February 8, 2011
DPJ and LDP competing in giving ‘sympathy’ to U.S. military
At a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on February 7, members of the Democratic and Liberal Democratic parties discussed the so-called “sympathy budget” for the stationing of the U.S. forces in Japan based on the shared stance of promoting financial support for the U.S. military presence.
LDP representative Onodera Itsunori pointed out that although the DPJ as an opposition party in 2008 opposed the extension of the Japan-U.S. agreement on the “sympathy budget” for three years, it now calls for Diet approval of a five-year extension of this sympathy budget.
Foreign Minister Maehara Seiji responded that considering the military situation of neighboring countries, the government has judged that it must work on further strengthening the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.
Onodera said that a new special agreement that the government concluded with the U.S. to maintain the current level of the “sympathy budget” for five years is “much worse” than the agreement endorsed by the former government led by his party.
However, Onodera did not call for the abrogation of the “sympathy budget.” What he called on the DPJ to do instead was to “admit that what it said three years ago was wrong and openly strive to develop the Japan-U.S. alliance.”
At a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on February 7, members of the Democratic and Liberal Democratic parties discussed the so-called “sympathy budget” for the stationing of the U.S. forces in Japan based on the shared stance of promoting financial support for the U.S. military presence.
LDP representative Onodera Itsunori pointed out that although the DPJ as an opposition party in 2008 opposed the extension of the Japan-U.S. agreement on the “sympathy budget” for three years, it now calls for Diet approval of a five-year extension of this sympathy budget.
Foreign Minister Maehara Seiji responded that considering the military situation of neighboring countries, the government has judged that it must work on further strengthening the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.
Onodera said that a new special agreement that the government concluded with the U.S. to maintain the current level of the “sympathy budget” for five years is “much worse” than the agreement endorsed by the former government led by his party.
However, Onodera did not call for the abrogation of the “sympathy budget.” What he called on the DPJ to do instead was to “admit that what it said three years ago was wrong and openly strive to develop the Japan-U.S. alliance.”
