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Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
Kyodo News
The Maritime Self-Defense Force canceled all drills nationwide Thursday to re-educate personnel in the hope of heading off further collisions like the one last week in which a destroyer ran over a trawler, claiming the lives of its father-son crew, Maritime Staff Office officials said.
The two-day retraining program covers all personnel of surface vessels, submarines and aircraft, as well as those at the five regional units based in Ominato, Aomori Prefecture; Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture; Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture; Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture; and Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, the officials said. Staff on routine duties are exempt.
The retraining will review the rules of when to switch from autopilot to manual operation and the communication of watch standers, according to the officials.
The Aegis destroyer Atago reportedly remained on autopilot until one minute before it collided with the fishing boat Seitoku Maru at 4:07 a.m. on Feb. 19 off Chiba Prefecture.
The MSDF also will review how information is communicated in emergencies, because the Defense Ministry and MSDF have come under fire for flip-flopping on facts concerning the collision.
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba came under continuing pressure to resign Thursday as even members of the ruling coalition joined in the criticism.
"His resignation is inevitable. I think the minister himself is ready to step down," said a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker who once headed the Defense Agency, the Defense Ministry's predecessor.
A senior member of New Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, also prodded Ishiba.
"When things are settled, his fate should be decided," the unnamed legislator said.
But Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda came to Ishiba's defense the same day.
"Ishiba has the big task of reforming the Defense Ministry," Fukuda said. "I want him to carry it out in a steady manner. I think that should be his responsibility."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura also dismissed growing speculation of an early resignation by Ishiba, telling a press conference, "For the time being, the defense minister should make efforts to determine the cause and based on those findings, pave the way for reform of the Defense Ministry."
Ishiba said again Thursday he would resign if officials in his ministry are found to have covered up information related to the collision. He was speaking to the House of Councilors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense.
Ishiba admitted Wednesday the Maritime Staff Office airlifted the Atago's chief navigator to Tokyo for questioning six hours after the collision without consulting him. Earlier reports said he took part in the grilling.
Ishiba defended the action.
"I don't think the questioning was inappropriate, as the MSO needed to learn what happened," Ishiba said. "But it would have been better if MSO officers asked if they could call the navigator."
The opposition camp put more pressure on Ishiba.
"Defense Minister Ishiba cannot be exempted from responsibility. I think it is reasonable for him to resign, setting aside the matter of timing," said Naoto Kan, the Democratic Party of Japan's acting president.
The ministry and MSO have been criticized for questioning Atago crewmen without consulting the Japan Coast Guard. Although that raises no legal problems, it has raised suspicions that the ministry and MSO might have tried to hide evidence.
TOKYO, Feb. 29 KYODO
Feb.29.2008 19:28
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba hinted Friday he may resign from his post to take responsibility for last week's collision between the Aegis destroyer Atago and a tuna trawler that left two fishermen missing.
''I intend to make my own judgment,'' Ishiba told a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, referring to the possibility of relinquishing the Cabinet post after the completion of ongoing work to determine the cause of the accident and hammer out measures to prevent such accidents.
Ishiba denied that he will quit immediately, saying the kin of the missing men aboard the fishing boat Seitoku Maru and other people concerned have said they want the defense minister to stay on until the probe into the incident is finished and safety measures are worked out.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda defended Ishiba, telling the parliamentary session, ''No one other than Mr. Ishiba understands well the current state of the Defense Ministry. I would like to see reforms achieved under the initiative of Mr. Ishiba.''
The prime minister also reiterated his administration will do the utmost to reform the Defense Ministry's organization and its internal information-sharing systems almost from scratch.
The collision between the Aegis destroyer and the small boat on Feb. 19 was the first serious accident involving a Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel and civilians since the submarine Nadashio collided with a fishing boat in July 1988, killing 30 people. Then Defense Agency chief Tsutomu Kawara resigned about one month after the accident. The agency was upgraded to a ministry last year.
==Kyodo
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Administrative Vice Defense Minister Kohei Masuda admitted Thursday the existence of a memo that recorded the questioning of the head of navigation of a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer that collided with a fishing boat, reversing his own remarks the previous day that such a memo did not exist.
On Wednesday, Masuda repeatedly stated he did not recall the details of the questioning. "I don't remember if anyone took notes," he said at a press conference.
But on Thursday, he told reporters: "We summarized the answers to the questions and faxed a memo to the Japan Coast Guard. We know at least one member of staff took a record [of the questioning]."
"I can talk about what can be disclosed, but I have to withhold information that could affect the investigation," he added.
The questioning took place on the day of the accident and it is believed the head of navigation told Defense Ministry officials that the destroyer Atago spotted the fishing boat two minutes before the collision.
Also on Thursday, Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a meeting of the House of Councillors Foreign and Defense Committee that a ministry official summarized the questioning and sent a memo to the JCG.
The Atago collided with the Seitoku Maru in the Pacific off the Boso Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture, on Feb. 19. The search for the two fishermen who were on the boat, Haruo Kichisei and his son, Tetsuhiro, continued Thursday.
On Thursday evening Ishiba visited for the first time the area where the two vessels collided, to watch the search for the two missing fishermen being conducted.
(Feb. 29, 2008)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
NAHA--Japanese security guards serving at U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture went outside the bases carrying guns earlier this month, the All Japan Garrison Forces Labor Union's Okinawa District Headquarters said Wednesday.
The guards were instructed by the military-police unit of the U.S. Marine Corps to carry the guns, according to the labor union.
The Japan-U.S. Joint Committee prohibits Japanese from carrying guns outside the U.S. military facilities. The Okinawa Defense Bureau said it would ask the U.S. military to take measures to prevent recurrence.
According to the union, about 60 security guards went out of the U.S. military bases while carrying guns between 7 a.m. on Feb. 11 to around noon on Feb. 12.
(Feb. 29, 2008)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
YAMAGUCHI--Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda said Thursday he would accept central government plans to relocate U.S. carrier-based aircraft from the U.S. naval base at Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, to the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
In his policy speech delivered at the opening of the city assembly's plenary session, Fukuda said: "The government's plan aims to ease the city's burden in accepting the U.S. carrier-based aircraft. Basically, I think we need to cooperate with the plan."
Fukuda will visit Tokyo soon to formally notify the central government of his decision, and ask the government to take measures to address problems such as noise pollution and citizens' worries that the security situation would worsen after the relocation.
The relocation is planned as part of a wider realignment of U.S. forces in Japan.
Fukuda said he would request the central government lift a freeze on subsidies to the Iwakuni municipal government for the purpose of constructing a new city government building. About 3.5 billion yen was frozen in fiscal 2007 as a de facto penalty over the suspension of the U.S. forces' relocation plan in Iwakuni by the city's former mayor.
Fukuda said he also would request that the central government pay subsidies in connection with the realignment of U.S. forces in the country to Iwakuni's municipal government, estimated to be about 13.4 billion yen. The subsidies have been withheld due to the dispute over the U.S. aircraft transfer.
(Feb. 29, 2008)
Kenji Yoshimura and Chikara Shima / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is in a tight spot as his ministry is suspected of having issued a false report on the questioning of the head of navigation on a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer that collided with a fishing boat.
Not only opposition party members but also some within the government and ruling parties have criticized Ishiba, saying his resignation is unavoidable.
During a press conference Wednesday night, Administrative Vice Defense Minister Kohei Masuda admitted the possibility that information relating to the sending of a report to the Japan Coast Guard on the morning of Feb. 19 might have been falsified.
"I'm unable to rule out that possibility," Masuda said when asked if he thought the ministry had provided a false explanation. This was the moment the ministry acknowledged for the first time the possibility that information might have been falsified.
