UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 11 TOKYO 002433

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR E, P, EB, EAP/J, EAP/P, EAP/PD, PA
WHITE HOUSE/NSC/NEC; JUSTICE FOR STU CHEMTOB IN ANTI-TRUST
DIVISION; TREASURY/OASIA/IMI/JAPAN; DEPT PASS USTR/PUBLIC AFFAIRS
OFFICE; SECDEF FOR JCS-J-5/JAPAN,
DASD/ISA/EAPR/JAPAN; DEPT PASS ELECTRONICALLY TO USDA
FAS/ITP FOR SCHROETER; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
ADVISOR; CINCPAC FLT/PA/ COMNAVFORJAPAN/PA.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO PGOV PINR ECON ELAB JA
SUBJECT: DAILY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE PRESS 05/02/06

INDEX:

(1) Final report on US force realignment; Government to review
Okinawa development plans; Concerns voiced about financial burden

(2) Agreement reached on USFJ realignment; Base towns split over
whether to accept relocations, with some resenting agreement
reached over their heads and others counting on favors in return

(3) Summing up USFJ realignment: Final Japan-US agreement (Part
2) -- Remaining doubts, anxieties of local communities regarding
US bases

(4) Comments by experts on final report on USFJ realignment

(5) Strategic roles still murky

(6) Editorial - Japan-US security consultations: Prime Minister
needs to explain what this new alliance will look like

(7) USFJ-SDF fusion under way: Japan, US reach final accord on
force realignment

ARTICLES:

(1) Final report on US force realignment; Government to review
Okinawa development plans; Concerns voiced about financial burden

YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full)
May 2, 2006

Following the completion of a final report on the realignment of
US forces in Japan, the government and the ruling parties will
soon start working out measures to spur the economic development
of base-hosting local communities. They need to solicit the
understanding of such communities in order to steadily implement
the plans agreed on between Japan and the US. First of all, the
government will review the development program (fiscal 2002 -
fiscal 2011) for Okinawa, which houses many US military
facilities. Officials are concerned, however, over the huge cost

of relocating facilities that Japan is being asked to pay.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe issued the following comment on the
final report:

"The agreement reached by Japan and United States through
consultations premised on 'maintaining deterrence' and 'reducing
local communities' burdens' has deep significance. The government
will work in unity to swiftly implement the agreement through
such efforts as sincerely explaining the contents of the pact to
affected local communities."

The government is looking into creating a system to provide
subsidies to the local governments whose financial burden will
increase under the accord.

In reviewing the Okinawa promotion plan, the government will
focus its attention on the Futenma relocation and other plans to
be implemented in its remaining five years. One government source
told reporters yesterday: "It is necessary to set up an arena to
accurately absorb local views," indicating that the government
would set up a new council involving persons concerned from the
central and local governments. The panel will discuss how to use

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the land vacated by the US military in Okinawa Prefecture, as
well as what measures should be taken to promote local
industries.

There are also such tasks as how to squeeze out fiscal resources
to finance realignment plans and how to elicit public
understanding.

US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Lawless estimated Japan's
share of the overall relocation cost at nearly 3 trillion yen.
Some Japanese government officials suggested that Japan's share
would be more like 2 trillion yen.

Some ruling party members are perplexed at the estimated 6.09
billion dollars (676 billion yen) as Japan's share of the total
cost for relocating Okinawa-based Marines to Guam, one official
remarking: "It is not easy to obtain public understanding."
Liberal Democratic Party Upper House Secretary General Katayama
stated:

"Some say Japan should pay 2 trillion yen, and others suggest 3
trillion. But it will take about 10 years to implement the
planned US force realignment. So it is imperative for the
government to give satisfactory explanations to the public and
convince them of the agreed realignment plans."

The opposition camp is raising its voice in criticism against
Japan's huge share of the overall realignment cost. Minshuto
(Democratic Party of Japan) member Keiichiro Asao, the foreign
minister in the Next Cabinet (shadow cabinet), said yesterday:

"The planned realignment of US forces in Japan is a part of the
global US force transformation strategy. Given this, Japan's
burden is too heavy. We will ask the government at the Diet about
how this estimate was worked out."

Japanese Communist Party Chairman Shii also criticized the
contents of the pact, saying:

"The government is preparing to use a large amount of taxpayers'
money to fund realignment plans, including measures to strengthen
the US military base in Guam. We must stop such a reckless act."

