FIRST USN CIVILIAN PORT CALL IN OKINAWA A SUCCESS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 NAHA 000089

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/27/2032
TAGS: MARR PGOV PREL PINS JA
SUBJECT: FIRST USN CIVILIAN PORT CALL IN OKINAWA A SUCCESS

CLASSIFIED BY: Kevin K. Maher, Consul General, U.S. Consulate
General, Naha, Japan, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)

1. (S) The mine countermeasures ships USS Guardian (MCM 5) and
USS Patriot (MCM 7) conducted the first USN call on a civilian
port in Okinawa Prefecture since Okinawa's 1972 reversion to
Japan, successfully visiting Sonai Port on Yonaguni Island June
24-26. This port call to Japan's westernmost point, located
only seventy miles from Taiwan, was operationally significant.
While available logistical support on this island of less than
1,700 residents is minimal, we determined that Sonai Port is
deep enough for safe access by USN mine countermeasures ships,
and that in all likelihood four mine countermeasures ships could
fit into the port at one time. Yonaguni Island also has a
commercial airfield less than two miles from Sonai Port, with a
2,000 meter runway and a small tarmac. If helicopters used this
airfield in support of mine countermeasures ships, Yonaguni
Island, as the Japanese territory forward located closest to
Taiwan, foreseeably could become a hub for mine countermeasures
operations in the event of a contingency in the Taiwan Straits.


2. (C) There were some protesters on site opposing the visit,
but these were not beyond the scale of protests we have seen at
other civilian ports in Japan. However, an important issue
raised by their presence was poor access control to the dock
area, which created force protection issues. The protest group,
numbering around fifty by our count, was able to walk freely
past the access control point and proceed directly to ship side.
The group then stood on the dock, preventing the ship from
lowering its ladder, and delaying access to the ship for about
two hours. The Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) Port
Authority personnel on site made no visible attempt to restrict
the protestors from entering the site, and the very small
Okinawa Prefectural Police (OPP) presence was unable to remove
the protestors, until they voluntarily moved away when their
demonstration permit expired at 1600.


3. (C) It is not entirely clear to us whether this poor access
control was the result of the Port Authority personnel's
inexperience, incompetence, or a decision made by the OPG not to
cooperate. (Prior to the port call, the OPG had asked that the
U.S. show "self restraint" and cancel it.) It was probably a
combination of all three. Dock access control was improved the
second night of the visit, with the OPP and Port Authority
presence supplemented with personnel from Ishigaki Island. The
Japan Coast Guard (JCG) had a ship on visible guard duty at the
entrance to the port during the minesweepers' June 24 arrival,
but there was no visible JCG presence for most of June 25. We
were told that a JCG ship was "on standby" nearby. The JCG ship
was visible near the port entrance for the June 26 departure.
We advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
representatives on site, and the OPP and OPG Port Authority,
that access control and force protection must be improved in the
future, stressing that this is a safety issue both for our ships
and for the local people and the demonstrators themselves.


4. (SBU) MOFA's presence on site was a significant development.
This was the first time MOFA dispatched personnel in advance of
a USN port call. MOFA Status of Forces Division Director Iizawa
was accompanied by MOFA's Okinawa liaison office Deputy Chief
Hideaki Kuramitsu and staff member Shunji Tanaka. The MOFA
personnel were engaged and helpful. Tanaka joined ConGen Naha
and Commander, Naval Forces Japan (CNFJ) staff in Yonaguni three
days before the port call, and he was of great assistance in
coordinating with local people.

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5. (C) We believe that the access control problem was a good
case study for MOFA. The MOFA representatives learned the
central government needs to better coordinate with local
authorities on issues like this, which will be relevant to
overall bilateral defense planning, particularly with respect to
using civilian Japanese ports and airports for transloading and
other operations. For example, SOFA Division Director Iizawa
told the Consul General that, after working diligently behind
the scenes to coordinate with the OPG Port Authority and the OPP
to provide better access control, he discovered there is great
ambiguity as to which organization is responsible for
controlling access and dealing with other crowd control issues.
Iizawa said he is now aware the Japanese Government needs to
work on this particular coordination problem, and on the broader
issue of getting local authorities' cooperation with defense
operations. Iizawa said he would report this directly to
Foreign Minister Aso when he briefs him on the port call upon
his return to Tokyo. Hopefully this will have a positive impact
on central government and local government coordination for
overall bilateral defense planning in other areas as well.


