Japan Press Weekly

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2011 April 13 - 19 [US FORCES]

US Marines try to remain in Futenma

April 12 marked the 15th year of the agreement between the Japanese and the U.S. governments regarding the return of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station to Okinawa’s Ginowan City in return for the construction of a new U.S. base elsewhere in Okinawa. However, the U.S. forces are professing the intention to continuously use the Futenma base.

Head of the U.S. Pacific Command Robert F. Willard on April 12 testified before a Senate hearing that he feels regret for the Futenma base “relocation” being at a standstill, and mentioned the possibility of using the existing Futenma base for a while longer.

He was using the stalemated situation in regard to the base “relocation” issue as an excuse to stay put in Futenma.

The argument, “We will stay here unless you prepare a new base for us,” comes from a sense of arrogance of occupiers hostile to many Okinawans who oppose the “relocation” of the base to anywhere in Okinawa.

The U.S. forces are also considering continuing their use of the Futenma base under the pretext of providing disaster relief assistance to the March 11 earthquake region.

The U.S. Marines in Okinawa emphasized the geographical advantages of Okinawa for disaster relief operations, saying that the Marines’ air unit was able to promptly carry relief supplies to the disaster-hit region because the unit is stationed near mainland Japan (press release, March 18).

However, the ship on which the Marines’ air unit was based during the relief assistance operation actually came from Southeast Asia (USS Essex). The aircraft carrier which headed the U.S. forces for the disaster relief operation came from the U.S. mainland (USS Ronald Reagan).

Meanwhile, the Yokosuka-based USS George Washington was relocated to the sea off Kyushu for fear of radiation contamination from the Fukushima nuclear accident.

It cannot be claimed that Okinawa’s geographical advantages were of prime importance in their relief operations.

Ginowan City Mayor Asato Takeshi on April 12 at a press conference stated, “Their participation in the disaster relief mission cannot be used to justify their continued presence in our city. We oppose the continuing use of the base.”