The press conference on Wednesday night was held following Ishiba's remarks at a subcommittee meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee earlier in the day.
Ishiba said it was not appropriate for the ministry to have questioned the destroyer's head of navigation without obtaining prior approval from the Japan Coast Guard, reversing the ministry's initial explanation that it had already gained consent from the JCG.
Though Masuda's conference was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., it was postponed several times and eventually started at 9:40 p.m.
Though the ministry explained the delay was due to consultations with the JCG, the delay revealed the seriousness of the situation: If the ministry admits the falsification of information, it may well result in Ishiba's resignation.
"If information [relating to the incident] had been manipulated, I would have to take responsibility as a Cabinet minister," Ishiba said at the lower house Security Committee last Friday. With this remark, he indicated his intention to take responsibility if information is found to have been falsified or covered up.
MSDF Chief of Staff Eiji Yoshikawa previously said the ministry had gained approval through the MSDF Yokosuka District Headquarters, which he said contacted the Yokosuka Coast Guard Office and gained approval before the questioning took place.
However, the Third Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, which oversees the Yokosuka Coast Guard Office, denied this, saying it had received no such report of a granting of approval.
Many within the government, ruling parties and the Defense Ministry were immediately critical of the ministry's decision to question the head of navigation before the JCG started its investigation.
"It can't be helped that people think it [the questioning] was an attempt to interfere with investigations and arrange a story beforehand," said one Liberal Democratic Party member with vested interests in the defense industry.
Since the accident occurred, Ishiba has been under constant fire for his poor handling of the various issues concerned.
Ishiba and about 10 top ministry officials and SDF officers questioned the Atago's head of navigation, including Masuda, Yoshikawa and Takashi Saito, chief of the ministry's Joint Staff Office.
However, Ishiba failed to make public that he himself was present at the questioning until Kiyomi Tsujimoto of the Social Democratic Party asked him during a lower house Security Committee meeting Tuesday.
When Sumio Mabuchi, a lower house member of the Democratic Party of Japan, questioned Ishiba's inconsistent remarks over information disclosure in the same meeting, Ishiba apologized, saying, "I admit my answers have been inconsistent."
Following a series of such incidents, some within the government began to question Ishiba's suitability as defense minister.
"His credibility is in tatters due to his own behavior. As the minister responsible for dealing with crises, he has to deal with matters much more carefully," a government source said.
Following Masuda's press conference Wednesday night, a growing number of members in both the opposition and ruling blocs are stepping up their criticism of Ishiba.
DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama urged Ishiba to step down Thursday morning.
"He himself said he would take responsibility if information had been manipulated, and as information actually has been manipulated he should be the one to take action immediately," he said.
He added that the DPJ is considering submitting a motion to the Diet censuring Ishiba.
"If [Ishiba] says he will resign after the cause of the accident is determined, we cannot stop him," said a senior House of Councillors member of the LDP on Wednesday night.
However, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura stressed in a press conference Wednesday evening that the minister had no ill intentions.
"[Mr. Ishiba] did not intend to cover anything up, instead he tried to ascertain the details of the situation, which is probably the natural thing for the person in charge to do," Machimura said.
He eventually had to admit, however, that Ishiba's action was inappropriate.
"As an appropriate action to take immediately after the accident, he should have consulted the JCG before [going ahead with questioning]," Machimura said.
===
Ministry inconsistency
The Defense Ministry has corrected its explanation of the Atago accident a number of times since it took place on Feb. 19.
The fact the ministry transported the Atago's head of navigation by helicopter to the ministry on the day of the accident first came to light early Tuesday morning, a week after the accident.
Explaining the situation to reporters later on Tuesday, a senior official of the Maritime Staff Office said the ministry had not obtained approval from the JCG.
About 20 minutes later, however, the same official reversed his previous remark, saying that the MSDF Yokosuka District Headquarters had informed the JCG, which became the ministry's official explanation. MSDF Chief of Staff Yoshikawa gave the same explanation at a press conference in the afternoon on the same day.
However, later on the same day, the JCG's Third Regional Coast Guard Headquarters denied that prior approval had been granted, contradicting the ministry's explanation.
The ministry also revised its explanation of how long the Atago's head of navigation had been questioned.
Though the ministry initially said the questioning took place for about an hour from 10 a.m. on Feb. 19, Masuda said in the press conference on Wednesday night that the Atago officer was questioned after his arrival shortly before 10 a.m. until he left the ministry at about 2:30 p.m.
(Feb. 29, 2008)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Textbook Authorization Council on Thursday started discussing ways to improve its textbook screenings, a response to criticism made last year over the screening of high school textbooks on Japanese history and their account of the mass suicides of civilians during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, saying the discussions over the issue were not transparent.
The council, an advisory panel to the education, science and technology minister, will finalize its opinion by summer, along with a reexamination of the screening standards to ensure they are in line with revisions of school curriculum guidelines.
The most important task in screening textbooks is to remove unjust interferences. Even if more transparency is brought to the process, it is vital that more attention be paid to prevent interferences.
Meetings of the council, which is tasked with screening whether descriptions in textbooks are appropriate, are held behind closed doors--not just for general sessions, but also meetings of committees for each subject and the relevant subcommittees.
Only for the general session is a summary of the proceedings drawn up, but with speakers' names withheld, before being posted on the ministry's Web site after screenings are completed. No gist is drawn up for the meetings of committees and subcommittees.
The ministry has said one of the reasons for this is so council members can freely exchange their views in quiet surroundings that allow for discussions to proceed smoothly.
===
Confidentiality vs openness
During 2000 and 2001, drafts of a middle school history textbook compiled by members of the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform were leaked to outsiders, and the Chinese and South Korean governments expressed strong opposition to descriptions in the books, even before the council had decided whether the textbook was appropriate.
Although the textbook eventually was approved in screenings, the fairness and neutrality of such screenings is threatened if unjust interferences and pressures are added.
It is extremely important to secure an environment that allows members to engage in calm discussions.
At present, the drafts that the textbook publishers submit for screening, and samples approved by the council, are shown to the public after the screenings as well as the council's opinions on and comparative tables of before and after revisions.
Since the discussion process is completely closed, it is difficult, through just viewing the council's opinions and samples, to understand the process leading to conclusions reached by the meetings.
Would it not be better to consider disclosing the gist of the proceedings at the committees and subcommittees after the screenings are completed?
===
Expert opinion has weight
Appropriate post-verification following these screenings could help future screenings.
For example, based on study reports submitted by the textbook examiners, who are employees at the education ministry, we would be able to see how council members make their arguments. This in turn would add further pressure and responsibility on examiners and council members when executing their duties.
At the screenings, regarding complicated events as well as issues involving various views, expert members are selected as may be necessary, and they provide materials for the examiners to prepare reports.
For the descriptions on the drafts submitted by the textbook publishers regarding the mass suicides during the Battle of Okinawa, the council issued an opinion that they were not certain whether the Imperial Japanese Army had forced residents to commit mass suicide.
If opinions from historians specializing in the Battle of Okinawa had been included, it could have served to add further persuasiveness to the council's decision.
We would like the council to examine an improvement plan for its screening process, including the effective use of expert members.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 29, 2008)
(Feb. 29, 2008)
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, February 29, 2008
The newly formed USFJ sexual assault prevention task force on Wednesday visited Camp Zama, the U.S. Army base near Tokyo, as a part of the group’s 45-day review of sexual assault prevention programs throughout Japan.
The group, which includes top command staff and specially trained counselors, will look for weaknesses and for best practices to “review and reinforce” the required training that servicemembers already receive each year, according to Army Col. Patrick Stackpole, the task force chairman.
“We’re working interactively with local commanders,” said Stackpole, who serves as chief of staff for U.S. Forces Japan. “We’re learning from them, understanding what they have to deal with, what programs they already have in place.”
