US and Japan strive to meet deadline for Okinawa airbase decision

[buglerbilly]

Hillary Clinton reassures Tokyo in feud over relocation of Okinawa marine base

Justin McCurry in Tokyo guardian.co.uk,

Friday 21 May 2010 15.20 BST Article history


Futenma airbase on Okinawa has been the US military HQ in Japan since 1945. Now a new home is to be found. Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images

The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, today reassured Japan that a simmering feud over the future of a US marine base would not affect the countries' "rock solid" 50-year-old alliance at a time of heightened tensions in north-east Asia.

Washington and Tokyo have yet to reach agreement on the planned relocation of Futenma, a sprawling airbase located in a heavily populated city on Okinawa, an island 1,000 miles south of the capital which hosts more than half the 47,000 US troops based in Japan.

"We both seek an arrangement that is operationally viable and politically sustainable," Clinton told reporters in Tokyo at the start of a three-nation tour of Asia. "The goal of our governments remains unchanged: we want to maintain the security of Japan and the stability of the region."

Yukio Hatoyama, Japan's prime minister, who has given himself until the end of the month to devise a solution, angered the Obama White House by suggesting he would ditch an earlier agreement to build a replacement for the base off the island's remote north coast.

The same deal would see 8,000 US marines and their families move to the US Pacific territory of Guam by 2014.

Hatoyama had hoped to move the base off the island altogether, but has been unable to reach agreement with potential host communities in other parts of Japan.

Clinton said the two countries would continue to seek agreement by the 31 May deadline. "We have committed to redoubling our efforts to meet the deadline that has been announced by the Japanese government," she said after meeting Japan's foreign minister, Katsuya Okada.

Bilateral talks over the future of Futenma, home to 2,000 marines, were sparked by public outrage following the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen in 1995.

While many Okinawans oppose the military presence, Washington insists that the island is ideally located should the US need to intervene in conflicts on the Korean peninsula or between China and Taiwan.

Japan has been diplomatically wrongfooted by the sinking in March of the Cheonan, a South Korean navy ship, in which 46 sailors died, and evidence that a North Korean torpedo was to blame.

Mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula have lent weight to the US-Japan security alliance and made it more likely that Hatoyama will bow to the White House's wishes over Futenma.

Okada appeared to concede as much: "I want to explain frankly to the Japanese people that the presence of US troops in Japan is indispensable to Japan's security and to the peace and stability of the region in the current security environment."

Referring to the Cheonan sinking, he added: "We need to be aware this could happen to us. There is no guarantee it won't happen to Japan."

Hatoyama, meanwhile, has seen support for his administration plummet amid mounting criticism of his handling of the Futenma relocation.

Having vowed during last summer's general election to move the base off Okinawa, he recently angered local people when he conceded it would be impossible to fulfil his promise.

Media reports this week suggested that Hatoyama was preparing to accept a tweaked version of the 2006 plan, which would require building a new offshore runway, a move opposed by locals and environmentalists.

Some analysts believe his Democratic party could lose the support of a leftwing coalition partner over the issue and risk losing control of the upper house before elections for the chamber in July.

Even if he survives until then, a very poor performance at the polls could force Hatoyama's resignation, less than a year after his party swept into power after a landslide defeat of the once-dominant Liberal Democratic party.

[robsled]

I read somewhere awhile ago online they were going to keep Camp Hansen and Camp Schwab but move the rest to Guam.

[buglerbilly]

Okinawa Decision Has Missile Defense Element

May 25, 2010



By David A. Fulghum

By backpedaling on a campaign promise to move a U.S. Marine Corps airbase from Okinawa, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama may have nonetheless secured additional airborne cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile defenses for Japan.

China is seen as the cruise missile threat since it has developed a new, faster, long-range weapon that can be launched from its Su-27MKK strike fighter fleet. North Korea has the greater fear factor, however, because of its suspected nuclear ballistic missile capability and its government’s erratic behavior and apparent aggressions, such as the alleged sinking of a South Korea warship.

Okinawa is already home to the first wing of U.S. Air Force Boeing F-15Cs carrying an older model of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The Raytheon-designed radar essentially increases the aircraft’s radar range from about 50 miles to around 150 miles (horizontal or vertical) and it allows the fighters to detect small and stealthy targets in time to intercept cruise missiles with specially designed AIM-120C-6 and AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (Amraam) weapons.

U.S. defense officials tell AVIATION WEEK that more AESA-equipped fighters will be stationed in Okinawa to further beef up the anti-missile forces already there. The initial Okinawa-based F-15 unit worked out tactics for cruise missile defense while stationed in Alaska. Two years ago the unit made the shift to Japan’s southernmost airbase, which has responsibility for an area of operations that extends to within about 20 miles of China.

The newest twist is that the U.S. Air National Guard and Raytheon are talking about demonstration of an air-launched, hit-to-kill missile called the network-centric airborne defense element (NCADE) for a ballistic missile defense mission. It uses an Aim-120 Amraam missile body and extends the range far enough to support an anti-ballistic missile mission.

The Guard revealed in late April that it had started upgrades of its Golden Eagle F-15C fleet starting with the Florida ANG’s 125th Fighter Wing, followed by units in Massachusetts and Montana.

“We’re embracing an air-launched concept for theater ballistic missile defense as a deterrent and as a tactical capability to protect our forces in-theater and for homeland defense,” says Maj. Todd Giggy, the 125th’s chief of weapons and tactics.

USAF F-22s also carry AESA radars, as will both the Air Force’s active fleet of 220 F-15Es, with the APG-82(V)4 radar, and Air National Guard F-15s, with the APG-63(V)3 radar.

Leading officials have not mentioned specifics in public, but in explaining his reversal on keeping U.S. forces on Okinawa the Japanese prime minister said he now had a better appreciation of their role as a deterrent in the region.

Still, there was a public outcry from some Okinawa residents after the announcement that Japan would stick with the 2006 agreement it had reached with the U.S. over basing. That deal called for Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to be moved to the less-populated north side of Okinawa rather than off the island.

In a visit there, Prime Minister Hatoyama offered his apology “for causing much confusion” by first supporting opposition to the Okinawa rebasing and then accepting it after public furor was expressed. It was his second visit this month.

Credit: USAF

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Japan's Deep Game in Okinawa

Posted by David A. Fulghum at 5/25/2010 9:47 AM CDT

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is taking a beating from opponents of U.S. bases in Japan for reversing his decision on keeping a Marine Corps airbase on Okinawa. But his reward will be a substantially reinforced, air-launched, tactical ballistic and cruise missile defense for his island nation whose area of responsibility extends to within about 30 mi. of China’s coast.

Hatoyama hinted at the reason for his change of mind, by saying that he now has a better appreciation of the role of U.S. forces on Okinawa as a deterrent in the region. While critics have focused on the Marine Corps presence, the U.S. Air Force and intelligence agencies have been quietly assembling capabilities on the island that offer long-range surveillance, advanced weaponry and increasingly sophisticated defenses. The capability is impressive enough that Chinese military and commercial ships now conduct regular surveillance of military activity on and around Okinawa.

China is seen as the primary cruise missile threat since it has developed a new, faster, long-range weapon that can be launched from its Su-27MKK strike fighter fleet. North Korea has the greater fear factor, however, because of its suspected nuclear ballistic missile capability and its government’s erratic behavior, aggressive actions and the alleged sinking of a South Korea ship.

Okinawa is already home to the first wing of U.S. Air Force Boeing F-15Cs carrying an older model of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The Raytheon-designed radar essentially increases the aircraft’s radar range from about 50 mi. to around 150 mi. (horizontal or vertical) and it allows the fighters to detect small and stealthy targets in time to intercept cruise missiles with specially designed AIM-120C-6 and AIM-120D Amraam weapons. Other missile designs for ballistic missile defense are under development.

Currently envisioned ballistic missile defenses are focused on boost-phase interception using an F-22, F-15 or perhaps even a Remotely Piloted Aircraft. Moreover, defense officials say that the F-22 – equipped with an AESA radar and a missile with enough speed and range – could intercept tactical ballistic missile warheads in the terminal phase and could with further refinement conduct anti-satellite missions against low-flying space objects. Officially, neither military or industry officials will answer questions on anti-satellite plans or capabilities.

Defense officials say additional AESA-equipped fighter units will be stationed in Okinawa to substantially increase the anti-missile forces already stationed there. The initial Okinawa-based F-15 unit worked out tactics for cruise missile defense while stationed in Alaska. Two years ago the unit made the shift to Japan’s southernmost airbase which has responsibility for an area of operations that extends to within about 20 mi. of China. Japan also joined in the preparations by sending its F-4Js to mainland bases and replacing them with F-15Js.

The newest twist is that the U.S. Air National Guard and Raytheon are talking about the demonstration of an air-launched, hit-to-kill missile called the network-centric airborne defense element (NCADE) for a ballistic missile defense mission. It uses an Aim-120 AMRAAM missile body and extends the range far enough to support anti-ballistic missile operations.

The Air National Guard revealed in late April that it had started AESA radar upgrades of its Golden Eagle F-15C fleet starting with the Forida ANG’s 125th Fighter Wing. They will be followed by units in Massachusetts and Montana.

“We’re embracing an air-launched concept for theater ballistic missile defense as a deterrent and as a tactical capability to protect our forces in-theater and for homeland defense,” says Maj. Todd Giggy, the 125th’s chief of weapons and tactics.

F-22s also carry AESA radars as will both the USAF’s fleet of 220 F-15Es with the APG-82(V)4 radar and Air National Guard F-15s (with the APG-63(V)3 radar) Golden Eagles. AESAs also will be delivered to the Air Force’s Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev.)

[buglerbilly]

U.S., Japan Agree to Relocate Air Base on Okinawa


Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, fully surrounded by densly populated areas.

07:51 GMT, May 31, 2010 WASHINGTON | The United States and Japan agreed yesterday to relocate a controversial U.S. air base to a less densely populated area on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

The future of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma had been a subject of intense political debate in Japan that led to the possibility of the base being moved off the island entirely, despite a 2006 agreement to relocate it on Okinawa.

Talks between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the United States and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa for Japan addressed a range of security concerns and yielded substantial agreement, officials said.

For years, Okinawans have said they carry the majority of the burden of hosting American forces in Japan, and the agreement vows “to reduce the impact on local communities, including in Okinawa, thereby preserving a sustainable U.S. military presence in Japan,” according to a joint statement issued by the security and consultative committee.

“The [committee] members expressed their shared commitments to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and return the base to Japan as part of the alliance transformation and realignment process,” the statement said.

Other realignment initiatives -- including the relocation of about 8,000 Marines and 9,000 family members from Okinawa to Guam -- depend on completion of the Futenma replacement facility. The relocation to Guam will return of most of the U.S. facilities south of Kadena Air Base to Japan.

“Bearing this in mind, the two sides intend to verify and validate that this Futenma relocation plan appropriately considers factors such as safety, operational requirements, noise impact, environmental concerns and effects on the local community,” according to the statement.

