporter: david wright, abc news, moffett field, california. >> and we honor him, too. >>> we thank you for watching. we always have the latest news at abcnews.com. of course, "nightline" here later tonight. and we'll see you right back here, once again, tomorrow. good

give up they like a lot of real estate they they like in japan and asia for instance in japan in okinawa this imputed full really gorgeous bases they have the japanese actually pay for bases there we're not spending that money per se on. our military capacity there but we have a we have a big sprawl in a way it's kind of like general motors where you've got a lot of capacity you're well branded but when you add it all up it's not delivering the kind of security i think we deserve so i do think that it's an important discussion with the present put on the table i still think it cost too much one of the things that they're saying that we've heard so much from secretary defense is that this is in order to prepare ourselves to counter new emerging threats in asia pacific region and i think really that new order we just have our eyes turn to the entire time it's i know but how many aircraft carriers do we need if they only have one well china is growing china is changing the way global economic gravity is working i lived in beijing for a few months last year and if you know i lived a mile fro

and the locations he was based but nowhere does it mention the actions he took during the battle of okinawa45, when planes attacked clark fought to keep the ship from sinking, while his shape mates died around him. >> in the segregated navy, nobody acknowledged his contributions that fateful night. he has said for decades he knew it was because he was black. and today that was admitted that it was true. >> but the country he helped defend did not honor his wartime actions, and today we correct that. and that amount of time does not diminish what you did. >> reporter: he was presented with the navy and marine corps medal of valor 66 years later. >> i am overwhelmed. i am stumbling around here trying to say something because i am so overwhelmed. but i want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. >> it would be an honor if i could take a photo with you. >> members of the navy marvelled at what he was able to do despite being restricted to working in the mess hall. >> the way i have it today, it's because of him. >> clark knew he played a big role in saving the ship, and to him, that's

doing this as quickly as possible thereby reversing-- reducing the burden of okinawa.s is the basic stance. doing the environmental assessment was submitted by the ministry of defense will take appropriate action going into the future. next and last question. >> my name is yamaguchi. the democratic party of japan wants to reduce the number proportional representative seats in the house down at 80 i don't think the smaller parties will pass this you still intend to pass the law or is there an ability for compromise? >> translator: the initial report from the tax reform committee mentioned the number of 80 proportional seats but this is been changed simply to reducing the number of seats. we have our own views that we have formulated as to the various opposition parties. how do we work from there to reduce the number of seats? this will be a big challenge right to the end but it is something we must do. we'll pay attention to the views of each respective party and also make clear our own view. i hope with each side sharing their opinion in a constructive manner, we could

>>reporter: they did so may 3rd, 1945 near okinawa on board the uss aaron war.mage control. fighting fire on deck and helping the wounded. >> i stared at the pilot. i guided his plane right that our ship. >>reporter: single handedly he kept the fires from raving the big gun saving the ship from exploding. >> we lost over 40 men that day. >>reporter: but while his white comrade received medal for bravery clark did not. even though the ship captain strongly felt he desevened it. the navy finally set that righ right. secretary of the navy pinned the medal himself. country debt financially repai repaid. >> made a big deal out of it. >> all the people. all this applause and all that. really overwhelmed me. >>reporter: david wright abc news moffitt field, california. >>> congratulations. >>> when abc 7 news at 9 continues tonight. cruise ship that capsized off the coast of italy last we can and the scol scolding the captain got as he was preparing to and ship. from the g.o.p. campaign trai trail. romney depress to release tax return and reveal what his personal fortun

during the battle of okinawa in may 1945, carl clark singlehandedly fought a fire ignited by kamikaze attacks carried six men to safety, with a broken shoulder. clark' firefighting efforts are credited with keeping the uss aaron ward from exploding. today the 95-year-old from menlo park received a medal for valor from the secretary of the navy. >> i want to share this honor and this medal with all of those men that were doing their part and got very little showingtion for what they -- and got very little recognition for what they did. >> naval policies kept him from being recognized for 66 years. >>> we're kind of bracing for maybe some bad news but then miracle... >> lost in a blizzard for two days. why a stranded snowshoer burned money to stay alive. >>> like cancer, something we need to find out more about. >> and alzheimer's treatment that works by 2025? the government's bold new strategy. government is moving forward on an ambitious new plan to treat >>> millions of families are struggling with alzheimer's disease and today the government is moving forward on an ambitious plan to

