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

Scrap U.S. military realignment plan: JCP Kasai

With high-level Japan-U.S. talks on the U.S. military alignment in Japan expected to resume in late April, Japanese Communist Party representative Kasai Akira used his questioning time at the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on April 20 to demand that the government stop accepting the U.S. military realignment plan aimed at the strengthening of the functions of U.S. forces in Japan.

Many local governments concerned are opposed to the realignment plan because it will increase the operational capabilities of U.S. bases and help perpetuate them, he said.

Asked by Kasai how many local governments have accepted government proposals on the military realignment, Defense Facilities Administration Agency Director General Kitahara Iwao answered 17, or one-third of the 55 local prefectures and cities/towns that host U.S. military bases.

This includes local governments that have shown their "understanding" of the government proposals for "co-use" of the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo by the U.S. Air Force and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, while objecting to a military-civilian "co-use" plan.

"This being the fact, the number of local communities that have agreed with all government proposals concerned must be fewer than 17," Kasai said.

Asked by Kasai if the government in working-level negotiations with the U.S. since the Japan-U.S. "interim" agreement of October 2005 succeeded in reducing the local burdens of U.S. bases, a Defense Agency official only said, "I can't respond to that question because talks are still underway."

Pointing out that the government has been unable to get local understanding during the past six months, Kasai said, "This is because the government has been devoted to talks with the U.S. while urging local governments/people to accept the plan."

The government must not finalize the agreement with the U.S. to further strengthen U.S. forces in Japan, Kasai warned.
- Akahata, April 22, 2006