Delay expected in selecting drill site for U.S. military planes in Japan

Monday 29th June, 05:24 AM JST

WASHINGTON —

A candidate site for a permanent field carrier landing practice facility for U.S. forces in Japan will not be selected by the primary target deadline of July, Japanese and U.S. sources familiar with the matter disclosed recently. The facility is intended to accommodate FCLP activities currently being conducted on a provisional basis on Iwojima Island, about 1,200 kilometers off the coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, by U.S. carrier-based aircraft stationed at the Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture. The May 2006 agreement between Japan and the United States on the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan specified that a site for the permanent FCLP facility should be selected by July 2009 or at the earliest possible date after that month.

According to the sources, Tokyo already notified Washington of the delay when it turned down a U.S. request for a site to be selected within a radius of 180 kilometers from the U.S. Marine Corps’ Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Defense Ministry and the Maritime Self-Defense Force, which are responsible for the project, have been trying to select a site from a broader area. As FCLP activities, including night landing practices, cause serious noise pollution, the selection process for the facility has been extremely hard going. The Japanese government had considered Okurokamishima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, Mageshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture and the vicinity of the city of Sukumo in Kochi Prefecture as candidate sites, but the plans were aborted after strong protests.

Kyodo

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14 Comments

Samuraiiki at 07:33 AM JST - 29th June

How do the Japanese conduct their training when it seems that they can not even support their defenders?
Disillusioned at 09:44 AM JST - 29th June
Why are they drilling for US planes in Japan?
- Delay in finding a site for US Military plane drills in Japan.
OneForAll at 10:32 AM JST - 29th June

Japan is pretty crowded. How about Joint exercises with Russia in the disputed territories. I really think America's military presence in Japan should be minimal. Japan forces should be the ones manning these aircraft and the like. Maybe the US could just make the things for them in the USA. Win-Win situation.

Disillusioned: hahaha...
timorborder at 10:50 AM JST - 29th June

What about down in Aso's electorate? Having Uncle Sam in the neighborhood would definitely be a vote winner. Just think of the internationalization possibilities, perhaps Aso and the rocket scientists and Komeito could start an employment program for young (female) people in the electorate. Even provide them with a deck chair to sit outside the front gates of the base.....
YuriOtani at 11:15 AM JST - 29th June

How about the Americans having military exercises within the United States? Talk about a "win win", having their forces at home will help the local economies as well as the local police. They can get more money to police up after the American military. Why should the Americans burden a Japanese town with the noise, violence and jobs that the American forces bring?
mrhog123 at 11:35 AM JST - 29th June

They like the money our personnel spend in Japan, unfortunately, there is some rather unpleasant baggage that accompanies the money.
OneForAll at 01:16 PM JST - 29th June

YuriOtani : Quite right. But one problem. Machiavelli. I forgot to mention above, joint exercises with the Russians and Japanese on Sakhalin. Could be an interesting development. Maybe joint migration as well for the work and all. Sakhalin is rich in natural resources. Anyway, let us never forget Machiavelli. Your history of the Battle of Osaka, Toyotomi clan vs. Tokugawa clan is quite Machiavellian, as I understand it. I think Japan wants those Raptors if it must give training room. Again Machiavelli.
jhk at 01:20 PM JST - 29th June

Japan should learn to defend itself. Maybe it would be good for its economy, and give Japanese something different to do.

Maybe it should do training exchanges with North Korea. And work to mediate between the US and North Korea.

Japan's relation with the US shouldn't change since it has been a very long relationship.

The US has many problems right now, and maybe it allow a little democracy to flourish in the world of self-defense.
Altria at 01:22 PM JST - 29th June

Drill baby drill!
societymike at 01:29 PM JST - 29th June

YuriOtani at 11:15 AM JST - 29th June How about the Americans having military exercises within the United States?

They do, that is not the point of this article.

Why should the Americans burden a Japanese town with the noise, violence and jobs that the American forces bring?

Because JAPAN has invited them to do training in defense of Japan and the region.

"Violence that the American forces bring"... oh come on, you can stop with the useless rhetoric. It's well known that the US Forces are the most well behaved sub-group/society in Japan. Hate to say it but, US Military members look like saints compared to most of the local communities.
saru_au at 07:34 PM JST - 29th June

I'm with "societymike" , bit of good violence now and then never hurt anyone.
Papawhale at 07:58 PM JST - 29th June

Why the Japanese want so much US presence, especially air training, in Japan is beyond comprehension...don't they understand what the US bombers DO in Afghanistan? Or maybe they'd like some of that drone action like the civilian killers in Pakistan?
YuriOtani at 01:15 AM JST - 30th June

Many people in Japan would love to see them depart. Japan can make its own "deterrent force". Japan like any sovereign country has the right to defend our territory against all invaders.
MagnusGarstin at 02:12 AM JST - 30th June

As I said in another thread about a clandestine US/Japanese deal to allow nukes on to Japanese soil, the US occupation is still very much in force as far as I can see - if not, then WOW - all the US military must have simply "forgotten to go home" back in 1952.

Societymike said: "JAPAN has invited them (the US military) to do training in defense of Japan and the region"

Mmmm - "Being invited" is certainly a highly amusing and novel interpretation of originally "occupying by force".
Whatever the case, -once "invited" they DO rather like to overstay their welcome, don't they? (Like an uncouth, violent gatecrasher at a party who then refuses to leave without being forcibly ejected by the host)

I'm with YuriOtani on this - it's time for the host to politely tell the gatecrasher that he's just not wanted anymore.