1) Futenma Base Issue A Test to Deepen Japan-US Relations
2010 Jul/Aug
SPECIAL ARTICLES
By Satoshi MORIMOTO (Director/professor, Institute of World Studies, Takushoku Univ.)
To realize political ideals, it is essential to build political foundations that meet realistic requirements. Without such foundations, not only do political ideals not come true, but also distrust in politics emerges among voters. Since the birth of the new government led by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) last September, the question of where to relocate the US Marine Corps air base at Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture strayed off course. In the end, the Futenma issue went full circle to get back on the track at the end of May - relocation to the place Japan and the United States had agreed to originally. Taking responsibility for the eight months of meandering stemming from his election campaign promise to move the air station out of Okinawa, then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama stepped down, paving the way for the inauguration in June of another DPJ administration, led by Naoto Kan, deputy prime minister under the Hatoyama government. Kan has made it clear his new government will follow Hatoyama's policy course. But the new leader lacks experience in diplomatic, security and defense affairs. With his knowledge of these critical policy areas uncertain, solution to the Futenma issue that has just taken a fresh start depends much on his leadership. History of Futenma Base Issue The Japan-US alliance marks a milestone this year, the 50th anniversary of the revision to the bilateral security treaty. But the many months of soured relations between the two countries over the Futenma issue caused serious effects on the diplomatic, security and economic fields as a whole, with key policy talks suspended and information exchanges at a low ebb. For the present, it is a major challenge for the Kan government to restore confidence in the bilateral alliance damaged by the Hatoyama administration. Behind the twists and turns of the Futenma issue was Hatoyama's pursuit of his political dreams to an unrealistic extent. Based on the Japan-US Security Treaty, 36,000 American troops are stationed at more than 130 bases across Japan. Those military facilities kept under the security treaty serve not only as strategic bases to allow the US troops to function as a deterrent in the Asia-Pacific region but as relay stations to allow them to deploy to the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and South Asia. The problem is that roughly 74% of those bases are located in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture. The island of Okinawa was the site of the bloodiest and... <<BACK

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