Japanese gov't continues to pursue idea of relocating U.S. base outside Okinawa

18:01, April 21, 2010

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano indicated on Wednesday the central government plans to continue to pursue the idea of relocating a U.S. Marine base in Okinawa to Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture.

"If we work hard now, there's a good possibility of meeting with the mayors," Hirano said at a news conference, adding that he will consider contacting the mayors personally to seek a meeting with them, despite the three mayors from Tokunoshima spurning earlier calls for such meetings.

Speaking at the news conference the Chief Cabinet Secretary asked for "a little more time" before officially announcing the government's plan on the relocation issue.

Additionally, Hirano said that time was also key to seeking and gaining acceptance from any potential base host.

"We are looking at the situation from various, comprehensive angles," said Hirano, indicating the government is ardently trying to resolve the thorny issue that is testing ties with Washington, local and factions within the central government.

Hirano said at the news conference he called Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima on Tuesday, although declined to elucidate on the details of the discussion.

Political sources revealed Hirano is believed to have discussed with the governor his plans to attend a local rally scheduled for Sunday, which organizers in Okinawa are hoping to draw 100,000 people to oppose the relocation of the base within Japan's southernmost prefecture.

Political sources close to the matter have said that the government is honing in on a plan that would see the helicopter functions of Futemma relocated to Tokunoshima Island -- a tiny island inhabited by 26,000 people and located about 200 kilometers north of Okinawa and 1,400 kilometers south of Tokyo.

Hirano had previously called the plan "unfounded," much to the disdain of Akira Okubo, mayor of Isen on the island of Tokunoshima.

Okubo accused Hirano of acting "disingenuously" for saying the Tokunoshima relocation idea was merely a rumor when he and his fellow mayors met with Hirano in Tokyo last month.

"If my remarks were received as disingenuous, I regret them. "I told them that I would refrain from providing an explanation because the government is considering the matter on a zero basis," said Hirano at Wednesday's news conference by way of explanation.

Prime Minster Yukio Hatoyama said Wednesday his government would make all-out efforts to meet with the Tokunoshima officials, despite a mass protest on the island last Sunday that saw some 15, 000 residents mobilize to show their defiance to the plan.

The central government has until the end of May to decide where to relocate the Futemma Air Station.

Under an existing agreement with Washington inked in 2006, the instillation would be moved from the highly populated area of Ginowan in Okinawa to the Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago, also in Okinawa.

The existing agreement, estimated to cost some 10.3 billion U.S. dollars, would also see 8,000 of the 20,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in Japan's southernmost prefecture relocated from Okinawa to the U.S. island of Guam, by 2014.

Source: Xinhua



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Japanese PM says safety main priority in Futenma issue

17:49, April 21, 2010

Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Wednesday that the priority for the government as it looks to move Okinawa Prefecture's Futenma military facility is to ensure that local residents get a safer environment, with the dangers of living near a base removed.

In a parliamentary debate, the prime minister also reaffirmed to opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Sadakazu Tanigaki that he has a new location in mind for the military facility, but said he is not yet willing to reveal it for fear of local reaction before the site has been discussed with Washington.

"It would trouble (possible relocation areas) if we told them they were been considered before first consulting the United States," Hatoyama said.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister had insisted that he still intends to stick to his personal deadline of the end of May for resolving the issue.

Since coming to power at the end of the summer last year, Hatoyama and the government of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) have experienced strained relations with the United States over the Futenma issue.

Under a 2006 Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by Tokyo and Washington, thousands of troops are to remain in Okinawa, with the existing Futenma facility to be moved to a scarcely populated coastal area and away from its current urban location.

One area cited as a possible relocation site for the Futenma facility is Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture, and thousands of residents there protested against the idea earlier in the month.

The DPJ has seen its popularity plummet in recent months because of its troubles handling the Futenma issue, as well as a series of scandals involving money and politics, and a growing public perception that the prime minister is indecisive.

Source: Xinhua



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Futenma Air Station relocation issue lands Japan in dilemma

16:04, April 20, 2010

About 15,000 people converged on Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, one of the U.S air base candidate sites, on Sunday, April 18, to protest against a proposal by the Japanese government to relocate a U.S. Marine Base. This big rally was held in the Kagoshima Prefecture and, among the participants of the rally at a port in the town of Tokunoshima were town mayors Amagi and Isen.

At a morning press conference on Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Bown Hirano noted that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama would make a possible inspection tour of the island to personally explain to local government and residents on the relocation intentions. Although the late May deadline for Hatoyama to make the final decision is drawing near and near, the approaches of the parties are still apart to balance, and so the issue has landed his cabinet in an awkward position.

Owing to a strong public opposition to the relocation program, the Hatoyama Cabinet even felt it difficult to take a step further. Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of approximately 25,000 people, and three towns under its jurisdiction and the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly have passed a motion against the Marine base relocation.

The message to Prime Minister Yuko Hatoyama was clear and definite. After the Sunday gathering, Isencho Mayor Akira Okubo took a potshot at Hatoyama. He told media that most residents of Tokunoshima Island did not agree to the relocation, claiming that “none of us need to see government personnel, either the prime minister or others people.”