(2) Agreement reached on USFJ realignment; Base towns split over
whether to accept relocations, with some resenting agreement
reached over their heads and others counting on favors in return

ASAHI (Page 31) (Full)
May 2, 2006

Tokyo and Washington yesterday reached agreement on a final
report on USFJ realignment, causing concern to affected local
communities about a possible perpetuation of the existence of US
military bases and further damage to municipalities that
accommodate US military bases throughout the country. Some local
governments resent that the agreement was reached over their
heads. Others are warming to the agreement and accepting bases,
counting on favors in return, including return of portions of
base sites or economic assistance.

Camp Zama

A joint operations command to be transformed into the US Army

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First Corps Command, as well as the Ground Self-Defense Force's
central readiness command, will be assigned to Camp Zama. Mayor
Katsuji Hoshino opposed the plan: "The presence of the US
military base will be perpetuated. There is also deep-seated
concern about the base coming under terrorist attack. We cannot
possibly agree to have such facilities at Camp Zama."

There are also Atsugi Naval Air Station and the Sagami Depot
nearby. Four affected local communities, which all had sought the
return of the base facilities, now have different views on the
issue.

There is a possibility of noise pollution from Atsugi Naval Air
Station being reduced, following the relocation of US carrier-
borne aircraft to a US military base in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi
Prefecture. Yamato City and Ayase City have supported the
realignment plan. Sagamihara City, which also hosts Camp Zama
along with Zama City, has switched its stance. Hearing
explanations from the Defense Agency in April that portions of
the depot will be returned to the city, the city now favors
accommodating those facilities.

Mayor Hoshino, who stands firm against the proposed transfer of
those facilities to Camp Zama, stressed, "Our city will end its
friendly relationship with the US military base unless the
government shows specific plans to streamline and downsize base
facilities and prevent them from becoming permanent."

Chitose Base

F-15 training at US forces' Kadena Air Base will be transferred
to Self-Defense Forces (SDF) bases throughout the nation. One
candidate is Chitose Base. The Defense Facilities Administration
Agency (DFAA) showed to Mayor Kotaro Yamaguchi of Chitose City,
Hokkaido, an estimate that the annual number of flights would be
up to approximately 1,900.

There has been an arrangement between the government and Chitose
City that the number of days when US military aircraft land and
take off should be up to 60 per year. The JDA said that that
limit would be maintained. Yamaguchi, who had been opposed to
accepting base facilities, noted, "The government has now made
proposals worth considering."

Another relocation site is Nyutabaru Base. Senior DFAA officials
yesterday visited Miyazaki Prefecture and Shintomi Town, which
host the base, to explain the plan. Governor Tadahiro Ando said,
"I cannot agree, because there is concern about noise and
accidents." Shintomi Town Mayor Yoshifumi Tsuchiya said: "I
cannot understand. Does the government really think of the
people?"

Shariki Detachment Base

The early warning X-band radar system will be deployed at Shariki
Detachment Base in Tsugaru City, Aomori Prefecture. Both Aomori
Governor Shingo Mimura and Tsugaru City Mayor Hiroyoshi Fukushima
on March 30 expressed their intention to accept the plan, after
calling for safety assurances and local promotion measures.
However, some local residents are still concerned about a
possible deterioration in security.

Yokota Air Base

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The Air Defense Command will be transferred from Fuchu, Tokyo, to
Yokota Air Base. Among six neighboring cities, no local
governments clearly oppose the relocation plan.

The DFAA has explained that there would be little increase in
noise. The affected local governments are pinning their hopes on
receiving subsidies.

Working-level panel to discuss return of airspace above Yokota to
be set up

An agreement has been reached with the US on the return of
portions of Yokota airspace by September 2008. The Ministry of
Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MLIT) and various air
carriers are welcoming the agreement, saying, "Yokota airspace
will be returned in time for the opening of the fourth runway at
Haneda Airport."

Yokota airspace stretches from the Izu Peninsula to Niigata
Prefecture, covering Tokyo and eight other prefectures. Almost
all westbound aircraft have to climb above this airspace by
flying out over the Pacific or circling over after flying toward
Chiba. This is a cause of near-miss accidents between civilian
aircraft, which have to avoid that airspace.

The fourth runway will be completed at Haneda Airport in 2009,
and the second runway at Narita Airport will be extended. The
MLIT intends to discuss the return of Yokota airspace by setting
up a working-level panel involving officials of the US military
and the SDF.

