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The US military bases and weakness of the Japanese authorities


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As it is known, in Japan, and in particular on the island of Okinawa, where about 70% of all the United States military bases in Japan are located, residents and authorities of the island for many years regularly advocate for the elimination of the presence of the American military contingent, which is freely located on its military bases in Japan, due to the US-Japan Security Treaty. 

However, the US military and civilian personnel at the US military bases in Japan feel permissiveness, freedom, and behave extremely unacceptably towards the locals, also because they enjoy the right of extraterritoriality and are subject exclusively to American laws. Therefore, they commit such unacceptable acts as driving being in alcohol and drug intoxication, car accidents, theft, rape and murder. It is important to note that only in the period from 1972 to 2009, according to statistics, the American occupiers committed 5634 criminal offenses in Okinawa, including such especially grave ones.

For example, in 1995, a wide resonance got the abduction and murder of a 12-year-old Japanese schoolgirl by three Americans, for which the participants in this crime received minimal sentences. In 2016, there was a loud rape and murder of a local resident committed by former US Marine C. Franklin, for which the US government was eventually forced to make concessions and extradited the perpetrator to a Japanese court that sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Also, on April 14, 2019, it became known that an American soldier had killed a Japanese woman and killed himself at Okinawa in Tyatan city. As reported, "The New York Times", citing the state-public central television and radio company of Japan NHK and local media, in one of the apartments the police found the corpses of a 32-year-old US Marine, who served in the headquarters of the troops on the island, and 44-year-old resident. It should be noted that since the transfer of Okinawa to the jurisdiction of Japan in 1972, the number of crimes committed by American soldiers has been approaching six thousand, and the one described above is far from the hardest of them.

However, despite the fact that Takeo Akiba, the vice-minister of foreign affairs of Japan, protested to William F. Hagerty, the US ambassador to Japan, who in turn replied with regret that the United States would fully cooperate with the investigation and "will do everything possible to prevent the recurrence of such a case", all actions on the part of the authorities are being completed.

But opponents of the presence of the American military contingent on the territory of Okinawa argue their protests not only by the criminal aspect, but also by the location of the American "Futemma" base in the center of a big city of Japan, which represents a great threat to the safety of its many residents, as evidenced by numerous aviation incidents.

Thus, the only one who does not oppose the expansion of the American military presence in Japan is only its government, which is supposed to protect the sovereignty and independence of its country, and also respect the rights and point of view of its own population. However, the political leadership of Japan not only cannot do anything with the uncontrolled American occupiers, but also favorably serves them.

Also, it becomes clearly visible with some indifference Tokyo and Washington refer to the local people of Okinawa, spitting on the numerous immoral and unacceptable actions of the American military in Japan. And the situation, in which the country is today, shows that if the Russian Kuril Islands in some incredible way will go over to Japan, then the islands will automatically become American ones, due to the weakness of the Japanese government and complete control of the US government.

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The situation is more complicated than that, as some local landowners prefer the higher revenue/rents from U.S. military presence:

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In fact, many private landowners in Okinawa are hoping their property will continue to be used by the U.S. military because of relatively high rent, making it difficult to form a consensus about how to use the land in the future, according to Shinohara.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/10/27/national/okinawa-sees-path-economic-independence-without-u-s-bases/

 

...so it is not just the Japanese government.

 

U.S. forces can/should withdraw from all of Japan just as it did from the Philippines in the 1990's (Clark AFB and Subic Bay).   Japan can spend the money to face down a surging China without depending on the Americans, who have already started to move USMC assets to Guam.    China has an old score to settle with Japan.

South Korea, Japan, and The Philippines can learn to stand on their own without American backup...and spend the money to do so.

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7 hours ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

South Korea, Japan, and The Philippines can learn to stand on their own without American backup...and spend the money to do so.

What's more likely is that America will provide taxpayer money to these countries to backup your military industrial complex - it'll still need something to stand on that's in congruence with your particular economics.