The task force does not aim to chastise local units for the way they run the awareness programs, nor does it aim to establish a Japanwide policy for training, Stackpole said last week.
Instead, their instructions involve gathering information on sexual assault prevention and cultural awareness training, the group said.
The task force was established Feb. 14 in the wake of a rape allegation on Okinawa involving a U.S. Marine and a 14-year-old Japanese girl. That case has drawn local protests, worldwide attention and a restriction for all troops and Defense Department workers on Okinawa and at some bases in mainland Japan.
In the coming weeks, the task force will meet with unit commanders, noncommissioned officers and other enlisted servicemembers, in part to see how the current training reverberates among younger troops.
“We want to understand that some of these programs just may not be resonating with the target audience,” Stackpole said.
The task force has about two dozen members, including officers, sexual assault response coordinators and top enlisted servicemembers. Two members are women, Stackpole said. The group’s makeup will change slightly as it makes visits throughout Japan, depending on the expertise needed at each site.
In about six weeks, the group will report back to USFJ commander Lt. Gen. Edward Rice Jr., who took command this week. It will be up to Rice and other top U.S. leaders in Japan to decide whether to make any long-term changes, the group said.
About SAPR
In the summer of 2006, the Pentagon codified the military’s sexual assault prevention programs and opened a permanent Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.
The office oversees the policy, which requires yearly training of servicemembers, details instructions on how commanders and military police should handle sex crimes, and provides support and anonymity to servicemembers who are victims.
The program requires each unit to have both a sexual assault response coordinator and a victims’ advocate.
U.S. Forces Japan’s task force will review how this program is working at bases throughout mainland Japan and Okinawa as a part of its 45-day study.
By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, February 29, 2008
Unclear criteria make spouses wonder when to request exemptions
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Confusion over the rules for the indefinite “period of reflection” imposed last week for all personnel affiliated with the U.S. military on Okinawa is turning into anger.
After a week of being restricted to the bases or their off-base homes, Americans here are beginning to voice concerns about what some are calling being placed on “house arrest” for crimes they did not commit.
“How do they have the authority to do this to the wives and children of active-duty servicemembers — especially the Japanese spouses?” asked Kathryn Perez in a telephone interview Wednesday. She is the spouse of a Marine and lives in Chatan, near Kadena Air Base.
“One thing that is really amazing is not all of the commands are implementing the same rules,” she said. “Why can my friend, an Army spouse, do things when I can’t?”
Marine officials contacted by Stars and Stripes never call the order a restriction.
They say the “Period of Reflection” covers all persons on Okinawa — and at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and Camp Fuji on mainland Japan — sponsored by the Department of Defense.
“That includes Japanese spouses,” said Marine Master Sgt. Charles Albrecht, of Marine Corps Public Affairs.
In a special announcement that was first broadcast on American Forces Network on Wednesday morning, Marine Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer, the senior U.S. general on Okinawa, reaffirmed that the restrictions would be in place until further notice.
“Service leaders and I will continue to review the procedures and orders that govern the discipline and conduct of all SOFA-status personnel,” he said. “The limited movement of all SOFA-status personnel will be reassessed again on March 3.”
Still, many have grown impatient.
“My biggest concern is my wife,” said a civilian DOD worker who lives on Camp Lester. He asked to be referred to by just his first name, David.
“Her rights as a Japanese citizen are being infringed,” he said. “She’s not allowed to go to work or visit her family without special permission from the U.S. military? My children can’t visit their grandparents?
“We got an exemption for her work, but why did we have to do that?” David asked. “This ‘period of reflection’ doesn’t appear to have been thought out well. I mean, we even have to get permission to walk our dogs.”
“Chris,” a former Marine now working for a base contractor, said he was also confused by the different instructions.
“The Army handed out no details, just the order from the Marine Corps,” he said. “But the Air Force sent out a Q&A with about 20 detailed scenarios answered.”
He said his “O-6” equivalent and other officials are not currently on Okinawa and getting exemptions to do anything — even paying his electric and telephone bills at a convenience store — is difficult.
“What do I do? Be reasonable and pay my bills at a convenience store, but just not buy a coke? Or get a special exemption letter? That all sounds pretty petty to me,” he added.
The 47-year-old Okinawan wife of a civilian who works at Kadena said the situation makes her nervous.
“Being Japanese, I thought I was exempt from the restrictions, but I wasn’t sure, and my husband was on TDY. So I asked some Japanese wives at a laundromat on base,” she said, asking that her name not be printed. “One woman said she tries not to go off base. When she really needs to she won’t use her Y-plate car and instead uses a taxi or walks. I checked with some more people, but everybody said different things.
“I am confused,” she said. “But one thing I know for sure is that I cannot do a thoughtless thing. I have a sick mother living by herself in Yambaru [in the northern part of the island]. I need to visit her, preparing meals and taking care of her, two to three days a week.”
She said she was able to get an exemption to visit her mother.
“But it makes me very nervous,” she said. “I told my children, who do not look very Japanese, to wait to visit their grandmother for the time being.”
Civilians who work at MCAS Iwakuni also are angry.
“I am single and live off base,” said a former Marine now employed there as a civilian with SOFA status. “But I can’t leave my house. And the base doesn’t offer much for me — especially since I work night shift and everything’s closed when I get off work.”
Perez said she is a former Marine and understands active-duty servicemembers must obey orders from their command. But she does not see why the military is treating family members and civilians in a punitive way.
In a letter to her husband’s command (which she declined to name) she wrote:
“I just do not see the reasoning behind having to explain to my children why we can’t go to a friend’s house, or the reasoning behind being forced to use substandard services on base rather the services that I have used for years off base. Not to mention the fact that I live off-base and I do not have the convenience of running up the street to the shopette or PX for necessities.”
“This reflection period has impacted all of us in one way or another, but unfortunately you are a lot more involved in the local community then most,” the command answered. “I want you to know that you are not alone in your frustration.
“Unfortunately the actions of a few impact us all, and as U.S. Citizens here under a SOFA agreement, we are all subject to the rules. The best thing that we can do is have a positive attitude and make the best of this situation.”
As a parent, Perez said she’s found it hard to stay positive.
“How do you tell your 4-year-old that you can’t stop your car to get a drink of juice because we’re not allowed to shop off-base?” Perez asked.
“How do I tell them they can’t go play in the playground that’s right next to our back yard?” she added. “How do I tell them they can’t go play at their friend’s house?”
Stars and Stripes reporter Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.
Q&A on restrictions ...
Below is a Q&A sheet on the current restrictions released by officials at Kadena Air Base to base personnel. The sheet was forwarded to Stars and Stripes by an anonymous source. Kadena officials confirmed Wednesday that they had distributed a Q&A sheet
Q: Is my Japanese national spouse subject to the movement limitation order?
A: No. We cannot restrict the off-base movement of Japanese citizens within their own country.
Q: My family is in town from the States and we had plans to tour Shuri Castle, Peace Prayer Park and the aquarium. Does this mean they have to stay on base or in our off-base home too?
A: This movement limitation order only applies to SOFA-status personnel. Your family members from the States are tourists on a Japanese tourist visa – they do not have SOFA status. Your family members may certainly tour the sites, but you will need permission from the first O-6 (or civilian director equivalent) in your’s (or your sponsor’s) chain-of-command.
Q: Can I pick-up my family from the airport when they arrive tomorrow?
A: Yes. Traveling to the airport to pick-up or drop-off passengers or to conduct authorized travel (including leave travel) is an exception under the movement limitation order.
Q: Can I go to Okuma this weekend?
A: Yes. Okuma Recreation Facility is a military installation.
Q: Can I still run or man a water station during the Okinawa Marathon this weekend?
