April 11 & 15, 2009
The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties used their majority to bulldoze the bill to approve the Guam Agreement through the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on April 10, an international agreement that will require Japan to pay a large amount of the cost for the ‘relocation’ of part of the Okinawa-based U.S. Marine Corps units to the U.S. territory of Guam.
The opposition Democratic Party voted against the treaty, although it agreed to have the discussion cut short and have it put to a vote.
Japanese Communist Party representative Kasai Akira spoke in opposition to the agreement.
Under the Guam Agreement, signed by the Japanese foreign minister and the U.S. secretary of state in February, Japan will be forced to pay 2.8 billion dollars to help realign U.S. military facilities on U.S. territory.
The agreement states that unless a new air base is built (in the Henoko district of Nago City, Okinawa) at the expense of Japan, the presence in Okinawa of U.S. Marine Corps will not be reduced.
Kasai said that the agreement, if enacted, will “trample on the earnest call of Okinawans for them to be set free of the heavy burdens of U.S. military bases on their land.”
Akamine questions government
At the House of Representatives committee meeting, JCP representative Akamine Seiken urged Prime Minister Aso Taro to cancel the Guam Agreement by stating, “During and after the U.S. occupation of Okinawa, they robbed Okinawans of their land to turn Okinawa into a U.S. military stronghold. It is totally unacceptable for the return to Japan of certain U.S. base sites in Okinawa to be conditional on constructing a new U.S. base in Okinawa.”
Akamine referred to the historical fact that the U.S. forces, after landing on Okinawa in the final stages of World War II, put local residents in concentration camps and began to construct military facilities after their illegal land grab. Even after Japan’s surrender, the U.S. forces continued illegally robbing Okinawans of their land using the force of guns, bayonets, and bulldozers, he said.
Referring to his memories of his childhood in Okinawa, Akamine emphasized that in the past 64 years since then, U.S. forces have continued their presence on this island without making any compensation to Okinawans.
Akamine went on to say, “It is unjustifiable that Japan is forced to shoulder financial burdens for the U.S. forces relocation under such a humiliating agreement.”
Aso said, “I understand your feeling.” But he also repeated the government’s groundless explanation that the ‘relocation’ of U.S. Marines from Okinawa will help reduce Okinawans’ burden from U.S. bases.
Akamine concluded his questioning period by stating, “The new U.S. air base is going to be constructed by destroying the beautiful sea in the surrounding area. By pushing ahead with the ‘package deals’ on the new base construction in Okinawa and the Marine Corps relocation to Guam, the Japanese government will pay the costs for both. The JCP joins with Okinawans in firmly opposing such an outrageous agreement.”
New air base requires at least 350 billion yen to construct
The Defense Ministry’s Bureau of Regional Cooperation director Inoue Genzo has revealed that the construction of a new USMC base at the offshore area of Henoko in Nago will cost at least 350 billion yen (or 3.5 billion dollars). He stated this at the Lower House committee meeting on April 10 in reply to a question by JCP Kasai Akira.
This is the initial government estimate on the total cost for the new air base whose construction was referred to in the May 2006 Japan-U.S. Roadmap for Realignment Implementation.
The Guam Treaty was approved by the House of Representatives plenary session on April 14.
The opposition Democratic Party voted against the treaty, although it agreed to have the discussion cut short and have it put to a vote.
Japanese Communist Party representative Kasai Akira spoke in opposition to the agreement.
Under the Guam Agreement, signed by the Japanese foreign minister and the U.S. secretary of state in February, Japan will be forced to pay 2.8 billion dollars to help realign U.S. military facilities on U.S. territory.
The agreement states that unless a new air base is built (in the Henoko district of Nago City, Okinawa) at the expense of Japan, the presence in Okinawa of U.S. Marine Corps will not be reduced.
Kasai said that the agreement, if enacted, will “trample on the earnest call of Okinawans for them to be set free of the heavy burdens of U.S. military bases on their land.”
Akamine questions government
At the House of Representatives committee meeting, JCP representative Akamine Seiken urged Prime Minister Aso Taro to cancel the Guam Agreement by stating, “During and after the U.S. occupation of Okinawa, they robbed Okinawans of their land to turn Okinawa into a U.S. military stronghold. It is totally unacceptable for the return to Japan of certain U.S. base sites in Okinawa to be conditional on constructing a new U.S. base in Okinawa.”
Akamine referred to the historical fact that the U.S. forces, after landing on Okinawa in the final stages of World War II, put local residents in concentration camps and began to construct military facilities after their illegal land grab. Even after Japan’s surrender, the U.S. forces continued illegally robbing Okinawans of their land using the force of guns, bayonets, and bulldozers, he said.
Referring to his memories of his childhood in Okinawa, Akamine emphasized that in the past 64 years since then, U.S. forces have continued their presence on this island without making any compensation to Okinawans.
Akamine went on to say, “It is unjustifiable that Japan is forced to shoulder financial burdens for the U.S. forces relocation under such a humiliating agreement.”
Aso said, “I understand your feeling.” But he also repeated the government’s groundless explanation that the ‘relocation’ of U.S. Marines from Okinawa will help reduce Okinawans’ burden from U.S. bases.
Akamine concluded his questioning period by stating, “The new U.S. air base is going to be constructed by destroying the beautiful sea in the surrounding area. By pushing ahead with the ‘package deals’ on the new base construction in Okinawa and the Marine Corps relocation to Guam, the Japanese government will pay the costs for both. The JCP joins with Okinawans in firmly opposing such an outrageous agreement.”
New air base requires at least 350 billion yen to construct
The Defense Ministry’s Bureau of Regional Cooperation director Inoue Genzo has revealed that the construction of a new USMC base at the offshore area of Henoko in Nago will cost at least 350 billion yen (or 3.5 billion dollars). He stated this at the Lower House committee meeting on April 10 in reply to a question by JCP Kasai Akira.
This is the initial government estimate on the total cost for the new air base whose construction was referred to in the May 2006 Japan-U.S. Roadmap for Realignment Implementation.
The Guam Treaty was approved by the House of Representatives plenary session on April 14.