(3) Summing up USFJ realignment: Final Japan-US agreement (Part
2) -- Remaining doubts, anxieties of local communities regarding
US bases

ASAHI (Page 1) (Abridged)
May 2, 2006

In his press conference three days before the final agreement on
US force realignment in Japan, Defense Agency (JDA) Director
General Fukushiro Nukaga stressed its significance: "Once we
finalize the agreement, we will be able to bring about the full
reversion of Futenma Air Station."

But can the reversion really be carried out? There are strong
doubts about it in Okinawa. One local head said: "We may not be
able to do it this time, as well. Ten years have already passed."
He was afraid that the 10 years of confusion that followed the
agreement between the Japanese and US governments in which
reversion could not be carried out would again repeat itself.

Resistance to the construction of a new base to relocate Futenma
is as deep as ever. Although the mayor of Nago City, the local
community affected, and the mayor neighboring Ginoza City have
agreed to the proposal to relocate to Henoko Point in Nago City,
the Ginoza City Assembly on April 28 passed a unanimous
resolution opposing it. The prefectural government also is not on
board.

Even Yukio Okamoto, who tackled the Futenma issue for the year
and a half that he served the Hashimoto administration as prime
ministerial assistant, does not have a firm outlook. "Okinawa is

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difficult because there is much pathos involved," he said.
Okamoto points out that mainland Japan has long regarded Okinawa
with dread. During the war, Okinawa was a sacrificial stone.
After the war, it fell under US military control, and only the
mainland experienced prosperity. Although the number of bases on
mainland Japan dropped greatly, Okinawa was hardly affected by
the cuts. The burden was even increased.

Okamoto said that as a result a feeling of pathos grew among
Okinawa residents. Their blockage of the relocation is no more
than the view, "Why do we have to accept another base forced on
us?"

The final realignment report contains a decision to relocate
8,000 Marines on Okinawa to Guam and to revert US facilities
south of Kadena Air Base. Okinawa now hosts 75% of all US
military facilities in Japan. This time, although the 1500
hectares to be reverted is no more than 10% of that, the
prefecture has evaluated it as significant since bases in highly
populated areas will be removed. However, there is fear that this
could give rise to more anxieties. Even though Okinawa has
suffered from the bases, its economy also relies on the bases. If
the bases are returned and central government assistance wanes,
the base employees and owners of land used by the US military
could lose their livelihoods, and Okinawa's economy could suffer
a major blow.

The next gubernatorial election in Okinawa is this fall. "In
order to uphold the Japan-US security arrangements, Okinawa must
be socially and politically stable," repeatedly says Governor
Keiichi Inamine. The message included in this is: "If
consideration by the central government is insufficient, the
prefecture's politics could be assaulted by reformist forces."

(4) Comments by experts on final report on USFJ realignment

YOMIURI (Page 4) (Full)
May 2, 2006

Toshiyuki Shikata, Teikyo University professor (security issues):
Final report seems to change the nature of Japan-US alliance

The final report produced by Japan and the US apparently will
change the nature of the Japan-US alliance. The alliance was
initially intended to defend Japan's territory, but later, the
category of "contingencies in areas surrounding Japan" was added.
In the future, Japan and the US, in accordance with the final
report, will cooperate to deal with common issues affecting all
humanity, such as fighting terrorism and stopping the
proliferation of nuclear weapons, even in areas far from Japan,
as part of efforts to protect national interests.

The planned deployment of missile defense (MD) radar in Japan
will deepen Japan-US cooperation in terms of nuclear deterrence.
Japan has been protected under the nuclear umbrella of the US,
but now, it will shoulder its due burden.

The final report also notes that the Ground Self Defense Force
and the Air Self-Defense Force will set up their headquarters in
Camp Zama and Yokota Air Base, respectively. This will be a
significant measure for both sides' forces. In order to have the
mechanisms of cooperation and coordination between Japanese and
American troops operate effectively, their headquarters should be

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located at a short distance in order to make close cooperation
routine.

Although the final report specifies the need for both sides to
share "a set of values" and "burden," it does not refer to the
risks. It is unacceptable to say that Japan will be at the rear
in times of emergency due to the unresolved problem of the use of
the right to collective self-defense. Probably because of this,
Japan will have to pay a huge amount of money for relocating
Marines to Guam. Japan should immediately alter its
interpretation of the Constitution, which prohibits the use of
the right to collective self-defense.

Koji Murata, Doshisha University professor (American diplomacy):
Attention focused on China's arms buildup

It will be meaningless if Japan and the US agree on the final
report, dubbed as a roadmap (timetable), but remain unable to
implement the realignment plans in the report, similar to the
Middle-East peace process case. In order to implement the agreed
plans, it is important for the government to obtain understanding
from base-hosting local communities.