A: Yes. The Okinawa Marathon is a community outreach event and an approved exception to the movement limitation order.
Q: I do not have a vehicle (I just arrived on Okinawa) and I have made a partial down payment on a car from an off-base dealership. Can I go to the dealership to pay the rest of my down payment and pick-up the car?
A: This is a pre-existing obligation, and a possible exception under the movement limitation order. You, or your sponsor if you are a dependant, should make your request for an exception under the movement limitation order to the first O-6 (or civilian director equivalent) in the chain of command.
Q: My child attends on off-base child care provider – do I need permission to take my child to day care off-base and pick up the child every day?
A: Off-base child care is a place of education, one of the exceptions under the movement limitation order.
Q: I live in an off-base apartment with my dog. Can I take my dog outside to a nearby park so that it can “take care of business?”
A: Yes, and then you should promptly return to your quarters.
Q: Can I take my child off-base for pre-paid piano or Karate lessons?
A: Yes, these are places of education.
Q: Can I take my car off-base for repairs?
A: If your car breaks down off base you may bring it to a Japanese auto repair shop. If your car breaks down on base, use available on-base repair services. In order to pick up a car left off base for repairs, or if on-base services are insufficient to address your vehicle problem, make a request for exception under the movement limitation order to the first O-6 (or civilian director equivalent) in the chain-of-command.
Q: Can I go to my off-base job?
A: Yes; your place of employment is an exception under the movement limitation order. Note: US Forces Japan regulations prohibit employment in any liquor stores, bars, nightclubs, or other establishments in which the sale or service of alcoholic beverages to the Japanese public is the exclusive or primary activity.
Q: Can I go to another Airman’s house off-base for dinner?
A: No. You should plan to meet your friend at an on-base establishment or postpone your dinner plans until after the period of reflection concludes.
Q: Can I make my regular deposit at the bill-paying service off-base?
A: This is a pre-existing obligation, and possible exception under the movement limitation order. You, or your sponsor if you are a dependant, should make your request for an exception under the movement limitation order to the first O-6 (or civilian director equivalent) in the chain-ofcommand.
Q: I live off-base and use an off-base laundry service. Can I pick up my clothes and drop off clothes (the laundry is not in my apartment building)?
A: You, or your sponsor if you are a dependant, should make your request for an exception under the movement limitation order to the first O-6 (or civilian director equivalent) in the chain of command to pick up your clothes. You should then use the laundry services available on-base until the period of reflection concludes and the movement limitation order is lifted.
Q: I’ve already paid for a “boot camp” style personal trainer program at a gym off base. It’s a course with predetermined start and completion dates. Can I still attend sessions during the period of reflection?
A: This is a pre-existing obligation, and a possible exception under the movement limitation order. You, or your sponsor if you are a dependant, should make your request for an exception under the movement limitation order to the first O-6 (or civilian director equivalent) in the chain of command.
Q: I use an off-base gym where I pay for membership. I prefer to work out there, because it’s located close to my house and I like the facility. Can I visit that gym during the period of reflection? Also, can I go running off base?
A: No. If you wish to work out at a gym or run outdoors during the period of reflection, do so on base.
By Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, February 29, 2008
NAHA, Okinawa — The Naha Family Court sent a robbery charge against a 19-year-old Marine back to Japanese prosecutors so he can be tried as an adult.
The Naha District Public Prosecutor’s Office has until Saturday to decide whether to press charges.
The Marine, whose name has not been released because he is considered a minor under Japanese law, is expected to face public trial together with his alleged accomplice, Marine Cpl. Joseph Wayne Riddle, 20, his attorney Satoshi Kawamitsu said Wednesday. Riddle was indicted Jan. 28.
The two servicemembers from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma are accused of attacking a cab driver in Okinawa City’s Yoshihara entertainment district at about 3:40 a.m. Jan. 7.
They are suspected of hitting the 59-year-old taxi driver with a whiskey bottle and a wooden plank after refusing to pay their fare of 2,780 yen (about $25). According to a police report, they fled from the scene but were arrested within an hour by police who scoured the area looking for men fitting the cabbie’s description of his assailants.
According to the police report, the driver sustained cuts to his head and bruises on his left arm, which required more than a week to heal.
5 hours ago
TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's defence chief said Thursday he bore only partial responsibility for the mishandling of a naval accident that left two fishermen missing and triggered calls for him to quit.
The Atago, Japan's newest and largest destroyer equipped with the Aegis radar system, crashed into a tuna boat last week, leaving the fishermen -- father and son -- unaccounted for in the Pacific Ocean.
Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba has admitted that the Atago's duty officer was flown to Tokyo to be interviewed before a formal investigation. The defence ministry reportedly told the coast guard the helicopter was carrying an injured person.
Ishiba tried to distance himself, saying that even though he spoke with the officer on the Atago, it was a top navy official who decided to fly him in.
"After the fact, I was told that he was already called in. So I decided to listen to him," Ishiba told a parliamentary committee.
He said he took part in the interview hoping to ease any pressure the officer of the destroyer may have felt when facing military top brass.
The crash of the Atago, seen as part of Japan's frontline defence against North Korea, has led to a sharp fall in public support for Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's government.
The opposition, which controls one chamber of parliament, has pressed Fukuda to call early elections. It warned it may disrupt proceedings or pass a largely symbolic censure motion urging Ishiba to quit.
"It is possible that we'll consider a censure motion," said Yukio Hatoyama, secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan.
Ishiba also admitted that the defence ministry wrote a memo from the interview with the Atago's officer, bluntly rejecting the account of the ministry's top bureaucrat.
Vice Defence Minister Kohei Masuda said late Wednesday that he did not recall anything from the February 19 interrogation of the duty navigator as the ministry had no official record from the questioning session.
But after Ishiba's remarks, Masuda on Thursday admitted a memo existed and faxed details about it to the coast guard.
The incident is the latest mishap for the defence ministry.
Masuda's predecessor as the ministry's top bureaucrat was arrested late last year on allegations he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes for the awarding of contracts.
Fukuda stood by Ishiba, saying: "Minister Ishiba has a duty to reform the defence ministry. That is his responsibility."
But news reports were filled with anonymous quotes from ruling party lawmakers saying it was only a matter of time before Ishiba would be forced out.
"Mr. Ishiba must take responsibility since two people went missing. He must get to the bottom of the scandal first though," an unnamed ruling party member was quoted as saying in the Mainichi Shimbun.
The Asahi Shimbun, in an analysis, blamed the secretive nature of the defence ministry for the handling of the crash.
"In retrospect, it looks like a cover-up. But in reality it seems more to be a state of chaos, where no one really has a full grasp on the issue," the Asahi said.
Ishiba late Thursday went on to a ship off the Pacific coast to personally inspect operations to find the two fishermen amid fading hope.
Fukuda, a 71-year-old political veteran, took over in September from Shinzo Abe, whose one-year tenure was marred by a major election defeat and repeated scandals.
One of the conservative Abe's main achievements was creating the defence ministry. Until 2007, Japan only had a lower-ranking "Defence Agency" due to the post-World War II pacifist constitution.
By Ed Rampell
Published: February 28 2008 02:00
When the 80-year-old playwright Jon Hiroshi Shirota read a Kyodo News report about the alleged rape of a 14-year-old Okinawan schoolgirl by a US Marine, he had a feeling of déjà vu. The Hawaii-born Shirota's latest play, Voices From Okinawa , now running at the East West Players theatre in the Little Tokyo section of downtown Los Angeles, contains an eerily similar incident.
On the surface, Voices is a lighthearted, affably told tale, but it deals with explosive subject matter: the relationship between US and Okinawan culture, one that evokes parallels with today's conflict in Iraq.