6. (SBU) Supportive Yonaguni Island residents told us that of
the fifty or so protestors at the port, only seven live in
Yonaguni. The remainder appeared to be mostly from the main
island of Okinawa and from nearby Ishigaki Island. The
ringleader was a well-known professional agitator from Naha. We
found the overall climate on Yonaguni Island to be welcoming and
positive about the visit. Local press reports also noted that
many residents supported the visit, even though the Mayor had
declared his opposition. The town assembly itself voted three
to two to welcome the visit. The assembly members who voted in
support attended a welcome dinner hosted by a local resident for
the ships' officers, and stressed repeatedly to us that the
protestors were "outsiders" and that USN ships are welcome in
Yonaguni. We heard this from many other residents as well.
MOFA's Iizawa, who attended the welcome dinner, also told Consul
General he was surprised to see first hand how many residents
were supportive. The view from Tokyo is often focused only on
the opposition, he said, so it was useful to see the warmth of
the local reception.


7. (C) The precedent now has been set for USN port calls to
civilian ports in Okinawa. Two of the Yonaguni city assembly
members who supported the visit told the Consul General that
they hope such ship visits will become routine. When asked what
frequency would be desirable, they responded that at least once
a year would be good. The Consulate General supports this view.



8. (C) The Consulate General also would welcome a USN port call
to Ishigaki Island sometime after the July 29 Upper House Diet
election. When the Consul General informally sounded out
Ishigaki Mayor Ohama in mid-May about the possibility of a port
call, Ohama's private initial reaction was that getting a berth
might be difficult since "it is a busy port" but that anchoring
out would not be such a problem. He understood that due to our
Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Article 5 rights, he has no
authority to prevent a port call. However, a few days later he
went to the press stating that he would oppose a military ship
visit to Ishigaki. Not long after that, news of the call in
Yonaguni spread. The local media have interpreted this course

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of events as meaning we cancelled a planned visit to Ishigaki
due to the Mayor's opposition, and decided to go to (politically
conservative) Yonaguni instead. In Consul General's view, we
should not let stand a perception that local opposition can stop
a port call and deny us our SOFA Article 5 right of access. We
understand that some USN ships returning from exercises in
points south may be returning to Japan in late August or early
September, and look forward to further discussing the
possibility of a port call to Ishigaki at that time. If the
decision is made to call at Ishigaki, we think that the force
protection issues we saw at Yonaguni may be easier to solve
since most of the OPG Port Authority and OPP personnel at
Yonaguni had been dispatched from Ishigaki, and they now have a
better practical understanding of the need for proper access
control.


9. (U) The Consul General wishes to thank commanding officers
LCDR Steven DeMoss and LCDR Thomas Shultz, and the entire
officer contingent and crew of USS Guardian and USS Patriot, for
their outstanding professionalism in making this sensitive port
call a great success. Consul General was told by several
Okinawa-based reporters, who are not known for their sympathetic
view of the U.S. military presence, that in the face of often
obnoxious vocal protesters, "the U.S. Navy sailors are true
gentlemen and professionals." We can't say it any better than
that. Well done - you are truly outstanding ambassadors for the
United States.


10. (U) Thanks also to the CNFJ personnel who came to Yonaguni
to support this visit. We could not have gotten it done without
them. In particular, we appreciated the great work done by Mr.
Akira Cibulka from N3/N5/N7 and Ms. Hanako Tomizuka from Public
Affairs. It was an outstanding team effort in Yonaguni, which
we look forward to replicating in Ishigaki in the near future.
MAHER