The agreement confirms that the replacement facility will be at the Camp Schwab Henoko-saki area and adjacent waters. The ministers put an end-of-August deadline for completion of a study of the replacement facility’s location, configuration and construction method. Verification and validation will be completed by the time of the next security consultative conference, officials said.

The committee also looked at ways to mitigate the burden that Okinawans bear. The two sides committed to expand the relocation of U.S. forces training activities off the island. Japanese military facilities and areas in mainland Japan may also be used. “Both sides also committed to examine the relocation of training outside of Japan, such as to Guam,” the statement said.

The committee’s statement recognizes that the alliance remains indispensable not only to the defense of Japan, but also to the peace, security, and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region. The talks were conducted in the shadow of North Korea sinking a South Korean warship in March. The tensions in the region have increased, officials noted, and also reaffirmed the need for the Mutual Security and Cooperation Treaty between the United States and Japan.

In light of the uncertainty of the situation in Korea, the talks reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Japan’s security.

“Japan reconfirmed its commitment to playing a positive role in contributing to the peace and stability of the region,” the statement said. “Furthermore, the [committee] members recognized that a robust forward presence of U.S. military forces in Japan, including in Okinawa, provides the deterrence and capabilities necessary for the defense of Japan and for the maintenance of regional stability.”

The ministers also pledged a “Green Alliance” between the nations on bases, and said both nations would be good environmental stewards. The two sides intend to study opportunities to expand the shared use of facilities between U.S. and Japanese forces, which would contribute to closer bilateral operational coordination, improved interoperability and stronger relations with local communities, officials said.

The ministers also affirmed their intention “to intensify communication with communities in Okinawa on issues of concern related to the presence of U.S. forces.” The two sides committed to explore cooperation in such areas as information technology initiatives, cultural exchanges, education programs and research partnerships.

The ministers agreed to intensify their ongoing bilateral security dialogue. “This security dialogue will address traditional security threats, as well as focus on new areas for cooperation,” the statement said.

----
Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

[buglerbilly]

Pentagon expects Okinawa military base to stay even if Japanese prime minister quits

The US Pentagon said it expects a recent accord that keeps a controversial US military base on Okinawa to be honoured even if Japan's unpopular Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama resigns.

Published: 12:32AM BST 02 Jun 2010

Approval ratings for Mr Hatoyama, the centre-left leader who took power in a landslide election last August, have plunged to below 20 per cent after he approved an agreement to keep the Futenma airbase on Okinawa despite his election promise to move it off the island.

Japanese media, said the premier and Ichiro Ozawa, the ruling party's powerful chief election strategist, would discuss whether Mr Hatoyama should resign ahead of an election for the upper house of parliament slated for July 11.

"This is an agreement between governments, not between politicians," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

"We expect agreements to be respected ... that whoever is in power will respect the agreements that have been forged by previous administrations," he added.

The base accord calls for shifting Futenma from a densely populated section of Okinawa to the more remote Camp Schwab, and not off the southern island as envisaged by the base's critics.

A senior US defence official meanwhile said construction had begun at Camp Schwab with the aim of completing the relocation and building one or more new runways at the site by 2014.

As part of the deal, Tokyo and Washington confirmed that 8,000 Marines would be moved to the US territory of Guam as previously agreed.

The official, while stressing the US need to "lighten the footprint" of its military presence on Okinawa, acknowledged there was an uphill battle in convincing the island's residents to support relocation rather than moving the base entirely off the island.

"It is clear to us as it has been from the outset ... that there is a lot of work that we have to do, that the government of Japan has to do, to sell this agreement, sell this understanding, sell this runway construction project and to address the legitimate concerns that the people of Okinawa have," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

An Asahi Shimbun poll released Monday showed 57 per cent of Japanese voters disapproved of the government's decision to keep the base on Okinawa, with 27 per cent supporting it.

Okinawa has had a heavy US military presence since World War II.

Hatoyama stressed last Friday that US military bases are "necessary for Japan's security," and cited rising tensions in East Asia following the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel in March that Seoul blamed on North Korea.

[JKM Mk2]

Latest news from Japan.............


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Hatoyama announces decision to step down as premier
Kyodo News
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama announced Wednesday his decision to step down during a general assembly of DPJ lawmakers.

Hatoyama's resignation comes amid plunging public support for his Cabinet and after the Social Democratic Party left his ruling coalition in opposing an accord with the United States to relocate a U.S. base within Okinawa Prefecture.

Slightly more than eight months ago, the DPJ formed a new government in partnership with the SDP and the People's New Party after its landslide victory in last summer's general election.

Hatoyama's departure also comes only weeks before a House of Councilors election that is widely expected to be held on July 11. The DPJ is desperate to win the election to secure a majority in the chamber, which it needs to enact legislation smoothly.

This could throw the whole Okinawa base issue into the melting pot again!!!

Cheers
JKM

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Japan Searches for New and Stronger Leadership

Posted by David A. Fulghum at 6/3/2010 11:37 AM CDT

A change in Japan’s government may usher in some longer term improvements in defense modernization and missile defenses, say U.S. analysts.

“No one expects the opposition Liberal Democratic Party to regain control because they are not viewed as being forward thinkers,” says a Japan-based analyst. “U.S. and Japan talks will be fruitful as the alliance is back on course. I'm hoping this will permit the Japan government paralysis to come to an end and let clear thinking prevail [in defense programs]. “Keep an eye on CX program [for fielding a new, longer-range, military transport aircraft]. It's been very quiet recently. If positive news breaks, watch for a major investment [by the Japanese government]. If not, there is a lot of defense budget not accounted for.”

Japan’s defense program for 2005-09 -- in part aimed at building up the country’s own defenses against cruise and short range ballistic missiles and upgrading its F-15J fighter fleet -- has been stalled since last year’s election brought the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and Hatoyama to power.

“There is pressure to downsize the military, but Japan is very interested in missile defense and it is easy to sell politically,” the analyst says. “Patriot upgrades are easy for them to understand. Combat air patrols with long-range missiles are harder.” A possible strategy for procuring advanced capabilities is to allow co-production of U.S. sensors and weaponry in Japan.

The Japanese Air Self Defense Force, for example, is looking at long-range radar upgrades for up to 120 F-15Js (extending the sensor range to 150-mi., from 50 mi.) and the introduction of long-range, air-launched missiles that could strike short-range ballistic missiles in boost phase initially and possibly (with additional algorithms) in descent. An endo-exoatmospheric capability also opens the door to operations against low-flying satellites. (AW&ST, May 31, p. 30) And it would be compatible with Japan’s Aegis ship-based missile defenses.

Also on tap for review, but now delayed, were changes in the structure of internal bureaus to improve administration of defense policies, the establishment of a Joint Staff and reorganization of the three self defense services to reinforce joint operations. In addition, the Defense Intelligence Headquarters was being eyed for placement under director authority of the Director General of the Defense Agency.

U.S. critics of the new government say it had a “politically correct leadership” that was staffing defense posts with civilians and forcing out military specialists such as pilots. As a result, the civilian-dominated Internal Bureau – responsible for rationalizing requests from the services – is thought to be making less well-informed decisions about important defense acquisitions.

This lack of experience is demonstrated by the new government's inability to function in the acquisition arena. “They don’t even know how to generate requests for proposals” to start new programs, the U.S. analyst says. “The government is unable to make decisions, the civilian decision-makers know nothing, and [as a result] nobody knows the future of Japan.”

By this point in the year, the initial draft budget for Japan’s Fiscal 2011 draft budget should have left the Defense Ministry and be under consideration by the Internal Bureau’s civilians who prioritize programs among the three services. The final draft budget request is supposed to be submitted to the Internal Bureau and the Ministry of Defense at the end of Aug. It is forwarded to the Diet in late Nov. for review and approval by the end of Dec.

“The next budget has been delayed because the new government also does not know how to put together a 5-year plan,” the U.S. analyst says.

A one-year extension of the five-year Mid-Term Defense Program was made to allow the government time to formulate a new plan by the end of 2010. That plan may now be in limbo and could be further delayed by the executive and legislative turmoil.

Yearly revisions of the program are required to adjust expenses and the scale of plans to improve major defense equipment. But the DPJ has no experience in creating defense plans. It has only produced critiques.

The existing Defense Program had introduced the priority of “effective response” to replace “deterrence by presence.” The new emphasis included:

* Improvement of readiness, mobility and defense capabilities,

* Integrated operation of the ground, maritime and air self-defense forces,

* Acquisition of new capabilities aligned with technological advances,

* Rationalization of efficient procurement of defense equipment,

* And, the strengthening of Japan-U.S. security arrangements.

Hatoyama alienated the U.S. by threatening to abandon agreements to shift a Marine Corps base to a less populated section of Okinawa and subsidize the relocation of 8,000 Marines to Guam. He also faced pressure from North Korean threats of war against South Korea, aggressive Chinese military surveillance and military patrolling of disputed areas in the East China Sea. In addition he faced an international financial downturn that threatens Japan’s status as one of the top three economies in the world.

[buglerbilly]

Naoto Kan becomes new Japanese prime minister

By Chico Harlan
Washington Post Foreign Service

Friday, June 4, 2010; 2:32 AM

TOKYO -- Hours before he became Japan's latest prime minister, Naoto Kan received a memo from his predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama, that offered some advice that Hatoyama himself couldn't follow.

"Please take care of Japan-U.S., Japan-China and Japan-South Korean relations," wrote Hatoyama, who never managed in his short stint as premier to balance the needs of his own citizens and his closest ally.

Now Kan, Japan's fifth leader in four years, will inherit the problems that those before him struggled to solve -- a nagging debt, a history of fiscal scandals and lingering questions about the fate of a U.S. Marine base on Okinawa.

The Democratic Party of Japan overwhelmingly elected Kan, the country's finance minister, as its leader on Friday morning. Because the DPJ holds a majority in parliament, the vote all but secured Kan's position as the next prime minister. He formally took the post hours later after a parliament vote.

Analysts in Japan said Kan would have to act quickly. He must select a new cabinet. Within weeks, ahead of a critical July election, he needs to stabilize his reeling party. And during the next months, he must articulate his position on the long-standing dispute over the Marines' Futenma air base -- an issue that has dominated Japanese politics and U.S.-Japan relations for months.

In a speech to party members Friday, Kan said he will emphasize a "Japan-U.S. relationship at its core while contributing for forward development in Asia."

Kan draws on a background that contrasts with those of other recent Japanese prime ministers. He has a humble background and a history as an outspoken populist. He is the first premier since 1996 whose family didn't make politics part of the family trade.

In the mid-1990s, he rose to prominence when, as health minister, he conducted a bold investigation that revealed how his own ministry had promoted the use of HIV-tainted blood for transfusions.

Recently, he broke from Hatoyama to call for Japan to explore a consumption-tax increase as protection against its debt.

"Kan is Mr. Clean. Kan is the citizen-activist -- he's come to politics in that route," Sheila Smith, a senior fellow for Japan at the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a telephone interview.