“People of all ages were seen at the Sunday rally, and some local media polls conducted over last week indicate up to 90 percent of the island’s residents would oppose hosting Futenma.”

The United States has also resisted Prime Minister Hatoyama Cabinet’s relocation program. After Hatoyama promised to make the final decision before the end of May, the U.S. insisted that the Japan-U.S. military restructure agreement inked in 2006 was "still valid" and claimed to the original plan to relocate the Futenma Air Station to Camp Schwab in Nago city in the coastal area.

Hatoyama has promised to U.S. President Barack Obama that he’ll settle Futinma issue by the end of May. The relocation of the Futenma Air Station was planned by the U.S. military well before the SACO Agreement. They began to construct a military port of Camp Kinsev in Urasoe and an airport off Henoko in Nago.

At an informal summit held in Washington D.C. Monday, President Obama expressed no confidence in Hatoyama, and it was also a symbol of stalemate on relocation of the U.S. military air station at Futenma. In fact, this move of President Obama’s is also tantamount to his refusal to make any concessions, though Hatoyama has pinned much hope on him to resolve the issue.

Apart from selecting the relocation of candidate sites and the U.S. attitude on the issue, politicians in Japan have differing voices on the issue. First, the Liberal Democratic Party has resolutely opposed to the plan, and accused the Democratic Party of shaking or undermining the Japan-U.S. diplomacy and this may negatively affect economic ties and other bilateral relations and meting out a telling blow to the Japan-U.S. alliance.

Second, the rift or strife will come from within the ruling party. The Social Democratic Party suggests if that the Japanese prime minister cannot honor the promise of displacing the Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture. The SPD said it would not hesitate to quit the ruling coalition. Finally, the Democratic members of the Congress are openly opposed to the Tokunoshima Island as the prime candidate site for relocation.

Meanwhile, the U.S. side urged the Japanese government to relocate functions of the Futenma Air Station to Nago city under a bilateral agreement. Moreover, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reportedly said on Monday that the support rate for the current Japanese cabinet was continuing to decline and, with regard to the Futenma issue, 51 percent of respondents held that the Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama should step down because he has not been on track to settle the relocation issue.

By People’s Daily Online and contributed by PD resident reporter in Japan Yu Qing

U.S.-Japan alliance indispensable despite base row: senior U.S. official

13:53, March 04, 2010

The U.S.-Japan alliance is indispensable for the peace and prosperity of the entire Asia-Pacific region despite the row on Futenma military base, said a senior U.S. diplomat on Wednesday.

"We share Prime Minister Hatoyama's assessment that 'The U.S.-Japan security arrangements continue to be indispensable not only for the defense of Japan alone, but also for the peace and prosperity of the entire Asia-Pacific region,'" said the Assistant Secretary of State for Asia Kurt Campbell while testifying at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

He insisted that the treaty alliance between Washington and Tokyo is a "cornerstone of our strategic engagement in Asia."

Since Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who leads the Democratic Party of Japan, claimed a landslide victory in last year's election, the two allies have been at spars over a number of sensitive issues, including the relocation of U.S. Marine's Futenma air base.

"Our vigorous engagement to address complex and sensitive issues is strengthening not weakening the relationship," said Campbell, denying that bilateral ties are in trouble.

In order to create a more durable and forward-looking vision for the alliance, the two countries are also working together in other areas, including climate change and humanitarian and development assistance programs, he added.

Source: Xinhua

US Marines base transfer issue too ticklish to bypass

14:13, February 24, 2010

Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa voiced his opposition Sunday (February 21) to the idea of transforming all U.S. Marine troops stationed in Okinawa, citing the prefecture as playing a "very important role" in preventing conflicts in the region. Japan plans to finalize a plan for replacement or realignment by the end of February and is expected to coordinate with the United States over the Marines relocation issue in March.

The issue on transfer of Air Station Futenma has been the focus of growing attention in Japan's public opinions. According to a U.S.-Japan agreement reached in 2006, about 8,000 of some 18,000 U.S. Marines stationed on Okinawa will move to Guam before the end of 2014 while leaving a phantom force of 10,000 and continuing to receive huge sums of money from Japan.

At the same time, Air Station Futenma situated in the center of Ginowan city will be relocated to an off-shore location in Henoko Bay in the city of Nago, northern Okinawa.

When the incumbent ruling Democratic Party was in opposition, it intended to move Air Station Futenma out of Okinawa prefecture and even abroad and, after coming to office last year, however, it also felt the issue practically difficult and ticklish to deal with.

On the one hand, the U.S. Marine base in Okinawa has been blighted by much noise, off-duty crime and air pollution. Yoichi Iha, the newly-elected Ginowan city mayor, repeatedly claimed that it is hard to accept the existing Japan-U.S. agreement through serious explorations and researches he had done into the accord. Meanwhile, the Kyodo News (Politics) noted that other locations, too, did not want to accept the U.S. base via a survey it has conducted among local officials in Japan.

On the other hand, the United States has been hoping that Japan will implement the existing the U.S.-Japan accord, although it expressed its willingness or readiness to wait for the final Japanese plan or model and has worked to pursue deregulation in Japan for years.

Senator Jim Webb, chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said last week that the United States would suspend the relocation of 8,000 Marines stationed in Okinawa to Guam before the Japanese government makes the decision on the relocation of Futenma Marine Corps Air Station within Okinawa.

