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  nigelboy at 10:55 AM JST - 8th April

  Jerseyboy.

  Japan pays roughly 75% of the U.S. base costs so the "money" isn't really a problem there. There are roughly 300,000 JDSF personnel compared to roughly 40,000 U.S. personnel so to say the they could "never recruit enough personnel" is a bit of stretch. It's a turn-key operation if it need be.

  I wouldn't go far as greentea as to close all U.S. bases but Japan definitely needs to seriously address their "own" defense.

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  Blue_Tiger at 11:08 AM JST - 8th April

  nigelboy, Did you know that the U.S. Military pays rent for those bases? All the money that the J-government is paying for upkeep and costs is getting sent right back to them.

  greenteaonsen, to close the US Bases would invite the Red Chinese and her PLA to open new bases after the US Military left. If you think that Japan is going to be let off of the hook for her as-yet-unapologized-for atrocities against the Chinese in World War Two, you are living in a world where the sky is pink.....

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  jmills74 at 01:11 PM JST - 8th April

  > Japan pays roughly 75% of the U.S. base costs so the "money" isn't really a problem there. There are roughly 300,000 JDSF personnel compared to roughly 40,000 U.S. personnel so to say the they could "never recruit enough personnel" is a bit of stretch. It's a turn-key operation if it need be.>

  Yes 75% of the base cost, but not salary of the personnel, not that R&D for the technology, etc

  Japan simply could not afford to have US personnel gone. They don't have the military technology and arsenal if the US cut them off.

  Turn-Key is not true. It would take 10-15 years and trillions of yen to get the same level of support they have now.

  How many carries does the JSDF have? ZERO

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  nigelboy at 02:27 PM JST - 8th April

  Yes 75% of the base cost, but not salary of the personnel, not that R&D for the technology, etc

  Japan simply could not afford to have US personnel gone. They don't have the military technology and arsenal if the US cut them off.

  Turn-Key is not true. It would take 10-15 years and trillions of yen to get the same level of support they have now.

  How many carries does the JSDF have? ZERO

  Why do you need an aircraft carrier when the neighbors don't have them?

  The very reason that U.S. has aircraft carriers are those missions far abroad in which Japan has no interest in.

  Furthermore, your scenario only works when U.S. and Japan become hostile enemies. Since they are not, it's unrealistic could conclude that "They don't have the military technology and arsenal if the US cut them off" for the simple reason that U.S. would be the first to assist in Japan in such areas. This is why I referenced the coin "Turn key".

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  skipthesong at 05:03 PM JST - 8th April

  why don't they just simply impose strict training, seven days a week with moderate liberty in uniform, like in the old days, closing at midnight?

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  Alphaape at 08:57 PM JST - 8th April

  In a post a few days ago, someone posted that Japan pays about $5.1 billion a year for all of the support of the US military in Japan. One Nimitz class carrier cost the US about $5 billion just to build (and we have 12) and that is not covering the airwing and the associated systems onboard as well as the costs of manning a ship of 5,000.

  That is just on the USN side for aircraft carries, not mentioning all of the other support ships that go along. USAF, one B-2 costs about $2billion (fleet of 20). These are just snap shots and do not take into effect the billions spent over years for R&D in these and other programs.

  If Japan is ready to assume that kind of financial responsibility then I say go ahead. I am not standing on a soap box and saying that the US military is the answer to all of the world's problems, but I think in this case, Japan has gotten off better in this arrangement than you think. They have had to put up with us Americans for years, but have had more money to invest in their infrastructure. If it is mis-appropiated then that is their problem.

  If you think all will be well if the US pulls out of the region, just look at yesterday's "Quote of the Day" and how the environmental minister was booed by a Chinese college audience when he suggested that the yellow dust that blows from china is causing pollution problems in the region. Can you imagine the response in Nippon decided to rebuild it's arms again. Now Japanese officals can't even go to Yasakuni Shrine, imagine if a new and improved SDF began to develop.

  Having gone through the various safety stand downs on this issue, I can tell you that all of the panels will not stop someone from making a mistake. You can have an A-plus sailor or airman out one night, and make a terrible mistake that they had not planned to and cause a major incident. Training will only go so far.

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  jmills74 at 10:08 PM JST - 8th April

  The very reason that U.S. has aircraft carriers are those missions far abroad in which Japan has no interest in.

  I guess you never heard of that big old country called China? I think Japan would be interested in defending self against that little threat.

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  SuperLib at 05:42 AM JST - 9th April

  "have fun and get drunk and commit crimes one after another,’’ Matsuzawa said."

  Would any foreigner in Japan accept these types of statements being made about them?

