Defense White Paper Stresses Importance of US Marines in Okinawa
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has released its newest white paper, and it contains a section the emphasizes the importance of having US Marine bases in Okinawa:
“Moving the heliport functions in Futenma out of Okinawa or Japan raises concern that it would hurt the capability of the Marines, thus the government decided that it has no other choice but to put the replacement facility in Okinawa Prefecture,” the report said.
The May accord still meets strong local opposition, but the report said the government made such a decision in order to prioritize easing the burden on Okinawa in light of the reality that the land occupied by Futenma will not be returned if Tokyo does not provide a replacement facility.
The report also contained a diagram of the strategic importance of the Marines in Okinawa, indicating Okinawa is a better geographic location for the Marines to respond to emergencies in East Asia than Hawaii, Guam or the U.S. mainland.
On China, the report said, “The lack of transparency in national defense policies and developments of military power are a concern for the region and the international community including our country, and we need to carefully analyze it.”
A ministry official said that in addition to concern over the lack of transparency about China’s modernized military capabilities due to the unclear breakdown of defense expenditures, this year’s wording highlights Japan’s concern about the future of China’s military power.
The report also contained a line that stated the Japanese government considers the Liancourt Rocks to be Japanese territory (a policy stance that has been unchanged for decades). The South Korean government and media have responded with “outcry” over Japan’s “refusal to back down.”
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