Category: Current Events

Japan the “Linchpin” of US Security Interests: Highlights from the Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States

As you may be aware, the US military has been attempting to streamline in order to meet the threats of the 21st century. Donald Rumsfeld has his own plans, and his proposals (Base Realignment and Closure [BRAC]) include a large-scale reduction of domestic and overseas bases.

Not everyone is thrilled with the idea of corporate downsizing for the US military. The Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States, an independent commission chartered by a $3 million act of Congress, released a report last week that criticized key suggestions of Rumsfeld’s BRAC policy. According to the report, “Base structure is strategy itself,” and dismantling the most extensive military presence in the history of the world would be a major blow to American power. “Basing is strategy itself” claim the retired generals on the Committee.

OK, you ask, what does this have to do with Japan? Bases in Japan have always been somewhat controversial. Not only are they a foreign force, but Japan gets all the problems of a US military base (loud, violent soldiers, noise, etc) but few of the benefits that make domestic bases so hard to let go of (jobs, federal funding). The movement to get the Marines out of Futenma has grown stronger lately Rumsfeld and the Committee seem to differ somewhat on base policy in Okinawa. Part of BRAC policy is a reduction of Marine presence in Okinawa. The Commission makes it clear that US bases in Japan are the “linchpin” of US security interests in the region. A reduction of presence in response to local opposition would be a “front-loaded” strategy that threatens to leave America unprepared for future developments.

The Commission does not believe that the current discussion calling for the relocation of US Forces in Okinawa meets US security interests.

They recommend instead that they be relocated from Futenma to Kadena and/or Iwasaki (on the mainland). The base has been a source of controversy, with incidents including the rape of a local girl fueling the rage of local residents.

The wording of the report belies a fundamental mistrust of America’s allies. If you are to believe them, even stable countries like Japan would fall apart without a US presence. Of course, the authors of the report are certainly realistic enough to know that Japan would step up to meet its defense needs if it came down to it. They just see things in terms of “bases = influence” and they can’t imagine why America would want to give that up. It’s a hard position to argue against, to be sure, but it’s equally easy to see why the Japanese would chafe.

Other sources:
i-Newswire
Stars and Stripes
DoD News (on BRAC)

Japan’s Self Defense Force on a PR Offensive

セイギノオマケ3
Some scenarios for the latest shooting game from Konami:

  • Terrorists have holed up in a building and threaten to detonate a nuclear weapon, and the only ones who can stop them are you and your fellow soldiers. Kill the terrorists, save the hostages and don’t hit civilians!
  • There’s a boat carrying drugs into the country. Stop the mafiosos and protect the citizenry from the corruption of narcotics!

    • Sounds like a pretty normal first level for an American SWAT simulation, right? Well, this game was not made for an American audience. “Heroes of Justice” is a simulation of Japan’s Self Defense Forces and is reminiscent of the similar “America’s Army“, a game funded by the US Army’s recruitment program.

    Despite its constitutional ban on the use of force to resolve conflict, Japan maintains the Self Defense Forces as a de facto military. Recent developments have accelerated Japan’s progression toward an official military and stronger defense policy.

    The SDF celebrated its 50th anniversary last year in quiet ceremonies that did not make the news in America but included appearances by PM Koizumi and calls for “a rethinking of Japan’s defense capabilities.”


    It is in such a spirit of revived military development that Toho is remaking the film “Warring States vs. SDF 1549” (Sengoku Jieitai 1549). If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Oda Nobunaga fought the Japanese Self Defense Forces, here is your answer. Go to the site to watch a trailer that features modern soldiers being killed with arrows.

    These two releases are only the beginning of the SDF’s public relations assault. As Japan debates constitutional revision, its more conservative elements are effectively using pop culture as a promotional tool. Many Japanese, in fact, know little of the SDF or its role domestically and internationally. Placing it in the context of popular games and movies should lessen public opposition to making the SDF a legalized, regular army. Even the juxtaposition of the Warring States Period with the modern SDF will make the transition easier by drawing parallels to what Japanese people learn in school with a modern army. I’ll let you know when a subtitled torrent opens up.

    Two interviews discuss Japan’s war apologies

    The Asahi, one of Japan’s three major daily newspapers, has two contrasting Q&A format opinion pieces regarding Japan’s recent problems with China and Korea that some people may find interesting. The first is with a German freelance journalist Gebhard Hielscher, who was formerly Far East correspondent for the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

    Q: What was your reaction to the recent outrage against Japan in China and South Korea?

    A: My impression is that all along, Japan has been deliberately not trying to face the past, and hoping that these issues would go away. Japan has been more concerned about its relationship with the United States.

    Running away from the issue of compensation to the two countries that were the main victims of Japan’s aggression, the Japanese have had it (protest) coming for all these years.