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  nigelboy at 10:48 AM JST - 9th April

  Alphaape

  All you did was to mention what U.S. has in it's arsenal but fail to mention the neccesity of such when applied to the Japan. I think the better question is where would the 40,000 U.S. military personnel go as an alternative? Korea? I highly doubt it considering that there is more tension there than Japan coupled with the fact that Korea pays barely 40% of the base costs and that there are already 38,000 U.S. military personnel stationed there already. On another note, U.S Stationed military personnel in Korea and Japan comprise 99.5% of the total among Pacific Allies and roughly 40% of the total of 27 Allieds combined.

  Although the initial purpose of U.S. presence in Japan was to secure peace in the Far East, time has come to show that it has shifted to a point where Japan is used as a lauching pad for U.S. missions beyond Far East Asia (SE Asia, Middle East, Afganistan)

  Furthermore, I want to get away from this "entitlement" argument that U.S. is here to protect Japan. For instance, where was U.S. when NK launched missles along Sea of Japan? Where was U.S. when China continuosly infringe upon the EEZ of Senkaku? Northern territories illegally occupied by Russia? If these actions were done along the territories of Guam, Hawaii, or Alaska, there is no doubt in my mind that U.S. would retaliate in a heartbeat.

  I do agree that there is a element of U.S. presence in Japan which prevents these incidents from esclating further. But I also believe that Japan needs to carefully reconsider their "own" self defense for the reason that when push comes to shove, U.S. will do what's best for U.S. and U.S. alone.

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  jmills74 at 10:56 AM JST - 9th April

  Furthermore, I want to get away from this "entitlement" argument that U.S. is here to protect Japan. For instance, where was U.S. when NK launched missles along Sea of Japan?

  Trust me, The US military was all over it. If you had a clearance you would understand.

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  rtrhead1 at 10:05 PM JST - 9th April

  "why don't they just simply impose strict training, seven days a week with moderate liberty in uniform, like in the old days, closing at midnight?"

  The good old days? Now we have accusations of rapes, dui's, and the like. Wasn't it in the 70's and early 80's when some of our "genius" individuals had committed multiple murders, rapes, thefts, only to be sent home scot free? Are those the good old days? When if you got in trouble you got sent back to the states without even a slap on the wrist? Perhaps you should look at the past with a more critical eye and remove the rose colored glasses you have on. Were you even here then? I wasn't.

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  Loki520 at 10:16 PM JST - 9th April

  The US pays a far greater percentage of costs than anyone thinks. I'm at a small command on base and just got my bill for MLC Cost sharing. SHARING. My share worked out to 200k for the year JUST FOR THE OVERTIME. For 6 MLC's. SIX. I daresay that I have the largest chunk of that salary, plus the support we provide them with G-vans, supplies, personnel support and the fact that we fly them all over the place, etc...

  Jmills, I'm with you on that one. But it is always this way. The things they don't know, if they DID know, would cause them to think very differently things about the things they think they know.

  Ya know?

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  Reciprocity at 10:43 PM JST - 9th April

  I spent three years in Japan with the Air Force and loved it. The issue here is not if the crime can be prevented, but how that information is shared with local Japanese officials. Working as a contact for the local prefectural and central government officials, there were always requests for the information to flow quickly, no matter the circumstances of what went on.

  One of the main road blocks were the cultural ways which Americans and Japanese dealt with the issue, especially when you added the bureaucracy of the U.S. military ... information didn't flow fast enough. The process was very hard to comprehend, especially when you come from America and think to yourself, "This is the way we do it." But this is Japan ... you learn very quickly to work with everyone to create a system that is open and honest. Continually keeping with it created a really good working relationship, but it took a lot to get there.

  Bad things are going to happen and that's very unfortunate when someone in the U.S. military does it in Japan. The best thing commanders and their people can do is set up systems that get out the information quickly and consistently within the limits of each governments' regulations.

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  Ruger at 10:46 PM JST - 9th April

  rtrhead1

  Wasn't it in the 70's and early 80's when some of our "genius" individuals had committed multiple murders, rapes, thefts, only to be sent home scot free? Are those the good old days?

  Give me a link, I was here in those days, and I'll go back a little further; murder of a police officer in 1961 or 62 by a Sailor off the USS Tom Green County, 17 years in prison. 1975, murder of a bar girl by a Sailor off the USS Parsons 20 years in prison ( and as I understand he died there, too bad). 1976, theft an automobile by a Sailor and involved in a hit and run, 5 years in prison etc. etc. etc. Those are from personal knowledge and a good friend of mine who was a Japanese Police superintendent at the time. To my knowledge there were no crimes committed that the suspects got off scot free, before you make random accusations bring forward the facts.

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  rtrhead1 at 09:12 AM JST - 10th April

  You are missing my point. You said the good old days where your training prevented the crimes. Did your good old training prevent those?

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