20/03 Japan-U.S. relief efforts expanding

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military has been expanding to support victims in eastern Japan areas devastated by the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11.

U.S. forces have massed ships and helicopters near the disaster areas and devoted their efforts to cargo transportation, search, rescue and recovery work and carrying SDF members to their destinations.

These coordinated relief activities at the disaster sites are expected to deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance.

Especially noteworthy among the various relief activities are early efforts by the U.S. military to restore the damaged Sendai Airport, one of the most important transportation bases in the devastated region. The airport, directly hit by tsunami, could not be used due to the rubble and wrecked automobiles strewn across its runways.

U.S. marines stationed in Okinawa Prefecture arrived there and started to remove the debris. Thanks to their efforts, the airport could resume part of its functions and serve as an emergency landing field for helicopters and other aircraft carrying relief materials.

An expert said the action was based on the military principle that troops cannot conduct operations unless materials move first.

The U.S. military also was transporting food, water, medicine, blankets, clothes and supplies by helicopters belonging to its fleet, including the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, in seas off the Sanriku coast.

A U.S. Marine Corps amphibious landing ship, the USS Tortuga, transported about 280 members and 94 vehicles of the Ground Self-Defense Force from Tomakomai, Hokkaido, to Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, on Wednesday and Thursday. On Saturday, U.S. forces supported helicopter transportation in seas off Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.

U.S. marines based in Okinawa Prefecture have also participated in relief activities. Three U.S. naval vessels, including the amphibious assault ship USS Essex with 2,200 members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard, are involved in relief activities in the Sea of Japan off Akita Prefecture.

The troops use Yamagata Airport as a base for transporting fuel and materials to the disaster areas.

This is the first time that the U.S. military has used a private airport in Japan for anything other than emergency landings, according to a senior member of the Defense Ministry.

Sources close to the ministry commented that deployment of U.S. forces around Japan might be similar if a contingency were to occur on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. military is also helping Japan deal with the reactor accidents at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. They have loaned 100 sets of nuclear protective gear to members of the SDF and other organizations involved.

However, the U.S. Defense Department announced that it has prohibited U.S. soldiers from coming within 50 miles (about 80 kilometers) of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The announcement reflects the apparent seriousness with which the U.S. government views the situation of the stricken reactors.

Meanwhile, Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, was planning to leave the United States for Japan on Saturday. In Japan, he will meet Gen. Ryoichi Oriki, chief of staff of the Self-Defense Force's Joint Staff.

Sources close to the Japanese government said Willard's visit to Japan "shows a strong sense of crisis on the side of the U.S. government."

(Mar. 20, 2011)