Cancel 'transfer to Guam' pact deceiving people

Japan Press Weekly

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Cancel 'transfer to Guam' pact deceiving people
Akahata editorial

In the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on April 10, the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties railroaded through an agreement that forces Japanese taxpayers to pay the enormous financial costs for relocating a part of the U.S. Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa to Guam. The Democratic Party of Japan agreed to put the bill to the vote even though it had opposed the agreement itself.

The Guam relocation agreement is without parallel in that Japan is to pay the costs for a foreign country to construct its military bases on its own territory. What is more, it is also linked to the construction of a new U.S. military base in Okinawa. Contrary to the promise to reduce Okinawa's burden of U.S. bases, the present plan will force Okinawans to endure even more hardships. How can such an agreement be acceptable?

Full of lies

The agreement passed by the House of Representatives committee will be discussed in the House of Representatives Plenary Session on April 14. Since this is an international treaty, it will take effect 30 days after an approval of the House of Representatives even without House of Councilors approval. We will struggle to block its passage in the House of Representatives and participate in the debate in the House of Councilors. Even if the bill is enacted, it is important for us to struggle to block the final implementation of the agreement.

Although the House of Representatives committee took only a couple of days to discuss the Guam relocation agreement, the government's explanation of the agreement proved to be full of lies.

For example, Japan's financial burden is not limited to paying 2.8 billion dollars (approximately 280 billion yen) as the cost for constructing a military base for the U.S. Marines to be transferred to Guam, which in itself is extraordinary. It was revealed that Japan's burden would dangerously snowball once the treaty comes into effect.

Japanese taxpayers' money is used not only to build facilities for U.S. Marines moving from Okinawa, but also to carry out major expansions and improvements of U.S. Navy and Air Force facilities on Guam.

In addition to 2.8 billion dollars in direct payment, Japan is required to provide about 3.3 billion dollars in loans and contributions. If a part of this loan and funding become irrecoverable, Japan will have to use additional tax money to make up for the loss.

Also, in the planned relocation, only the U.S. Marine Corps command functions are moving to Guam. If U.S. Marine Corps units that remain in Okinawa travel to Guam for training exercises, Japan will be forced to pay the travel cost, which is not included in the above figures.

It has been revealed that Japan's payment total will be without upper limits under the Guam Agreement.

Under the agreement, it is stated that about 8,000 Marines plus their 9,000 dependents will relocate from Okinawa to Guam by 2014. This is not true. The U.S. policy is one of maintaining at least 10,000 Marines in Okinawa. There are 12,000 or 13,000 Marine Corps personnel stationed in Okinawa at present. In effect, the planned reduction will be by only 2,000 or 3,000 personnel. How is it possible to help reduce Okinawans' heavy burdens of U.S. military activities on Okinawa with such a tiny reduction?

What's worse, the Guam Agreement requires that their Guam 'relocation' is "dependent on tangible progress toward the completion" of a state-of-the-art USMC air base in Okinawa. This is another reason why their 'relocation' will not help reduce the burdens of Okinawans.

Adding another U.S. air base on Okinawa will pose a greater burden on Okinawans. Thus, the treaty is full of deceit. Its real purpose is to obtain a new military base in Japan while attempting to calm Okinawa's anti-base sentiment by offering a tiny USMC unit 'relocation' to Guam.

Withdraw U.S. forces from Okinawa by saying 'No' to their realignment

Despite these numerous defects, the Japanese government is going to have the treaty ratified at any cost.

The 'realignment' of U.S. forces is based on their global strategy to reshape their preparedness so that they can more effectively launch first strikes anywhere in the world. Such a treaty, full of hidden traps, cannot gain public support in Japan.

The Guam Agreement must be withdrawn. The only genuine way to eliminate Okinawans' burdens is to fight to get U.S. military bases reduced and withdrawn from Okinawa and to block the 'realignment' plans.

- Akahata, April 12, 2009