The massive transfer of American Marines to Guam is ostensibly to comply with public opinions in Japan but has actually resulted from the reassessment and realignment of Asia's security situation and the war on terror. This was a consensus shared by some Japanese scholars even when the Japan-U.S. agreement was inked back in 2006. Consequently, the U.S. would not easily alter its plan on the transfer of its Marines to Guam.

On the part of the U.S., out of its numerous military bases in Japan, the bases of Yokosuka, Kadena and Sasebo cannot be abandoned whatsoever. As for Air Station Futenma, things are quite different as it does not occupy a vital, significant status in its East Asia Strategy but merely shares five percent of the U.S. input in all its Marine bases in Japan.

As far as Japan is concerned, however, a major reason for its indecisiveness on the matter is owed to varied internal interpretations on the Japan-U.S. alliance. With regard to the issue of forging "close and equal Japan-U.S. relations", acknowledged some Japanese scholars, the U.S. strategy or policies should not be accepted blindly and indiscriminately but be formulated proceeding from Japan's own interests.

As for Prime Minister Hatoyama's cabinet, the issue relating to the relocation of Air Base Futenma has to be tackled and the United States should be persuaded to attach close importance to public opinions in Japan. And this is of vital significance, regardless of the attainment of the relocation program or the accomplishment of Japan's political aspiration in the Japan-U.S. bilateral relations for years to come.

By People's Daily Online and contributed by PD reporter Cao Pengcheng

Japan, U.S. confer on how to "deepen alliance"

15:43, February 04, 2010


Japan and the United States held their working-level security consultations on February 2, in a bid to formaly launch their formal talks on how to "deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance". Both sides first defined or realigned four priority areas as the main topics of discussion, namely, nuclear umbrella, information security, the use of outer space and missile defense.

The Japanese participants in the talks included Kazuyoshi Umemoto, director general of the Foreign Ministry's North American Affairs Bureau, and Nobushige Takamizawa, director general of the Defense Ministry's Defense Policy Bureau. And representing the U.S. side were Kurt M. Campbell, U.S. assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Wallace C. Gregson, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs.

The Japanese side said it would determine the relocation site of Futenma air base by the end of May, whereas the American side again asked Japan to fulfill the (original) plan to move Futenma air station to a less-populated coastal area of the U.S. Camp Schwab, also in Okinawa. Wallace Gregson nevertheless said the U.S. administration would not seek an "American-imposed" solution to the dispute.

As a top decision maker of the U.S. policies on Japan, Kurt Campbell noted that the U.S.-Japan alliance needs to "have a broader base". So, it is essential to have an in-depth, penetrating discussion of the Asia-Pacific issue and global issues, such as cyber security, climate change, economic turmoil and natural disasters.

With respect to their relations toward China, Kurt Campbell has indicated that the so-called "equilateral triangle" of the U.S.-Japan-China ties is not as good as the "isosceles" tripartite relationship, for it is meant to say that U.S.-Japan ties are simply the relations of the alliance and the improvement of this bilateral relationship is in the interest of the U.S.

During President Obama's trip to Japan in November 2009, the leaders of the U.S. and Japan reached consensuses on deepening the relationship of the alliance. And the "2+2" meeting of the Japan-China Security Consultative Committee (SCC) would be held in the first half of this year, 2010, to define the orientation of deepening the alliance ties and to hasten the drafting of related documents. The meeting will be partaken by the Japanese foreign and defense ministers and the U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense.

President Obama is scheduled to re-visit Japan in mid November this year. The Japanese side has expressed the hope to decide on the specific content on how to "deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance" prior to his forthcoming trip.

Japanese media reports comment that the Japan-U.S. summit meeting will have to deepen the alliance in the 21st century. Owing to waves of sentiments stirred up by the relocation of the U.S. Futenma Air Station, however, the governments of Japan and the U.S. have given an impression that they are anxious to show their strong relationship as an alliance.

Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada hopes that the "Japan-U.S. Security Treaty" would expand the area of cooperation and scope when making amendments to it at the 50th anniversary of the treaty. The "Japan-U.S. Security Joint Declaration", signed in 1996, would extend the framework of the security treaty to the "peace and stability" in the Asia-Pacific region from Japan's "defense" realm only. Okada further noted that he also intends to set up the basis of a joint response in the disputing and impoverished areas.

Meanwhile, the Japanese side hopes to modify the "the Status of Forces Agreement" and re-examine the funding for the US military presence in Japan, according to a former US government official, and the United States would not compromise easily and, instead, there would be possible rifts in the negotiations. Prime Minister Yuko Hatoyama also said that deepening alliance can demonstrate confidence at a Senate Plenary Session on Tuesday, and people however still could not witness where such confidence comes from.

By People's Daily Online and contributed by Yu Qing, PD resident reporter in Japan

All China's three fleets to be represented at Qingdao naval parade

20:33, April 22, 2009

All of China's three fleets have sent vessels to take part in the fleet review scheduled for Thursday to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, a military source said here on Wednesday.

All the aircraft and submarines, including several nuclear powered ones making their first public appearance during Thursday's parade, and the majority of destroyers and frigates taking part would come from the Qingdao-based PLA Navy Beihai (North Sea) Fleet, said the source who declined to be named.

