Japan Press Weekly

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2008 May 14 - 20 [US FORCES]

Government has overlooked motor vehicle registration requirement of parking space certificate for U.S. military personnel in Okinawa

In Japan, motor vehicle registration requires a parking space certificate. U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan are not exempt from this requirement.

The Japanese government has never asked them to comply with Japanese law so long as they have a parking space on the U.S. military base. As the result, most U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan ignore this requirement.

At the House of Councilors Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting on May 13, a Foreign Ministry official said that in July 2004, the Japan –U.S. joint committee agreed to discuss whether U.S. military personnel should comply with Japan’s domestic law if their vehicles are kept on U.S. military bases and reach a conclusion as swiftly as possible. However, the committee never discussed the issue.

Foreign Ministry North American Bureau Director General Nishimiya Shin’ichi revealed this fact in answer to questions by Japanese Communist Party representative Inoue Satoshi. He said, “We failed to reach an agreement due to differences of opinions,” he explained.

As regards private vehicles parked outside of U.S. bases, Japan and the United States agreed in July 2004 that U.S. soldiers are required to have the certificate. However, the Okinawa Prefecture Government issued parking space certificates only for four out of 3,000 personal cars that are usually parked outside U.S. bases, as regards vehicle registration between January and March this year.

Inoue criticized the government for breaching the agreement to hold discussions with the U.S. side, and demanded an early resolution to this question.

Foreign Minister Komura Masahiko said that the ministry will take steps as early as possible so that the agreement will be met.
- Akahata, May 14, 2008