    Our (Germany’s) main victims, aside from the Holocaust, were the Soviet Union and Poland, and we have done a lot for them. I always leave out the Israel issue because it is not part of the comparison: Japan did not commit a Holocaust. But what we did in Poland, which is colonize it, can be compared to what Japan did in the Korean Peninsula.

    Germany didn’t pay direct reparations to Poland, or the Soviet Union, but the Allied Forces took a lot of industrial property out of Germany as a form of reparation. Also, Germany gave up 24 percent of its traditional territory to these two countries, the two biggest victims. We saw that as one way to pay our moral debt.

    The intreview given as a response to Herr Hielscher, which disagrees from what I would consider a rather moderate position, and not the extreme nationalist stance that has been irritating everyone, is by Keio University professor Tomoyuki Kojima an expert on Chinese and East Asian affairs.

    Q: Do you think Japan has compensated enough for wartime aggression, compared with Germany?

    A: In terms of state-to-state compensation, I would say Japan has done more through the process of normalizing relations with many of its neighbors.

    While there are countries that did not demand compensation, for those countries that did, we have paid compensation.

    In the case of China, both Taiwan, with whom Japan normalized relations first, and mainland China, declared they would forfeit claims for reparations.

    Taking the example of forced labor, a court has ruled that the former employer of forced laborers from China and Korea pay damages. But the same court did not rule on whether the state was liable, as that issue has been settled through bilateral negotiations.

    In the case of South Korea, for example, Japan agreed in 1965 to provide grants and loans to the country. There is a problem that it was not clearly referred to as “compensation,” but in reality both sides agree that is what it was.

    There are individual issues pertaining to the war that remain unresolved, and that is undeniable. Definitely Japan must do something.

    But my view is that it is not worthwhile to simply consider Germany a model and criticize Japan for lack of atonement for the past.

    Japan not yet totally cut off from East Asia

    The Mainichi’s English language Waiwai feature reports that not all of Japan’s international relations have been damaged beyond repair by recent diplomatic gaffes.

    One intrepid reporter braved the frontlines of China to find out.

    “Welcome, I’m Nana!” one of the older-looking hostesses in a black dress greeted him in Japanese. “Is this your first visit?”

    “Are you participating in a boycott of Japanese goods?” the reporter then asks her.

    “What you say? Me no understand?” she replies.

    “Never mind. Tell me, what do you think of the recent controversy over Japanese history textbooks?”

    “You know, your eyes have got a horny glimmer,” she counters. “It means you wanna do ‘rabu-rabu’ with me, right?”

    “Um, okay, let’s move on to a different subject. How do you feel about the prime minister’s making visits to worship at the Yasukuni Shrine?”

    “Hey, listen, if you no take me out, I’m really pitiful,” she nags. “I don’t make money hanging around this bar. You Japanese men are all lechers, but I’m good at doing ‘etchi.’ How about I give you nice blow job and then ride you on top?”

    And another conducted similar field research in Korea.

    There he is introduced to a hostess named Ruby, who croons a currently popular Korean tune, a stirring melody entitled “Tok-do belongs to us.”

    “This song used to be banned, but these days you often hear customers in Korea singing it,” she explains.

    “Should I take that to mean you intend to declare war on me?” the reporter asks.

    “Shhhhhs,” Ruby whispers. “Our ‘mama’ told us to avoid discussing political problems here at the club.”

    “You know actually,” the reporter thinks out loud, “I’d like to make that generous cleavage between your breasts my territory for a little while. What do you say?”

    Paradox of public opinion – SDF and Article 9

    Judging from the total lack of response to my last two postings, I trust no one will be terribly troubled if I go back on my word to make my next post about the implications of RMB revaluation, and write instead on Japanese constitutional reform.

    This morning’s Asahi print edition carried the results of the newspaper’s latest nationwide poll, which, in addition to the normal questions about support of political parties, contained a large number of questions about possible constitutional revision. (I had originally intended to translate the entire results and post them, but there are too many questions and too little time.)

    One thing the poll data reveals is an interesting paradox in public opinion with regard to the relationship between the SDF and Article 9. Although close three quarters of respondents indicated that the Constitution should be revised to either recognize the SDF’s existence (58%) or make it into a regular army (12%), when asked directly, a majority opposed revision to Article 9 (51%), with only slightly over a third favoring revision (36%).

    At the risk of oversimplifying things, it appears that although the Japanese like the SDF, and are increasingly in favor of revising their constitution, they remain wary of touching Article 9, which arguably prohibits the SDF’s existence. The Asahi argues that this paradox is rooted in the Japanese public’s acceptance of both Article 9 and the SDF.

    With regard to the SDF, only 7% of respondents said its existence was unconstitutional and should therefore be abolished in the future. Additionally, over half of the respondents said Japan should recognize the SDF’s ability to participate in UN peacekeeping operations, while one-third said they would do the same for SDF support for reconstruction in a country with an ongoing war.

