military

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How absurd it is for the U.S. to tell Japan to dismiss objections to implement new U.S. military realignment plan!
Akahata editorial

The government is explaining the plan to realign and strengthen U.S. military bases to 12 prefectures, including Tokyo and Hokkaido, and 43 local municipalities directly concerned. Thus, the government is putting into practice the interim report for realigning the Japan-U.S. alliance, which was agreed upon by the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee consisting of the Japanese and U.S. foreign and defense ministers agreed.

Ignoring opposition voiced by an overwhelming majority of the public throughout Japan to the realignment plan, the Japanese and U.S. governments are working to push the plan through.

Show of ruler mentality

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said, "It ought to come as no surprise that somebody doesn't like them. If you do anything, somebody's not going to like it in life"(Nov. 1). U.S. President Bush also said, "It's hard to satisfy all the people all the time." (Nov. 8)

The United States has anticipated facing opposition. It is now spurring the Koizumi government to implement the realignment plan in disregard of opposition. The people have sovereign power to reject a plan they "don't like" or get it changed even though it has been approved by the government. How despotic it is to tell the people to accept whatever the government decides. It has nothing in common with democracy.

What is more, it is not "some people" who oppose the military realignment, but a majority of residents living near the bases. It is absolutely unacceptable for the United States to urge the Japanese government to implement the realignment plan by dismissing the overwhelming objection as just some dissenters.

The arrogant request to Japan made by the U.S. president and other high officials shows their ruler mentality in which they can manipulate Japan through the military alliance.

In the interim report the Japanese "ministers committed themselves to completing local coordination." U.S. President Bush said, "The two governments negotiated the best plan they could." Rumsfeld said, "It is an arrangement that our two countries, our two governments have entered into." These remarks are taken to mean that the U.S. government rules out any changes in the interim report. By "coordination" they mean forcing local governments to accept the realignment plan agreed upon by the Japanese and U.S. governments. The Koizumi Cabinet is completely ignoring people's wishes in order to meet the U.S. government's demand. Which country does it really represent?

The Japanese government in the name of 'coordination' is preparing to enact a special measures law to rob local communities of certain powers in order to speed up the implementation of the plan. The construction of a new base and relocation of U.S. military facilities within Okinawa requires an environmental impact assessment, reclamation of public sea area, and permission to construct buildings and use of roads by local authorities because of possible impacts they will have on citizens. Enacting new bills will allow the national government to push through realignment-related work in disregard of local opposition.

Koizumi stated, "Learning lessons from failures to put into practice many of the Special Action Committee for Okinawa (SACO) final report due to the opposition movement, we must expedite agreement" (Yomiuri Shimbun, October 27).

Let's deliver these severe public criticisms to the Japanese and U.S. governments for their arrogance.

A national task

The U.S. military realignment is aimed at turning the whole of Japan into a forward deployment base for U.S. preemptive wars while integrating operations of the U.S. forces and the Self-Defense Forces. The pressing task is to join forces for an overall resolution of the military base issue to ensure Japan's peaceful future.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to free Japan from the Japan-U.S. military alliance. -- Akahata, November 16, 2005