U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visited Okinawa on November 16 and told Okinawans to endure the burden of the U.S. military presence, clearly revealing that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, the legal foundation of the U.S. bases in Japan, is in conflict with the interests of the Japanese people, reported Akahata on November 19.

At a briefing in Washington on November 10, Rumsfeld explained that the purpose of his visit to Asia, including Japan, was "to visit with U.S. troops and to thank them for the important work they're doing in the region."

A Japanese government official's prediction that the U.S. secretary of defense would not make any significant statements concerning U.S. military bases in Japan was confirmed by his meeting with Okinawa Governor Inamine Keiichi.

Governor's petition rejected

Governor Inamine handed a petition to Rumsfeld regarding the U.S. military presence in Okinawa. Stating that although U.S. bases are crucial to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty setup, the petition calls for the following:

(1) The decisions of the Japan-U.S. Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO) to reduce the burden on Okinawans must be implemented (although the SACO decisions are designed to relocate U.S. bases within Okinawa, instead of closing them down -- Akahata);

(2) The 15-year limit on the use of a new Marine Corps air facility to be constructed in Nago as the substitute for the Futenma Air Station must be respected;

(3) The number of U.S. troops stationed in Okinawa must be reduced; and

(4) The Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement must be fundamentally reviewed.

Instead of responding to the petition, Rumsfeld just said that a review is under way as part of a review of U.S. military presence worldwide.

Inamine told Rumsfeld that Okinawa is like a powder keg, an illustration of Okinawans' strong opposition to U.S. bases. Rumsfeld responded to the governor by saying that American soldiers in Okinawa are saying most Okinawans welcome them.

The U.S. defense secretary was highhanded in rejecting the governor's complaint about aircraft noise, saying that U.S. military exercises and noise have been reduced.

Inamine also told Rumsfeld that too many incidents and accidents have been caused by U.S. soldiers stationed in Okinawa during the last 58 years.

Expressing discomfort at the governor's petition, Rumsfeld said that the governor failed to mention the fact that regional peace has been maintained under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.

Inamine then requested Rumsfeld to study the documents about the situation in Okinawa concerning the U.S. military presence.

The local daily Ryukyu Shimpo on November 18 stated, "Public perception of U.S. bases in Okinawa has changed, but U.S. strategy to use Okinawa as its military stronghold has not."

Comments by Ginowan Mayor

Mayor Iha Yoichi of Ginowan City hosting the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station commented on Rumsfeld's remarks regarding U.S. efforts to reduce aircraft noise, pointing to the fact that the city has found that the number of U.S. military flights has increased by 10,000 ~ 12,000 during the past six years.

"The U.S. defense secretary stated that Okinawa has enjoyed peace under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, but that's not true. About 200,000 lives were lost during the Battle of Okinawa toward the end of World War II, and immediately after the war's end, Okinawans were robbed of their land by the U.S. forces in order to construct their bases. We were driven off our hand and forced to live with the bases."

"If he is in favor of 'peace in Japan', he should stop forcing Okinawans to endure the burden of U.S. bases. True Japan-U.S. partnership calls for every U.S. base to be dismantled as quickly as possible," the mayor stressed. (end)


http://www.japan-press.co.jp/2360/defense.html

Stop serving the United States as stronghold for its preemptive wars

The U.S. secretary of defense and the Japanese Defense Agency director general held talks in Tokyo and agreed to hold bilateral discussions on reorganization of U.S. forces in Japan.

Reorganization of U.S. forces in Japan is part of a worldwide force restructuring being carried out by the U.S. Defense Department.

Japan has been used as a major stepping-stone for U.S. wars on Afghanistan and Iraq. The reorganization of the U.S. forces in Japan is dangerous particularly because of the U.S. policy of making it easier to carry out its preemptive war strategy.

Can Japan remain a foothold for U.S. wars? This is a major question the Koizumi Cabinet must answer in addition to the question concerning sending the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq.

Strengthening strike forces

Reorganizing the U.S. forces in Japan and South Korea was a focal issue, along with the issue of sending troops to Iraq when the U.S. secretary of defense visited the two countries.

The U.S. forces in Japan are strike forces carrying out invasions of other countries, different from U.S. forces in South Korea which the United States is consolidating and relocating. But South Korea is demanding that the defense functions of the U.S. forces not be curtailed.

Prime Minister Koizumi has tried to justify the promise he made to the U.S. president to send the SDF to Iraq by saying that Japan is protected by the U.S. forces under the Japan-U.S. alliance. The fact, however, is that the U.S. forces are stationed in Japan not for defending Japan, but are the most dangerous source of war readiness as the United States carries out wars throughout the world.

It is disturbing to see the U.S. forces in Japan being strengthened in line with the Bush administration's attempt to apply its preemptive attack strategy.

Some examples include the construction of a new air base in Nago, Okinawa, the deployment of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, and the formation of new expeditionary attack groups, all contributing to the plan to strengthen the U.S. strike forces.

With crimes committed by U.S. soldiers, U.S. military aircraft noise and other kinds of environmental destruction, the U.S. forces in Japan are an affront to the Japanese people. The Japanese government, however, allowed the U.S. forces in Japan to overstay at Japan's expense in contravention of the Japan-U.S. Status-of-Forces Agreement. This illustrates how subservient Liberal Democratic Party politics is in its persistence on maintaining the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.

The Japan-U.S. Security Treaty is a military alliance treaty imposed on Japan by the United States at the time the U.S. occupied Japan ostensibly to defend Japan from "Soviet threats". This pretext became irrelevant with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

When asked about the legitimacy of the security treaty, the U.S. secretary of defense emphasized that the treaty is necessary for the "war on terrorism". If so, he should be able to explain when the stated aim of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty changed to serve the U.S. preemptive strike strategy using "counter-terrorism" as the pretext.

The Iraq war provides a perfect example of a U.S. war fueling acts of terrorism and even intensifying them instead of rooting them out.

Terrorism can only be eliminated through international cooperation led by the United Nations to make it possible to arrest the suspects or masterminds of such crimes and strictly punish them by law. This effort is obstructed by the United States.

At a time when the United States is putting into practice a strategy to carry out war throughout the world, reorganization and reinforcement of the U.S. forces in Japan amount to destroying the international peace. This amounts to trampling on the international order of peace established by the U.N. Charter.

We want them out instead of being strengthened

The U.S. forces have been driven out from a number of Asian countries. Japan and South Korea are the only countries that still continue to host U.S. forces.

The recent APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference showed clearly that Japan, which is bound by the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, is more isolated than ever from many Asian countries that are strengthening cooperation with each other in the region by breaking away from military alliances with the United States.

The U.S. forces in Japan must go, instead of undergoing reorganization and reinforcement.

This is the only way for Japan to work in the interests of the Japanese people and help strengthen world peace. (end)


http://www.japan-press.co.jp/2360/nov22.html