"He took on the bureaucrats in the mid-'90s," she said. "And I think, frankly, he's proven himself to be a thoughtful policy guy. And Kan, in the last six months or so in the Cabinet, has looked very thoughtful and very steady."

When Hatoyama and No. 2 leader Ichiro Ozawa resigned Wednesday, they departed a party -- elected only eight months earlier with unprecedented popularity -- with an approval rating in the teens. A Friday poll conducted by the Yomiuri newspaper indicated that Kan, with 38 percent, was the most popular choice as successor. The other two leading replacements for Hatoyama, Seiji Maehara and Katsuya Okada, threw their support behind Kan on Thursday.

[buglerbilly]

Japanese Defenses Battered By Political Storm

Jun 4, 2010

By David A. Fulghum

Japan’s government may have lost a prime minister, but it has gained a stellar reputation for political theater.

“Someone had to lose face,” says a veteran U.S. analyst of Japan’s defense programs. “The prime minister had to go against the popular [desire to get the Marines out of Okinawa]. He went with the U.S., [in a reversal of a campaign promise] and then he had to resign.”

Part of the reason for Yukio Hatoyama’s about-face was his realization that the U.S. military is building up an air-launched missile defense capability in Okinawa with the introduction of additional F-22s and F-15s upgraded with advanced, long-range radars, and later, new long-range missiles.

Also, “he made the decision to keep the Marines because of concerns over the issues in Korea and the Japanese inability to provide an adequate defense without strong U.S. involvement,” a veteran fighter pilot and senior U.S. Air Force official says.

Now Hatoyama is history and the Democratic Party of Japan is searching for a new coalition and stronger leadership. Some U.S. analysts predict that his resignation may usher in some longer-term improvements.

“No one expects the opposition Liberal Democratic Party to regain control because they are not viewed as being forward thinkers,” says a Japan-based analyst. “U.S. and Japan talks will be fruitful, as the alliance is back on course. I’m hoping this will permit the Japanese government paralysis to come to an end and let clear thinking prevail [in defense programs].

“Keep an eye on the CX program [for fielding a new, longer-range, military transport aircraft],” the analyst adds. “It’s been very quiet recently. If positive news breaks, watch for a major investment [by the Japanese government]. If not, there is a lot of defense budget not accounted for.”

Japan’s defense program for 2005-09 — in part aimed at building up the country’s own defenses against cruise and short-range ballistic missiles and upgrading its F-15J fighter fleet — has been stalled since last year’s election brought the Democratic Party of Japan and Hatoyama to power.

“There is pressure to downsize the military, but Japan is very interested in missile defense and it is easy to sell politically,” the analyst says. “Patriot upgrades are easy for them to understand. Combat air patrols with long-range missiles are harder.” A possible strategy for procuring advanced capabilities is to allow co-production of U.S. sensors and weaponry in Japan.

The Japanese Air Self Defense Force, for example, is looking at long-range radar upgrades for up to 120 F-15Js (extending the sensor range to 150 mi., from 50 mi.) and the introduction of long-range, air-launched missiles that could strike short-range ballistic missiles in boost phase initially and possibly (with additional algorithms) in their descent phase. An endo/exo-atmospheric capability also opens the door to operations against low-flying satellites. And it would be compatible with Japan’s Aegis ship-based missile defenses.

[buglerbilly]

Japan's New PM Says He'll Honor Base Deal

June 08, 2010

Associated Press

TOKYO - Prime Minister-elect Naoto Kan says Japan will honor an agreement with Washington to move a key Marine base to a less crowded part of Okinawa - an issue that led to the downfall of his predecessor.

In a press conference after he named his Cabinet on Tuesday, Kan also said he would try to reduce the burden on the island for hosting many U.S. military bases that are part of a joint security pact.

Ex-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama stepped down last week after he was criticized for failing to keep a campaign promise to move U.S. Marine Air Station Futenma off Okinawa. That decision that has angered local residents.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved

[buglerbilly]

In Japan but surrounded by U.S. influence, Okinawa struggles with split identity


Japanese lawmaker Denny Tamaki. (Chico Harlan - The Washington Post)

By Chico Harlan

Thursday, July 1, 2010

CHATAN, JAPAN -- These days, when Melissa Tomlinson describes her fraught relationship with the United States, she speaks in English, the language she once rejected.

She grew up here on the island of Okinawa. Her mother was Japanese, and her father was an American who served in the U.S. Army, came to Okinawa, fell in love, fell out of love, then fell out of touch.

"I had plans to track him down, find him and punch him in the face," said Tomlinson, 22. "I just wanted to figure out my identity."

Tomlinson's family tensions illustrate the complex cultural clashes that dominate the politics of Okinawa and, lately, relations between what have been the world's two largest economies as they cope with a rising China and a belligerent North Korea.

For the more than 60 years since the end of World War II, native Okinawans and U.S. troops stationed on nearby bases have developed deep, passionate and generation-spanning ties that complicate political and diplomatic debates about the future of the U.S. military here.

Those passions have recently claimed the head of one Japanese prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, who had called for the Americans to be booted off Okinawa, and caused his successor to sharply tone down his party's assertive stance toward the United States.

A vocal majority of Okinawans still demand closing the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station. American officials, citing proximity to North Korea, China and Southeast Asia, insist it remain in Okinawa. Japan, in its attempt to mediate, has only frustrated both sides.

The current resolution, which Prime Minister Naoto Kan says his government will honor, calls for Futenma's eventual relocation to a less populated region in the north of the island. Kan apologized last week for the "heavy burden" facing Okinawans.

Many locals on this Pacific island hosting more than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan complain most commonly about the noise, congestion and crime. But emotional blood ties and cultural confusion amplify those concerns. Tormented by her identity, Tomlinson said she has tried to kill herself "a couple times" in the past two years.

Tomlinson said she struggles to convince herself -- and others -- that she is truly Japanese and Okinawan. She called her identity "ambiguous" and said her feeling of being an incomplete person has sometimes led to deep depression.

A generation of biracial Okinawans know about intercultural relationships, writ small. They know about romance and separations, child-support battles and reunions. They know that Japanese children refer to their biracial peers as "halfs," and nowadays, they know of the local American-Asian school, for biracial children, where those kids are taught to call themselves "doubles."

Okinawa's demographics separate it from mainland Japan. Here, the rates of single-parent households and divorce are twice the national average. At the American-Asian school, 70 percent of the 80 students come from single-parent households, Principal Midori Thayer said

"Unfortunately, some kids never live with their father, but they cannot lose their DNA," she said. "Their body shows that they are not 100 percent Japanese."

Denny Tamaki, 50, the local representative to the Japanese parliament, knows only that his father, an American serviceman whom he has never met, was named William.

When William returned to the States and Tamaki's mother decided not to follow, she burned his photos and letters. When they moved to a new home, she didn't give him their new address. When Tamaki turned 10, his mother took him to a government office, where they officially changed his first name to Yasuhiro.

Tamaki knows little English and wants Futenma moved off Okinawa because "it feels like we're living under occupation." But he has a passion for American music -- Aerosmith, for instance -- and American television shows.

A decade ago he tried to track down his father, with no luck. When his kids ask about their grandfather, he tells them that it would take the detectives from "CSI: Miami" to find him.

Search for a father

Tomlinson's mother and father were married on Okinawa, and then moved together to Georgia after his tour on the island ended in 1975. Tomlinson was born in Hinesville, Ga., while her father was stationed at Fort Stewart.

Tomlinson's parents separated when she was 3; she returned to Okinawa in 1990 with her mother. Her father retained custody of their two older children, who stayed in the United States with him.

Growing up, Tomlinson said, she remembered nothing about the separation, and never spoke to her father or siblings. "I've had to live with some tough decisions," said Melissa's father, who requested that his name not be used.

Tomlinson said her conflicted feelings were often fueled by her mother, who told her she looked "like an American" and tried to hide her from her co-workers. She said they fought frequently, and she told her mother: "Why did you have me? I want to be a Japanese, but I don't get to choose."

In school, her dual identities battled. Sometimes she was an American who didn't speak proper English. Sometimes she was a Japanese who didn't look Japanese. For several years, she tried to forget every English word she knew.

During high school, she said, a teacher encouraged her to learn English because she would need it if one day she wanted to track down her father. "Maybe you can hear the truth," the teacher told her. "You should know both sides."

At the University of the Ryukyus, Tomlinson tried to find English-speaking friends. She watched American television without the subtitles. Still, she confided to friends that she felt depressed.

From her mother, Tomlinson had heard only nasty tales about her father, who was once stationed at the Army's Torii base. After her junior year in college, in spring 2009, she decided to try to find him and left school for a time.

In March, her U.S. military ID card, a privilege from a relationship she never had, was expiring. The Army passed along her father's address. She e-mailed him, asking for him to sign the required forms for a new ID.

Weeks later, she heard back from the father who had not seen her since she was 3.

"Hi Melissa, Hearing from you, to say the least, came as quite a shock," he wrote. "I was not aware that you could speak English let alone read or write it. The last time we had contact, and I am sure you do not remember it, you could only speak Japanese. Trying to bridge the gap with words after all this time would be futile. In life sometimes we have to make decisions that we don't know if they are right or not, but we have to live with them."

Tomlinson read and reread the e-mail. She discussed it with friends, and together they parsed the words. Their relationship continued, e-mail by e-mail, and she learned that he liked fishing, and that he missed Okinawa, and that he says he has thought about her every day.

For all these years, he wrote, he avoided contact because he didn't want her to be torn between parents.

"It would have made your life miserable," he wrote.

[buglerbilly]

Court awards plaintiffs in Futenma noise suit

By Chiyomi Sumida

Stars and Stripes

Published: July 29, 2010

NAHA, Okinawa — A Japanese appeals court agreed with plaintiffs in a noise suit Thursday, calling Marine Corps Air Station Futenma the “most dangerous air base in the world.”

During its ruling here Thursday afternoon, the local branch of the Fukuoka High Court more than doubled the damages awarded in June 2008 to residents who live near the air station and said it was convinced the base, located in the middle of urban Ginowan, was a hazard to the community.

However, the three-judge panel denied the plaintiff’s request to end night flights.

Both the U.S. and Japan have agreed MCAS Futenma poses a hazard. In 1996 the two governments agreed to close the base once a suitable substitute was found elsewhere on Okinawa.

During a visit to Futenma in 2003, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld commented that the air station was “an accident waiting to happen.” The court ruled Thursday that the “mental anguish” of the Ginowan residents became a reality a year later when a Marine helicopter crashed onto the grounds of Okinawa International University, located adjacent to the base.

In 2002, some 400 residents sued the Japanese government for damages they claimed were caused by excessive noise attributed to flight activities at Futenma. Because of a lack of zoning laws, homes and businesses were built adjacent to the base fence line in the decades following World War II.

In June 2008, a lower court awarded the residents 147 million yen in damages --- then the equivalent of $1.3 million --- for “mental and physical suffering.”

Thursday’s ruling increased the damages to 369 million yen (about $4.2 million at the current exchange rate) that the Japanese government should pay to the 404 residents.

