US warships must stop visiting civilian ports

Japan Press Weekly

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

US warships must stop visiting civilian ports
Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The U.S. mine countermeasures ship Defender, stationed at U.S. Sasebo Naval Base, is planning to visit Hirara port in Miyakojima Island in Okinawa for four days from September 21. This is the first time that a U.S. warship will enter this civilian port.

For residents of the isolated Miyakojima Island, seaports and airports provide essential transportation lifelines. It is only natural that the Miyakojima mayor and the Okinawa prefectural government strongly call on the U.S. forces to refrain from the planned port call.

US forces required to comply with laws

U.S. warships have increasingly visited commercial ports in Japan since 2005, when the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed to allow U.S. military ships and planes to use Japan’s civilian airports and seaports in cases of emergency.

The Japanese government is trying to justify U.S. military vessels’ entry into Japanese civilian ports by citing Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which, however, only states: United States and foreign vessels and aircraft operated by, for or under the control of the United States for official purposes shall be accorded access to any port or airport of Japan free from toll or landing charges.

This statement does not exclude U.S. military port calls from being subject to the Japanese Ports and Harbors Act which requires ships to obtain port administrators’ permission to enter the port.

The SOFA in its Article 16 obliges the U.S. forces to comply with Japanese domestic laws. U.S. warships’ visit to Japanese ports without port administrators’ authorization thus goes against the SOFA.

Many municipal heads are opposed to U.S. warships’ visits to their ports because they are concerned that such port calls could adversely impact residents’ daily lives and bring negative influences to the local economy. The U.S. forces must respect local concerns and cancel plans to enter Japanese civil ports.

- Akahata, September 21, 2010