 Government must show unified view on planned relocation of USAC-I command to Japan In his questioning at the House of Councilors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense meeting on October 26, Japanese Communist Party representative Ogata Yasuo demanded that the government clarify its latest unified view on the planned relocation of the 1st U.S. Army Corps to the U.S. Army Camp Zama near Tokyo. The relocation plan, if implemented, conflicts with the 1960 Japan-U.S. Security Treaty stipulating in Article 6 that the area of the U.S. Forces in Japan (USFJ) activities is restricted within the "Far East", Ogata said. The government unified view issued on October 21 concerning the relocation plan stated that it has no plan to review Article 6 of the Security Treaty. However, the unified view left room for ambiguity by stating, "it is not easy to define the relation between the 1st Army Corps Command's area of responsibility and Article 6: "For the purpose of contributing to the security of Japan and the maintenance of international peace and security in the Far East, the United States of America is granted the use by its land, air and naval forces of facilities and areas in Japan." The government has so far explained that the Far East includes "north of the Philippines, Japan and its neighboring waters, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan." Ogata pointed out that a magazine article by a Ground Self-Defense Force officer who had for two years been sent to the 1st Army Corps stated that the 1st Army Corps is responsible for the entire Pacific rim region. Ogata asked Defense Agency Director General Ohno Yoshinori if the government will allow the planned relocation to Zama in Kanagawa of the USAC-I headquarters that covers regions well beyond the Far East. Defense minister Ohno answered that he cannot comment on a hypothetical question. However, he added that the question of aerial coverage of USFJ units should be separately dealt with from that of the U.S. 1st Army Corps. (end) |