Presiding judge Yoshinori Kawabe said that low-frequency noise caused by helicopters at the air station added to their mental anguish. He said the Japanese government failed to take appropriate measures to abate noise levels, which were ruled as surpassing environmental standards by the lower court.

However, the judges upheld the lower court’s refusal to ban flight operations between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Kawabe said the Japanese government had no control over U.S. military operations at the air station.

Outside the court, about 200 residents and their supporters gathered before heading for the Okinawa Defense Bureau in Kadena to protest that part of the ruling.

“It is a half-step forward because the high court acknowledged more proactively the danger the air station poses,” said Zenji Shimada, who leads the residents’ group. “Yet, flight suspension, our ultimate goal, was denied.”

Shimada said he intends to file an appeal with Japan’s Supreme Court.

Ginowan Mayor Yoichi Iha, one of the plaintiffs, said that he was pleased because the court acknowledged his claim that the air station lacks safety standards.

“The ruling renewed my determination to work to close the air station,” he said.

Stars and Stripes reporter David Allen contributed to this report.

sumidac@pstripes.osd.mil

[buglerbilly]

Futenma report presents 2 runway options

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government on Tuesday released the report of a Japan-U.S. expert panel on a planned alternative facility for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture.

The report features two conflicting plans for runway layouts. One layout option is a plan agreed upon between Japan and the United States in 2006 to build two runways in a V-shaped formation, a plan that Washington still favors. The other option is a plan more recently advanced by Japan to build a single I-shaped runway.

The report also states the facility will be built by reclaiming land from waters off the Henoko district of Nago in the prefecture.

The report includes assessments of the two options in each of six areas: safety, cost, management, noise and other negative impacts on local communities, environmental considerations and length of construction periods.

The Japanese side's estimate shows that the I-shape option would require 25 percent less reclaimed land area, 10 percent less earth and sand and 3 percent less money than the V-shape option. It would also destroy coral and other environmental resources in a 20 percent smaller area.

But the I-shape option would take about nine months longer to build because a new design for the facility and revision of final environmental assessment results will take time.

Concerning flight paths, the report says all aircraft would fly over the sea to reach the V-shaped runways, but would fly over the ground when approaching the I-shaped runway from the northeast.

The Japan-U.S. expert panel had not reached an agreement on the specific flight paths of U.S. military aircraft. The report says the two sides will continue to discuss the point.

As residents of Okinawa Prefecture largely oppose the relocation to the Henoko district, the report took local concerns into account.

The report says the possibility of amending the plans cannot be ruled out, but that completion of the alternative facility must not be further delayed.

(Sep. 1, 2010)

[buglerbilly]

Japan Builds Support to Relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

07:50 GMT, January 24, 2011

WASHINGTON | A week after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ visit to Tokyo to discuss a broad range of issues including the realignment roadmap for U.S. forces based in Japan, Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa traveled to Okinawa on Thursday to build support for the plan.

Kitazawa also toured Kadena Air Base, where he got a mission update from Air Force Brig. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the 18th Wing commander, and thanked U.S. service members for their role in regional security, base officials reported.

Kitazawa recognized the support Kadena’s airmen contribute, both operationally and through the base’s community relations activities.

He also emphasized the importance of Japan and the United States working together to build better understanding among the Okinawan people about the importance of Kadena’s presence.

Wilsbach described base leaders’ regular engagement with the local community and ongoing efforts to build trust and understanding, officials said.

Also, making good on the pledge he and Gates made last week to move forward on the bilateral agreement to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to a less-populated part of Okinawa, Kitazawa met with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and community members to help in overcoming local resistance, Japanese defense officials reported.

“The realignment roadmap is important,” Gates said during a Jan. 13 news conference in Tokyo. “We do understand that it is politically a complex matter in Japan, and we intend to follow the lead of the Japanese government in working with the people of Okinawa to take their interests and their concerns into account.”

Gates said his talks with Kitazawa helped to pave the way for relocating U.S. forces in Okinawa “in ways that are more appropriate to our strategic posture while reducing the impact on the communities nearby.”

The secretary underscored the changes the realignment plan will bring to Okinawa.

“Thousands and thousands of United States Marines and their dependents will depart the island,” he said. “Significant land and facilities will return to the people of Okinawa. The U.S. presence will be less visible on the island. So there are very real benefits to people of Okinawa in this realignment roadmap.”

Gates emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance, which he said “is broader, deeper and indeed richer than any single issue.”

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told a news conference today that he, too, plans to visit Okinawa before the month’s end to build support for relocating Futenma within Okinawa.

----
Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

[buglerbilly]

U.S. Military Chief 'Open' to Ideas on Japan Base

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 2 Jun 2011 17:50

WASHINGTON - The head of the U.S. military said on June 1 that he was open to ideas on resolving a long-running row with Japan over bases after three senators called the two governments' agreement infeasible.

"I think we need to be as open as we possibly can to solutions now," Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a breakfast with reporters.

Sens. Carl Levin, John McCain and Jim Webb last month called for the United States to rethink base realignment plans in East Asia due to political opposition in Japan and cost overruns in both Japan and South Korea.

Japanese and U.S. officials earlier dismissed the proposal, saying that the plan worked out in 2006 was the best approach and would reduce troop numbers on Okinawa Island, where tensions with local residents have been frequent.

Mullen, whose term ends in September, did not comment specifically on the senators' proposal but said that the United States needed to be mindful both of costs and the political situation in Japan.

"This thing's been discussed for 15 years. There have been 20 different kinds of solutions that I've seen - all of them are difficult. So I think we have to be realistic here," Mullen said.

Any solution needs to preserve "the kind of influence and stability that our presence in that part of the world has done for 60-plus years, and at the same time recognize limitations and that there are needs on both sides."

The senators said that Japan needed to focus on reconstruction from its massive March 11 earthquake and not be distracted by the base dispute, which contributed to the resignation of a prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, last year.

Under the 2006 plan, the United States would move the flash point Futenma base out of a crowded urban area and to an isolated stretch of beach elsewhere on Okinawa.

Some Okinawan activists have demanded that the base be removed from the island completely. The senators said Futenma was needed for security but that its functions could largely be shifted to Okinawa's existing Kadena Air Base.

The United States stations 47,000 troops in Japan under a post-World War II security treaty, with half in Okinawa. The 2006 plan aims to shift 8,000 Marines and their families from Okinawa to the U.S. territory of Guam in 2014.

[buglerbilly]

Future Osprey basing makes Japan nervous

By Philip Ewing Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 8:01 am



The Marine Corps confirmed this week that it plans to replace the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters at its base in Okinawa, Japan with its MV-22 Osprey, reports Stars & Stripes, and Japanese officials are very uneasy about that. Never mind the Osprey’s comparatively good operational safety record, never mind its more than 100,000 flight hours, never mind that it has deployed many times to Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti and elsewhere.

No, write reporters Travis Tritten and Chiyomi Sumida. As with everywhere else it’s operated, the Osprey will arrive in Okinawa in 2013 wearing a crosshairs, one that’ll only be compounded by Japan’s intricate basing politics:


[T]he Okinawa government has staunchly opposed locating the new aircraft at Futenma, calling them too “dangerous” for a military base located in a densely populated area. In 2004, a Marine Corps Sea Stallion helicopter based at the air station crashed on the neighboring campus of a Japanese university. The event continues to invoke animosity toward the large U.S. military presence on the island.

“At Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, 24 CH-46 [Sea Knight] helicopters will be replaced by 24 MV-22 [Osprey] tilt-rotor aircraft,” according to a Marine Corps written response to a Stars and Stripes inquiry. “Although we anticipate that the MV-22 will be deployed to Okinawa starting in fiscal year 2013, no final decisions have been made regarding the timing of their arrival.”

The Futenma air station is scheduled to be relocated to an area farther north near the city of Nago following an agreement between the U.S. and Japanese governments, meaning the Ospreys could quickly be moved from the urban area around Futenma to an area less populated.

But the relocation plans have been under intense pressure for years due to opposition from Okinawans who want the base moved off the island. The island makes up a powerful lobby in Japan that has bedeviled the Tokyo government and caused the resignation of the former prime minister because he could not make good on promises involving Futenma.

Ginowan, where the air station is located, came out strongly against the Osprey plans Thursday. “If the plan is pursued, Ginowan City and its residents will take every action necessary to stop it,” said Shigeo Yamauchi, chief of the city’s military affairs office.

Should the Marines persist with their plans to deploy the Osprey in Japan?

Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2011/06/02/future-osprey-basing-makes-japan-nervous/#ixzz1ODR3viKU
DoDBuzz.com

[buglerbilly]

Gates, Kitazawa Endorse Plan on U.S. Base in Japan

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 3 Jun 2011 10:26

SINGAPORE - U.S. and Japanese defense chiefs on June 3 renewed their support for a controversial plan to relocate an American base on Japan's Okinawa island, saying it was the most viable way forward.

After holding talks at an Asia security summit in Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Japan's Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa issued a joint statement saying "the current relocation plan is the most operationally viable and politically sustainable way forward."

Under the plan, agreed in 2006 after years of negotiations, the United States would move the flashpoint Futenma base out of a crowded urban area to an isolated stretch of coast elsewhere on Okinawa.

Before arriving in Singapore, Gates suggested the Obama administration was not ready to overhaul the plan despite a call from three U.S. senators to consider alternatives.

The senators, Carl Levin, John McCain and Jim Webb, last month called for the United States to review base realignment plans in East Asia due to political opposition in Japan and cost overruns in both Japan and South Korea.

The senators said Japan needed to focus on reconstruction work after its massive March 11 earthquake and not be distracted by the base dispute, which contributed to last year's resignation of the then prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama.

In their statement, Gates and Kitazawa "agreed to continue to explore measures to mitigate the impact of the US presence on Okinawa."

[buglerbilly]

U.S., Japan Delay Okinawa Base Plan, But Hold Firm

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 21 Jun 2011 09:06

The United States and Japan acknowledged June 21 that they would miss a 2014 deadline for a controversial shift of a U.S. base in Okinawa, but stood firmly behind the plan in the face of opposition.

The future of the Futenma air base on the subtropical island has bedeviled ties between the Pacific allies for years, and both governments have been eager to push ahead on a 2006 deal instead of restarting exhaustive talks.

In a joint statement after top-level talks, the Pacific allies said the relocation "will not meet the previous targeted date of 2014," but renewed their commitment to complete the project "at the earliest possible date."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, meeting with their Japanese counterparts, also confirmed plans to move 8,000 Marines and some 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to the U.S. territory of Guam.

Under the 2006 plan between previous governments, the United States planned to close the flashpoint Futenma base in Okinawa, which has long been a source of grievance as it lies in a crowded urban area.

The Japanese and U.S. leaders on June 21 endorsed building a replacement base with V-shaped runways at Henoko, on an isolated stretch of beach elsewhere on the strategically located island.

A number of activists on Okinawa demanded that the base be removed entirely from the island, the often reluctant host to half of the 47,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a post-World War II treaty.

