Ryukyu Shimpo : 1 September 2014
Former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye suggested in his article posted to the Huffington Post on August 7 that “many Japanese still resent the lack of symmetry in the alliance obligations. Others chafe at the burden of U.S. bases, particularly on the island of Okinawa.” He pointed out, “As China invests in advanced ballistic missiles, the fixed bases on Okinawa become increasingly vulnerable.” Joseph Nye is one of the most influential foreign policy thinkers on Japan policy in the U.S. Democratic Party.
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The governments of Japan and the United States have asserted Okinawa’s strategic location as a reason to concentrate US forces on the islands. However, Nye suggests that so-called geographical advantage of Okinawa is lost. The former US Assistant Secretary of Defense emphasized, “The U.S. and Japan must rethink the structure of their alliance.” However, referring to the future alliance between Japan and the United States, Nye said, “Abe’s modest step toward collective self-defense is a step in the right direction.” He pointed out, referring to the US forces in Japan, “A longer-term goal should thus be for the U.S. gradually to transfer its bases to Japanese control, leaving American forces to rotate among them.” At the same time, he said that the process must be handled carefully.
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He stressed, “To avoid the perception that the U.S. decided to turn the bases over to Japan just when their military benefits were diminishing, and to ensure that the move represented America’s recommitment to the alliance, a joint commission would have to be established to manage the transfer.” Nye supported the United States Government’s policy to move the U.S. Marine Corps to Australia in his article posted in the opinion pages of The New York Times web site on November 21, 2011. He pointed out “The current official plan to move the Marines inside Okinawa is unlikely to be acceptable to the Okinawa people.”
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Behind the scene, ten major general construction contractors won contracts related to the construction project for a new U.S. base in Nago’s Henoko district in Okinawa after donating a total of 63 million yen to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2014.'
http://tokuraaya3.blogspot.in/2015/12/japanese-bureaucrat-advises-us.html
Former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye suggested in his article posted to the Huffington Post on August 7 that “many Japanese still resent the lack of symmetry in the alliance obligations. Others chafe at the burden of U.S. bases, particularly on the island of Okinawa.” He pointed out, “As China invests in advanced ballistic missiles, the fixed bases on Okinawa become increasingly vulnerable.” Joseph Nye is one of the most influential foreign policy thinkers on Japan policy in the U.S. Democratic Party.
.
The governments of Japan and the United States have asserted Okinawa’s strategic location as a reason to concentrate US forces on the islands. However, Nye suggests that so-called geographical advantage of Okinawa is lost. The former US Assistant Secretary of Defense emphasized, “The U.S. and Japan must rethink the structure of their alliance.” However, referring to the future alliance between Japan and the United States, Nye said, “Abe’s modest step toward collective self-defense is a step in the right direction.” He pointed out, referring to the US forces in Japan, “A longer-term goal should thus be for the U.S. gradually to transfer its bases to Japanese control, leaving American forces to rotate among them.” At the same time, he said that the process must be handled carefully.
.
He stressed, “To avoid the perception that the U.S. decided to turn the bases over to Japan just when their military benefits were diminishing, and to ensure that the move represented America’s recommitment to the alliance, a joint commission would have to be established to manage the transfer.” Nye supported the United States Government’s policy to move the U.S. Marine Corps to Australia in his article posted in the opinion pages of The New York Times web site on November 21, 2011. He pointed out “The current official plan to move the Marines inside Okinawa is unlikely to be acceptable to the Okinawa people.”
………………...
Please recall: While the DPJ administration was
seeking the relocation outside of Okinawa Prefecture of the U.S. Marine Corps
now based at Futenma, a staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Japan suggested to United States government officials that they should not
compromise on the Futenma relocation plan. .
Behind the scene, ten major general construction contractors won contracts related to the construction project for a new U.S. base in Nago’s Henoko district in Okinawa after donating a total of 63 million yen to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 2014.'
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“Moving Marines to Australia is
a smart move,” suggests the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Prof. Nye
Ryukyu Shimpo : 23 November 2011
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Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense of the
Clinton administration, Professor Joseph Nye supports the United States
Government’s policy to move the U.S. Marine Corps to Australia. He is known as a key
figure in the pro-Japanese group, and has been involved in the relocation of
U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station issue from about 15 years ago. Nye
contributed an article entitled “A Pivot That Is Long Overdue” to the opinion
pages of the New York Times (on its website) on November 21, in which he
pointed out “The current official plan to move the Marines inside Okinawa is unlikely
to be acceptable to the Okinawa people.” He also stated
his support for the Obama Administration’s plan, saying, “Moving Marines
to Australia is a smart move.”
Professor Joseph Nye
As a U.S.
Assistant Secretary of Defense in 1995, he engaged himself in the “East Asia
Strategy Report” known as the “Nye Initiative,” in which he advocated that the United States should maintain a total of
100000 troops in East Asia and emphasized the importance of the U.S. Marine
Corps and other forces in Okinawa. As a professor at Harvard University after
leaving the Clinton administration, he has a strong influence on U.S.-Japan’s security
relations, including U.S. policy toward Japan.
With regard to moving the Marines to Australia to
restrict China’s moves to increase its maritime interests, Nye suggested, “they will be
able to train and exercise freely without inadvertently signaling a withdrawal
from the region.”
On the Futenma Air Station, he pointed out, “There is the
fine print about Okinawa, where the crowded Marine air base at Futenma has
caused friction that undercuts our larger strategy,” and also added,
moving the Marines to Australia “sends the right message to China, and avoids
further friction with Japan.”
With regard to the U.S. Marine Corps being
stationed in Australia, U.S. President Barack Obama showed this plan at his
summit meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, held on
November 16. According to both governments, between 200 and 250 Marines will be
deployed in there the middle of next year, and the number of Marines will be
increased in stages, and their bilateral military exchanges will also be
expanded. The United States will not construct its own base, but instead use
existing military facilities in Australia. It also announced that it will
extend the scale to 2500 Marines in the future.
Article by Professor Nye (Summary)
There are three
good reasons for President Obama’s decision to rotate regularly 2,500 Marines
through an Australian base. … Third, there is the fine print about Okinawa,
where the crowded Marine air base at Futenma has caused friction that undercuts
our larger strategy. The U.S. and Japan have been working on the Futenma issue
since I co-chaired a special action committee on Okinawa — in 1995! The
current official plan to move the Marines inside Okinawa is unlikely to be
acceptable to the Okinawa people. Moving Marines to Australia is a smart move
because they will be able to train and exercise freely without inadvertently
signaling a withdrawal from the region.
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