The lead character, Kama Hutchins (played by Joseph Kim), is a one-quarter Okinawan, three-quarters American man whose ancestors migrated to work in Hawaii's cane fields. Kama travels to Okinawa to seek his cultural roots and a PhD in immigration studies, and to teach English. Instead, he finds himself being instructed by his students and by 96-year-old Auntie Obaa-San (a scene-stealing Amy Hill). Among Kama's pupils is Namiye Matsuda (Mari Ueda), a young woman who reveals details of her rape by a GI who - like the alleged perpetrator in the news report - had offered his victim a lift in his vehicle.
Voices also brings up the issue of land ownership on an island where 40,000 US servicemen occupy vast bases that cover the best land. When one of the play's characters asks a sergeant how long the US will stay in Iraq, he says: "Until they're fully recovered." The Okinawan replies: "You've been in Okinawa for 60 years. Are we fully recovered yet?"
As the Japanese-American actor George Takei observed at an after-show reception: "The American presence is there in Okinawa, not spread out in Japan, and it is dominant. That American base there - you can drive for miles and miles and miles. That presence, as we learnt in the play, has lasted 60 years. John McCain is talking about being in Iraq for 100 years."
Also at the reception was Okinawa-born actress Tamlyn Tomita. She enjoyed the play. "I thought it showed portraits of Okinawan culture and people, the general ambience of Okinawa today . . . Okinawans share the island with American GI forces, it is always a clash of cultures, an ongoing conflict," she says. "But there are also lovely compromises, strategies upheld in trying to . . . make the lives of the Okinawans and GIs friendly and companionable."
Ethnic identity is one of Voices ' key themes. "Being of Okinawan descent, meaning not quite 100 per cent Japanese, which is a subject touched on in this play, is something that we don't understand a whole lot," Tomita says. Takei adds: "There is an attitude that Okinawans have about Japan itself. There is a resentment. The [second world war] battle was fought there, not on the mainland; Okinawa was the buffer."
Hill, Takei and Tomita express affection and reverence for East West Players. Tomita recalls growing up with EWP, "knowing that it showcased Asian-American stories with Asian-American actors, saying: 'Wow! There are people who look like me, who can tell stories pertinent to me and expose people of other heritages to our stories.'" Hill calls it her "theatre home". "When I first moved from San Francisco, I felt so embraced by this theatre community. I've done many, many shows here, and any time I have any extra money I put it into East West Players."
"This is the type of theatre that allows us artistically to stretch and grow and really fulfill ourselves," says Takei, who starred in an EWP Equus . The building's 1920s fabric, he points out, has historical significance, as it was the first Japanese Christian church in the US. When the congregation moved out, the building was derelict until EWP restored it. At 43, it is also, according to Hill, the oldest theatre in LA.
Voices is Shirota's fifth play for the theatre, including 1999's Hawaii-set Leilani's Hibiscus and Lucky Comes Hawaii , which were also presented by Kumu Kahua Theatre in Honolulu. The play grew out of a 2005 grant from the Japan-US Friendship Commission and National Endowment for the Arts for Shirota to go to Okinawa to study immigration to Hawaii. It was by no means his first visit to Japan: nearly 60 years earlier, he had left Maui to serve there as part of the US occupying forces.
During his Okinawa visit, a professor of American literature at the university asked Shirota to lecture with him, to a class studying Lucky Come Hawaii in Shirota's original novel version. "I'd speak to the class in English; the students would respond in English to me, while among themselves speak in Japanese," said Shirota in an interview. "I realised there was a story here; a play if you will. I decided to ask questions of the students, and the play evolved out of this."
For added authenticity, the cast includes six LA-based Japanese actors. The play ends with enthusiastic preparations for one of the frequent protests at a US base. As one of the characters ironically observes: "Freedom of speech is something the Americans have taught Okinawans."
'Voices From Okinawa' is at East West Players, Los Angeles, until March 9, Tel +1 (213) 625 7000
TOKYO, Feb. 28 KYODO
Feb.28.2008 21:11
Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba came under continuing pressure Thursday to resign, as even some ruling coalition lawmakers began to indicate he should step down to take responsibility for the collision between a naval vessel and a fishing boat that left two fishermen missing.
Some lawmakers in the ruling coalition suggested he might not resign until after the investigating authorities have found out the cause of the collision and come up with measures to prevent such accidents in the future.
''His resignation is inevitable. I think the minister himself is ready to step down,'' said a lawmaker in the dominant Liberal Democratic Party who formerly headed the old Defense Agency, which was upgraded to a full ministry last year.
A senior member of the New Komeito party, the LDP's junior partner in the ruling coalition, also said, ''When things are settled, his fate should be decided.''
But Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda defended Ishiba, telling reporters the same day, ''Minister Ishiba has the big task of reforming the Defense Ministry. I want him to carry it out in a steady manner. I think that should be Minister Ishiba's responsibility.''
The collision between the Aegis destroyer Atago and the fishing boat Seitoku Maru on Feb. 19 was the first serious accident involving a Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel to affect civilians since the submarine Nadashio collided with a fishing boat in July 1988 killing 30 people. Then Defense Agency chief Tsutomu Kawara resigned about one month after the accident.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura also dismissed growing speculation of an early resignation by Ishiba, telling a press conference, ''For the time being, the defense minister should make efforts to determine the cause and based on those findings, pave the way for reform of the Defense Ministry.''
''I think that is a role the defense minister should play and the responsibility he should take. It's not the case that his resignation will settle everything,'' Machimura, the top government spokesman, said.
Ishiba himself reiterated Thursday that he will resign if officials of his ministry are found to have covered up information related to the Atago-Seitoku Maru collision in the Pacific far south of Tokyo. Ishiba was speaking at a meeting of the House of Councillors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense.
Ishiba also admitted that the Maritime Staff Office had brought the Atago's chief navigator to the ministry in Tokyo from the accident site by helicopter for questioning without consulting with the minister soon after the collision.
''I don't think the questioning was inappropriate as the MSO needed to discover what happened...But it would have been better for relevant MSO officers to ask the minister if they could call the navigator,'' Ishiba said.
The opposition camp, meanwhile, increased its attacks on Ishiba, with main opposition Democratic Party of Japan Acting President Naoto Kan telling a press conference Ishiba should leave the post.
''Defense Minister Ishiba cannot be exempted from responsibility. I think it is reasonable for him to resign, setting aside the matter of timing,'' Kan said.
The ministry and the MSO have been criticized for questioning some of the Atago crew soon after the accident without consulting the Japan Coast Guard. Although that raises no legal problems in itself, it has prompted suspicions that the ministry and the MSO might try to destroy evidence.
Meanwhile, contradictory explanations by the ministry about how it and the MSO dealt with the accident continued Thursday. The incompatible public statements about the accident by the ministry and the MSO are one of the reasons that the attacks on Ishiba have increased.
Vice Defense Minister Kohei Masuda, the top bureaucrat at the ministry, admitted the same day that the ministry notified the coast guard by fax of what the chief navigator has said about the accident, correcting his remarks Wednesday that no record in writing of the account existed.
==Kyodo
Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:08am EST
By Isabel Reynolds
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba faced pressure on Thursday from within his own party to resign after a destroyer crashed into a fishing boat, a departure that would be a blow for struggling Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
An unnamed executive in Ishiba's own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was quoted by the Nikkei daily as saying Ishiba must consider resigning over his handling of an inquiry into the collision, showing that pressure for the minister to go went beyond a chorus of such calls from opposition politicians.
Photo: Japanese Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba (R) speaks before his meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Tokyo November 8, 2007. Ishiba faced pressure on Thursday from within his own party to resign after a destroyer crashed into a fishing boat, a departure that would be a blow for struggling Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
With public support for Fukuda sliding below 30 percent, a level seen by analysts as critical to his survival, the leader can ill afford to lose a minister seen by analysts and voters as one of his most competent.