U.S. senators recently moved to force the Pentagon to consider a new option, saying the current plan is too costly and politically unrealistic when Japan should be focusing on rebuilding from its massive earthquake earlier this year.

Gates, addressing one of his final news conferences as defense secretary, tried to put the effort led by Sens. Jim Webb and Carl Levin - members of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party - in the context of the current plan.

"The letter from Senators Webb and Levin about the realignment is really a manifestation of growing congressional impatience about the lack of progress," Gates said at a news conference with Clinton.

"We both reaffirmed the U.S. government's commitment to the 2006 realignment plan, but at the same time emphasized the importance of concrete progress over the course of the next year," Gates said.

One Japanese prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, resigned last year after failing to fulfill campaign promises to renegotiate Futenma, with the Obama administration insisting the crux of the deal was not open to debate.

His successor, Prime Minister Naoto Kan, has sought to move ahead with the base plan without tying his fate to the issue, as he focuses instead on the earthquake aftermath and his government's survival in parliament.

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa played down criticism that the center-left Democratic Party of Japan has held up progress since taking power in 2009, saying: "This is the cost that is entailed in democracy when we have a change of government.

"The purpose of the U.S. realignment is to maintain deterrence and to reduce the local burden, so we will be making maximum efforts with the United States to achieve both objectives," Kitazawa said.

Under an alternative plan drafted by Webb, a former Marine who represents Virginia, Futenma would be closed and its air assets largely shifted to Okinawa's existing Kadena Air Base.

Webb also proposed shifting some of the existing air assets from Kadena to elsewhere in Japan and Guam, a solution he said would ease both congestion and costs in Okinawa.

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee last week agreed to cut off funding for the 2014 shift until the Marine Corps comes up with a new study on Guam, where opposition is also building, and considers the alternative on Futenma.

Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the committee, has supported the effort, telling a forum Monday: "As new realities and cost overruns call our current plans into question, Congress must ask the hard questions."

[buglerbilly]

Sunday, July 3, 2011, Japan Times

Ministry pitches plan to use Mage for U.S. carrier jet drills to locals

Kyodo

KAGOSHIMA — Senior Vice Defense Minister Katsuya Ogawa visited Nishinoomote, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Saturday to explain to local leaders the plan to move U.S. aircraft carrier landing drills to nearby Mage Island.

Nishinoomote, on Tanegashima Island, administers Mage Island.

It is the first time the Defense Ministry has formally explained to local leaders, including Nishinoomote Mayor Chikara Nagano, the possibility of moving the carrier landing practice from Iwoto Island, where they are being provisionally conducted.

"It is a very attractive location," Ogawa said of the uninhabited island about 12 km west of Tanegashima. "We think it is a prime candidate for consideration" as a drill site.

He said the government plans to build a new Self-Defense Forces base on Mage and conduct the landing practices around the Nansei island chain, stretching from southern Kyushu to Okinawa Prefecture, as part of its efforts to boost security and disaster preparedness.

But Nagano expressed doubts, saying that although the central government is talking about security around the Nansei region, he suspects that its real aim is just to move the U.S. drills off Iwoto, previously known as Iwojima, and to Mage.

Local leaders have been cautious about the central government plan, protesting last week against a recent agreement between the Japanese and U.S. defense and foreign ministers that mentions Mage as a candidate site for the drills.

In talks with Ogawa in early June, Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito said he would deal with the matter in line with the wishes of the local community.

On Saturday, Ogawa told local leaders, including heads of two other municipalities on Tanegashima and local assembly chiefs, that the noise on Tanegashima from the drills wouldn't exceed 70 decibels — equivalent to noise inside a bullet train — and explained plans to support local communities through such measures as subsidies related to the U.S. military realignment.

[buglerbilly]

Poll Finds Japanese Support for US Bases Growing

September 06, 2011

Associated Press|by Malcolm Foster

TOKYO -- Japanese have become more welcoming to the U.S. military presence in their country over the past six years as fears spread that neighboring China and North Korea are threats to peace, an Associated Press-GfK poll has found.

The survey released Monday on Japanese views of other countries, security and the imperial family also showed that while about half of Japanese are positive about the U.S. and Germany, they are overwhelmingly negative or neutral toward immediate Asian neighbors China, Russia and North Korea. Opinions about South Korea are mixed.

Those attitudes, as well as results showing Japanese are reluctant to allow more foreign workers into the country, suggest a general wariness of outsiders. Some 46 percent are opposed to increasing the number of immigrants - more than double the share in favor of boosting their numbers - even though doing so would help offset the shrinking labor force as the population ages.

And while they gave their own elected leaders low marks, most Japanese think highly of the emperor and military.

Tokyo has cast a cautious eye toward China's increased military spending and more assertive stance on disputed islands in the region. Ties between the two countries deteriorated to their worst point in years last autumn when a Chinese fishing trawler and Japanese patrol vessels collided near islands controlled by Japan but claimed by both in the East China Sea.

China's state-run media have already issued warnings to new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda for past statements suggesting that Beijing's military buildup is a regional security threat.

For protection, Japan relies on its own military and nearly 50,000 U.S. troops based in the country under a 51-year-old joint security pact. That arrangement received extra scrutiny last year when former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama sought - and ultimately failed - to move a controversial U.S. Marine base off the southern island of Okinawa.

American forces were also actively involved in humanitarian relief efforts after March's tsunami disaster.

Amid public alarm about China's assertiveness, support for the American military bases in Japan has grown to 57 percent, while 34 percent want them withdrawn. In a similar 2005 poll, Japanese were evenly divided on the issue at 47 percent.

"The U.S. military presence has received a greater acceptance, apparently because people think this region has grown more unstable than before," Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba said Monday in response to the results.

China is viewed as a threat to world peace by nearly three-quarters of respondents, and about as many have a negative impression of the country - which is also Japan's largest trading partner. Unfavorable views of Chinese leader Hu Jintao outweigh favorable views by more than 11-to-1, the AP-GfK poll showed.

North Korea, meanwhile, is viewed as a threat by even more Japanese - 80 percent, up from 59 percent in 2005. The country, which fired missiles into waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan in 2005 and again in 2006, is viewed negatively by 94 percent. Its leader, Kim Jong Il, is disliked by nine in 10.

Many Japanese are supportive of their own military, called the Self-Defense Forces, with 74 percent trusting it to do the right thing all or most of the time.

But people were mixed over changing the constitution to give the military a greater international role, although more favored such a change - 38 percent - than opposed - 28 percent. About a third were neutral.

The Japanese Constitution, drawn up by a U.S. occupation force after World War II, prohibits the creation of an armed force that can be maintained for offensive purposes. But under pressure from the U.S. to play a larger role in regional security, Japan has become more involved in peacekeeping operations abroad. It also sent refueling ships to the Indian Ocean to help with the Afghan war.

Most Japanese continue to hold Emperor Akihito, who lacks any political power, in high esteem: 70 percent view him favorably and 65 percent feel the Imperial family still fits well with modern Japanese society.

Still, just 22 percent would favor giving the emperor power to set government policy, while 43 percent oppose such an expansion of imperial power. About a third are neutral.

President Barack Obama is seen positively by 41 percent of respondents, with the same number viewing him in a neutral way. Some 16 percent see him unfavorably. As a country, the United States is seen favorably by 49 percent, neutrally by 36 percent and unfavorably by 14 percent.

Germany garnered the smallest unfavorable rating - just 4 percent - with 48 percent giving the country a thumbs up. Chancellor Angela Merkel garnered a neutral rating from just over half the respondents, while 28 percent view her positively and 7 percent negatively.

Neighboring South Korea, whose television dramas and "K-pop" singers have become increasingly popular in Japan, isn't so popular itself, with 31 percent viewing the country positively and 27 percent negatively.

Russia, meanwhile, is viewed positively by just 11 percent and negatively by 44 percent.

Japan has come under fire internationally for its whale hunting, but the Japanese public narrowly favors whaling for commercial purposes, the survey showed. Fifty-two percent favor it, 35 percent are neutral and 13 percent are opposed. Far more men are in favor than women.

However, few - 12 percent - are deeply interested in eating whale meat themselves. Most - 66 percent- have little or no interest in dining on whale.

Commercial whaling is banned under a 1986 moratorium but various exceptions have allowed Japan, as well as Iceland and Norway, to hunt whales anyway. Japan claims its hunts are for research purposes, though the meat from the killed whales mostly ends up in restaurants, stores and school lunches.

The AP-GfK telephone poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications surveyed 1,000 adults across Japan by landline telephone between July 29 and Aug. 10, and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Okinawa Noise Trial Begins With 22,000 Plaintiffs

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Published: 20 Oct 2011 12:27

TOKYO - Court hearings started Oct. 20 for a noise pollution trial in which 22,000 Okinawa residents are seeking to stop early morning and late evening U.S. military exercise flights.

The residents near the U.S. Kadena Air Base on the southern island prefecture are also demanding a combined 44.6 billion yen ($580 million) in damages from the Japanese government for harm to their health from noise pollution.

At the Naha District Court, seven representatives of the plaintiffs complained about health and other damages from the noise.

High school student Himeka Matayoshi, 17, told the court that her 2-year-old sister is scared by the noise and runs to her parents covering her ears, according to local media.

"During classes, teachers have to stop their lectures and wait for the roaring noise to fly away," she told the court.

"Rather than hearing blasts of jets, I wish I could live a quiet life in which I can hear singing of insects," she said.

The government has asked the court to throw out the case, claiming that U.S. military operations are beyond Japan's control.

The case is the third trial for noise pollution involving Kadena.

In the past two, the government was ordered to pay compensation, but the court turned down demands for the U.S. military to stop morning and night flights.

A heavy post-war U.S. military presence on the island has long annoyed local Okinawa communities.

The noise pollution - on top of crimes committed by U.S. servicemen, including murders and rapes - has angered many Okinawa residents for years and triggered mass protests.

[buglerbilly]

Congress wants military to study moving Futenma operations to Kadena

Kadena, Futenma Air Operations

ByTravis J. Tritten
Stars and Stripes

Published: December 12, 2011

UPDATED DEC. 13, 9:47 A.M. EST



Uploaded by stripeschannel on Dec 4, 2011

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Congress may soon force the military to reconsider an idea it has long resisted – closing the most controversial Marine Corps facility on Okinawa and moving operations up the road to Kadena Air Base.

On Monday, a congressional conference committee agreed to withhold any funding for regional realignment work until the Department of Defense finishes a master plan for any shift of forces, including cost estimates of the work and an ideal force layout in the Asia-Pacific region.

Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich, and fellow senators for months have said the current plan to relocate the base farther north on Okinawa is “unrealistic and unaffordable,” and they want the military to give serious consideration to the Kadena option as a way to keep Marine air operations on the island — a prime location for the U.S. military’s security strategy in the region.

The military and Tokyo have struggled since the 1990s to overcome local opposition to moving the Marine Corps’ presence on the island.

“The inability of our two governments to come up with a workable solution to the basing system on Okinawa has created one of the most difficult domestic political situations inside Japan today,” Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said during a Nov. 28 floor debate on the legislation, according to a transcript. “This has been going on for 15 years. There have been 15 years of uncertainty. We need to move forward on this in a timely manner.”