Local residents near the US Marine Corps' Iwakuni Air Base in
Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, have strongly opposed the planned
relocation of carrier-based aircraft, but if the final report is
translated into action, the noise factor there should be eased.
It is necessary for Prime Minister Koizumi and a likely successor
to Koizumi to underscore advantages for Japan in the entire US
force realignment scheme, without leaving the issue entirely in
the hands of lawmakers from Iwakuni and the mayor.

On that occasion, they must explain in detail how the planned US
force realignment will serve to strengthening the Japan-US
alliance, focusing not only on costs and the number of troops but
on the current situations in China and North Korea.

The joint statement issued by the four cabinet ministers from the
US and Japan made no reference to China. The statement, though,
stressed: "The Japan-US alliance is vital for promoting such
values as basic human rights, freedom, and democracy," implying
that the US sees Japan's importance as different from China.

The main feature of the USFJ realignment is aimed to strengthen
the functions of the base in Guam, keeping in mind China's
military buildup. The final report did not refer to China but
showed Washington's intention clearly.

(5) Strategic roles still murky

ASAHI (Page 4) (Full)
May 2, 2006

Yoichi Kato, America Bureau chief, Asahi Shimbun

Japan and the United States have now wrapped up their
intergovernmental talks that had continued for three and a half
years over the realignment of US forces in Japan -- an important
part of the US military's global transformation currently under
way so that the United States can meet the security environment
that has undergone a sea change since the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attacks. The realignment of US forces in Japan was
intended to fundamentally reform the Japan-US alliance with the

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aim of dealing even more effectively with the war on terror and
the rise of China.

On May 1, Japan and the United States held a 'two-plus-two'
meeting of their intergovernmental security consultative
committee in Washington. The Japanese and US governments there
released joint press remarks, noting that the alliance will enter
a new phase.

Japan and the United States, through the series of realignment
talks, decided to adopt common strategic objectives, ready their
respective forces to carry them out, and pave the way to
alleviating Okinawa's base-hosting burden. The two countries are
expected to face some difficulties before translating all of
these goals into action. In point of fact, the US Marine Corps
reportedly wonders if it is really possible to build facilities
on the island of Guam for their troops to be moved from Okinawa.
However, Japan and the United States are now expected to improve
their alliance in the area of capability and sustainability.

The alliance has now attained the objective of its reform. At the
same time, however, the realignment talks have also unveiled a
number of problems about the alliance.

The first problem is that Japan's role remains unclear within the
new framework. In terms of defense cooperation, the Japanese and
US governments specified 15 points-including ballistic missile
defense and counterterrorism-in an interim report released in
October last year. In a broader sense, however, their final
report released this time failed to show specific roles for Japan
and the United States to play in the process of pushing ahead
with security strategies in the Asia-Pacific region.

One US government official likened the series of realignment
talks to "real-estate bargaining" over where to locate US
military facilities or "trade negotiations" over how much money
to pay. "The talks failed to focus on Japan's responsibility,"
the official said.

Another US official, however, sees the realignment of US forces
in Japan as having attained its objective in its own way. This
official said, "This transformation is in itself a deterrent for
China."

In fact, China is becoming increasingly alarmed. A group of US
congressional staff members recently visited China, where they
were showered with a number of questions about the US military's
realignment in Japan. One was quoted as asking, "What kind of
role will the United States have Japan undertake?"

Another problem is that there is a perception gap between the
Japanese and US governments over the significance of the US
military's role for the defense of Japan. This problem existed
all the time behind the difficulties of their talks over the
relocation of Futenma airfield and the redeployment of Marines to
Guam.

Time and again, the US government maintained one point. According
to US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Lawless, the United
States "risks exposing" the lives of its troops and carrier
strike group as a rare "defense resource" for the defense of
Japan. In addition, the US government often noted that Japan's
defense spending accounts for only about 1% of gross domestic

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product while the United States' defense spending is at 4%.

For the Japanese government, however, the centerpiece of issues
discussed in the force realignment talks this time was to
alleviate Japan's base-hosting burden rather than to maintain and
strengthen deterrent capabilities. As seen from this awareness on
the Japanese side, the Japanese government's immediate challenge
was not to expand the scope of US military contributions to the
defense of Japan but to heighten the alliance's sustainability.

Moreover, Tokyo, unlike the past, did not want Japan to be at
Washington's beck and call in the realignment talks this time.

