Japan Press Weekly

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2011 September 21 - 27 [US FORCES]

US forces in Okinawa hide new facility name from public

The U.S. forces in Okinawa removed a signboard giving the name of a new communication facility at the U.S. Kadena Air Force Base and designating the name of the unit operating the facility, Akahata discovered.

This may be the U.S. forces’ attempt to make the facility a secret because the signboard was removed just after Japanese Communist Party member of the Kadena Town Assembly Tanaka Koei on September 13 raised a question about the facility at an assembly meeting.

In early August, five antenna facilities that look like a huge golf ball were suddenly installed at the Kadena base.

On September 11, when Tanaka and JCP House of Representatives member Akamine Seiken inspected the site near the facilities, they confirmed the English sign displaying the facility as part of the 18th Communication Squadron and its identification as a “mobile wireless communication system site.”

In response to Akahata’s inquiry, an official of the Kadena base declined to specify the function and role of the system or the reason why the sign was removed, saying, “(Revealing that information) would affect the operation of the system.”

Tanaka said to Akahata, “Information about the new communications facility should be disclosed to the public. Kadena’s base functions have obviously been strengthened.”