Japan, U.S. to name ports for crisis use(more wartime contingency)
Yomiuri Shimbun  | 04/10/05 | Satoshi Ogawa
 

Japan, U.S. to name ports for crisis use

Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

The Japanese and U.S. governments Friday agreed to sit down and name which commercial airports and harbors will be made available for U.S. military operations in the event of emergencies in areas surrounding Japan.

The agreement, confirmed during a meeting in Honolulu of senior foreign and defense officials, will complement the existing law that governs Self-Defense Forces operations to assist U.S. operations in dealing with crises in areas such as the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan Strait.

In the event of emergencies in such areas, Japan, according to the 1999 law, is to provide logistic support for the U.S. military, including the use of airports and other commercial facilities.

The Cabinet, when providing those facilities for U.S. operations, is to adopt a plan that stipulates for what purpose those facilities are used in the operation.

Under Friday's agreement, the government will establish new guidelines that lists which harbors or airports will be made available for what purposes. The U.S. military, in the event of a crisis, will be given priority over commercial use of those facilities during operations.

Once the guideline are established, the central government will negotiate with local governments that oversee the facilities named in the guidelines for guarantees they can be used for military operations.

The agreement will be incorporated into the Cabinet's planning to be adopted in the event of an actual crisis.

The U.S. military has pressed Japan for such guarantees as the 1999 law has no penalty clause for local governments or civilians who refuse to cooperate.

A senior Defense Agency official echoed the U.S. concerns, saying, "The law is there, but in fact there is no guarantee that we can use" harbors or airports during a crisis.

Negotiations with local governments could be tough as authorities at many harbors and airports have agreements with local governments stating that their facilities are not for military uses.

Most transport worker unions also oppose cooperating with U.S. operations in areas surrounding Japan.

In the event of a direct attack on Japan, there is a law that empowers the government to forcibly make harbors and airports available for defense purposes. The U.S. military is demanding such a guarantee in the event of a crisis on the Korean Peninsula and other emergencies in surrounding areas, according to Japanese defense sources.

The government believes a guarantee for the use of facilities across Japan would reduce the number of U.S. forces needed in Japan to handle crises in surrounding areas. It would thus provide impetus for reducing the overall number of U.S. bases and troops in Japan.

In 1997, while revising the Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines, the United States listed 11 commercial airports, including Narita and New Chitose airports and seven harbors, including Kobe and Fukuoka, and demanded priority to use them during crises.

The government refused to include the list in the 1997 defense guidelines, but is now considering doing so in an updated version.

But Japan is still reluctant to give priority for U.S. operations at Narita and other extremely busy airports, according to government sources.