The study also should consider the relocation of “some or all” of Air Force operations at Kadena to make room for the Marine Corps, Levin said.

U.S. commanders have claimed for years that the move to Kadena is not a viable option. As recently as September, the U.S. Pacific Command said moving Futenma operations to Kadena is “off the table,” and commanders have hinted for years that the move would create logistical issues by mixing helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. But details on why the option has been nixed remain foggy.

Levin, Webb and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have spent the past year trying to rein in a massive military realignment in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes the Futenma relocation and the permanent transfer of 8,600 Marines from Okinawa to the U.S. territory of Guam.

The senators say the realignment suffers from lack of planning and could end up costing billions more than projected — at a time when the federal government is still reeling from an economic collapse. Their concerns have been backed by the Government Accountability Office, which performed the first complete tally of expected costs and found the Guam buildup would likely ring in at nearly $24 billion over the next decade.

U.S. Forces Japan declined to tell Stars and Stripes whether any study of moving Futenma to Kadena has been performed by the military, or whether the U.S. and Japan made any formal decision to reject the idea.

Any operational concerns that the military might have about Marine Corps helicopters and Air Force fixed-wing aircraft flying from the same base are classified and cannot be released to the public, according to U.S. Forces Japan and the Secretary of Defense press office.

“Current agreements and policies have been carefully developed over many years in close consultation and coordination with our allies and within the U.S. government, including with the military services and with Congress,” USFJ spokesman Maj. Neal Fisher wrote in a statement to Stars and Stripes.

The Air Force 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base has said in the past that the introduction of Marine Corps helicopters would create more air traffic noise, a problem that has caused several class action lawsuits from Japanese residents around Kadena.

On Tuesday, 18th Wing commander Brig. Gen. Matthew Molloy released a prepared statement to Stars and Stripes saying it would be inappropriate to comment on pending legislation and that the Air Force remains dedicated to the current relocation plans and a “geographically distributed, operationally resilient, and politically sustainable” force.

Former U.S. diplomat William Brooks said it would be possible to close Futenma by relocating its helicopters to Kadena and its fixed-wing aircraft to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni near Hiroshima, which has recently completed a new heavy-lift runway that could handle the added traffic.

The sprawling 11,000-acre Air Force base on Okinawa could make room for about 63 helicopters by relocating some of its aircraft to Misawa Air Base in northern Japan, said Brooks, who was a top policy adviser and analyst at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo from 1993 to 2009.

Even so, the size limitations of Kadena – the base already supports about 20,000 people and is home to the Air Force’s largest combat air wing – as well as the current opposition toward adding Marine Corps operations might make it a difficult permanent solution, he said.

Futenma could be closed and flight operations could be moved to Kadena as a temporary solution while the two governments pursue a permanent basing solution, Brooks said.

“You do things in temporary mode with the original [Camp Schwab relocation] plan still in process,” Brooks said. Besides, “you can’t stuff all the Marine assets onto the golf course on Kadena” as a permanent solution.

Stars and Stripes reporter Charlie Reed contributed to this story.

trittent@pstripes.osd.mil

[buglerbilly]

December 12, 2011 By JUNJI TACHINO / American General Bureau Chief

Michael Armacost, former U.S. ambassador to Japan, said in an interview with The Asahi Shimbun that he is skeptical about the necessity of the permanent stationing of U.S. Marine Corps troops in Okinawa Prefecture.

He has apparently presented candid advice to the Japanese and U.S. governments, which are adhering to the current plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the Henoko district of Nago in the prefecture. The plan has no immediate prospects of making progress.

Excerpts of the interview, which was held at Stanford University, based in Palo Alto, Calif., follow:


Michael Armacost, former U.S. ambassador to Japan (Junji Tachino)

* * *

Question: We've long been focused on the Okinawa issue but have not come up with a solution. Why can't we figure it out?

Answer: Well, my impression is that both governments have decided to keep this issue on the back burner. I don't sense that either government is pressing it very hard. Congress hasn't appropriated money for Guam. The Japanese government has no capacity to move on the Henoko site, given the opposition in Okinawa. So this issue has been there for 13 or 14 years. Operationally, not very much has happened.

But I never was clear on why the U.S. administration pressed this issue, particularly when a new government had come into power in 2009.

I don't understand why Washington pushed the issue so hard right after the DPJ came into power, since it represented the first political transition in a half century, a known new administration which had, as a campaign plank, promoted movement of the Okinawa base (and) was going to act within a few months, when the LDP had not moved in 13 years.

I've always been vexed and puzzled by the timing with which the administration sought to move that issue forward. But I think they have learned their lesson, and I think the Chinese, in the meanwhile, through their self-assertiveness on these maritime issues, have reminded the Japanese the alliance is useful. And Operation Tomodachi has had a certain effect in creating goodwill.

So, as far as I'm aware, the issue isn't a neuralgic point in the relationship; it's just something sitting out there that hasn't been resolved and, meanwhile, I presume people go on to other business. I hope they do.

I would have thought the more central issue at the moment is the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement) because it allows one to change the subject. It allows one to focus on trade, from which we both benefit. And it puts the trading issues in a broader, multilateral context that involves a lot of other Asian countries, with whom Japan and the U.S. are cultivating closer ties.

So the irony is that both Washington and Tokyo are constrained to move very rapidly on trade issues: Tokyo because of the residual influence of the agricultural lobby and divisions within the parties, and Washington because, with an election coming up and the Democratic Party so dependent on union support, it took them three years to ratify an agreement that had been signed a year before they even came into office.

So I approve of focusing on trade, because I believe in free trade. And I think it's good to put another issue at the center of our relationship. But I'm skeptical at how fast one can move because of the political obstacles in both Tokyo and Washington.

Q: President Barack Obama just visited Hawaii, Australia and Bali, and he repeatedly declared that the United States is a Pacific nation.

A: That was not new to me. I regret our involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think it has unbalanced our foreign policy--to extricate ourselves from those in an honorable and successful way, that's great.

So, if you can divert the resources and attention to a region that's of intrinsically greater importance, then that's a good thing. So I approve of that; I just don't regard it as particularly new. For a few years, unfortunately, East Asia policy became kind of adjunct to American Middle East policy, or South Asia policy. And that's not healthy.

Q: Do you think, this time, the White House is serious enough to focus on the Asia-Pacific region?

A: Well it has, I think, consistently from the outset. I mean, the travel arrangements alone are indicative. Mrs. Clinton made her first trip to Asia, and Obama has visited many times. So the amount of attention it's devoted has been ratcheted up considerably.

The question will be whether or not additional resources are made available, and one of the interesting issues is what will be the impact of the fiscal problems on the composition of our military presence in Asia. The discussion in the Pentagon, as far as I'm aware, they're interested in air-sea doctrine. Counter-insurgency, basically, fuels big budgets in the Army and the Marine Corps. The air-sea doctrine is one which would shift the allocation of those monies more heavily to the Navy and the Air Force. And the Pacific is an area, of course, where the Navy and Air Force are more relevant, actually.

There is a question of ground forces. When I was starting my career in government, back in the '60s, the Guam doctrine, I thought, asserted clearly that we weren't going to devote a lot of ground forces to Asian wars. That seemed to be particularly appropriate in Korea. When the South Korean population is twice the size of North Korea's, then our strategic contribution, logically, is air power, supplemented by naval capabilities. So it does raise a question about the role of the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps has an organic connection to the Seventh Fleet, so the units that are related to the Seventh Fleet, I would think, would have a continuing role. But I think there is a larger question about the Marines.

One of the major functions they perform, actually, is humanitarian missions in Southeast Asia, and the reaction to these natural catastrophes. That's very helpful. But you don't have to do that from Japan. Or, if you do it from Japan, it ought to be done jointly, because ... one of the offshore missions performed by the Self-Defense Forces has been disaster relief.

So if the Marines are going to be there, they ought to be doing this jointly with Japanese forces. And otherwise, probably ... if this air-sea doctrine discussion goes anywhere, then there'll be questions about the role of American ground forces in the region. I don't follow that discussion very closely, but I find it an intriguing discussion.

Q: Don't you believe the Marine Corps has to be stationed permanently in Okinawa?

A: I wouldn't think anybody needs to be stationed permanently anywhere. "Permanently" is a long time. They've been there 60 years or more. But I'm no longer qualified to judge these things because I'm not in the discussion in Washington. But I have some questions about the necessity for that, and some people in Congress who are thoughtful people, like Senator McCain, Senator Webb, raise questions about whether or not, if you do need them, you can house them somewhere else, like Kadena.

People are always wary of this within the services, and it's easy to attribute this to inter-service rivalry, which is a factor, I expect. But the other factor is a desire to retain a capacity to surge in response to emergencies or contingencies. And my feeling has always been that if you have a genuine alliance that's meaningful, then you ought to be able to manage surges through the availability of Japanese bases and even civilian airports.

Q: Would you share your view on why this administration is still sticking to the existing plan to relocate the Futenma air station to Henoko in northern Okinawa?

A: They felt they had an agreement, and there's a natural resistance to changing agreements. I mean, the agreement was if you moved out of one place you found an alternative site. So that's the natural instinct of the services.

Second, the Marine Corps is a very powerful force in Washington.

Third, they recognize the danger of accidents, so there's no desire to be permanently operating in Futenma, where one more accident could have potentially catastrophic political implications.

And it's an awkward time to be adjusting your force level downward, at a moment when, in Asia, anxiety about China's assertiveness has grown. So I think there's a reluctance to signal, at a time when you're highlighting the importance of Asia, (to) do something which might be interpreted as a retreat.

I think those are the practical realities, but they don't leave you with a solution to the problem because the Japanese government, for 13 or 14 years, has not moved. The opposition in Okinawa has grown. The risks of an accident remain high. So sitting with the status quo is not a very satisfactory solution either.

Q: If the Asia-Pacific region is the top priority for the United States, then should the alliance with Japan be all the more important for Washington?

A: It should be a priority, but I think the problems have been that they have chosen, for whatever reason, to make this base issue a high priority with the new government, and it hasn't gone anywhere. And, therefore, I expect there's a certain frustration among the people who are primarily responsible.

Second, Japan has been rather introversive. It has been focused internally because--I don't know why--but this year, at least, the tsunami and the Fukushima incident, and the fiscal problem, all that feeds a natural focus on the problems closer to home.

And to the extent the initiative which the administration got behind as a means of reasserting itself on the regional plane, the TPP, isn't going anywhere too fast. I mean, it may be that Prime Minister Noda is a courageous guy and a smart guy who can figure out how to manage the politics of this, but the politics are complicated and the progress is slow, and the declaration of interest has been kind of ambivalent and ambiguous.

So it isn't easy to mount something that's visible and forward-looking when the politics are so complicated. Those may be the reasons, but I'm sure the premise of your question, that Japan's importance has grown and we ought to work hard on the relationship, and there have been other preoccupations.