Conflicting reports about the circumstances of the crash between the destroyer Atago and a small fishing vessel on February 19, which left two men missing in the ocean, have sparked accusations of a cover up, adding to pressure on Ishiba from a series of previous defence scandals.
He has admitted his ministry took some inappropriate actions but denied any attempt to hide information, adding he would resign if there was a cover up.
If he goes, Ishiba would be the first minister to step down from Fukuda's five-month-old cabinet. He is already the fourth defence minister in the space of a year.
The destroyer's navigator was flown to Tokyo for questioning at the ministry hours after the crash, including by Ishiba, and Japanese media have reported the coastguard investigators looking into the incident had not been informed.
"Resignation must be an option," the Nikkei quoted a senior LDP executive as saying, while Yukio Hatoyama, secretary-general of the main opposition Democratic Party, reiterated his call for Ishiba to step down.
However, Fukuda said he should stay in place to root out the cause of the collision and overhaul the ministry, which has been rocked by a series of scandals over procurement and leaks of classified information in the past year.
"(Ishiba) has the big task of reforming the defence ministry, and I would like him to do so thoroughly," Fukuda told reporters.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said he did not believe anyone in the ruling party had called for Ishiba to go.
Ishiba's reputation as a defence expert might enable him to stay on despite the calls for him to depart, an analyst said.
"He's looked upon as the most competent spokesman for the LDP's security policy, so his loss, if it comes to that, would be rather significant," said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University's Tokyo campus.
In other defence minister resignations over the past year, Fumio Kyuma quit in July after offending many Japanese by saying the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 "could not be helped".
His successor, Yuriko Koike, was replaced weeks later by Masahiko Komura as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Ishiba took the job in another reshuffle when Fukuda took power in September.
A poll published by the Sankei Shimbun this week found only 28.7 percent of respondents supported Fukuda, compared with 55.3 percent when he took office.
Almost half said he should reshuffle his cabinet, but 43 percent said they approved of Ishiba, far higher than some other ministers.
(Editing by Jerry Norton)
By Keiichi Yamamura and Sachiko Sakamaki
Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The opposition Democratic Party of Japan will delay legislation and government appointments in an effort to force Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to hold snap elections and resign, the party's secretary general said.
The DPJ, which has controlled the upper house of parliament since July, will seek to delay approval of the 2008 budget, Yukio Hatoyama, the party's No. 3 official, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television yesterday.
``We must drive the government into a corner with debate and bring the Fukuda administration to the end of its life,'' Hatoyama said.
The DPJ hopes to force early elections to the more-powerful lower house, which Fukuda's ruling Liberal Democratic Party controls, before they are required in September 2009. Even though the prime minister's approval rating is already falling, the DPJ's strategy may fail, Kazutaka Kirishima, a professor of economics at Josai University outside Tokyo, said in a telephone interview.
``Their delay tactics may backfire on them,'' he said. ``Many people, especially small and medium business owners, want the budget to be passed smoothly.''
Japan's government yesterday postponed the nomination of a new central bank governor, indicating it can't reach agreement with the DPJ. Hatoyama said the government is at fault for the delay because it waited too long to propose candidates.
BOJ Debate
``It's impossible for debates on the Bank of Japan to go smoothly,'' he said.
Hatoyama said some members of his party support former BOJ deputy governor Yutaka Yamaguchi, though it's not the party's official position. The ruling LDP-led coalition intended to nominate Toshiro Muto as Bank of Japan Governor this week, according to LDP lawmakers.
If the government leaves the central bank's top post vacant for more than a few weeks, investors will lose confidence, which would spark selling of stocks and the currency, Kazuo Mizuno, chief economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Co. in Tokyo, said in a telephone interview.
``If this gridlock continues Japan may no longer be seen as a first-world country,'' he said. ``Japan will lose credibility if the government can't even appoint a central bank governor.''
Dumplings, Fishing Boat
Fukuda's approval rating this week fell below 30 percent for the first time after slow government responses to tainted food imports from China and a navy ship's collision with a fishing boat.
The approval rating fell to 28.7 percent according to a newspaper survey published Feb. 26 in the Sankei newspaper, down 7.9 points from last month, with his disapproval level rising 4.9 points to 52.2 percent. The newspaper took the survey by telephone on Feb. 23 and 24 jointly with Fuji News Network and obtained 1,000 responses.
Fukuda said last month during his policy speech before parliament he hopes to pass the 2008 budget by the start of Japan's fiscal year on April 1. Even though the DPJ can't block the budget bill, it could potentially slow down the approval process.
One budget-related bill would renew a gasoline tax Fukuda says is necessary to fund road construction. The LDP in January submitted a bill to temporarily extend the tax, then later withdrew it after the DPJ threatened to boycott sessions scheduled to debate it.
To contact the reporter on this story: Sachiko Sakamaki in Tokyo at ssakamaki1@bloomberg.net ; Keiichi Yamamura in Tokyo at kyamamura@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 28, 2008 03:50 EST
Feb 28 04:47 AM US/Eastern
(AP) - YAMAGUCHI, Japan, Feb. 28 (Kyodo) — New Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda declared his support Thursday for a planned relocation of U.S. carrier-borne fighter jets to his city in western Japan from Atsugi base which is located in a densely populated area outside Tokyo.
Fukuda, who won the Feb. 10 mayoral election in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, said at a municipal assembly session he thinks his government "should support (the planned relocation) basically."
"Realistic approaches are necessary to cope with noise problems and secure public order" through negotiations with the central government, he said in a policy speech.
Fukuda also said he will ask the central government to lift a freeze on state subsidies to Iwakuni which was imposed due to the city's opposition to the relocation plan while his predecessor Katsusuke Ihara was in office.
In the closely fought mayoral election, Fukuda, a former member of the House of Representatives from the governing Liberal Democratic Party, beat Ihara, who resigned in December after the municipal assembly, which is dominated by supporters of the relocation plan, repeatedly voted down his budget plan.
Fukuda plans to lead the financial reconstruction of the city government with state subsidies, which are provided to municipalities which accept the relocation of U.S. forces.
Under a 2006 bilateral agreement on the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, the United States plans to relocate the fighter jets to the U.S. Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Station from Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Date Posted: 2008-02-28
More than 10,000 U.S. troops live in off-base quarters because of a shortage of government housing on the bases in Okinawa.
That’s the official version of quarters availability, with 10,748 reported this week to the Japanese government has living on the local economy instead of in on-base quarters. Based on media reports, however, the Okinawa Prefecture Assembly is questioning the military claim there’s no housing to be had on base. The military has told the committee group “because we have no space on base, we recommend personnel live off base.”
Committee members say they aren’t sure they accept the U.S. answer now, as reports filter in there are many government quarters on bases sitting empty. In Urasoe City’s Camp Kinser, media reports say, “there are towers with more than nine floors, and not many people are living there. The towers can be seen from Highway 58, but not many people are seen in these towers.” One base worker told a newspaper “I have never seen anyone. I don’t think there are many people living in the towers.”
Another set of reports about Camp Zukeran’s housing, particularly the two-story townhouse type, indicate many of the units are not occupied. The Camp Foster housing, a Japanese official notes, was built with Japanese government money, but isn’t being properly utilized. “If they’re empty,” an official says, “why doesn’t’ the military move people in there instead of putting them off base?”
A spate of new construction in Chatan Town’s Miyagi district is geared to western styles and tastes. Built by a Tokyo construction company, the housing is designed to meet desires of military personnel expected to occupy them. Okinawa officials are questioning whether the construction is warranted, if U.S. officials appropriately moved people onto the bases to occupy available quarters.