PLA Navy's Donghai (East Sea) and Nanhai (South Sea) Fleets would also send ships to the parade, including missile destroyer Guangzhou from the Nanhai Fleet.

Commissioned in 2004, destroyer Guangzhou has since visited Russia, Britain, Spain and France. The destroyer, with a displacement of 5,850 tonnes, also took part in a series of international military exercises, including the Peace Mission 2005of China and Russia, and the "Peace 09" military exercise at the Arabia Sea off the southern Pakistani port of Karachi in 2009.

Destroyer Harbin of the PLA Navy North Sea Fleet will also take part in the parade. Commissioned in 1994, the destroyer has visited more than 11 countries including the United States and Russia, according to the source.

Thursday's activities will include a parade of Chinese warships, a flypast by PLA Navy aircraft, and a fleet review attended by 21 foreign vessels from 14 countries.

Senior naval officers would review the naval vessels onboard the PLA Navy's missile destroyer Shijiazhuang during the activities.

Source: Xinhua

Japan commissions largest helicopter carrier

20:42, March 18, 2009

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) commissioned its largest helicopter-carrying destroyer with resemblance to a light aircraft carrier on Wednesday amid international concerns.

The 197-meter long, 13,950-ton Hyuga, which can carry 11 helicopters on its flat deck, will be stationed in Yokosuka port, near Tokyo, and is expected to be sent on overseas missions such as disaster relief, according to the Defense Ministry.

The Hyuga has 340 crew, including 17 women officers and sailors on board, the first time since the Self-Defense Forces' was established in 1954.

Photo: Japan's largest "helicopter carrier" the Huga anchors off Yokohama, a port city of Japan, March 18, 2009. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned the warship on Wednesday, marking the largest "helicopter carrier" with a length of 197 meters in service officially.

Under Japan's post-war pacifist constitution, it renounced using or threatening force in international disputes. However, the Japanese Self-Defence Forces (SDF) is one of the best funded armies in the world.

The carrier raises concern in the region. But the government insisted the destroyer will not carry fighter plane and is different from an aircraft carrier, and that the constitution grants the SDF the right to possess a minimum level of armed force for self-defence.

Photo: A helicopter flies over Japan's largest "helicopter carrier" the Huga anchoring off Yokohama, a port city of Japan, March 18, 2009. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned the warship on Wednesday, marking the largest "helicopter carrier" with a length of 197 meters in service officially.

U.S. secretary of state arrives in Japan on inaugural visit

19:14, February 16, 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived Monday in Tokyo on an inaugural overseas trip.

During her three-day visit to Japan, Clinton will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on various issues such as the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the ongoing economic crisis as well as issues concerning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Middle East.

The top U.S. diplomat and her Japanese counterpart Nakasone are expected to sign a new accord Tuesday on the planned relocation of 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

She will also hold talks with Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), late Tuesday, according to DPJ Diet affairs chief Kenji Yamaoka.

The secretary of state is scheduled to conclude her first leg of the four-nation Asian tour on Wednesday before traveling to Indonesia, South Korea and China.

Seeking stronger cooperation and mutual support in Asia for the United States is believed to be a key mission of her Asian tour.

Source: Xinhua

U.S. secretary of state's Asian tour meaningful

16:07, February 14, 2009

Hillary Clinton leaves on Sunday for Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China on her first overseas tour as secretary of state, which reveals the importance the new U.S. administration attaches to a rising Asia.

CHINA, AN ESSENTIAL PARTNER

Clinton's scheduled Asian tour takes place at a time when the United State is still smarting from the spreading financial crisis, which has also had a grave impact on the rest of the world. China, which has adopted effective measures to tackle the global crisis, is believed to be an important stop in the trip.

Clinton, former first lady of the United States, is no stranger to China. She led a U.S. delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995, and in June 1998, she was accompanying her husband, then President Bill Clinton, on a trip to China.

To the new secretary of state, her forthcoming trip to Beijing is not a simple recall of her past experiences in China, but a demonstration that President Barack Obama and his administration will attach great importance to China, observers here said.

"You know very well how important China is and how essential it is that we have a positive cooperative relationship," Clinton said on Friday when addressing the Asia Society in New York. "It is vital to peace and prosperity not only in the Asia-Pacific region but worldwide."

It is generally believed that Clinton's scheduled visit to China will be instrumental in laying the foundation for upgrading U.S. engagement with China from the past "economic dialogue" to a "comprehensive dialogue."

TIES WITH ALLIES

Clinton's Asian tour is a follow-up to a flurry of diplomatic activity involving senior U.S. officials. In recent days, Obama's Middle East envoy George Mitchell has toured the Middle East, U.S Vice President Joe Biden visited Germany -- where he addressed the annual Munich security conference to outline the latest U.S. foreign policy -- and Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan traveled to South Asia.

In addition to China, Clinton's diplomatic journey also focuses on Japan and South Korea, both of them U.S. traditional and major allies in Asia.

Clinton will discuss common approaches to the challenges facing the international community, including the financial turmoil, nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula, regional security, and climate change, according to State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood.

