TOKYO GOVERNMENT PRESENTS YOKOTA AFB DUAL USE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000901

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2018
TAGS: EAIR PREL PGOV MARR JA
SUBJECT: TOKYO GOVERNMENT PRESENTS YOKOTA AFB DUAL USE TO
ACCJ


Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reason 1.4 (b)(d)


1. (C) Summary. During the past week, the Tokyo
Metropolitan Government (TMG) gave presentations to a number
of commercial organizations including the American Chamber of
Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) and an open Town Hall meeting at the
Tokyo Hyatt Hotel. During these presentations, TMG speakers
claimed civil-military dual use of Yokota Air Force Base is
good for Tokyo's economy. However, ACCJ Transportation and
Logistics Committee members, a number of whom are executives
from major U.S. air carriers, noted the proposal is not
economically viable and could make Tokyo area airport
operations even less efficient than they already are. End
Summary.


TOKYO AIRPORTS AT CAPACITY, LIMITED BY YOKOTA AIR SPACE?
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2. (SBU) During the March 31 presentation at the ACCJ
Transportation and Logistics Committee Meeting, TMG Counselor
Tamotsu Takase argued the two major Tokyo airports now
operate at full capacity, the airspace allotted to Yokota AFB
makes it impossible to increase the number of flights per
hour, and using Yokota AFB for dual use would be economically
adventageous.


3. (SBU) ACCJ members pointed out the reason the Tokyo area
airports appear to operate at full capacity is because Japan
uses twice the international standard for airspace interval.
Thus, if their airports employed the standard used in the
U.S., Europe and elsewhere, there would be significant unused
capacity at both Haneda and Narita. One airline executive
noted that when the fourth runway is complete at Haneda, the
airport will be only able to handle 40 flights per hour,
compared with 100 flights per hour at Newark and JFK, each
with three runways. With the fourth runway, Haneda should be
easily capable of 110 flights per hour, another ACCJ member
stated.


4. (SBU) One of the airline executives in the ACCJ pointed
out that while airspace is an issue for routes, it is not an
issue for the runway. Airspace problems may mean aircraft
would need to fly longer, more circuitous routes, but it does
not change the number of aircraft that can take off/land in
an hour, he explained.


5. (SBU) ACCJ members also pointed out the Yokota area is
already too densely populated to accommodate a bigger
facility. Moreover, airlines need greater concentration and
connectivity. Splitting the hub, as one airline executive
explained, hurts business. Already customers who want to fly
from an international destination to a domestic location in
Japan must fly to Narita, get on the bus to Haneda --
bringing their suitcases along with them -- and go an hour
and a half to transit to domestic flights at Haneda. The
ideal, he continued, is to have one large airport, making
transit between flights easier. Adding a third airport to
the Tokyo area will only exacerbate the drawbacks of
transiting through Tokyo.

Comment
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6. (SBU) The ACCJ as an institution has not yet published
its position on using Yokota for civilian air flights in
addition to military use. Opinions stated at the meeting,
therefore, are personal and did not reflect the official ACCJ
position -- at least not yet. After the TMG representatives

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left, ACCJ members, speaking informally and personally,
asserted the reason for the TMG's proposal is to line the
pockets of construction companies as Japan has long done,
building too many regional airports that are already
complaining and loosing money because of lack of air traffic.
End Comment.
SCHIEFFER