Perspectives

Can Kan explain 'deterrence' of U.S. Marines in Okinawa?

In giving a reason for stepping down, outgoing Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama cited the controversial relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. But just how does the administration of the next prime minister, Naoto Kan, view the issue?

Stating that he had come to learn more about the issue, Hatoyama reached the conclusion that U.S. military deterrence was important and ended up returning to the original plan of relocating the U.S. base within Okinawa Prefecture.

In response, Kantoku Teruya, a Social Democratic Party member elected in an Okinawa constituency who serves as the party's Diet affairs chief, submitted a questionnaire to Hatoyama asking what "deterrence" specifically meant and asking why it could not be maintained if the base were located outside Okinawa Prefecture.

Initially the reply was due on May 21, but the date was extended by a week. However, the government did not reply by May 28, Teruya said. Since there had been no previous cases in which deadlines were extended further, the government reportedly asked for the questionnaire to be resubmitted.

As there had been turmoil within the ruling coalition with the dismissal of Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima, who had served as state minister for consumer affairs and gender equality in Hatoyama's Cabinet, Teruya complied with the request and submitted the questionnaire again. The reply is now due on June 8. The Hatoyama administration came to an end without submitting a reply, but the questionnaire still stands.

The government has probably had trouble answering the questions due to their concrete nature. Teruya focused on the fact that if the U.S. Marines in Okinawa were dispatched, they would team up with U.S. military landing craft troops stationed at Sasebo Port in Nagasaki. His questionnaire asked: 1) Isn't it the case that Marines don't necessarily need to be stationed in Okinawa? 2) If unified operation of Marine troops is absolutely necessary, did the government consider relocating the troops in Okinawa outside the prefecture? 3) In a contingency situation involving Taiwan or North Korea, U.S. Marines in Okinawa may act independently from landing craft troops, but considering the size of units and their operational capabilities, the purpose of dispatching troops would be to protect Americans, so isn't it the case that they do not exist to provide deterrent force to protect Japan?

Kan, who comes from a science background, previously stated that Futenma was like an equation with four unknowns that couldn't be solved. He has been quick to state that he would follow the relocation agreement between Japan and the United States, but how will he explain the reason for relocating the Futenma base to the Henoko region of Okinawa? One might recall that Hatoyama, who only spoke in broad terms, also had a science-based education. (By Teruhisa Mimori, News Department, Kyushu Head Office)

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