In her latest foreign policy speech, Clinton said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear program remains "the most acute challenge," and she reiterated U.S. commitments to helping prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Asia.

Analysts said the tone of the accusations leveled by the Obama administration and its pledge on nuclear disarmament are hardly different from that of the former administration of George W. Bush. Relations between the DPRK and South Korea are turning from bad to worse again, which will leave a uphill job for the new U.S. government if it really wants to get some things done.

SIGNAL TO MUSLIMS

It is not surprise Clinton has put Indonesia into her diplomatic travel agenda if people could still remember Obama's remarks made to Arab media late last month.

"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemies," Obama said in an interview with Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based satellite television network. "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect."

As the most populous Muslim country in the world, Indonesia apparently has influence in the Muslim world.

Clinton said the United States and Indonesia "have an opportunity for stronger partnership in education, energy and food security."

Actually, Washington's ties with Jakarta, which have improved steadily in recent years, are playing an important role in U.S. efforts to improve its image in the world and create a good international environment for its economic recovery at home.

More than three weeks have passed since Obama took office on Jan. 20, which have witnessed the White House rolling out its roadmap of new domestic and foreign policies. In this sense, Clinton's Asian tour will be an endeavor to contribute to Obama's call for "remaking America."

Source:Xinhua

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6592897.html

Japan mulls law of dispatching maritime force to anti-piracy mission

20:46, January 09, 2009

Japanese lawmakers held the first meeting Friday to begin drafting a bill specifically for the dispatch of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) ships abroad on anti-piracy missions, seeking wider global influence of Japan's military.

The project team of ruling parties is expected to reach a conclusion by around mid-March so that the government can submit the bill during the current parliamentary session, scheduled to run through early June, Kyodo News said.

U.S., European and Chinese vessels have all been dispatched to waters off Somalia to stop pirates who attacked more than 100 boats last year.

The Article 9 of current Japanese pacifist constitution after World War II only allows the MSDF to protect ships flying Japanese flags or carrying Japanese nationals.

Japanese officials and lawmakers have been discussing the dispatch of the MSDF to waters off Somalia to join the international effort, but no established legal framework exists for such a mission.

On Friday's meeting, project team members agreed to consider drafting an anti-piracy law in accordance with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and agreed that maritime policing does not constitute the use of force, participants said.

However, they acknowledged that the government needs to be careful in making the law because such policing activity is primarily the coast guard's job.

Meanwhile, Thomas Schieffer, U.S. ambassador to Japan, told Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun in an interview published on Friday that Japan should join anti-piracy missions near Somalia no matter the step would violate the pacifist constitution.

"I hope Japan will make a contribution and will do more to help rid the world of this scourge of piracy that we're experiencing now," Thomas Schieffer said, adding "I don't know why it would take so long for Japan to defend itself against piracy."

"If they were the sailors of another nation, I can understand the problems that Article 9 of the Constitution would present," he said.

"Pirates aren't citizens of any country; they are outlaws. And the law, international law, gives any country in the world the authority to protect itself against pirates."

Kyodo said it is also expected to consider deploying the MSDF to waters off the coast of Somalia under the maritime policing provision in the Self-Defense Forces Law as a stopgap measure until the proposed bill is passed.

Japan has been steadily widening its role in global security issues by taking part in the reconstruction of Iraq and sending MSDF in refueling mission in the Indian Ocean to assist U.S.-led anti-terrorism in Afghanistan.

Source: Xinhua

China's work in Tianwaitian field "doesn't violate consensus with Japan"

08:06, January 05, 2009

China on Sunday said its exploration of the Tianwaitian gas field in the East China Sea was an exercise of its inherent sovereign rights.

"The Tianwaitian oil and gas field is under the administration of China's undisputed territorial water," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

The Sankei daily newspaper in Japan reported that China violated an agreement and developed the gas field unilaterally.

Under a China-Japan consensus in principle on the East China Sea issue, reached in June, the two sides will, through joint exploration, select by mutual agreement areas for joint development in the block mentioned by the consensus under the principle of mutual benefit.

The two sides agreed to continue discussions for the early realization of joint development in other parts of the East China Sea.

The Sankei report claimed that China's unilateral development of the Tianwaitian gas field violated the June consensus. Qin said the Sankei report distorted the consensus.

The consultations will continue for the early realization of joint development in "other parts of the East China Sea," not in China's undisputed territorial water, he noted.

There is no basis for raising the issue of joint development in such areas, he noted.

Source: Xinhua

Change in Japan's political scene & Sino-Japanese ties

15:47, September 23, 2008

Taro Aso, one of the five candidates for Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was elected the LDP party chief on September 22, and won the premiership because of LDP's majority in parliament's Lower House.

Nevertheless, Taro Aso's imminent cabinet is seen as a "takeover cabinet for the general election" even before its birth, as no lower house (or the Hose of Representatives) election needs to be held until September 2009 but is likely to be held much earlier, possibly later this year. So, the political scene in Japan is now entering into an eventful period and the prospects for Sino-Japanese ties have also drawn growing attention from all sides.

To cope with the American financial crisis and prevent Japanese economy from sliding further, LDP first of all proposed to pass a supplementary budget bill in the lower house before adjourning in October of November and, if the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) led by Ichiro Ozawa and other minority parties in opposition object, it will prepare to hold the general election on 26th October this year.

