24/06 VOX POPULI: Kan Cabinet bunch of 'do-nothings' regarding Okinawa base

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.
2011/06/24

I came across an anecdote that Okinawa, once known as "an island without weapons," surprised Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). In the early 19th century, a British warship navigated around the Ryukyu Islands. On its way back, it made a port call at Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic where the captain met the former French emperor who was exiled there.

When the captain told Napoleon that there were no weapons on Okinawa, the former French emperor couldn't understand how that was possible.

"How can they make war without weapons?" Napoleon asked.

"The people there don't know what war is," the captain replied.

"There can't be such people under the sun," a surprised Napoleon said.

The story appears in "Hitotsuki Ichiwa" (A story a month) published by Iwanami Shoten, Publishers.

But the island has undergone drastic changes since the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Getting caught up in Japan's modernization, it was eventually dragged into the Battle of Okinawa toward the end of World War II.

More than 200,000 people perished in the battle that a U.S. military report described as a situation where "all hell broke loose."

On June 23, Okinawa observed its 66th Memorial Day to mark the end of the battle.

The Cornerstone of Peace stands on the site of a hard-fought battle at the southern tip of the Okinawa main island. On Memorial Day, the monument, which is inscribed with the names of all those who died regardless of nationality and civilian or military status, is shrouded in prayer. Prime Minister Naoto Kan attended the ceremony. How did the Okinawa people receive his speech? The relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma has reached a deadlock.

The Democratic Party of Japan administration is lacking not only in determination and ability, but also historic recognition.

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama had optimistic "feelings." I doubt that Prime Minister Kan even has such feelings. "The most dangerous military base in the world" is likely to continue to sit in the middle of a heavily populated city.

I find something in common between the Japan-U.S. security system that relies on the sufferings of Okinawa and prosperity that depends on depopulated areas that host nuclear power plants. "Cliffs and the ocean/ Both tell/ Okinawa's bereavement" is a haiku by Tomiko Nakamura. Voices to which we must listen are heard from various places.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 23

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

13/05 Futenma plan more uncertain / U.S. senators' proposal throws cloud over base's move to Henoko

Hajime Furukawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

A proposal by members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee to merge the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station with Kadena Air Force Base, both in Okinawa Prefecture, has made the established plan for Futenma's relocation increasingly uncertain.

Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who is chairman of the powerful military affairs committee, and two other senior members proposed examining the feasibility of moving Futenma to Kadena, instead of building a replacement facility in the Henoko district of Nago in the prefecture.

Levin and committee member James Webb, D-Va., visited Okinawa Prefecture, Tokyo and Guam in late April. During their trip, they met with Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa, Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima and others.

They devised the proposal because after meeting the people involved, they believed it would be difficult to realize the construction of a replacement facility for Futenma in Nago, according to observers.

The Japanese government has and is expected to continue to maintain its position that the plan to construct a replacement facility in Henoko is the only option agreed upon between Japan and the United States.

The government is disconcerted by the senators' proposal, which it believes is "impractical," according to a Foreign Ministry senior official.

The idea of integrating with Kadena surfaced several times in past Japan-U.S. discussions on the Futenma issue, but was always dropped because of its lack of practicality.

The plan's feasibility was studied for the final report of the Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO) in 1996, for the U.S.-Japan Roadmap for Realignment Implementation in 2006 and for the review of the road map by the administration of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama last year.

Both the U.S. Marine Corps, whose presence in Okinawa mainly consists of helicopter squadrons, and the U.S. Air Force, which primarily uses jet fighters and other airplanes in the prefecture, were unenthusiastic about the idea because there was a great risk of air traffic and operational troubles.

Local governments--including Kadenacho, where Kadena Air Base is located-- also have strongly opposed the idea due to the anticipated increase in noise. The base includes land in three localities: Kadenacho, Chatancho and Okinawa city.

The Japanese and U.S. governments in May last year agreed again to relocate Futenma to the Henoko district of Nago.

"The proposal by Levin and others contradicts the current position of the U.S. government," a Japanese government official said.

Yet, constructing the Futenma replacement facility in Henoko by 2014 as stipulated in the roadmap is itself facing a difficult road to realization.

Because the Senate Armed Services Committee has substantial influence over the nation's defense budget, the situation regarding Futenma's relocation is increasingly opaque.

(May. 13, 2011)