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2 minutes ago, eyeball said:

What's more likely is that America will provide taxpayer money to these countries to backup your military industrial complex - it'll still need something to stand on that's in congruence with your particular economics.

 

Actually, Japan pays billions each year to the U.S. for protection from its past.  

The Philippines invited the U.S. back to help out with an insurgent problem it could not solve by itself (needed Yankee air power).

All the Yankee haters can get their wish and enjoy the Chinese fireworks instead.

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9 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

Yes...Japan's Defence Agency has actually been paying more in recent years, including the costs for USMC relocation to Guam.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160530/p2a/00m/0na/017000c

Barely more and still way way more than anyone else who's willing to tolerate your presence. Meanwhile notice where your source said;

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One source close to the SDF said, "It's the U.S. that would be in trouble if it pulled out of Japan,"

Surely you're not suggesting its incongruent with your politics to milk your taxpayers to pick up the military's slack? 

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1 minute ago, eyeball said:

Barely more and still way way more than anyone else who's willing to tolerate your presence. Meanwhile notice where your source said;

Surely you're not suggesting its incongruent with your politics to milk your taxpayers to pick up the military's slack? 

 

U.S. taxpayers fund a lot of things, including NORAD/NATO deadbeats (like Canada)....for U.S. interests.

Japan pays up because it would be a lot more expensive to not do so...ditto South Korea.

I would like the Japanese critics of U.S. bases to get their wish...just to sit back and watch the resulting fun.

Payback is a bitch !

 

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3 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

 

U.S. taxpayers fund a lot of things, including NORAD/NATO deadbeats (like Canada)....for U.S. interests.

Japan pays up because it would be a lot more expensive to not do so...ditto South Korea.

I would like the Japanese critics of U.S. bases to get their wish...just to sit back and watch the resulting fun.

Payback is a bitch !

 

 

I'm betting Red China could double the size of Okinawa with proper sea floor dredging.

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13 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

I would like the Japanese critics of U.S. bases to get their wish...just to sit back and watch the resulting fun.

Payback is a bitch !

The sort of fun that should keep your MIC growing for generations to come.

It'll never get paid back but that's besides the point.

Edited by eyeball
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1 minute ago, eyeball said:

The sort of fun that should keep your MIC growing for generations to come.

It'll never get paid back but that's besides the point.

 

Pay what back ?    The spending just goes back into the economy.   "Social programs" cost U.S. taxpayers a lot more than that.

 

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7 minutes ago, bush_cheney2004 said:

 

Pay what back ?    The spending just goes back into the economy.   "Social programs" cost U.S. taxpayers a lot more than that.

 

And like Japan's your programs are only getting more expensive too.  The money still has to come from somewhere...how about a war with China...yeah, that's the ticket

Edited by eyeball
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Just now, eyeball said:

Exactly...who cares if your allies choose to be deadbeats?  Covering that has never been a bitch before, why now?

 

Japan cares....doesn't want the U.S. military to leave.    So they pay more.

The Japanese cannot cozy up real close to the U.S. border like Canadians do.

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7 minutes ago, eyeball said:

Some in Japan care but you had to validate that using a quote from a handful of lickspittles from a source that otherwise said;

Okinawa sees path to economic independence without U.S. bases

 

 

Meh....Okinawa could have seen the path decades ago.    

Japanese troops train in Yakima, WA...because there they can fire live rounds.

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That is why, madam imnotyou and madam eyeball, Canada and Okinawa and the rest of Japan and the rest of the world should unite and destroy the United States of America so that there will be no more US bases and American politicians and American obesity and everything that this freaking world keeps complaining about America!

 

God, why doesn't anybody fudging consider this?!

 

That is the only way, THE ONLY WAY, DARN IT, that you will ever get what you want!

 

God, Jesus!

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14 hours ago, John Otis said:

God, why doesn't anybody fudging consider this?!

Because if you knock one Frankenstate down you'll be left to deal with the Frankenstate that knocked it over.

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That is the only way, THE ONLY WAY, DARN IT, that you will ever get what you want!

Be patient, it'll eventually fall over on its own.

 

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