MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP S. D. BUTLER, OKINAWA, Japan - Japan Minister of Defense Naoki Tanaka toured and made courtesy calls to Marine Corps camps Schwab, Lester, Foster and Kinser, and to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa Feb. 18.

The purpose of the visit was to observe the current situation of the facilities through briefings and tours of the camps and to meet with the Okinawa area coordinator, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific and the commanding officer of MCAS Futenma.

Tanaka was greeted at Camp Schwab by Col. Stephen M. Neary, Camp Schwab camp commander and commanding officer of 4th Marine Regiment, and Sgt. Maj. Fletcher G. Pearson, 4th Marines sergeant major, and then received a brief about the proposed Futenma Replacement Facility by the Okinawa Defense Bureau.

Tanaka made a courtesy call to Lt. Gen. Kenneth J. Glueck Jr., Okinawa area coordinator and commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Maj. Gen. Peter J. Talleri, commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, at Building 1, Camp Foster. Following the meeting, Lt. Col. Ian S. Wallace, MCAS Futenma executive officer, presented a MCAS Futenma command brief to Tanaka.

At MCAS Futenma, Wallace and Col. James G. Flynn, MCAS Futenma commanding officer, briefed Tanaka about air operations in the Air Traffic Control Tower.

Tanaka was greeted at Camp Kinser by Col. John E. Kasperski, Camp Kinser camp commander, and Paul E. Newman, deputy camp commander, and then received a brief about the west coast development projects by the Okinawa Defense Bureau.