Japan lacks strategy in review of realignment road map

Japan lacks strategy in review of realignment road map


Tokyo and Washington announced a joint statement on Feb. 8 reviewing the roadmap toward realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, which the two governments had previously agreed upon and repeatedly reconfirmed. The government must now work out a clear strategy in its security policy so that it can boldly demand that the United States reduce the U.S. military burden on Okinawa Prefecture.

The road map that the two governments previously agreed upon called for the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the Henoko district of the Okinawa Prefecture city of Nago. It also called for the transfer of about 8,000 Marines in Okinawa to Guam and the return of land occupied by six U.S. military facilities south of the U.S. Air force's Kadena Base to its owners. It stated that all of these changes would be carried out as one package.

After a recent review of the road map, however, the two countries agreed to move forward with the transfer of Okinawa-based Marines to Guam and the return of land occupied by five of the six U.S. military facilities in advance of the Futenma relocation.

The joint statement says the plan to relocate the Futenma base to Henoko will be retained. Under the review, the number of Marines to be shifted to Guam will be reduced from about 8,000 to some 4,700, while the remainder will be moved to Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines and other countries in rotation. Of the six facilities south of Kadena base, Japan and the United States will prioritize negotiations on the return of the Makiminato Service Area in Urasoe and Camp Zukeran in Chatan.

Tokyo and Washington have emphasized that the U.S. forces' military deterrent will be maintained while the U.S. military burden on the southernmost prefecture is reduced.

However, the review represents a major change to the road map, and it is necessary to cautiously ascertain how the review will affect the aims of military realignment. The new approach has shown that the realignment plan is quite flexible and is not an irrevocable one, as the Japanese government earlier emphasized.

The review was initiated by the U.S. government under pressure from Congress to reduce defense spending, including the costs of transferring the Okinawa-based Marines to Guam. Washington played a leading part in the review after comprehensive consideration of its new defense strategy based on changes in the security environment, the need to slash its defense outlay, difficulties in relocating the Futenma base to Henoko and the political situations in both countries surrounding military realignment.

In comparison, the Japanese government's moves have been frustratingly inadequate. It is true that the United States holds a predominant position in the realignment because the move is part of its response to changes in the security environment in Asia, including China's rapid military buildup and tension on the Korean Peninsula. Still, the Japanese government's attitude is shameful as it failed to propose measures to reduce the burden on Okinawa -- which Tokyo and Washington have agreed upon and the prefectural government and the local community have been demanding -- ahead of the U.S.-led review.

Japan cannot speak out to the United States largely because its Democratic Party of Japan-led administration lacks a strategic security policy.


The Japanese government's top priority should be to prevent Air Station Futenma from permanently remaining in Ginowan. We cannot sweep away suspicions that the United States delinked the Futenma relocation and the transfer of Okinawa-based Marines out of Japan because Washington has deemed it inevitable to permanently retain the Futenma base.

The Japanese government's position of sticking to the original plan to move the Futenma base to Henoko -- which Okinawa strongly opposes -- gives Okinawa only two choices: accepting relocation to Henoko, or having the Futenma base remaining permanently in Ginowan. Such a position diminishes the chances of settling the issue. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is surely aware that the likelihood of the base remaining in its current position is rising as a result of his government's stance.

Tokyo should accurately explain Okinawa's political situation, which has made it difficult to relocate the Futenma base to Henoko, to Washington and strongly demand that the plan be reconsidered. The U.S. assertion that its military cannot maintain deterrence unless the Futenma base is relocated to Henoko lacks persuasiveness in view of the process of reviewing the roadmap. In that sense, it is regrettable that the two countries reconfirmed the original relocation plan in their joint statement.

Considering the time it will take to settle the issue of relocating the Futenma base, Japan and the United States should implement measures to lessen the danger that the base poses to the local community, such as dispersing the functions of Futenma to other U.S. bases, until Futenma is moved out of Ginowan.