2024-08-12 21:00:00
Since fiscal 2013, Japan has received 21.7 billion yen from the U.S. Army Futenma Air Base in Ginowan City, which is expected to be returned due to the relocation of the base to Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture.
It has been 28 years since the Japanese and US governments agreed to return the Futenma Air Base, which is surrounded by residential areas and known as the most dangerous military base in the world, to eliminate the danger of the base. Relocating to Henoko is expected to be difficult, and there is currently no hope of a return.
If the return journey is delayed, the burden may increase further. Is the return of Futenjian a gesture? The US military exposed its true intentions. (Nakazawa Makoto)
◆The helicopter crash 20 years ago is still dangerous
The laboratory of Hiromori Maedama, a professor at Okinawa International University who is well versed in base issues, has a panoramic view of neighboring Futenma Air Base.
On August 8, the U.S. Army Futenma Air Station seen from the laboratory of Professor Hiromori, the former chief of Okinawa International University, Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture (former chief photo)
Exactly 20 years ago on August 13, a large U.S. Marine Corps transport helicopter took off from the airport and crashed into the university building, causing the building to catch fire. Three American soldiers on board were injured. No students or residents were injured, but flying parts punctured nearby homes.
To this day, US military helicopters and Ospreys are frequently dispatched, causing a dangerous situation that has not changed.
Elevated runway, equipment to prevent fighter jets from overrunning, and barracks with scaffolding.
Qianbo said that every day when he looked at the base from the laboratory, he could clearly see construction going on everywhere.
Maedo pointed out, “In addition to the Japanese repair work, the US military is also carrying out the construction of its own runway, and the strengthening of facilities is also in progress.”
U.S. Army Futenma Air BaseThe U.S. Marine Corps Base located in downtown Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. It has a runway about 2,800 meters long. The U.S. military confiscated the land and built on it during the Battle of Okinawa at the end of the Pacific War. The area is a cluster of residential buildings and schools that are often cited as dangers. The Japanese and U.S. governments agreed to return the island in 1996 after an American soldier attacked a young girl in 1995. It was said at the time that the return would be “within five to seven years”. In 1999, the Japanese government made a cabinet decision to move the base to Henoko, Nago City, but residents in the prefecture opposed the idea of transferring the burden of the base to Okinawa.
◆”Extend the life of the base” and indicate the return date
It is unknown how much maintenance work is being done at Futenma Air Base and it will eventually be returned to Japan. To confirm this, the Tokyo Shimbun submitted a disclosure request to the Okinawa Defense Bureau of the Ministry of Defense.
What is public is the “Futenma MCAS Contract Record List” for maintenance projects commissioned by the Okinawa Defense Bureau, which includes the contract name, contractor, contract amount, etc.
Restoration work began in 2013, according to revealing documents.
In fact, this year, both the Japanese and U.S. governments predicted that Futenma could return as soon as 2022.
In other words, while the two governments announced that the base will be returned as early as 2022, they also started construction work to extend the life of the base.
As of the end of fiscal year 2023, the Okinawa Defense Bureau has ordered a total of 149 projects at 18 facilities, including the renovation of hangars, barracks and warehouses, with a total contract value of more than 20 billion yen.
◆They say “minimum necessary repairs”…
Repair work was carried out on Futenma Air Base at the request of the United States.
“Based on the joint statement of the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee in April 2012, the minimum maintenance necessary to maintain safe operations will be carried out before the relocation of Futenma Air Base,” the Ministry of Defense said. It will be implemented from fiscal 2013. ”
The Department of Defense describes it as “minimum necessary repairs,” but disclosure documents show many projects have contracts worth billions of dollars, with some large projects taking years to complete. The stormwater drainage facility is being “renovated” at a cost of more than 4 billion yen, and a huge regulating pond has been built on the site.
Maema asked: “After the Futenma return decision, how will the Japanese government explain the contradiction in spending tens of billions of yen every year to build facilities?”
◆The runway was renovated by the US military.
At Futenma Air Base, in addition to the work ordered by Japan, the US military is also conducting its own runway repair work. According to the Department of Defense, the program was implemented in fiscal year 2017. The cost will be borne by the U.S. military, but the exact amount has not been disclosed.
The raising of the runway that Maedo saw from his laboratory was apparently carried out by the U.S. military.
The U.S. Marine Corps Base Pacific said in an interview with the Tokyo Shimbun, “Futenma Base requires maintenance to ensure that the facility can support operations and combat readiness. The facility must be maintained and managed until it returns to maintain mission capability.” “No,” he replied.
◆If the return journey is delayed, the burden will further increase.
According to the Department of Defense, of the 18 facilities ordered by the end of fiscal year 2023, 12 have completed rehabilitation and six are still under construction. The entire cost is borne by Japan from U.S. military realignment-related costs (compassion budget).
A total of 24 facilities are scheduled for repairs, with work on the remaining six facilities set to begin in the future. The Ministry of Defense said it was “difficult to say with certainty” the final cost.
However, there is no guarantee that the restoration of these 24 facilities will be completed.
Only five facilities were originally planned to be restored. In 2016, 19 new facilities were added, significantly increasing Japan’s burden.
If the Futenma’s return is delayed, the United States may be forced to conduct new maintenance.