The series of realignment talks therefore heated up to the flash
point over Futenma relocation and Marine transferal to Guam, with
both sides going so far as to hint even at the possibility of
their breaking down. In the end, Tokyo and Washington wound up
the talks after obtaining achievements in their own ways.
However, the talks resulted in implying how difficult it will be
to continue to transform and manage the alliance.

(6) Editorial - Japan-US security consultations: Prime Minister
needs to explain what this new alliance will look like

MAINICHI (Page 5) (Full)
May 2, 2006

The Japan-US alliance now moves on to a new stage with the
finalization of the report on the realignment of US forces in
Japan by the Japan-US Security Consultative Committee (2+2). From
the perspective of the United States, which has been moving
forward with a global force transformation, the realignment of
its military forces in Japan represents the final phase of the
reforms. For Japan, realignment will lead to bolstering and
promoting cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and
the US Forces Japan (USFJ).

Over the past five years, Japan under the Koizumi administration
has addressed security challenges that would have surely been
left untouched under previous governments, such as the enacting
of legislation dealing with defense emergencies and dispatching
SDF troops to the Indian Ocean and Iraq. Realignment, needless to
say, is an important task because it will determine Japan's
future security policy.

The basic direction of the realignment was shown in the set of
common strategic goals Japan and the US adopted at the 2+2
meeting in February 2005. The goals included both the North Korea
and China problems. They also focused on global-scale
international cooperation and disaster rescue and relief efforts
as goals for the Japan-US alliance to achieve.

Realignment falls In line with these strategic goals. The planned
transfer of the 1st Army Command in Washington State to Camp Zama
in Kanagawa Prefecture will link its functions to the SDF.

Since the area of cooperation between the SDF and the US forces
will expand, concerns are likely to arise among the Japanese
public that the SDF may become involved in America's wars. In
order to dispel any doubts, the government has the responsibility
to give a proper account to the nation.

Tokyo and Washington have agreed that Japan will pay 60% or

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approximately 700 billion yen (including loans) of the total cost
to transfer US Marines stationed in Okinawa to Guam in tandem
with the relocation of MCAS Futenma (inside Okinawa). This will
be the first time for Japan to bear the cost for a US military
facility outside the country. How much of burden should Japan
bear for the cost of stationing US troops? We want to see a
detailed account of this issue, as well. Some US officials have
estimated the total cost to Japan of USFJ realignment at 3
trillion yen. We would like the Japanese government to make its
own estimate based on proper data and announce it to the nation.

Japan's aim in the realignment talks has been to reduce the
burden on base-hosting communities. In particular, realignment
has been premised on alleviating the burden on Okinawa, where 75%
of US military facilities in Japan are concentrated. The
outstanding issue of relocating Futenma Air Station in Ginowan
City to the coastal portion of Camp Schwab in Nago City was
recently settled with agreement reached between Nago City and the
central government. But discontent in Okinawa continues to
smolder. The planned transfer of a carrier-based wing from Naval
Air Facility Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture to MCAS Iwakuni in
Yamaguchi Prefecture has encountered strong local objections.
Obtaining local acceptance will be a major challenge for the
central government in the coming weeks.

Many issues remain to be addressed, even though the realignment
report has been finalized. If the central government fails to
address the challenges by sincerely lending its ears to the
concerns of local communities, progress on realignment cannot be
expected.

Although Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was passionate about
postal reform, there seems to have been few opportunities for him
to exercise his leadership capability in the issues associated
with USFJ realignment. He has the political responsibility to
provide a clear account to domestic and foreign audiences of how
the new alliance will work, and to make efforts to eliminate the
concerns of neighboring countries.

Once realignment is complete, how will Japan promote its security
policy? The prime minister has the responsibility of making a
clear explanation to the nation about what the new Japan-US
alliance will look like.

(7) USFJ-SDF fusion under way: Japan, US reach final accord on
force realignment

ASAHI (Page 3) (Full)
May 1, 2006

Japan and the United States will finalize a report today on their
intergovernmental talks over the realignment of US forces in
Japan. In response, US Forces Japan (USFJ) and Japan's Self-
Defense Forces (SDF) will move ahead with their fusion through
such steps as consolidating their inter-command cooperation.
However, fusion will create problems related to its consistency
with the US-Japan Security Treaty. How will the US military
presence in Japan and the SDF change under force realignment?

