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FEBRUARY 19, 2010, 5:47 A.M. ET
By YUKA HAYASHI
TOKYO — As an impasse over a controversial military base in Okinawa strains bilateral relations, a senior U.S. military official said Friday the Marine Corps is stepping up efforts to convince the Japanese public of the importance of its presence on the southern Japanese island.
Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder speaks to WSJ/Dow Jones Japan Editor Jake Schlesinger about why he thinks the Japanese should let the Marines stay, the threat of North Korea and his efforts to improve Japanese public perception of the base.
Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder, Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific, said in an interview that while the Japanese are well aware of the direct military threat of North Korea missiles, they may not fully share the U.S. view of the broader "regional threat" that could undermine their nation's trade and economic activities.
To reach out more directly to the Japanese public, he said, the Marine Corps will roll out Japanese-language sites for the Web and cellphones—the preferred mode of information gathering for many Japanese.
"I think one of the things missing in the appreciation of regional security in the Pacific is an understanding how connected all these countries are, economically, financially and in other ways," Lt. Gen. Stalder said during his visit to Tokyo. "There is nothing that happens in the region that will not affect Japan in a very negative way if it's not contained quickly or prevented."
Lt. Gen. Stalder's interview with The Wall Street Journal was part of an unusual, and increasingly aggressive, public relations campaign by the U.S. government in Japan to try and persuade the Japanese people that a large American military presence remains essential in their country—particularly the Marines in Okinawa. He gave a series of other press interviews Friday following a speech in Japan earlier this week. U.S. Ambassador John Roos also gave a speech at a Japanese university recently focused on explaining to the Japanese the rationale for an ongoing U.S. troop presence here.
Some critics in both the U.S. and Japan have suggested that the Marines are no longer as important to the American projection of force in Japan as the Air Force and the Navy. Lt. Gen. Stalder disputed those arguments, saying the Marines in Okinawa serve as a deterrent to the threat of North Korea and are available for immediate deployment in case of emergencies in the region.
While he said he doesn't see China as a threat, its "phenomenal" military buildup is a concern. "A double-digit military budget increase in over 20 years vastly improved [China's military] capabilities and capacities, many in offensive functions" he said. "It's not clear to me what they intend to do there."
Lt. Gen. Stalder had earlier met Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa to discuss the bilateral alliance, including the fate of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a helicopter base located in a crowded urban area of Okinawa that has become the focus of the local opposition.
The new government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has struggled with the Futenma issue since taking power in September. A roadmap agreed upon between Washington and Tokyo's previous government in 2006 calls for the construction of a new facility on the less-populated northern coast of Okinawa in exchange for closing Futenma. But the locals and many members of the Hatoyama government oppose the new facility, holding up the broader military realignment plan. The U.S. has steadfastly asked Japan to stick with the roadmap.
Lt. Gen. Stalder said the best way to reduce the burden on the people of Okinawa is to execute the roadmap, which will give back 50,000 acres of land, move 8,000 Marines out to Guam and reduce noise and traffic.
"It's almost missing from the dialogue that the current roadmap does more to help the Okinawan people than anything we have ever done," he said.
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