(Japan) Repeal Vulnerable In-Prefecture Relocation Plan

[unhappycamper]

http://watchingamerica.com/WA/2014/09/12/repeal-vulnerable-in-prefecture-relocation-plan/

Repeal Vulnerable In-Prefecture Relocation Plan
ublished in Ryūkyū Shimpō (Japan) on 2 September 2014 [link to original]
Translated from Japanese by Stephanie Sanders.
Edited by Gillian Palmer.
Posted on September 12, 2014.

Continuing to concentrate U.S. military bases in Okinawa is illogical, even from a military strategy standpoint. It is significant that diplomacy and security experts have recognized this.

Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye contributed an article to a U.S. news site (Huffington Post) in which he pointed out that, “As China invests in advanced ballistic missiles, the fixed bases on Okinawa become increasingly vulnerable,” and suggested that “the U.S. and Japan must rethink the structure of their alliance.”

Mr. Nye’s suggestion highlights the obstinacy of both the Japanese and U.S. governments in dispensing with reason and adhering to the current plan. If one were to predict the future of the relationship between Okinawa, Japan and the United States, it should be clear. Both governments should rethink the absurdity of confining military bases to just Okinawa.

It is very interesting that Mr. Nye based his argument on Chinese missiles. If four militaries’ bases are concentrated in Okinawa, in the event of an emergency, a few rounds of Chinese missiles would destroy the U.S. military bases in Japan, and cause injury and death to countless American soldiers. It is logical to disperse the risk and avoid concentrating the military in one region within missile range. The logic of ensuring a certain distance from enemy forces is known in military terms as "vertical depth."