Inter-command cooperation: Camp Zama to command operations during
emergencies

In the process of realigning the US military's footprints in

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Japan, the US Army's 1st Corps, which is currently headquartered
in the Washington State, will be revamped into a joint operations
command and relocated to Camp Zama, a rear-echelon logistics base
of US Army Japan (USARJ) in Kanagawa Prefecture. The 1st Corps'
new command, after its relocation to Camp Zama, will function as
a center to command operations in the event of contingencies on
the periphery of Japan, giving heed to a potential crisis on the
Korean Peninsula or in the Taiwan Strait.

Meanwhile, the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) will launch a new
unit for counterterrorism and international peace cooperation.
The new GSDF unit, called the Central Readiness Command or CRC
for short, will also set up headquarters at Camp Zama. "It will
be easier for Japan and the United States to communicate with
each other," a senior official of the Defense Agency said. "US
forces will have no time difference if they can locate a command
near the presence of uncertainties," the official added, "and
they can dissolve the geographic gap." The official noted that it
would be "extremely advantageous" to USFJ.

In the meantime, USFJ and US Air Force Japan (USAFJ) locate their
respective headquarters at the US Air Force's Yokota base in
Tokyo, where the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) will relocate its
Air Defense Command (ADC) headquarters and where the ASDF and
USAFJ will set up a joint operations coordination center for
missile defense (MD).

"Japan is going to share the United States' overwhelming
satellite and radar intelligence," one SDF staff officer said.
This SDF officer also noted the necessity of responding to a
ballistic missile in a short time once launched. "It will be
possible for us to be readied for such a ballistic missile
attack," the officer stressed, bearing the significance of USFJ
realignment in mind. Kensuke Ebata, a guest professor at
Takushoku University, analyzes the meaning of USFJ realignment:
"Japan will be positioned as a strategic base on the front to
back up the US military in its global deployment of troops, and
it will be also possible for USFJ and the SDF to team up with
each other even more closely in their operations."

Base combining: Consistency with security pact to be called into
question

US military aircraft currently conduct training at three bases,
including the US Air Force's Kadena base in Okinawa Prefecture.
Starting this fall, their training will be dispersed to five ASDF
bases in Japan's mainland prefectures and to Misawa base in
Aomori Prefecture as a combined base.

Conducting US fighter jet training at other bases will not only
alleviate Okinawa's base-hosting burden. One ASDF staff officer
noted that US military aircraft's repeated training at ASDF bases
in Japan would help their pilots know well the runways of these
ASDF bases, including their features. "They can be readied for
emergencies," the ASDF officer said.

Japan plans to offer two ASDF facilities, Tsuiki base in Fukuoka
Prefecture and Nyutabaru base in Miyazaki Prefecture, for US
fighter jets' training flight missions. The two ASDF bases will
take over the role of Futenma airfield in Okinawa as a runway for
emergency use. Both Tsuiki base and Nyutabaru base are located in
Kyushu. "The two bases are close to the Korean Peninsula and the
Taiwan Strait, so they're probably thinking of using the two

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bases in the event of neighboring emergencies," an ASDF staff
officer said. Japan is mulling several dozen billion yen in
outlays to build aprons, hangars, and billets for US forces at
these ASDF bases.

The United States will install a mobile early warning radar
system, called "X-band radar," at the ASDF's Shariki Detachment
base in Aomori Prefecture. The X-band radar is originally
designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM)
targeted at the US mainland. Its consistency with the Japan-US
Security Treaty will likely be called into question since the US
military is allowed under the security pact to use bases in Japan
for the purpose of contributing to the defense of Japan and the
maintenance of international peace in the Far East.

Role sharing: US asks for backup, SDF fears heavier burden

The realignment talks have redefined USFJ and SDF roles. The SDF,
which is not allowed to take part in combat operations due to
constitutional constraints, is expected to back up US forces in
rear-echelon logistics areas, such as supply, maintenance, and
transport services.

In an interim report already released by the Japanese and US
governments on USFJ realignment, Japan incorporated a plan to
introduce a high-speed amphibious transport for the purpose of
sealifting US troops for their rapid deployment in response to
threats. The Defense Agency initially had no plans to procure
that vessel-it was not incorporated in the agency's midterm
defense buildup program worked out in 2004. However, the United
States asked Japan to provide sealift assistance, not only under
normal circumstances and but also during emergencies, for US
Marines to be moved to Guam. Japan therefore decided to introduce
the craft for the SDF.

"In the process of specifying our respective roles," one SDF
staff officer said, "the United States may ask Japan to introduce
more hardware." This officer voiced his concern: "We have our own
plans we need in order to reorganize the SDF and introduce
equipment. But our plans may be affected in that process."

DONOVAN