. >> reporter: they did so may 3rd, 1945, near okinawa on board the "uss aaron ward." and helping the wounded. >> i was the only survivor of an eight-man damage control team. i stared at the pilot as he guided his plane right into our ship. >> reporter: single-handedly, he kept the fires from reaching the big guns, saving the ship from exploding. >> we lost over 40 men that day. >> reporter: but while his white comrades received medals for bravery, clark did not. even though the ship's captain strongly felt he deserved it. the navy finally set that right. the secretary of the navy pinned the medal himself. a country's debt finally repaid. >> they made a big deal out of it. >> all these people. and all this applause and all that. feels almost overwhelming. >> reporter: david wright, abc news, moffat field, california. >> wow. heroes come in all colors. that's the bottom line. he said he didn't think he'd live to see this day. he said, "it was a different country then.wowowowowowowowowoo now," ordeorning on "world news >>> this morning on "world news now," orders refused

given our fiscal condition in this country, do we today have 85,000 troops in germany and 25,000 in okinawa we afraid finland is going to attack europe? why do we have that many troops? why are we spending that money? >> well, i won't defend the numbers of troops that are in places like germany, for example, but i do believe that we should maintain those bases and those bases of operations and the numbers, that's a question i can negotiate with you all and have that discussion but when we sit around the world and if we sit there in okinawa that means we project power across the pacific, that china is less aggressive when we can project power to the middle east iran is less aggressive. >> what do you think the odds are that the next war will be a land war? >> i don't know. i hadn't thought about that question. >> yeah. >> but a whole lot of the last ones have been and desert storm comes to mind but if we could project power by the air force is what you're suggesting maybe we don't need the troops. we can get troops in and deployed quickly. i think we need to have perhaps more overall standin

we occupied okinawa. he wanted us out of there for years. >> frank in burlington, massachusetts. in the concord monitor, paul, president must protect freedom. candidate returns with focused pitch. ron paul known and adored by his supporters for his rambling speeches panned roaming tangents back in new hampshire for the republican presidential candidate. he brought a focus on crowd-pleasing lines. at a town hall meeting in durham, paul had the small government noninterventionist platform and hammered home policy points. the job of the president is to protect your freedom. he told a crowd of 400 in durham. he said it isn't to run the world, your life, and it isn't to run the economy. steve on the line for independents in temple, massachusetts. go ahead, steve. caller: yeah. i just wanted to say the companies that are sent overseas and sending products back in, they should be equaling out the unemployment aspects on wages that we pay and they don't have to pay. and might want to consider that to the fact that everyone is talking about jobs, jobs, jobs. and, you know, all of these jo

there are clearly challenges that we face above end okinawa. we have some budget issues on the u.s. side, but i think the u.s. and japanese governments are determined to make a push in 2012 to work closely together and that is what we will do. i will be his opinion about a week and a half of my friend and counterpart. we will be having a discussion with our interlocutors then about the way forward given some of the challenges that we have for congress, some of our ultimate goal is to make sure that our forward deployment in asia remains strong continuing and robust. >> one more on japan before we finish with china and open for questions. just pan has decided to join the trans-pacific partnership. last call, on paper it would appear to be a major opening up if they really do it after 23 years of sluggish economy. is japan, in your view, going to make a significant change in its market access and other reforms that could change the economy? >> look, i would say that the -- sort of the details of the interactions of what exactly japan's position is and our response the other partners,

actually, i have some doubts about the current okinawa plan, but we can talk that some other day, but in broad terms it's certainly correct that we should not be cutting our overall capabilities in the western pacific. but at the same time, you can't push that argument too far. because whether you want to get out of the middle east or not, it drags you back. it always does. and there are times when we get involved in wars of choice, but for the most part the world still has a dependence i on the middle east in terms of oil and gas, in terms of stopping nuclear non-proliferation. and that's why in my argument in the wounded giant book and what i tried to underscore today, i think we have to view the persian gulf as well as the broader middle east and the western pacific as equally important theaters of future military focus. there are a lot of ways we could talk about the specifics of where the crisis with iran may go in the next few months. i'll leave that to other speakers and other sessions of the symposium realizing we don't have much time right now, but i think as a matter of defe

the idea that we invest more in bahrain or japan, we have more forces in okinawa -- you think about the scale of immediacy. in 1963, it was said we are neglecting this hemisphere. and here i am to tell you, almost 50 years later, we continue to neglect this hemisphere, and it is dangers. it is foolish. we should have fundamentally different policies. our commitment to every person in america -- we want you to have the opportunity to live under the rule of law and have private property, pursue happiness, develop prosperity, and we want america to be your closest friend and your closest ally and giving you a chance for your family to pursue a better future. i think that message, and a human level, would be received by people across all of latin america who can help us truly break up. i was deeply influenced in the 1980's on the work of economics in countries and how we break through. i would like us to have the kind of program that gives hope to everybody. there are some specific governmental projects. hugo chavez has openly and publicly said he is our enemy peter i am prepared to accept