The current lower house election is vital and imperative however, for LDP can continue to be in power even if it fails to achieve a two-thirds majority but gains the simple majority in the lower house.

In July 2007, the LDP lost control of the upper house (which is less powerful than the lower house of the bicameral Diet) to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). If DPJ does not divide or split in itself, it would be still difficult for LDP to alter the "twisted" phenomena in which DPJ and other opposition parties steer the upper house, and so the Upper House LDP members will find themselves with a tougher time to wield power.

Moreover, Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa would become the first prime minister from DPJ once the party wins the next general election. If both the ruling LDP and DPJ fail to win the simple majority, the Komei Party (KP) which has been working in cooperation with LDP, and other minorities will turn significant provided they are able to gain more votes. Hence, the outcome of the next general election will probably give rise to the new disintegration or reorganization of the political scene in Japan.

In view of the general trend, either LDP or DPJ has continued to attach importance to maintaining and developing overall bilateral ties with China. The comprehensive advancement of Sino-Japanese strategic and mutually-beneficial relations conforms to the fundamental interests of both nations and is conducive to peace and stability in the East Asia region.

To date, China has substituted the United States as Japan's largest export market; the success of Beijing's Olympic and Paralympic Games have won favorable opinions from Japanese people from all walks of life; and the business circle in Japan has begun reconsidering their ties with China. And China acclaims Japan's support to the recent Beijing Olympics as well as aid in need offered by Japanese medical professionals to victims from the tragic Wenchuan earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province and adjacent regions.

Consequently, the popular feelings or sentiments among Chinese people toward Japan have improved noticeably in China. The surging tide for the improvement of Sino-Japanese ties has not come easily, and so it is all the more worthy of evaluation.

The fourth Beijing-Tokyo Forum, held at the co-sponsorship of China Daily and the non-profit Japanese organization Genron NPO, has been crowned sith a complete success. The forum did not seem to be negatively impacted by upheavals in Japan's political scene. It was attended by numerous Diet members from both the ruling LDP and parties in opposition. They included five members of the Yasuo Fukuda cabinet, namely, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Minister for Internal Affairs Hiroya Masuda, Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of the Environment Tetsuo Saito, and land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki. In addition, four prefecture or city governors also partook in the forum.

Chinese and Japanese participants at the recent forum conducted candid and straightforward dialogues and exchanges in seven major fields, such as in politics and diplomacy, economy and trade, mass media, the environment and energy, food security and cereals, defense and security affairs, and locality exchanges, and set forth a large number of positive proposals.

In order to cope with a catastrophic financial crisis occurring in the U.S., both sides have particularly underscored an urgent need for the further enhancement of financial coordination and cooperation; the governments of China and Japan should maintain cooperation to deal with the common challenges they are facing from the food security issue for a proper solution.

Moreover, as close neighbors, the two nations should keep up exchanges among their children and young people as well as locality exchanges, and their mass media, too, should give scope to their due positive role accordingly.

As the contemporary global security situation remains intense and volatile, China and Japan should reinforce or step up their political mutual trust, exchanges in defense sphere and cooperation in the non-traditional areas, so as to accomplish their "sustainable security". As some structural disputes or contradictions between the two nations are still around, both sides should seek new, good-neighborly avenues to dissolve the contradictions existing between them gradually and live in peace and harmony together.

By People's Daily Online, and its author is Prof. Liu Jiangyong with the Institute of International Studies at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing, who is a special guest commentator invited by People Daily

Change in Japan's political scene & Sino-Japanese ties

15:47, September 23, 2008

Taro Aso, one of the five candidates for Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was elected the LDP party chief on September 22, and won the premiership because of LDP's majority in parliament's Lower House.

Nevertheless, Taro Aso's imminent cabinet is seen as a "takeover cabinet for the general election" even before its birth, as no lower house (or the Hose of Representatives) election needs to be held until September 2009 but is likely to be held much earlier, possibly later this year. So, the political scene in Japan is now entering into an eventful period and the prospects for Sino-Japanese ties have also drawn growing attention from all sides.

To cope with the American financial crisis and prevent Japanese economy from sliding further, LDP first of all proposed to pass a supplementary budget bill in the lower house before adjourning in October of November and, if the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) led by Ichiro Ozawa and other minority parties in opposition object, it will prepare to hold the general election on 26th October this year.

The current lower house election is vital and imperative however, for LDP can continue to be in power even if it fails to achieve a two-thirds majority but gains the simple majority in the lower house.

In July 2007, the LDP lost control of the upper house (which is less powerful than the lower house of the bicameral Diet) to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). If DPJ does not divide or split in itself, it would be still difficult for LDP to alter the "twisted" phenomena in which DPJ and other opposition parties steer the upper house, and so the Upper House LDP members will find themselves with a tougher time to wield power.

Moreover, Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa would become the first prime minister from DPJ once the party wins the next general election. If both the ruling LDP and DPJ fail to win the simple majority, the Komei Party (KP) which has been working in cooperation with LDP, and other minorities will turn significant provided they are able to gain more votes. Hence, the outcome of the next general election will probably give rise to the new disintegration or reorganization of the political scene in Japan.

