TOKYO — Japan and the United States said Friday that they have agreed on plans for returning to Japan land near Kadena Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa that is now used by US troops, in an effort to balance local concerns with support for the countries’ military alliance.
A statement issued by both sides characterized the plan as a realignment and consolidation of US forces in Okinawa.
‘‘Recognizing the strong desires of Okinawa residents, this consolidation plan is to be implemented as soon as possible while ensuring operational capability, including training capability, throughout the process,’’ it said.
Okinawa was invaded by US forces in World War II and has had an American military presence ever since. Tensions over land use, crimes committed by military personnel, and disruptions by military flights on the heavily populated island have been building.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Ambassador John Roos announced the pact Friday.
‘‘This is a very important event for reducing the impact of our bases in Okinawa, but at the same time maintaining the long-term sustainability of our bases and our ability to achieve peace and security in the region and the defense of Japan,’’ Roos said.
The plans call for returning more than 1,400 acres of land near Kadena. The facilities and land are being returned to Japan as replacement sites become available and troops are transferred out of Japan.
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Related:
"Okinawa protests new US military aircraft" Associated Press, October 02, 2012
TOKYO — Six Osprey hybrid aircraft were transferred to a US base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa on Monday — and were greeted by protesters outside the fence showing their concern about the plane’s safety.
The aircraft — which takes off like a helicopter and flies like an airplane — flew safely from Iwakuni, on the Japanese main island, to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, according to Captain Justin Jacobs with the Third Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa.
All told, 12 of the MV-22 Osprey aircraft will be stationed at Futenma, which is surrounded by residential areas. It isn’t clear when the remaining six will be moved.
Many Okinawa residents oppose their deployment after crashes in Morocco and Florida earlier this year, saying they are not safe to fly in the island’s crowded environment. An incident in North Carolina last month that officials called a ‘‘precautionary landing’’ further aggravated the sentiment.
Japan’s central government gave the green light for operations to begin after a visit last month by US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who said Washington is confident in the safety of the aircraft.
‘‘Who can say, ‘We understand’ about something like this that could fall on our heads? It’s extremely disappointing and regrettable,’’ Okinawa’s governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, told reporters.
The issue has reignited longstanding anger over the heavy presence of American troops on Okinawa.
Why would they feel that way about the great AmeriKan liberators of the last 70 years?
Aside from the atomic bombs, I mean.
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What is not okay with me or the Japanese:
"US sailors convicted in Japan rape" by Eric Talmadge | Associated Press, March 02, 2013
TOKYO — Two US Navy sailors were convicted and sentenced to prison on Friday for raping and robbing a woman in Okinawa in a crime that outraged many on the southern Japanese island.
Seaman Christopher Browning, of Athens, Texas, and Petty Officer Third Class Skyler Dozierwalker, of Muskogee, Okla., were found guilty by the Naha District Court of raping and robbing a woman in her 20s in a parking lot in October. Both admitted committing the crime....
The case outraged many Okinawans, who have long complained of military-related crime on their island, which hosts thousands of US troops. It also sparked tougher restrictions for all 50,000 US military personnel in Japan, including a curfew and drinking restrictions....
Tensions between US troops and Okinawans are endemic because of islanders’ complaints of noise, the danger of accidents, and crimes committed by servicemembers.
Vermont is about to find out.
The rape in October came amid large protests over the US military’s decision to base a new kind of aircraft at an Okinawan Marine facility.
Although most crimes committed by US military personnel in Japan are handled by military courts, they can be prosecuted in Japanese courts in cases that occur off base and are deemed to be particularly serious, such as murder and rape. The sailors will serve their sentences in a Japanese prison.
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Related:
"Two US sailors charged with rape in Japan" by Martin Fackler | NY Times Syndication, October 17, 2012
TOKYO — Two US Navy sailors were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of raping a woman in Okinawa, local news reports said, an episode likely to further fan anger on an island increasingly outraged over the presence of a large US base....
I'd ask why nobody likes us, but.... (blog editor frowns).
The case comes two weeks after the arrival of 12 new Marine Corps transport aircraft touched off huge protests among islanders. The aircraft, the MV-22 Osprey, has experienced crashes in development, and islanders fear for the packed city where the US base is located. The small tropical island hosts more than half of the roughly 50,000 US military personnel stationed in Japan.
Crimes by US servicemen have been a longstanding complaint in Okinawa, where crime rates are far below those in the United States. The gang rape of an elementary school girl by three Americans in 1995 set off mass protests....
Why not? We have been figuratively raping Japan since 1945.
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Leaving might be a good way.
"US airman allegedly hit Japanese boy" New York Times, November 03, 2012
TOKYO — Japanese leaders reacted angrily Friday after the police on Okinawa said a US Air Force serviceman was suspected of breaking into an apartment while drunk and punching a schoolboy, just weeks after two US sailors were accused of raping a woman on the same island.
The trespassing and assault took place early Friday morning, police said. The airman was apparently in violation of a curfew imposed by the US military on its roughly 50,000 military personnel in Japan following the rape accusation. The police did not release the name of the 24-year-old airman, who was hospitalized after falling to the ground from a third-story window.
The episodes have stirred outrage on Okinawa, the southern Japanese island that hosts three-quarters of the US bases in Japan. The episodes also threaten to complicate ties between the United States and its closest Asian ally at a time when both nations are trying to work together to face a growing challenge from China. The episodes have added to Okinawa’s increasingly vocal opposition to what many islanders see as an oversized US base.
Yeah, that's the important thing.
The governor of Okinawa, Hirokazu Nakaima, warned that the actions by US servicemen threatened the US-Japan alliance.
They gotta say that.
“You can only conclude that they are fracturing the alliance,’’ Nakaima was quoted as saying by the daily Asahi Shimbun.
US officials said they would cooperate with the investigation. “We are very upset, and we pledge complete cooperation with the government of Japan in getting to the bottom of this, and preventing future occurrences,’’ the US ambassador to Japan, John V. Roos, said in a statement.
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Related: US presence on Okinawa protested
If it's not enough I'll add more as I find it.