    Concerning Article 9 on the other hand, 32% of all respondents said that out of the entire contents of the constitution, they were most concerned with Article 9, and just over three-quarters said they believed that Article 9 had played a role in [creating and maintaining?] peace and stability in Japan.

    This belief was even stronger (84%) among the 51% who opposed revision of Article 9. And even among those 58% of total respondents who believed that the constitution should recognize the SDF and that Article 9 had played a role in Japan’s peace and stability, nearly half of this group opposed revision of Article 9.

    That’s a lot of numbers to think about, and of course there are the usual caveats about the reliability of poll data, but there are a few other things worth considering here.

    First, one wonders if public support would remain high for UNPKOs and especially for reconstruction assistance in a war-torn country if a few Japanese peacekeepers met with the same fate as Belgian UN peacekeepers in Kigali in 1994.

    One might also wonder if Japanese politicians would be willing to risk political capital to put SDF forces in harm’s way. My guess is that given the lack of a past failure (i.e. no dead Japanese soldiers), and given that the ruling coalition was able to get away with the mission to Iraq, whatever public or opposition party resistance might exist would easily be overcome the first time around.

    Teikoku Oil seeks rights to test-drill in disputed seas

    From The Japan Times:

    A Japanese oil company on Thursday requested test-drilling rights in the East China Sea, in disputed waters just a few kilometers from where China is preparing full-scale drilling.

    Teikoku Oil Co. submitted an application to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to drill for oil and natural gas in three areas totaling 400 sq. km. Two of the areas lie flush against the Chun Xiao and Duan Qiao gas fields, where China’s drilling rigs are set up along the border of the exclusive economic zone claimed by Japan.

    If Japan is going to piss off China by prospecting in contested waters, the least they could do is give the license to a company with a less offensive than than IMPERIAL OIL! If you look at any random Japanese article on this topic then you’ll see that ‘Teikoku Oil’ is written as ‘帝国石油’ – and that Teikoku(帝国) is the Japanese/Chinese word for Empire. It’s like they’re writing their China’s anti-Japan propaganda for them.

    Exploding toads puzzle German scientists

    Despite going by ‘Mutantfrog’ online, I feel I’ve been neglecting coverage of my namesake animals. To rectify this problem I’ve just added a category on the right. Anura is the name for the order of amphibians which includes both frogs and toads, which will both get mentioned once in a while.

    More than 1,000 creatures have puffed up and popped
    The Associated Press
    Updated: 12:43 p.m. ET April 27, 2005

    BERLIN – More than 1,000 toads have puffed up and exploded in a Hamburg pond in recent weeks, and scientists still have no explanation for what’s causing the combustion, an official said Wednesday.

    Both the pond’s water and body parts of the toads have been tested, but scientists have been unable to find a bacteria or virus that would cause the toads to swell up and pop, said Janne Kloepper, of the Hamburg-based Institute for Hygiene and the Environment.

    “It’s absolutely strange,” she said. “We have a really unique story here in Hamburg. This phenomenon really doesn’t seem to have appeared anywhere before.”

    The toads at a pond in the upscale neighborhood of Altona have been blowing up since the beginning of the month, filling up like balloons until their stomachs suddenly burst.

    “It looks like a scene from a science-fiction movie,” Werner Schmolnik, the head of a local environment group, told the Hamburger Abendblatt daily. “The bloated animals suffer for several minutes before they finally die.”

    Biologists have come up with several theories, but Kloepper said that most have been ruled out.

    The pond’s water quality is no better or worse than other bodies of water in Hamburg, the toads did not appear to have a disease, and a laboratory in Berlin has ruled out the possibility that it is a fungus that made its way from South America, she said.

    She said that tests will continue. In the meantime, city residents have been warned to stay away from the pond.

    Sino-Japanese memorial friendship tree cut down

    On April 25 at about 9:20am a message was left by an employee of the’Aimesse Yamanashi’ Yamanashi prefectural industrial relations hall in Kofu city, Ozu-cho at the South Kofu police station stating that “the Sino-Japanese commemorative frienship tree in our grounds has been cut down.”

    The commemorative tree was 12 centimeters across and 5 meters tall. It had been cut with a saw-like implement approximately 30 centimeters from the base.

    The tree was a 17 year old maple, planted on May 25 1995 to commemorate 10 years of ‘friendship city’ relations between Kofu and Sichuan, China. There had also been a commemorative stone plaque by the tree, but it had been defaced with red spray-paint and knocked over.

    Translated from Asahi newspaper, April 25 2005

    Why does Koizumi really visit Yasukuni?

    I noticed that we were being linked to by this slightly curious post on a forum devoted to the Chinese Military.

