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

Koizumi is to blame for subservience allowing U.S. to force Japan to pay more for new U.S. base in Guam
Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The U.S. government has raised the amount of money it says is necessary to construct a new base in Guam and move 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa, from the initial 2.9 billion dollars to 10 billion dollars. In the Japan-U.S. senior defense/foreign officials' talks, the U.S. urged Japan to pay 75 percent of the 10 billion dollars (1.18 trillion yen).

Given the fact that the U.S. Marine Corps has refused to leave Okinawa for 61 years since the end of WWII and has caused continuous suffering to Okinawans, the U.S. should pay not only the cost of their own relocation but compensation money for suffering Okinawans who have been forced to endure their stationing in Japan. How preposterous it is for the Koizumi government to take it for granted that Japan should pay such a huge sum of money for U.S. forces and try to negotiate the amount with the U.S.!

The Japanese government argues that relocating 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam will help reduce Okinawa's burdens, which is untrue. U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Richard Lawless stated that Guam is absolutely strategic for the forward deployment of U.S. forces in the Pacific.

The construction of the base in Guam is designed to enable U.S. Marine Corps units in Guam, Okinawa, and Hawaii to operate together, and swiftly take action in any place in the world. The relocation of the 8,000 Marines together with its command is a prerequisite for this U.S. strategy.

The Japanese government's explanation that this payment will help reduce Okinawans' burdens from U.S. military bases is nothing but an afterthought for justifying Japan's payment. None other than the U.S. has the duty to pay for the relocation/construction.

What the Japanese government should do is to urge the U.S. to withdraw U.S. Marines from Okinawa.

How can the U.S. ask Japan to raise the amount of money needed for the relocation of U.S. Marines to Guam? It is because the Koizumi government is uncritically accepting the priority of U.S. military transformation on the grounds that the need is to "maintain deterrence and reduce burdens."

Japan's payment of this enormous amount of tax money in cooperation with U.S. military transformation plans in addition to its annual payment of 600 billion yen for U.S. forces in Japan will mean further cutbacks in government expenditures for social programs for the public.

We cannot overlook the fact that the U.S. government has begun calling on Japan to increase its military expenditure. This amounts to interfering in Japan's internal affairs, which is absolutely unacceptable.

Japan must discontinue its policy of extraordinary subservience to the U.S. that will only help U.S. forces prosper and impoverish the public.
- Akahata, April 3, 2006