Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan), May 03, 2006
The following editorial appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on Wednesday, May 3:
The Japan-U.S. security alliance has undergone a qualitative change and entered a new phase. Defense and foreign affairs ministers of the two countries on Monday finalized plans to realign U.S. forces in Japan.
According to the agreement, most of the relocation items will have been carried out by the end of 2014. These tasks include relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station's heliport functions in Ginowan to a coastal area adjacent to Camp Schwab in Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture, the transfer of 8,000 U.S. Marines from the prefecture to Guam, and the transfer of carrier-based aircraft at Atsugi Naval Air Facility in Kanagawa Prefecture to the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The government is responsible for implementing this "road map" for realignment according to an agreed schedule.
The government also must win the understanding and cooperation of prefectures and municipalities to be affected by this realignment, and as Japan's share of relocation costs will reportedly total 3 trillion yen, it has to show accountability to the public by explaining how the estimate was calculated.
While the realignment is part of the global realignment of U.S. forces, it is not being carried out solely for the benefits of the U.S. military.
A major objective of the realignment is to improve Japan's defense, under the Japan-U.S. alliance, against so-called new threats such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, long-range missiles, and international terrorism.
Under the new plans, the commands of the U.S. Army and the Ground Self-Defense Force will be established at Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture. Likewise, the commands of the U.S. Air Force and the Air Self-Defense Force will share Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
A deepening of cooperation between Japanese and U.S. forces during peacetime will enhance the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Tokyo and Washington should discuss ways of improving the effectiveness of the security alliance in implementing joint operations, sharing information and carrying out international peace-cooperation missions. They also should accelerate work to clarify role-sharing between the two nations.
In 1996, Tokyo and Washington redefined their alliance in the Japan-U.S. Joint Declaration on Security.
The two nations clarified the importance of their bilateral relations in the Asia-Pacific region, taking into full consideration changes in the region that occurred after the end of the Cold War.
Ten years later, Defense Agency Secretary General Fukushiro Nukaga on Monday proposed that both nations discuss a new framework for security cooperation with Japan.
Nukaga said the Japan-U.S. security partnership as defined in the 1996 declaration is out of date given the many changes to the international security landscape, including the post-9/11 environment, and the rapid military buildup in China.
In recent years, Japan has enacted laws to deal with contingencies in the area surrounding Japan and emergency legislation on national security. In addition, Self-Defense Forces troops have been working in Iraq providing humanitarian assistance for reconstruction. They were also dispatched to other Asian countries devastated by a strong tsunami that struck in waters off Sumatra, Indonesia, in December 2004.
A joint statement issued after Monday's agreement said the Japan-U.S. alliance plays "a vital role in enhancing regional and global peace and security."
Iran and Iraq are named in the statement to clarify the engagement of the Japan-U.S. alliance in the Middle East.
It is natural that the purpose and concept of the Japan-U.S. alliance be flexibly revised, and that Japan's role and responsibility in the alliance be clarified, according to the changing international situation.
That is also a way to further deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance.
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