By It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out:
Japan’s new foreign minister on Wednesday again stressed the need for renewed talks about a long-term plan to realign troops on Okinawa.Katsuya Okada acknowledged the 2006 agreement that set in motion many moves involving security in Japan, including a relocation of a Marine air station on Okinawa.
But Okada, in his third week as Japan’s top diplomat, said he wants to lessen the burden Okinawa bears as the home to about half of the U.S. troops stationed in Japan. He’s put the issue on a list of topics to tackle in his first 100 days in office.
“The U.S.-Japanese alliance is extremely important,” Okada said at his first news conference as foreign minister at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.
“However, Japan has its own national interest and the United States has its own national interest,” Okada said. “And in true alliance, the two will discuss and adjust in order to realize their national interests … in past Japanese diplomacy, the U.S. basically made decisions and Japan was more or less dragged along.”
The Democratic Party of Japan has pushed to reopen the realignment agreement since it seized power from the Liberal Democratic Party, which had controlled Japan for nearly five decades. [Stars & Stripes]
The ironic thing about all of this is that the new Japanese government wants to renegotiate a plan that reduces the US footprint on Okinawa in the first place. Anyway the Chinese have got to love seeing this growing disagreement and tension between the new Japanese government and the United States military.
4:06 am on October 10th, 2009 1
Japan should have made these noises when Bush flipped on NK — or maybe a little before – I can't remember when Bush started kicking Japan in the teeth…Maybe they think doing it now with Obama can pull the US back into better consideration of Japan's national interests? Or, is the new Japanese leader a real Roh Mun-Hyun-type?
1:36 pm on October 10th, 2009 2
What is there to re-negotiate? The Japanese wanted them gone and the U.S. is leaving….
1:47 pm on October 10th, 2009 3
Japan wants to maintain the political tripwire of US troops in Japan while reducing their presence. Much like South Korea.
8:30 pm on October 10th, 2009 4
Japan is going to foot the bill (about $4 billion if I'm not mistaken) to move some of these troops to Guam. Apropos of your comment about China's glee over this move, it would be further interesting to know if Okada discusses such things with his warming Chinese colleagues. It's hard to say: Chinese news interviews with Okada have stuck to the core issues (Yasukuni, for one) and so Chinese news media haven't really delved into the troop realignment issue.
9:44 pm on October 10th, 2009 5
The US's presence in or near Asia is going to continue to shrink until there's barely a presence at all. It's really not a bad thing for the U.S., they need a change anyway.
11:00 pm on October 10th, 2009 6
Much like with the USFK consolidation at Camp Humphreys, Japan and the US have a signed agreement to cost share the move of the Marines off of Okinawa. The Roh government started whinging about the deal they signed after activists groups found out that the Korean government was helping to pay for the move. It sounds like the same deal here with the new government in Japan.
11:36 pm on October 10th, 2009 7
The US will not leave Asia in my lifetime, and I've got half of it to go: SK and Japan do not want to go it alone, and they don't want to spend the money to build up a military to even contemplate to go it alone.
The US might decide to pull out of South Korea – though doubtful – but it will not be able or willing to leave both SK and Japan. Will not happen.
12:57 am on October 11th, 2009 8
Hi UsInKorea, any luck finding a job?
Can I help you. I am offering you an open hand, but you must unclench your fist to accept it.
9:13 am on October 11th, 2009 9
It could happen quicker than you think. The U.S. is getting pummeled and it's only the beginning.