JCP Dietmembers urge Foreign Ministry to refuse to allow U.S. warships to enter civil port

Japan Press Weekly

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JCP Dietmembers urge Foreign Ministry to refuse to allow U.S. warships to enter civil port

Two Japanese Communist Party members of the House of Councilors urged the Foreign Ministry to reject U.S. requests for Japan to allow U.S. military vessels to enter Japan's civil ports, at least until the Japanese government completes the investigation into the Japan-U.S. secret agreements allegedly allowing the bringing of nuclear weapons into Japan.

The U.S. Navy on September 16 asked the Kochi Prefecture government to allow a four-day (Oct. 7-10) port call by the USS Safeguard, a rescue and salvage ship, at Kochi Port.

On September 24, two JCP members of the House of Councilors, Nihi Sohei and Inoue Satoshi, visited the Foreign Ministry and requested the ministry to reject the request for permission for U.S. warships to make port calls until the government's investigation into the secret pacts on nuclear weapons is completed.

Nagano Masamitsu, assistant director of the ministry's Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Division, North American Affairs Bureau stated that he will covey the request to the foreign minister.

In accordance with the Kochi Prefectural Assembly resolution of 1997 concerning the peaceful and non-nuclear use of Kochi Port, the Kochi prefectural government asked the ministry to verify if the Safeguard carries any nuclear weapons.

Under the previous Liberal Democratic Party government, the ministry's reply was that the U.S. made no request for prior consultations (on nuclear weapons) and therefore no nuclear weapons has been brought in aboard U.S. warships.

Now that the new government under Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio began an investigation into the bilateral 'secret' pacts on nuclear weapons, the ministry can no longer use this logic, Nihi warned.

"After Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture began requesting U.S. warships to submit a non-nuclear weapons certificate prior to their visits to Port Kobe, no U.S. warships have entered the port. The central government should determine if they carry nuclear weapons and deny the port call when there is no clear response," Inoue added

- Akahata, September 25, 2009