VZCZCXRO0341
PP RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNAG RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2433/01 1220752
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 020752Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1661
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/USDOJ WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/USDOT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5//
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMHBA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHMFIUU/HQ PACAF HICKAM AFB HI//CC/PA//
RHMFIUU/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA//J5/JO21//
RUYNAAC/COMNAVFORJAPAN YOKOSUKA JA
RUAYJAA/COMPATWING ONE KAMI SEYA JA
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 8642
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 6015
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 9210
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5990
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 7183
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2071
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 8251
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0093

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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  002 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  003 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  004 OF 011 
 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  005 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  006 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  007 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  008 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  009 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  010 OF 011 
 
 
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 
 
TOKYO 00002433  011 OF 011 
 
 
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