In view of the general trend, either LDP or DPJ has continued to attach importance to maintaining and developing overall bilateral ties with China. The comprehensive advancement of Sino-Japanese strategic and mutually-beneficial relations conforms to the fundamental interests of both nations and is conducive to peace and stability in the East Asia region.

To date, China has substituted the United States as Japan's largest export market; the success of Beijing's Olympic and Paralympic Games have won favorable opinions from Japanese people from all walks of life; and the business circle in Japan has begun reconsidering their ties with China. And China acclaims Japan's support to the recent Beijing Olympics as well as aid in need offered by Japanese medical professionals to victims from the tragic Wenchuan earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province and adjacent regions.

Consequently, the popular feelings or sentiments among Chinese people toward Japan have improved noticeably in China. The surging tide for the improvement of Sino-Japanese ties has not come easily, and so it is all the more worthy of evaluation.

The fourth Beijing-Tokyo Forum, held at the co-sponsorship of China Daily and the non-profit Japanese organization Genron NPO, has been crowned sith a complete success. The forum did not seem to be negatively impacted by upheavals in Japan's political scene. It was attended by numerous Diet members from both the ruling LDP and parties in opposition. They included five members of the Yasuo Fukuda cabinet, namely, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Minister for Internal Affairs Hiroya Masuda, Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister of the Environment Tetsuo Saito, and land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki. In addition, four prefecture or city governors also partook in the forum.

Chinese and Japanese participants at the recent forum conducted candid and straightforward dialogues and exchanges in seven major fields, such as in politics and diplomacy, economy and trade, mass media, the environment and energy, food security and cereals, defense and security affairs, and locality exchanges, and set forth a large number of positive proposals.

In order to cope with a catastrophic financial crisis occurring in the U.S., both sides have particularly underscored an urgent need for the further enhancement of financial coordination and cooperation; the governments of China and Japan should maintain cooperation to deal with the common challenges they are facing from the food security issue for a proper solution.

Moreover, as close neighbors, the two nations should keep up exchanges among their children and young people as well as locality exchanges, and their mass media, too, should give scope to their due positive role accordingly.

As the contemporary global security situation remains intense and volatile, China and Japan should reinforce or step up their political mutual trust, exchanges in defense sphere and cooperation in the non-traditional areas, so as to accomplish their "sustainable security". As some structural disputes or contradictions between the two nations are still around, both sides should seek new, good-neighborly avenues to dissolve the contradictions existing between them gradually and live in peace and harmony together.

By People's Daily Online, and its author is Prof. Liu Jiangyong with the Institute of International Studies at the elite Tsinghua University in Beijing, who is a special guest commentator invited by People Daily

S.Korea urges Japan to take discipline against vice FM

UPDATED: 13:09, May 26, 2005

South Korea on Thursday urged Japan to take a disciplinary measure against Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi, who made a controversial comments over Seoul-Washington ties recently.

"We urge the Japanese government to take due measures against the Japanese official who made the irresponsible remarks," South Korean Presidential Office Spokesman Kim Man-soo said in a news release.

Yachi told a group of South Korean lawmakers on May 11 that "Japan is receiving a lot of intelligence from the United States, but we're not in a position to share that" with South Korea, as the United States "does not fully trust (the South)."

Kim said Seoul cannot give deaf ear to the remarks in consideration of future relations between South Korea and Japan.

"It is very unreasonable for a senior Japanese diplomat to talkabout South Korea-US relations ahead of the planned South Korea-Japan summit," Kim said.

According to an agreement, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are to hold a summitin late June on issues of mutual concern in South Korea.

"The remarks of (Japanese) Vice Minister Yachi not only contradict the facts but are also a form of rude diplomacy," Kim said.

The South Korean government will closely watch how Tokyo makes responses with the issue before taking any further measures, said Kim.

Moreover, according to South Korean Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean government will summon Japan's Ambassador Toshiyuki Takano on Thursday afternoon to lodge protest over Yachi's remarks.

South Korean Foreign Ministry's Spokesman Lee Kyu-hyung also demanded Japan issue a public apology over the controversial remarks.

South Korean government's strong reaction came as the Tokyo government failed to respond to the request by the South Korean foreign ministry that Yachi should retract and apologize for his remarks.

The Seoul-Tokyo ties experienced a cold time earlier this year due to their quarrels over a group of controversial islets locatedin the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and Japan's authorization of the Japanese history school books distorting its aggression past.

Source: Xinhua

Philippines to seek justice for allegedly raped Filipina in Japan

20:12, April 21, 2008

The Philippine government is hiring a female Japanese lawyer to represent the 21-year-old Filipina rape victim in Okinawa of Japan, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

"We will get the services of a lady lawyer. Once a case is filed, we will seek her legal advice on how to proceed," DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos told a press briefing.

In Japan, a public prosecutor handles the case at the first stage of the hearing.

Conejos did not mention the name of the lawyer, saying he will disclose it at a proper time.

Meanwhile, he said he was assured by the Japanese Embassy in Manila that their authorities in Okinawa are closely looking into the case of the Filipina, who was sexually molested by an American soldier in February.

"I met with the Japanese Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission to seek an expeditious resolution of the case and the official said authorities are still investigating it and that it is continuing at this time," Conejos said.