Date Posted: 2008-02-28
A 25-year-old sailor with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force has been arrested and charged with assault after getting into a fight over a woman.
Uruma City Police investigators say Naoto Tengan began beating another man following a heated discussion about a female relative of Naoto’s. Naoto became angry at comments made by the other man, and he began punching him in the face and mouth.
Date Posted: 2008-02-28
An apology and paying victim compensation worked for a Camp Schwab Marine charged with trespassing in a Nago City home.
The Okinawa Police Chief says the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office has decided not to file charges against Corporal Shawn Jake, since he apologized to the woman whose home he entered February 18th. Jakes, who was drunk when found on the home owner’s couch about 4:25 a.m., was set free Monday night.
Tokutsu told the Okinawa Prefecture Assembly there was no need for further action against the young Marine.
Date Posted: 2008-02-28
Upscale hotel resorts in northern Okinawa are luring wealthy customers who once headed for far away vacation sites in Thailand, Indonesia or Guam.
Well to do customers are viewing the northwest Okinawa coast as ‘Heaven on Earth’ and are flocking to the high end resorts in ever increasing numbers. The days of heading for the beach are being replaced by personal services in the hotel resorts themselves, including swimming pools, private massage and luxurious gardens. Single night room rates of ¥150,000 ($1,428) are common at new breed hotels like Oriental Hills Okinawa, located in Onna Village’s Seragaki area.
Okinawa officials say ten upscale resorts are set to open within the next two years, following Oriental Hills Okinawa’s lead. Oriental Hills opened in 2006, attracting a mixed clientele of both younger and older customers. “Sure we have very famous movie stars and politicians among our important customers, an Oriental Hills manager says, “and they like our services.”
Kise Villa Hotel and Spa, The Atta Terrace Club Towers and Okinawa Lohas Hills are other new resorts coming online, all catering as hideaways for the rich looking for an escape from prying eyes of cameramen. A hotel industry spokesman says many resort hotels are shifting their focus from mass tourism to catering to the rich.
Date Posted: 2008-02-28
The Okinawa Area Coordinator and senior U.S. military commander on the island has reiterated the ‘Period of Reflection’ will remain in place indefinitely, while procedures and orders governing conduct and discipline of all US service members on Okinawa are reexamined.
Lieutenant General Richard C. Zilmer confirmed Tuesday he has no plans for an immediate end to the lockdown, which has all SOFA personnel, including family members and civilians, restricted to the bases and a limited number of outside locations. He did, however, indicate he’ll take another look at the order next Monday.
Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, as well as SOFA-status civilians and family members are limited to places of employment, worship, education or medical or dental treatment. Off-base travel to local residences and between military installations is authorized via privately owned vehicles, military supported transportation or commercial taxis. Zilmer says there are no restrictions on regularly scheduled activities on U.S. bases or installations, and added “I highly encourage our service members, civilians and family members to continue to utilize the plethora of activities and services aboard all camps and installations.”
Many SOFA-status personnel are irritated by the restrictions, which some are calling “curbs of personal freedoms”, and are questioning why the lockdown is really in effect. The restrictions were imposed February 20th in the aftermath of rape allegations against a U.S. Marine staff sergeant by a 14-year-old girl, a drunk driving incident, a trespassing case in Henoko, and a counterfeiting arrest all against Marines, and the apprehension of an Army sergeant accused of raping a Filipina bar worker.
Japan Update Forums are filled with frustrated postings by individuals questioning why the lockdown is broad-brush, instead of targeted against individuals and groups thought to be potential troublemakers. They question why local stores, supermarkets and restaurants are off limits, wondering what the military leadership’s real agenda is. Wanting to know why the businesses “that make Okinawa home for U.S. troops” are being punished.
A directive from Torii Station’s Deputy Garrison Commander Tuesday told the troops Tuesday that gate deliveries “by certain commercial vendors, eating establishments and other commercial activities have been started as a ‘work around’ to the Period of Reflection restrictions,” and said guidance is quite clear the work-arounds are contrary to the intent of Zilmer’s order. Chris Grigsby told troops and civilians in a memo “we cannot restrict the commercial activities, of course, but SOFA personnel arranging a delivery of goods or services at the front gate is a clear violation of the intent of the restrictions.”
The military, meanwhile, has promised to report annually how many personnel and families are living off base, and agreed to review screening criteria for those permitted to go off-base on liberty. Japan’s Foreign Minister called the moves positive, and said Japan will assist by adding security surveillance cameras and joint police patrols in areas frequented by troops.
Masahiko Komura says data on American military personnel living off-base will go to the government, which will “in an appropriate manner” share the information with local authorities. Komura says nearly half the American military population in Japan is based in Okinawa, some 44,963. Of those, the Foreign Minister noted, 10,748 live off-base in local communities.
last updated at 00:32 on February 28 2008
· Tension over American base grows with rape case
· Military imposes curfew on 45,000 personnel
* Justin McCurry in Okinawa
* The Guardian,
* Thursday February 28, 2008
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, apologised yesterday for a string of crimes involving American troops based in Japan, amid warnings that failure to improve discipline risked damaging relations between Washington and one of its closest allies.
Resentment towards the US military presence erupted this month following the arrest of a marine for the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl on the island of Okinawa, home to more than half of the 50,000 US troops in Japan.
Photo:
The entrance to Camp Kinser, a US base in Okinawa, Japan.
Since then, US soldiers on the island have been arrested for trespassing and drink driving, and another is being questioned about the alleged rape of a Filipino woman in a hotel room.
The rape allegation has echoes of the 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US servicemen, which brought 85,000 people on to the streets in protest and international attention to the US base.
Rice, who was in Tokyo yesterday on an official visit, said: "We just regret deeply that this happened. [It] is very hard to see something like this happen and it's especially hard because it involves a young girl. We certainly hope that there will not be lasting effects. It's a long-standing and strong alliance."
The Japanese prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, called the alleged rape "unforgivable" and Shigeru Ishiba, the defence minister, warned that it could "shake the foundations" of the Japan-US alliance just as the two countries were cooperating to try to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
In an attempt to limit the diplomatic fallout, US military authorities imposed a 24-hour, indefinite curfew on 45,000 military personnel and their families, including the 10,000 who live off-base. They also agreed to review anti-sexual assault guidelines and improve education programmes for newly arrived service personnel.
The new commander of US forces in Japan, Lieutenant General Edward Rice, promised "zero tolerance" of crimes committed by his troops.
But critics said previous attempts to improve conduct had failed.
"This has been going on since the US began occupying our island decades ago," said Chie Miyagi, a schoolteacher and activist against the base. "The US military apologises and promises us that it won't happen again, but it always does. The government and the rest of Japan don't really care about how we feel. If it was their daughters who were being raped, I'm sure they would react differently."
Campaigners believe the marines on Okinawa will soon revert to their old ways once the curfew is lifted.
"When they arrive here they have no idea what this place is like, about its tragic history," said Suzuyo Takazato, head of a women's group that monitors crimes by US soldiers in Okinawa. "We live in fear of what they will do next. When they are caught they get off with light sentences. The message seems to be: if you want to rape a girl, do it in Japan."
Her anger is widely shared in Ginowan, the Okinawan city that is host to a sprawling marine corps air station. After the 1995 rape, in an attempt to relieve tension, the US and Japan agreed to relocate the air station to the island's sparsely populated north-eastern coast, but the plan is increasingly opposed by residents there.
The plan, scheduled for completion by 2014, would also see about 8,000 marines sent to Guam, a US territory in the Pacific about 3,700 miles south-west of Hawaii, in one of the biggest realignments of US troops for decades.