But I think the relationship is satisfactory; it just ... doesn't have a feeling of real forward movement.

And there are no overwhelming problems that I perceive. Just that people seem to take each other ... the Japanese now take us for granted and we take them for granted. It's not moving forward at a very rapid pace.

Q: How do you characterize the role of Japan when there is a gap on the U.S. side between the commitments and the capacity in Asia?

A: I think Japan ought to do more for its own self-defense. China's budget, military budget, has gone up at double-digit rates for two decades. Japan's defense budget has declined in each of the last seven or eight years. You'd know the figures better than I would, but that's what I read. That doesn't make any sense.

And if you're worried about the Senkaku Islands and worried about China's self-assertion, you can't turn that problem over to the United States alone. I mean, that's what Japan did. And it worked pretty well through the Cold War. But if you face a challenge, you would think the navy budget in Japan, the Maritime Self-Defense Force budget, would have to increase somewhat, and the transportation ministry's budget, which pays for the Coast Guard, you'd think that would have to go up.

And I would think this would require a lot more coordinated operations, too, with us and with the Koreans and others. And some of that's happening. I think your navy has developed some relations and signed some agreements, with the Filipinos and Singapore and some others, Vietnam. It makes perfectly good sense to me.

Q: Within that picture, do you mean the Futenma issue is a really minor issue?

A: I would think it is, particularly ... it's minor only in the sense that the easiest task always, or the easiest way to resolve the problem, is just by continuing to do what you do, which works fine as long as there are no accidents. But we remember that, in 1995, an incident in Okinawa raised questions about the survivability of the alliance itself.

So I don't think it's wise policy to take those kind of risks. I trust we're doing what's necessary to do some of the helicopter training elsewhere, somehow manage the number of flights and training schedules in a way that minimizes the risk of accidents. But …

Q: Again, you don't think it's a good idea to maintain the Marine Corps in Okinawa?

A: I don't feel confident making that judgment because I haven't been down to Okinawa since 1993, and I'm sure the Marines will give you a very elaborate argument about how it's critical to deterrence. But, as I say, my view is that our role, primarily, our military role in our alliance, is mainly to provide air and naval support.

Well, Asian countries that are allied with us have got plenty of people, and the manpower requirements ought to be in your own hands.

Now, you've got demographic problems, but those can be solved by augmenting whatever forces you maintain, with higher technologies capabilities, and you've got wonderful technological prowess. So applying that to the forces that you have can compensate for the fact that you've got declining numbers of people of military age.

Q: How worried are we supposed to be about the threat of the Chinese military build-up? What is the nature of the air-sea strategy?

A: I think the talk about this air-sea strategy is partly a budget battle over who gets the resources, and partly how do you respond when the Chinese, quite inevitably, build a big navy. Because they've got a global trade, they've got resources all over the world, so they're not going to yield the defense of those sea lanes of communication to the Seventh Fleet. They don't trust us.

But as they build their capacity to project power, then it seems to me inevitable that Japan is affected by that more than we are. You're inevitably going to have to take another look at the MSDF budget and things like that.

So there are plenty of things that we could do together. We have enough time to make these adjustments thoughtfully. But it starts with deep consultations and a recognition that we've got a mutual interest in doing these things in ways that are mutually compatible.

That isn't really a satisfactory answer, because I don't know all the details of what we should do.

Q: Are you optimistic or rather pessimistic in terms of our bilateral relationship?

A: Oh, I'm optimistic. I think China has historically been mainly a continental power, so when it enters the game on maritime issues, we have some common interests. I mean, obviously, in dealing with piracy and protecting the sea lanes. But I think you'll be more nervous in working out these things with the Chinese, as they become a big power, if you don't have the reassurance of an alliance with us. And we'll be at a big disadvantage in dealing with them if we don't have the capacity to keep some of our ships out in Japan. It lowers our costs and enables us to work with you. Just as the British relationship is key to our involvement in Europe, the relationship with Japan is the most important connection out in Asia.

So people ought to take it seriously and work at it. And if Washington hasn't been doing that, then maybe this focus, refocusing of energy and attention, on Asia-Pacific will provide the stimulus to do that.

* * *

Michael Armacost joined the U.S. State Department in 1969. He was ambassador to Japan from 1989 to 1993 after serving as ambassador to the Philippines and an undersecretary.

As ambassador to Japan, he strongly urged the Japanese government to contribute more internationally, leading to his nickname "Mr. Gaiatsu" (pressure from outside). He is currently a distinguished fellow at Stanford University's Asia-Pacific Research Center. He is 74 years old.

By JUNJI TACHINO / American General Bureau Chief

[JKM Mk2]

Looks like the whole Futemna/move to Guam process is all but dead and buried for now. What the next move will be is anybody's guess.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111216a4.html

Cheers
JKM

[buglerbilly]

USAF commander dismisses idea of integrating Futenma, Kadena bases


A view of Air Station Futenma. (Mainichi)

NAHA (Kyodo) -- The top U.S. Air Force officer in the Pacific region on Sunday dismissed the idea of integrating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station with the U.S. Kadena Air Base, both in Okinawa Prefecture, in implementing an U.S. military realignment there.

"I'm very comfortable with the lay down that we have at Kadena right now." Gary North, Commander of U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Air Force General, said in an interview with Kyodo News at Kadena base.

In the face of the stalemate over the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from densely populated Ginowan to a coastal area of Nago in Okinawa, amid local opposition, some U.S. lawmakers have floated the idea of integrating the base's functions with the Kadena base as a possible alternative plan.

Last year Carl Levin, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and other key members of that panel called on Washington to relocate some air force assets at Kadena base to other bases and move Marine Corps aviation assets currently at Futenma to Kadena, rather than build an expensive replacement facility at Camp Schwab in Nago.

But Tokyo and Washington have said they intend to stick to the relocation plan they agreed in 2006.

North's remark indicates the U.S. Air Force's reluctance to reduce its assets in Kadena.

"I think when those proposals (Kadena integration plan) came up, our two governments analyzed and reviewed everyone's proposals," but the 2006 proposals remains as a "very solid proposal," North said.


A view of Kadena Air Base. (Mainichi)

"Our governments are continuing to work through (the 2006 proposal) so I think we should let our governments continue to do the work that they have agreed upon," he added.

Regarding whether the newest U.S. F-22A Raptor fighters, which have been deployed on a temporary basis at Kadena base on five occasions since 2007, would be deployed again this year at the base, North said, "Routine deployments of those squadrons either into Japan or Guam or Hawaii is on our schedule."

"We will continue to deploy that airplane and others throughout the region to meet our training requirements and operation requirements."

In the changing security situation in East Asia in the wake of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and the military modernization in China, North said the Kadena base remains a "very, very important installation for the day-to-day operations in the Pacific and contingency operations as well."

(Mainichi Japan) January 9, 2012

[buglerbilly]

Marines on Okinawa: Time to Leave?

By Kirk Spitzer | January 13, 2012 | 6inShare3


Marine Corps photo
A Marine of the 1st Marine Division draws a bead on a Japanese sniper with his tommy-gun as his companion ducks for cover. The division is working to take Wana Ridge before the town of Shuri. Okinawa, 1945.

TOKYO – More than six decades after U.S. Marines stormed ashore on Okinawa, it may finally be time for them to go home. Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Friday fired his defense minister, in part for missteps and verbal gaffes related to plans for building a new airbase and relocating thousands of U.S. Marines on Okinawa.

But soaring costs, local opposition and the changing military environment, as well as budget cuts and force-structure changes at home, are leading some to ask whether the Marines are really needed here at all. “People are going to take a hard look at the Marines and say, ‘Well, I don’t know why they are even there,’” says Jeffrey Hornung, associate professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a Defense Department-sponsored think tank in Honolulu (Hornung says his views are his own). “Given how much problems this is causing in Okinawa, it’s finally time to re-think things.”

For decades, the Marines have been a centerpiece of U.S. strategy in the Pacific. From Okinawa, Marines are only a few days sailing time from Taiwan, the Korean peninsula or other potential trouble spots. A powerful Marine task force just over the horizon was considered a powerful deterrent to bad actors from East Asia to the Persian Gulf.

But noise, crime and overcrowding from the up to 18,000 Marines and other troops based on Okinawa have generated generations of protests from residents, and have led to paralyzing political debates.

Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa was sacked Friday for a series of verbal gaffes and missteps related to a plan to replace the Futenma airbase and relocate 8,000 Marines and their dependents to Guam. The plan was agreed upon by Washington and Tokyo in 2006 after 10 years of tough negotiations, but is widely opposed in Okinawa for not going far enough.

That plan now all but dead, in part because escalated the cost from $10 billion to nearly $30 billion. New negotiations will take place as the Obama administration is looking to cut defense spending by $487 billion over the next 10 years and realign US forces worldwide.

While Obama said last week that budget cuts would not come at the expense of US forces in Asia, it’s certain the Marines on Okinawa will get a close look.

Although 18,000 Marines are nominally based on Okinawa, the number has been closer to 12,000 to 14,000 in recent years because of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Due to training restrictions on Okinawa, most of those troops were sent to California for final pre-deployment training.

More than a thousand Marines on Okinawa – the exact number is unclear — are assigned to headquarters units that have few if any combat units specifically assigned to them. III MEB, 3rd Marine Division and III MEF each have full headquarters element, including a commanding general and his staff, but exist largely to build up to brigade, division or multi-division size units, respectively, in case of a large land war or contingency in Asia.

Whether those headquarters elements could be located elsewhere and still get the job done – or whether the job is still required – is likely to get a close look. The Marines are currently planning to cut about 12,000 troops from their current strength of 200,000.

Even the Marines’ core combat element on Okinawa, the 31st MEU, is likely to get a close review. The 31st MEU is one of seven amphibious groups that patrol various parts of the globe for up to six months at a time. Three are based at Camp Lejeune, S.C., and three at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Although Okinawa saves a week or more sailing time, it’s unclear whether the sailing time saved from the West Coast. Each unit is limited to about 2,200 Marines, including support and logistics troops. Obama announced last year that 2,500 Marines would be stationed in Darwin, Australia, but whether they would serve as a replacement for the 31st MEU is also unclear.

Hornung says that until recently he was a strong supporter of keeping Marines in Okinawa, but he’s now convinced other forces in the region could do the job.

“What are the Marines on Okinawa for? If you say they are there for deterrence, then you have to ask, deterrence from what? If you are talking about China, then that would be the 7th Fleet. If you are talking about North Korea, then I would say it’s the troops who are (based) in Korea,” Hornung says. “If you pull the Marines out, is that going to hurt Japanese national security or US national security? I don’t think so.”

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2012/01/13/marines-on-okinawa-time-to-leave/#ixzz1jQMErFSg

[buglerbilly]

US, Japan Mull Sending 4,700 Marines to Guam

February 07, 2012

Associated Press|by Eric Talmadge

TOKYO -- The United States and Japan, hoping to break a stalemate over the U.S. military presence on Okinawa, are discussing a plan to transfer nearly 5,000 troops to Guam despite their failure to replace a major Marine base on the southern Japan island.

