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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. 
 
NAHA 00000089  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶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 
 
NAHA 00000089  003 OF 003 
 
 
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