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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

A plan to shift additional burden of U.S. military presence onto Okinawans
Akahata editorial

Japanese and U.S. negotiators have reached agreement to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa's Ginowan City to U.S. Camp Schwab in Nago City. Under the plan, the new base will stretch out on the area of Camp Schwab barracks and on reclaimed land in Oura Bay and Henoko beach.

This is largely in line with the U.S. proposal for constructing an airfield in the shallow waters off Camp Schwab. Although the base construction will directly affect Okinawans' safety and living conditions, the Japanese government accepted the plan without providing any information to local municipalities. The two-party agreement will further increase Okinawans' burdens related to the presence of U.S. military bases.

In 1999, Japan's government chose the sea off the Henoko district of Nago City as the location of the new U.S. base. However, it was forced to give up the plan due to Okinawans' strong protests, including beach sit-ins and on-sea protest activities.

The U.S. government initially proposed a plan to construct a base in the shallow waters off U.S. Camp Schwab, a plan that paid no attention to residents' safety. Constructing the base in such a location will destroy the habitat of dugongs and force local residents to endure extensive noise pollution and the danger of aircraft crashes.

The Japanese government came up with an alternative plan to build the facility in areas that include the barracks section of Camp Schwab and part of Oura Bay because it expected to face more strong local protests if it called for a plan to use landfill at Henoko beach.

Technically, the agreement is a compromise between Japanese and U.S. plans, but it is based on the U.S. plan. It will not only destroy seaweed beds in the shallow waters and endanger the rare sea mammal dugong, but will force the residents of both sides of the new airfield to endure aircraft roars and expose them to the danger of aircraft crashes.

In the Japan-U.S. talks, the Pentagon insisted that the location of the airfield should be next to U.S. Camp Schwab. This is because the Pentagon's aim is to further enhance the functions of the U.S. Marines in conformity with the U.S. military realignment policy.

When the country director for Japan of the Pentagon, John Hill, visited the Okinawa Prefectural government, he said that the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters and logistical units will be relocated to Guam, but that the remaining Marines should be concentrated in northern areas of Okinawa. This is a concept to turn the northern area of Okinawa's main island into a major fortress for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Naha military port and logistical and depot functions of Maki port will also be relocated to northern Okinawa.

If the new base is completed, it will maintain helicopter units and fixed-wings aircraft units; and in 2012 the state-of-the-art VTOL aircraft Osprey will be deployed to the base, creating a stronghold of U.S. air power. Unlike the U.S. Futenma Air Station located in the middle of residential areas, northern Okinawa will impose no restrictions on the activity of U.S. forces.

The new base will lead to a dramatic increase in the U.S. Marines' attack capabilities, including transport of troops for ground battle.

Increasing opposition movement

The recent Japan-U.S. agreement has sparked protests. The opposition movement is picking up, and local governments are involved.

The Japan-U.S. agreement on U.S. military realignment is not just about Okinawa. It also includes plans to relocate the carrier-borne aircraft units currently based at U.S. Naval Air Station Atsugi (Kanagawa) to the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni air Station (Yamaguchi) and to establish in U.S. Camp Zama (Kanagawa) a command for combat. These realignments will also pave the way to unify operations between the U.S. forces and Japan's Self-Defense Forces, a major change in the Japan-U.S. military alliance for aggressive purposes. The JCP is absolutely opposed to these moves that go against peace in Japan and Asia and in the rest of the world.

Let us strengthen the movement calling for the Futenma base to be dismantled and its site be unconditionally returned to Japan. -- Akahata, October 28, 2005