The transfer, a key to U.S. troop restructuring in the Pacific, has been in limbo for years because it was linked to the closure and replacement of the strategically important base, which has been fiercely opposed by local residents.

"We are not at a point where we can discuss the details, but we are looking into ways to reduce the burden on Okinawa as soon as possible," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told Parliament on Tuesday, a day after talks on the restructuring plan began in Washington.

The new proposal would delink the transfer and base closure issues, according to a senior Japanese official.

While talks on the base's replacement plan would continue, about 4,700 Marines - instead of the 8,000 agreed to in 2006 - would be moved to Guam under the new plan, Seiji Maehara, the ruling party's policy chief, told reporters Sunday.

"We would go ahead first with less than 5,000 troops, around 4,700, being transferred to Guam," he said.

Japanese media reported the remaining 3,300 troops would be moved to Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines or other locations on a rotational basis.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland refused to comment on numbers or timing, but said Washington continues to "pursue a military presence in Japan and in the Asia-Pacific that's operationally resilient, that's geographically distributed, and that's politically sustainable."

Though it leaves the Okinawa base issue unresolved - and cuts the number of Marines to go to Guam - the compromise would be a big breakthrough in what has been a serious irritant in the otherwise robust security relationship between Tokyo and Washington.

It would also allow the United States to move forward with a regionwide restructuring of its troop deployments at a time when China is rising as a much more significant military power.

With beefed-up Navy, Air Force and Marine facilities, Guam - a tiny U.S. territory about 3,700 miles (5,955 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii and 1,500 miles (2,415 kilometers) south of Tokyo - is set to become a hub of Washington's military strategy in the Pacific.

But the Okinawa standoff has cast doubts on the multibillion dollar Guam buildup, originally scheduled to begin in 2014.

The United States and Japan agreed in 1996 to close down the Okinawa base, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, after an uproar over the rape of a local schoolgirl by three U.S. servicemen. MCAS Futenma has long been a symbol to many Okinawans of the U.S. military's large footprint on their island, and the agreement was intended to appease Okinawan sensitivities.

About half of the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan are on Okinawa, which is one of Japan's smallest prefectures (states). Complaints over base-related crime, accidents and overcrowding there are endemic.

Talks to build a replacement facility quickly stalled over Okinawan demands the new base be moved elsewhere in Japan or overseas.

After another public outcry following a helicopter crash in 2004, the two governments agreed in 2006 to further reduce the burden on Okinawa by transferring about 8,000 of the 18,000 Marines on the island to Guam - if a substitute for Futenma could be found.

That also failed to appease Okinawan opposition and the standoff over the replacement plan has only deepened in recent years.

Reports of the proposal immediately raised concerns on Okinawa that it would sap the momentum away from efforts to close Futenma, although officials in Tokyo and Washington stressed they remain committed to replacing the base with another facility in a less congested part of the island.

"I think the current plan is very bad for Okinawa because it could take the big issue - the promise to close down Futenma - off the table," said Masaaki Gabe, a professor of international relations at the University of the Ryukyus. "This kind of political game-playing is not going to please anyone here. We feel like our efforts over the past 15 years have been wasted."

© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Noda vows to relocate Futenma base despite change in U.S. policy


Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda speaks during a press conference in Tokyo Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan will do its utmost to ensure that U.S. Marines will not be using the Futenma air base in Okinawa's crowded residential area for many more years, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Monday.

"I'm aware there are concerns over the Futenma base becoming fixed in its present form," Noda told a parliament session. "To make sure that this will not happen, the government will do all it can in talks (with the United States)."

His remarks come at a time when the United States is planning to move thousands of the Marines stationed in Japan to Guam without waiting to see tangible progress on the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corp's Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture.

The plan deviates from the 2006 bilateral accord on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, under which progress on relocating the air base was a precondition for the transfer of about 8,000 Marines and 9,000 dependents from the prefecture to Guam.

Japan's ongoing negotiations with the United States on the transfer of Marines, as well as what to do with the long-stalled relocation of the Futenma base to a less populated area in the prefecture, have been spearheaded by Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and his U.S. counterpart Hillary Clinton.

Gemba told the Diet session that official bilateral discussions concerning the transfer and the Futenma relocation began when he held one-to-one talks with Clinton in Washington on Dec. 19.

He said the two countries are trying to set a new direction for the reconfiguration of Marines in the southern island prefecture before U.S. President Barack Obama's scheduled release of his 2013 budget on Feb. 13.

Gemba, however, said that working out "details" of the realignment would require more time.

Senior foreign and defense officials of the two countries are scheduled to hold talks in Washington on Monday on the transfer of Marines to Guam and other points agreed on under the 2006 road map for realignment of the U.S. military presence in Japan.

Depending on the outcome of the high-level talks, a source close to Japan-U.S. relations said the two countries could announce a rough picture later this week of how they would review the road map.

The review of the road map has been taking place as the U.S. administration is under pressure from Congress to cut the cost of the transfer, while there is no sign of headway toward relocating the Futenma base within the prefecture due to strong local opposition.

A possible revision of the road map is also in line with the new U.S. defense strategy, rebalancing its priorities to Asia from the Middle East. By making Guam as a strategic hub, the Pentagon is considering diversifying its forces in the Asia-Pacific region to cope with the changing security environment, such as China's growing military capabilities.

Noda and Gemba, who attended the House of Councillors' budget panel session, said the government is trying to find the best way to maintain the U.S. forces' deterrent power while at the same time easing the burden on Okinawa of hosting the bulk of U.S. forces in Japan under a bilateral security accord.

To date, Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka, who took the post in mid-January, said he and his immediate predecessor, Yasuo Ichikawa, are not part of the negotiations.

Sources close to Japan-U.S. relations said over the weekend that the two countries have agreed to transfer 4,700 Marines in Okinawa to Guam. The rest of the 8,000 Marines will likely be shifted to places in the Asia-Pacific region other than Guam, including Australia and Hawaii.

(Mainichi Japan) February 6, 2012

[buglerbilly]

U.S. likely to scale down plans for bases in Japan and Guam

By Chico Harlan and Craig Whitlock, Thursday, February 9, 11:47 AM



TOKYO — The U.S. military will probably scale back plans to build key bases in Japan and Guam because of political obstacles and budget pressures, according to U.S. and Japanese officials, complicating the Obama administration’s efforts to strengthen its troop presence in Asia.

Under a deal announced Wednesday with Japanese officials, the U.S. government said it will accelerate plans to withdraw 8,000 Marines from the island of Okinawa. The decision came after several years of stalled talks to find a site for a new Marine base nearby.

Washington’s inability to resolve its basing arrangements on Okinawa, as well as the rising price tag of a related plan for a $23 billion military buildup on Guam, underscore the challenges facing the Obama administration as it seeks to make a strategic “pivot” toward the Pacific after a decade of fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Japanese government said it is still committed to a 2006 accord with the United States to find a new base location for other Marines who will remain on Okinawa. But officials in Tokyo acknowledged that they had made little progress in the face of fierce resistance from islanders opposed to the long-standing U.S. military presence there. Bleak public finances in the United States and in Japan have also undermined the effort.

U.S. military officials had planned to relocate the 8,000 Marines and their families to Guam in 2014 as part of a massive military expansion on the U.S. territory in the Pacific. Japanese officials and media reported, however, that only 4,700 of the Marines would end up in Guam, a sign that the Pentagon is reconsidering its plans there.

Congress has questioned the cost of the Guam expansion and has ordered the Obama administration to take another look. Lawmakers have also asked the Pentagon to conduct an independent assessment of its overall deployment plans and troop presence in the Pacific region.

The administration has moved on a series of fronts to bolster the U.S. military presence in Asia and the Pacific recently. Officials reached a deal with Australia to deploy a small number of Marines to Darwin and are holding talks with the Philippines about expanding military ties.

Those moves, along with an agreement to station Navy ships in Singapore, are part of a broader strategy aimed at countering China’s rising influence in the region. Although the Obama administration wants to retain the bulk of U.S. forces in South Korea and Japan, where they have maintained a heavy presence since World War II and the Korean War, officials said they are looking to expand their presence in Southeast Asia.

“We are diversifying our strategic and military approach,” Kurt M. Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for Asian affairs, told a House subcommittee Tuesday. “We will keep a strong commitment in northeast Asia, but we will focus more of our attention in Southeast Asia.”

Reviewing the options

George Little, a Pentagon spokesman, said the military is reviewing its options on where to transfer the 8,000 Marines from Japan. “It’s premature to discuss troop numbers or specific locations,” he said Wednesday.

Under the 2006 accord signed by Tokyo and Washington, the Marines were to move to Guam only after Japan resolved one of its thorniest domestic issues: securing new land for an existing U.S. air base that most Okinawans don’t want on their island — in its current location or anywhere else.

The U.S. and Japanese governments long ago determined that the noisy Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, situated in the middle of a city, should be reconstructed on a northern and less populated slice of land in Okinawa. But they have been unable to begin work on the project, stymied by local opposition. Okinawans say they carry an inordinate burden by hosting, on various bases, more than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan.

On Wednesday, U.S. and Japanese officials said they had lifted the requirement that Tokyo find a replacement for the Futenma base before the 8,000 Marines leave Okinawa. Although both sides said they will keep searching for a new location, the decision leaves Washington with much less leverage.

“We separated those two things in the package,” Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said. “The transfer of the Marines to Guam will not be related to progress in the relocation of Futenma station.”

By detaching the Guam move from the Futenma base controversy, the United States eased concerns that the 2006 accord was about to collapse. Gemba said he did not yet know a target date for the Marine transfer to Guam.

Sen. James Webb (D-Va.), a former Navy secretary and Vietnam veteran who is an influential lawmaker on Asian affairs, said the changes to the 2006 pact with Japan were necessary to “preserve the vital strength of our alliance and the stability of the region.”

Webb and other key senators have questioned the Pentagon’s planned military buildup in Guam, which could cost as much as $23 billion, according to some government estimates. The Pentagon is confronting a new era of austerity after a decade of flush budgets and is trying to slash about $490 billion in projected spending over the next 10 years.

Local opposition

The Futenma base sits in the middle of the city of Ginowan, surrounded by schools and houses. In 2004, a Marine helicopter crashed into a nearby college campus; no one died, but the incident inflamed an opposition that had existed for almost a decade, since the 1995 rape of an Okinawa 12-year-old by three U.S. servicemen.

In the agreement announced Wednesday, the United States and Japan reaffirmed their hope to relocate the base to a less-populated coastal area known as Henoko Bay. But so far, a series of Japanese prime ministers — each of whom survived only a short time in office — have been unable to gather support for that plan among Okinawa’s people and politicians.

“Okinawa’s opposition is still quite strong and still unified,” said Manabu Sato, a professor of political science at Okinawa International University. “Probably the obstacles are even greater than what the Japanese government in Tokyo expected. They have been trying to persuade the governor here to change his position by dropping a large amount of money and offering aid. But still the government maintains stiff opposition.”

Whitlock reported from Washington.