◆Initially “return within 5 to 7 years”
At present, incidents of sexual violence by US soldiers are constantly being discovered in various places, including Okinawa. It is also the sexual violence of US soldiers that has begun to return to Futenma Air Base.
In 1995, a case of sexual violence against a young girl occurred. As a result, anti-base sentiment among prefectural residents quickly grew, and the following year, in 1996, the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed to return the Futenma base.
When the return agreement was reached in 1996, it was stated that it would return “within five to seven years.” Although plans were subsequently changed to “as early as 2022”, this has still not materialized.
◆Is relocating Henoko the “only solution”?
Henoko City, Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture began piling tests on the Henoko Coast in July to prepare for soft soil foundation improvement work (provided by the Okinawa Drone Project)
The government is moving ahead with construction of a new base at Henoko, citing the need to “eliminate the dangers at Futenma Air Base, the world’s most dangerous base,” but the dangers at Futenma have been ignored for more than two decades.
In Henoko, where the project is planned to be relocated, soft soil foundation was discovered in the reclaimed sea area, forcing the Ministry of Defense to increase construction costs and extend the construction period. In addition, improvements to consolidate the soft-soil foundation are expected to be difficult, and it is unclear whether construction of the new base can proceed as planned.
As long as the government insists on moving to Henoko as the “only solution,” Futenma’s return will only become more distant. Is the government’s “only solution” really achievable?
Henoko new base constructionIn 2013, the governor of Okinawa Prefecture approved the reclamation of Henoko Coast as the relocation site for Futenma Air Force Base. In 2020, after soft soil foundations were discovered in the reclaimed area, the Ministry of Defense applied to the county government to change the design. Gov. Danny Tamaki disagreed, triggering a court battle. In December 2023, the national government approved the changes on behalf of the county government without their consent. The plan is to harden the ground by driving approximately 70,000 sand mounds into the seafloor. The construction cost increased to 930 billion yen, 2.7 times the original cost, and the construction period is expected to take 9 years and 3 months. Even if construction goes well, Futenma won’t be returned until the mid-2030s.
US military: “Even if Henoko base is built, we will not return it”
“Even if Henoko Base is built, Futenma will not be returned.”
Qianbo revealed that many US military commanders boasted like this when meeting with the US military.
Professor Hiromori Maedomari of Okinawa International University
When the Tokyo Shimbun asked the U.S. Marine Corps what they thought of the Futenma’s return, their answers echoed those of the Japanese government.
“The Japanese and U.S. governments agree that the Henoko alternative is the only viable solution to maintain U.S. Marine Corps air combat capabilities in Okinawa.”
However, the U.S. military sometimes revealed its true intentions and supported Qianbo’s testimony.
This occurred at a press conference held by the US military in Okinawa in November 2023.
A senior U.S. military official predicted that Henoko Shin Base would not be completed until 2037 at the earliest, calling the shorter runway than Futenma Air Base a “shortcoming.”
He called Henoko’s relocation “a worst-case scenario” and said, “From a military perspective, it would be better to stay in Futenma.”
◆“Not to prolong life, but to strengthen the foundation.”
“That’s crazy, 20 billion. It’s not just extending the life of the base, it’s strengthening it. I don’t think the U.S. military has any intention of returning Futenma.”
List of maintenance project contracts for Futenma Air Base published by the Okinawa Defense Bureau. Contract value reaches billions
Ginowan City Councilor Isao Tohara expressed surprise when he saw the list of repair work for Futenma Air Base announced by the Okinawa Defense Bureau. Even a veteran local city councilman who has been concerned about the base’s issues for years can’t grasp the full scope of the massive restoration effort.
City Councilor Momohara said, “Because it is difficult to build a base in Henoko, it is just a twisted idea to think that Futenma needs to be restored. Henoko is the only option.” This is the government’s argument, and Henoko It was never moved in the first place. “This is not the collective will of the people of the county.”
◆”Futenma will cease operations immediately”
Residents living near Futenma Air Base cannot shake the suspicion that the U.S. military will not stay at Futenma even if a new base is built in Henoko after spending more than 20 billion yen to extend the life of the base.
In February 2019, restoration work on base facilities at the U.S. Army Futenma Air Base in Ginowan City (Photo source: Maedari)
Regarding the repair work, the Okinawa Defense Bureau of the Ministry of Defense stated, “Before the relocation of Futenma Air Base, in order to maintain safe operations, we will conduct the minimum necessary repairs on aging facilities and equipment.” .
Toshio Takahashi (71), who lives near Futenma Airport, said: “Dangerous and illegal operations that deviate from U.S. safety standards continue. If we want to eliminate the danger, we must return to Futenma Airport immediately, even if we cannot return. “Why do you Want to strengthen a dangerous base?
◆What do experts think about basic issues?
The story of Chuo University law professor Miyagi Okura (Japanese Foreign Policy), who wrote the book “Futenma and Henoko: Twenty Twisted Years.”The original goal was to quickly eliminate the danger of MCAS Futenma, but now it has turned into a conflict between the national government and Okinawa Prefecture over Henoko. The unclear goals led to an unreasonable situation where both Henoko and Futenma spent money. It is doubtful that the huge amount of money spent on relocating to Henoko would be of any use. The government should return to the fundamentals of “eliminating risks” and once again embark on the path of returning to universal rationality.
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