Don't allow U.S. Forces to freely use civil airports -- Akahata editorial of May 20

Recently, the use of Japan's civil airports by U.S. Forces aircraft has increased dramatically.

On May 16, U.S. large helicopters and a tanker plane, on their way back from military exercises in the Philippines, landed for refueling at Hateruma Airport in Taketomi Town and Shimochi-shima Airport in Irabu Town, both located between Okinawa's main island and Taiwan.

This took place despite the fact that the Okinawa Prefectural government, the airport authority, has repeatedly requested the U.S. to stop using them.

Representatives of the Taketomi Town Assembly which adopted a resolution against the use of the airport by the U.S. Forces said, "We can never allow the airport to be perpetually used as a relay base for military exercises."

Since 1999, when the War Laws under the Japan-U.S. Guidelines for Defense Cooperation were enacted, the U.S. Forces have increased its use of Japan's civil airports in the Kyushu region. Nagasaki and Fukuoka airports are used as depots for transporting personnel and munitions from the U.S. Sasebo Naval Base in Nagasaki Pref. and Amami Island in Kagoshima Pref. as a supply base for the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa.

On May 15, RAND (a U.S. think-tank) published a report entitled, "The United States and Asia," which proposes the use by U.S. Forces of these Okinawan civil airports as their air bases in an emergency in relation to the Taiwan Strait.

Neither the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty nor Japanese laws permits such a unilateral plan.

Article V of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which is based on the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, only states that U.S. vessels and "aircraft ... shall be accorded access to any port or airport of Japan free from toll or landing charges."

On this, Japan's government has maintained that Article V is only applicable to emergency landings, and it would refuse any U.S. request except for such cases.

Furthermore, it can't be allowed for the U.S. Forces to land at civil airports under local governments' administration in complete disregard of the call to refrain from landing and an assembly's opposition resolution. How unjustifiable U.S. actions are!

In February 2000, aircraft from the U.S. Forces landed on Ishigaki Island in the southern Ryukyu Islands under the pretext of refueling. Facing protest by Ishigaki's City Assembly and mayor, they stopped landings the following month.

Why, then, are the U.S. Forces continuing such illegal actions? The Japanese Government is responsible for accepting increased U.S. demands on Japan by making new interpretation of SOFA articles so that U.S. aircraft may freely use Japan's civil airports. How humiliating!

The Koizumi cabinet must be criticized for not protesting against such an arrogant U.S. attitude, but approving it. Prime Minister Koizumi is meeting U.S. demands by stressing the need for Japan to implement the right to collective self-defense, either by eliminating or making interpretational changes to the Constitution's Article 9.

Under Japan's Constitution, which renounces war, the government must stop allowing the U.S. Forces to freely use civil airports. (end)