March 15 & 17, 2026

Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko on March 15 said that the Japanese government should refuse to let the United States use its bases in Japan for the ongoing war on Iran.

On this day, Akahata reported that the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31MEU) and the amphibious assault ship Tripoli homeported at the U.S. Navy Sasebo Base (Nagasaki Pref.) had departed for the Middle East to take part in the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

Together with the 31MEU, U.S. military air planes, such as F-35B stealth fighters deployed at the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Base (Yamaguchi Pref.) and MV-22 Ospreys belonging to the U.S. Futenma base (Okinawa), had also been dispatched to that region.

The 31MEU and the USS Tripoli between 2004 and 2005 played a part in the battle of Fallujah, the deadliest battle in the Iraq War, that killed thousands of Iraqi civilians.

In the ongoing war on Iran, it has been reported that two Aegis-guided missile destroyers stationed at the U.S. Yokosuka base (Kanagawa Pref.) were deployed to the Arabian Sea to engage in operations against Iran using long-range Tomahawk missiles. Along with the two Aegis destroyers, a helicopter unit assigned to the U.S. Atsugi base (Kanagawa Pref.) as well as two Sasebo-based amphibious transport dock ships (USS San Diego and USS New Orleans) were also sent to the Arabian Sea.

JCP EC Chair Tamura at the party’s 8th Central Committee Plenum on March 15 pointed out that Japan has already been drawn into the lawless war waged by the United States and Israel.

She said that the JCP will strongly demand that the Japanese government say “No” to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and refuse to allow the use of U.S. bases in Japan for this illegal war. She stressed the need to further increase public support for the nationwide movement aimed at preventing Japan from becoming complicit in this unlawful war.

Past related article:
> 2 Yokosuka-based US Aegis ships fire Tomahawk missiles at Iran [March 6 & 8, 2026]