The victim, who is currently in the protective custody of the Okinawa prefectural police, said she was raped in a hotel. The brutal incident left her with injuries, and received treatment at a medical facility.

The victim also told Philippine officials in Japan that she will file a case in court and has accepted the embassy's support, assistance and protection for the duration of the investigation and judicial proceedings in Japan.

It is the second high-profile rape cases in two years concerning American servicemen attacking Filipinos.

In 2006, a U.S. marine was convicted by a lower court in the Philippines of raping a Filipina at the former U.S. military base in northern Philippines.

Militant groups reiterated calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Asian countries and the revocation of the Philippines-U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement, which serves as the legal basis for annual bilateral military drills and the American army's presence in South Philippines.

Protesters said the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines has inevitably led to a wide range of human rights violations and environmental destruction.

Source:Xinhua

Japan starts environment assessment on U.S. Marines' relocation site

15:06, March 15, 2008

Japan's Defense Ministry on Saturday launched comprehensive environmental assessment on a U.S. Marine Corps' relocation site, said reports from the southern Japanese port city of Naha, capital of Okinawa Island.

The assessment work, which includes the evaluation of weather conditions, the impact on the ecological environment and noise levels from the aircraft, is conducted by the Okinawa Defense Bureau of the ministry at the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, a planned relocation site for the Marine's Futemma Air Station in Ginowan.

Under an implementation agreement reached by Japan and the United States in May 2006, the Japanese government agreed to build a new airfield at Camp Schwab in Nago by 2014 to relocate the Futemma Air Station from the densely-populated area of Ginowan.

The local governments, however, have repeated asked the defense authorities to consider the impact of aircraft noise on the neighboring residential areas and the potential negative effect on local biological environment.

Source: Xinhua

Japan says Russia air force intrudes its airspace

15:09 CCT, February 09, 2008

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Saturday that a Russian air force bomber briefly intruded into Japan's airspace in the morning and Japan filed a strong protest over the intrusion, Kyodo News said.

According to the report, a Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber intruded airspace over the southern part of the Izu Island chain at around 7:30 a.m. local time (2230 GMT, Friday). The intrusion lasted about three minutes over areas near the uninhabited isle of Sofugan, about 650 kilometers south of Tokyo, it said.

Over 20 Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets, including F-15 fighters scrambled after the incident happened, Kyodo said.

Source: Xinhua

Japan, U.S. agree on puny cut of host-nation support for bases

08:57, December 13, 2007

Japan and the United States agreed on Wednesday to cut a little of Japan's financial support as host-nation for U.S. military bases.

According to Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Japan will reduce 400 million yen (about 3.60 million U.S. dollars) in the utilities fees to 24.9 billion yen (about 224.32 million U.S. dollars) in fiscal 2009 and 2010 respectively.

The amount of the host-nation support in 2008 will be maintained at the current level, Japanese officials said.

The new three-year agreement was reached by Komura and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer after Japan's effort to seek larger cut of the costs failed, Kyodo News said, adding that Japan accepted the plan out of diplomatic consideration.

According to Japanese media, while Schieffer openly expressed his happiness over the agreement, Komura indicated that the suspension of Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean for the U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan help build pressure on Japan during the negotiation over the host-nation support.

Source: Xinhua/agencies

U.S., Japan stress bilateral alliance

08:30, November 17, 2007

U.S. President George W. Bush met with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in the White House on Friday and stressed the importance of the alliance between the two allies.

"This is an important visit. It's the first visit the prime minister has taken since he has assumed his important office. It's a recognition that our alliance is vital for peace and security," Bush said at the press conference after their talks.

"The alliance between our two countries is rooted deeply in our strong commitments to freedom and democracy. The prime minister and I are going to keep it that way. One of the things we've decided to do is to continue to make sure the U.S.-Japanese relationship is the cornerstone of security and peace," Bush said.

For his part, Fukuda also stressed the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance. "We agreed that Japan-U.S. alliance is playing an indispensable role in enabling Japan and the United States to address global issues together and also provides the basis for our active diplomacy in Asia," he said.

This was the first visit to the United States by Fukuda since he took office in September. He arrived here Thursday for the visit.

During their talks, they discussed issues including Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Myanmar and others. Meanwhile, the United States and Japan agree to use diplomacy in trying to resolve Iran's nuclear issue but will keep up pressure on Teheran, Bush said.

"We agreed that, unless Iran commits to suspend (uranium)enrichment, international pressure must, and will, grow," Bush said.

Both agreed that "a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten the security of the Middle East and beyond," Bush said, adding that "our two nations are united in our efforts to change the regime's behavior through diplomacy."

Moreover, Fukuda vowed to resume Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean "as soon as possible."

"I told President Bush that I will make the utmost efforts for an early enactment of a legislation so that Japan's naval refueling mission in the Indian Ocean will resume as soon as possible," Fukuda said.

Earlier this month, Japan's opposition forced the government to suspend the refueling mission to the U.S.-led coalition forces in the Indian Ocean as part of the war on terror operations in Afghanistan. The United States has urged the Japanese government to resume the mission.

Japan has been an important ally of the United States in East Asia.

Source: Xinhua