    Full of Japanese insisting that Jap nats are as much lunatic fringe as certain members on this forum.

    I sincerely do not believe that Koizumi, if he did not have to do it for the political advantage in the Japanese representative democracy, would go to that particular shrine if he had the choice. It’s not worth ruining relations with China and Korea, and if Japan wants to become a normal country it has to at least stop it with the shrine visits: it can argue that it has given sufficient reparations for its abuses during WW2 and its occupation of China and Korea, but certainly there is no sense in the war criminal shrine.

    First of all, why in hell would he think that we’re Japanese? I can’t imagine anything that would suggest that even remotely.

    Second, in response to the idea that Koizumi is forced to engage in the Yasukuni shrine visits because of domestic political concerns and not his own beliefs. I agree that this is the case, but not in the way that the poster suggests.

    The important thing to remember is that while Japan is a country with a democratically elected parliament, their head of government is a prime minister chose by the elected parliament, and not directly chosen by the people. What this means is that Koizumi does not have to appeal directly to any voters outside of his home territory of Kanagawa prefecture district 11 (Yokosuka and Miura Cities). He is prime minister due to the fact that he is the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and when he engages in activity best described as ‘pandering to his base’, i.e. the Yasukuni visits, he is pandering not to the general electorate of Japan as say a US President must, but to the LDP Diet members that actually selected him as Prime Minister.

    Let me clarify some more. The LDP, despite the name, is in fact the most conservative of all the major political parties in Japan. Koizumi is actually a member of the most liberal faction of the LDP (the LDP is divided into formally organized factions, something like sub-parties that band together for political strength). Ever since he rose to prominence in the party he has been a controversial figure, a driving force for economic structural reform and various significant liberalizations in Japan’s domestic policy. How exactly did a young, divorced geisha-dating, liberal reformer get to be the president of the conservative right-wing virtually unchallenged for half a century Liberal Democratic Party? Yasukuni.

    The visits to Yasukuni are Koizumi’s deal with the devil. To secure the support of enough of the arch-conservative power bosses within the party, to get himself into the position from which he would have a chance to even attempt to reform the stagnant and sometimes corrupt Japanese economic machine he had to give them something in return. When he won the presidency of the LDP, he had already lost twice before and it probably looked to him as if he would never be able to succeed without making a concession. What he promised them was that in exchange for cooperation, he would make annual pilgrimages to Yasukuni.

    He may very well have been morally opposed to the visits, and he was probably smart enough to realize the potential damage to diplocatic ties with former colonies, but as a politician he decided that domestic reform was a higher priority. Having made that promise, his only choices are to continue the visits or all his entire career to self-distruct. After a significantly weaker showing in the most recent major Diet election the LDP is getting worried, his massively important postal privatization plan almost stalled completely, and time is running out for him to make his mark.

    Something that is implicit from all I’ve said above, but I have not yet quite stated explicitly, is that although Prime Minister Koizumi’s annual visits to Yasukuni are required by domestic political concerns, they still do not necessarily reflect any widespread demand for him to do so. He was forced into it to secure the support of a minority faction of his own party, to give him the majority within the party that he needed to become president of the party and then Prime Minister.

    I don’t honestly know how much support there is within Japan for the Yasukuni visits, or how strong the nationalist right-wingers have become. From what I have seen, and from what I have heard from people who were in Japan long before I was even born, it does seem that the nationalists have gotten more vocal recently, but are still very, very far from having anything that you could call a popular mandate. I believe that it would be a tragedy for radicals to rise to power again in Japan, and I hope that ultimately the more sensible moderates will prevail. Some people seem to think the radical right-wingers have already won, but I am just trying to explain that this is far from the case. They are only becoming more organized and more vocal, and hopefully the quiet opposition is nothing but a slow response.

    Koizumi and pals offer olive branch to China

    Koizumi apologizes once again to former colonies at an Asia/Africa development and aid summit in Jakarta BBC report

    Addressing delegates, Mr Koizumi said: “In the past Japan through its colonial rule and aggression caused tremendous damage and suffering for the people of many countries, particularly those of Asian nations.

    Yomiuri also reports quotes him as saying

    「経済大国になっても軍事大国にはならず、いかなる問題も武力によらず平和的に解決するとの立場を堅持している」
    Despite becoming an economic superpower, Japan will not become a military superpower, and whatever problems arise will adhere to the position of peaceful resolution without calling upon violence.

    Perhaps Mister Koizumi will be able to make peace with China with the help of his new friends.

    Jin-ken
    Here is Prime Minister Koizumi with Japan’s twin mascots for human rights. The characters are ‘cleverly’ given names that both sound like real Japanese names and appropriate words. Mamoru Jinken (translates to ‘protecting human rights’) on the left and Ayumi Jinken (steps towards human rights)on the right.