November 24, 2024

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Yamazoe Taku and JCP members of the Tokyo Metropolitan assembly and Tokyo’s Minato Ward assembly on November 21 demanded an explanation from the Ministry of Defense about the reported relocation of the U.S. Command from the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo’s western outskirts to central Tokyo.

The U.S. military’s quasi-official newspaper “Stars and Stripes” has recently reported that U.S. Forces Japan is considering relocating some of its Command functions from the Yokota AB (Tachikawa, Akishima, Fussa, Musashimurayama, Hamura cities, and Mizuho Town) to the U.S. Azabu heliport at the Akasaka Press Center in Roppongi (Minato Ward).

The location under consideration is close to the Defense Ministry building (Shinjuku Ward). The relocation is believed to be part of the strengthening of Japan-U.S. command and control cooperation that will bring Japan’s Self-Defense Forces under the command of the U.S. military.

Yamazoe and the JCP assemblypersons said that they cannot allow the location of another country’s command center to be in the middle of Japan’s capital. They pointed out that the U.S. military headquarters is being reorganized as the Joint Force Command, and would not be a mere relocation of the command center, expressing concern that it would be targeted in the event of war.

They also said that the Tokyo Metropolitan government and the Minato Ward government have repeatedly requested the return of the U.S. military facility in Roppongi, and demanded that the relocation from Yokota to Roppongi be reconsidered and cancelled.

Defense Ministry officials in response said that nothing has been decided at this time, including the location, and that the ministry is aware that there are concerns about the beefing-up of U.S. base functions.