A flagging sense of partnership

沖縄の米軍ヘリ墜落の波紋

Given the increasing frequency of U.S. flight training — a situation that seems to reflect the added strategic importance of the U.S. forces in Japan — there is the possibility of similar accidents occurring elsewhere in Okinawa or in other parts of the country. U.S. bases exist in 14 prefectures, including Hokkaido, Aomori and Tokyo.

The accident in Okinawa occurred at a time when local communities are increasingly concerned about the planned "transformation," or global redeployment, of U.S. forces overseas.

On the afternoon of Aug. 13, a transport helicopter from the Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in the city of Ginowan crashed on the campus of Okinawa International University. Three crew members on board were injured, although no one on the ground was hurt.

The government, which has duly criticized the mishap, is finding itself in a difficult position. It is sandwiched, as it were, between the tough U.S. policy of continuing helicopter flights and mounting anti-base sentiment among the Okinawan people. At the center of the controversy is the Futenma Air Station, which is surrounded by densely populated residential areas.

In 1996, a Japan-U.S. joint committee agreed to relocate the airfield as part of a long-term plan to consolidate U.S. bases in Japan. The relocation project, however, has made little headway despite repeated U.S. requests for an early transfer. An alternative plan to build a civilian-military airport off the coast of Nago, in northern Okinawa, has met strong opposition from local residents and environmental groups.

The accident has refocused attention on the bases issue. The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, as well as municipal assemblies within the prefecture, have passed resolutions calling for a revision of SOFA, which sets rules for the management and operation of the U.S. forces in Japan. The resolutions request a relocation of the Futenma base somewhere outside of Okinawa, as well as a review of the 1996 joint committee agreement.

The government needs to deal very carefully with these developments, which, if mishandled, could explode into a situation affecting the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. A serious situation, it should be noted, developed in 1995 when the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen in Okinawa sparked popular outrage.

This time around, the government does not seem to have shown as much sensitivity toward the Okinawans.

On Aug. 19, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, in a meeting with Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine, promised only that Tokyo would make "sincere efforts" to consider his requests for a reduction of physical risks to residents and an early return of the Futenma base, and would negotiate with Washington on that basis.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was taking his summer vacation and would not meet Mr. Inamine, who had cut short his overseas trip to talk with government officials. On Aug. 25 — 12 days after the accident — Mr. Koizumi finally met Mr. Inamine but failed to make any commitment to Mr. Inamine's requests, including a review of SOFA and an early reversion of the Futenma airfield.

What provoked feelings in Okinawa the most, however, was the U.S. military's refusal to let prefectural police enter the crash site immediately for an on-site investigation of the wreckage. The U.S. refusal was based on SOFA provisions stipulating that Japanese authorities must obtain U.S. consent for investigations involving U.S. military personnel and property.

Following the accident, U.S. troops sealed off and cleaned up the scene, hauling away the wreckage as local police looked on. Understandably, this angered Okinawans.

The fact is that SOFA has not been revised since it was signed in 1960, despite occasional accidents and other incidents involving U.S. military personnel and equipment. Each case has been handled by "improving" operating procedures — not the agreement.

In view of increasing public protests against low-altitude flight drills and nighttime landings, SOFA should be updated to put more substance into claims that an equal partnership exists between Japan and the United States.

The Japan Times Weekly
Sept. 4, 2004
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      米軍の訓練飛行は増えており、同様の事故が起きる可能性がある。事故は、米軍の世界的再配置について基地を抱える市町村で憂慮の声が上がっている時に起きた。

      事故を起こしたのは沖縄・普天間基地所属の輸送ヘリコプターで、沖縄国際大学の構内に墜落、乗員3人が負傷した。

      日本政府は、飛行訓練を続行する米軍の方針と、沖縄県民の基地に対する強い反発の板ばさみになっている。

      日米合同委員会は1996年、在日米軍再編成の一環として普天間基地を移転することで合意したが、移転計画は進んでいない。

      沖縄県議会、市町村議会は日米地位協定の改定、普天間基地の県外への移転、96年の日米合同委の合意の見直しを求める決議を採択している。

      事故12日経った8月25日、夏休みを終えた小泉首相は、稲嶺沖縄県知事と会談したが、知事の日米地位協定改定、普天間基地の早期返還の要求については明確な方針を示さなかった。

      沖縄県民は、米軍が事故の現場検証に県警を立ち会わせなかったことに憤激している。日本の警察が米軍の関係した事件事故の捜査をする場合、米側の同意を得ることを日米地位協定は義務付けている。

      日米地位協定は1960年の調印以来、改定されておらず、米軍関係の事件事故は、協定の「運用改善」で処理されてきた。

      米軍の低空飛行訓練や夜間着陸の増加に対し、沖縄県民の抗議の声が高まっている。安保問題での日米の平等性を確保するためにも地位協定を改定すべきである。