5-12-06, 8:53 am
In the recent Japan-U.S. defense ministers' talks, the Japanese government agreed to pay 6.09 billion dollars, or 700 billion yen, which is about 60 percent of the total of 10.27 billion dollars for the new base in Guam. Lawless said that 26 billion dollars is a 'conservative' estimate.
The Japanese government is trying to justify its payment by arguing that paying for the construction of a new U.S. base in Guam and for U.S. military realignment in Japan will help 'reduce Japan's burdens from U.S. bases.'
What a ridiculous argument!
From the outset, the Japanese government was negotiating the cost of relocating U.S. Marines to Guam with the United States on the assumption that Japan will without fail pay.
Confirming how loyal the Koizumi government is to the United States, the U.S. government used each round of talks with Japan to raise the amount of money the United States wants Japan to pay for the construction of a U.S. base in Guam, from 2.9 billion dollars to 10.29 billion dollars.
Japan's payment agreed upon for the U.S. military realignment, specifically the cost for Guam's new base, will change the way Japan shares the cost for the stationing of U.S. forces in Japan.
The Japanese government argues that it provides funds for the stationing of U.S. forces in Japan, including the 'sympathy budgets' because they are in Japan to 'defend Japan.' However, Guam's U.S. base has nothing to do with Japan's defense. Guam is used by the U.S. as a sortie base to swiftly deploy U.S. forces to any place throughout the world. Accepting the new U.S. demand will open the way for Japan to shoulder the costs for carrying out the U.S. global military strategy even though it has nothing to do with Japan's defense.
The payment in response to the recent U.S. call means an increase in Japan's economic support to drastically change the present Japan-U.S. military alliance into one of promoting the U.S. preemptive strike strategy. The Koizumi government's payment of costs to show its 'loyalty' to the U.S. is very extraordinary.
The government argues that relocating 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam will help reduce Okinawans' hardships from U.S. bases. This is s deceptive argument because the 10,000 U.S. Marines who will remain in Okinawa are with ground combat units and aircraft units, the core of strike forces. They are the ones who have most often committed crimes off base. The helicopters that cause unbearable noise will also remain in Okinawa.
In Okinawa, the plan to construct a state-of-the-art air base on the shoreline of U.S. Camp Schwab in Nago will add to the hardships of Okinawans. If the Japanese government talks about reducing Okinawans' burdens, it should work to reduce and eventually shut down U.S. bases.
An Asahi Shimbun public opinion survey published on March 21 shows that 78 percent of the respondents did not accept the government policy of paying the Guam relocation cost. Public opposition to Japan's payment of huge tax revenues for the U.S. war policy will grow.
The Japanese government must accept public opinion and revoke its plan to pay for the U.S. military realignment.
From Akahata