In 2004, a helicopter crashed into the main building of Okinawa International University in Ginowan and burst into flames. Residents fear another accident could happen, said Hitomi Taira, a base liaison official in Ginowan. "We also have to contend with emissions from aircraft and noise pollution, and we receive frequent reports of drink driving, robbery and trespassing," she said. "We want [the air station] moved immediately, but it should disappear from Okinawa altogether and the troops should be sent back to the US."
Okinawan businesses are feeling the pinch from the lockdown, which will be reviewed next week. Bars and nightclubs in the neighbourhood that would normally be packed with off-duty soldiers are virtually empty. "I need my Okinawan customers, of course, but without the military I wouldn't have a business," said Martin McIntyre, the owner of an Irish bar in the city. "My only worry is that when the curfew is finally lifted, someone is going to do something stupid."
Other residents believe the curfew to be an unjust punishment affecting tens
of thousands of law-abiding troops and their families. "It's not right to portray all American soldiers as potential criminals," said Hiroshi Matayoshi, a retired cargo handler who worked at the biggest local air force base for 35 years. "They're a long way from home and miss their families, but many people here refuse to see them as human beings. They just see a uniform and think the worst."
Backstory
Though it accounts for just 1% of Japan's total area, Okinawa is home to about 75% of US bases in Japan and half its 50,000 troops. Military facilities take up a fifth of the island.
Okinawa's subtropical location almost 1,000 miles south of Tokyo makes it a popular tourist destination, but between March and June 1945 it was the scene of a bloody battle in which an estimated 230,000 Americans and Japanese died, including more than a quarter of the civilian population. Japanese troops forced thousands of local people to commit suicide rather than surrender, claiming the Americans would rape and murder them. The island was not handed back to Japanese control until 1972
Despite efforts to promote exchange between islanders and their military guests, relations have been blighted by off-duty crimes, air pollution, noise and accidents.
By Frank Whitman, Guam
USS Buffalo crew members participating in a change of command ceremony shortly after the submarine's arrival at its new homeport in Guam to join Submarine Squadron 15.
"Military buildup" is a phrase that has come to refer to the transfer of 8,000 Marines and their 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to Guam, and the phenomenal $10.3 billion that will be spent just on the move. But that is only one part of what could be a multi-service expansion of the U.S. military footprint on Guam, and in the Asia-Pacific region.
The U.S. military has actually been increasing its presence on Guam for more than six years under a number of Navy and Air Force initiatives. In addition, a plan to bring an Army ballistic missile defense unit to the island is being evaluated, as are facilities to accommodate visiting nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Another $5 billion in military construction in Guam can be expected by 2020, officials have said.
In May 2006 the United States and Japan released a document that set 2014 as the target date for the Marine relocation and outlined funding sources from Japan and the U.S. With the May 2006 agreement, efforts transitioned "from the policy aspect... to the implementation side of things," said Richard Lawless, deputy undersecretary of defense for Asia and the Pacific during a visit to Guam at the time.
Meanwhile, other military activity, unrelated to the Marine relocation, has been on the upswing. In recent years, Andersen Air Force Base on northern Guam has come to include the largest fuel-storage capacity in the Air Force and is now home to bombers and aerial tankers on an ongoing rotational basis. The U.S. Air Force is currently implementing two plans that will add about 3,500 people to the base.
Commander Naval Forces Marianas is also preparing for more activity. Improvements to wharf facilities and to the harbor area including dredging, are both ongoing and upcoming in order to accommodate newer, larger vessels—specifically SSGN-class submarines and T-AKE logistics ships.
Officials estimate that Guam's resident population will jump 25 percent by 2014 with the arrival of the Marines, their dependents and a wide assortment of support personnel. In addition, about 15,000 workers will be needed temporarily to complete the $15 billion worth of military construction work expected during the next decade. As military planners are determining what Department of Defense facilities will look like in 15 years, the territory's civilian government is bracing for the impact on residents who reside outside the base fence lines.
Guam's neighbors are hoping the buildup will have flow-on effects for them. In April, the inaugural Pacific Mayors Conference will be held in Guam to identify these opportunities, particularly "manpower requirements for construction and construction supplies," the conference's executive summary states.
An official from the U.S. Department of Labor will talk about the government's perspective on the labor needs associated with the military buildup, while a representative from the Guam Contractors Association will speak about labor and supply needs.
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David Bice, Executive Director of the Joint Guam Program Office
A Plethora of Projects
The $10.27 billion to be spent for the III Marine Expeditionary Force relocation represents a daunting amount of work. Once construction begins in 2010 some $2 billion to $3 billion worth of work will need to be completed each year in order to complete the move by 2014 as agreed by Japan and the United States governments.
Historically, the capacity of Guam's construction industry has been about $800 million per annum. "Experts tell me that maybe we can get $1.5 or $1.8 billion per year," said retired Marine Maj. Gen. David Bice, executive director of the Joint Guam Program Office during the Dept. of Interior's Islands business forum last October. "I want to push north of $2 billion to get it done in a timeline that meets our requirements."
The total number of U.S. Marines to be relocated to Guam will likely be more than the 8,000 that have been discussed, according to Bice. The overall personnel increase in the Corps from 176,000 to 202,000 will be reflected in the size of the units moving to Guam. "The actual structure is being worked on, but it'll probably be more than the 8,000 that we have depicted."
Both ground combat and the logistical support element members will be departing and returning to Guam frequently for combat operations and training. Facilities to accommodate the Marines' specialized vessels will be built at Apra Harbor on the Naval Base.
A non-firing training range will likely be built at the abandoned Andersen South housing area, which has been used periodically for urban warfare training since it closed. A plan for firing ranges in the area is being developed, but most such facilities, including the largest, will likely be built on Tinian – necessitating enhanced air and sea transportation facilities in the Northern Marianas as well as Guam.
Current plans call for 3,520 family housing units to accommodate the Marines—most, if not all, will likely be located in the South Finegayan housing area within two miles of the NCTS base (MEF Command location). While initial announcements were that all new activity would take place on lands already owned by the Department of Defense, during the past several months military officials have said a number of times that landowners have approached them about the availability of their private property for sale or lease.
A unique aspect of the Marine relocation is the fact that Japan, a foreign government, is funding a substantial portion of the construction of U.S. military facilities for U.S. forces on U.S. soil. The U.S. funding ($4.18 billion for operational facilities, barracks, quality of life facilities and the support highway) will be spent in accordance with the federal Military Construction law, which will appropriate it–subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations and with favorable consideration for U.S. firms (foreign firms must underbid US contractors by 20 percent). The $2.8 billion direct contribution from the government of Japan (for operational facilities, barracks and quality of life facilities) will be subject to the acquisition regulations, but not the U.S. preferential consideration.
"All of this is subject to be approved by both nations," said Bice. "But...it's our intent to have a level playing field for U.S. and Japanese companies and anyone else who's qualified to bid on that work."
The remaining $3.29 billion from Japan is in the form of loan guarantees from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation. "Special Purpose Entities"—the Japanese term for companies in public-private partnerships—will borrow $2.55 billion to build, and then manage and operate the family housing for the Marines. They will recoup their investment from the rent of the homes over the life of the facilities. "[An SPE is] a business. So unlike the Dept. of Defense military construction, which has to be exclusively held within [DoD] interests, the special purpose entities can accommodate some support to the Guam civilian side," Bice says.
Presumably the SPEs would be Japanese companies—"It's the Japanese Bank of International Cooperation thats loaning money to the special purpose entities. Figure it out for yourself who that would be. I don't know, but I have a suspicion,” Bice said. Observers suggest that Japanese companies would likely partner with U.S. firms to best handle U.S. military requirements.
Friday, Feb. 29, 2008
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