Report's hint of U.S. use of
airfield
shocks Irabu town residents
By
Chiyomi Sumida, Okinawa bureau
CAMP FOSTER
— A quiet fishing community halfway between Okinawa and Taiwan was jolted Tuesday by
news that a Pentagon-sponsored study recommended the use of its airport by the U.S.
military.
Some
government officials have vowed to fight local implementation of the recently released
report, which suggests shifting military focus toward security of Taiwan.
The news
surprised Irabu Mayor Ken Hamakawa, who’s heard nothing from the prefectural
government, which owns the airport. "To provide the U.S. military the use of the
airport was the last thing we had in our mind," he said.
Hamakawa
wants the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to use the airport. Last week, he filed such a
request with the Okinawan prefecture government.
Irabu has
lost income since the number of airplanes practicing at the airfield declined in recent
years. The use of flight simulators has replaced hands-on training. In 1992, the airfield
was used 28,000 times for flight training. In 1999, it dropped to 13,500 times.
"We
decided to invite the Defense forces to use Shimoji airfield. It was the consensus of the
residents," Hamakawa said. "But for the U.S. military … I have to first ask
our residents, but at this point it is outside our consideration."
The Rand
Corporation study recommends the U.S. military secure access to an airfield with a
3,000-meter runway on Shimoji island, a part of Irabu town.
Shimoji
island is connected to Irabu island by a bridge constructed after the airfield was opened
in 1979. The airfield is used by four Japanese airline companies to train their pilots.
In the
past, islanders have objected to the refueling of Marine helicopters there as they travel
from Okinawa to Guam and the Philippines for exercises.
According
to the study, the United States would be better able to respond to any trouble in the
Taiwan Strait if it had use of the airport. Shimoji island is only 250 miles from Taipei,
the capital of Taiwan.
However,
the study acknowledges such a move would "certainly provoke controversy."
"This
might be especially true of requests to use airfields in the Southern Ryukyus, which the
Okinawa prefecture wishes to promote as ecologically friendly vacation destinations,"
the study states.
One way to
overcome resistance would be to reduce forces on Okinawa, the report states.
"The
removal or reduction of U.S. forces elsewhere … such as the withdrawal of Marines
from Okinawa, could be the currency with which Washington might pay for a foothold in the
critical area surrounding the troubled waters of the Taiwan Strait."
Shimoji
island has 73 residents, all of them employees of airline companies or the prefectural
government. Irabu town has a 7,181 population. The island’s main industries are
fishing and growing sugarcane.
Although
the airport has the second-longest runway in the prefecture, no commercial passenger
flights land there. The only transportation to the island is by boat that links the island
with Miyako island, the biggest island in the Miyako island chain. One-way travel time is
about 12 minutes.
Other Irabu
officials were caught off guard by the report.
"Shimoji
airport will be used by the U.S. military?" said a senior official of Irabu town.
"We have not even imagined it. We have agreed that our defense forces use Shimoji
Airport, not the U.S. military."
Hamakawa
said that Japan Self-Defense Force are acknowledged by residents to a certain degree
because of their contribution to the local community. JSDF patrol boats occasionally use
the island’s port.
"But,
residents here are not familiar with the U.S. military," Hamakawa said.
"All
they know about the U.S. military is from news reports of accidents or incidents on the
main island. Because of such a climate, residents are not ready to accept the U.S.
military on the island."
Members of
the Miyako District Labor Union are alarmed by the Rand report.
"This
is not a problem just for Irabu," said Tomio Nagasaki, chairman of the labor union.
"Although the study specifically mentions Shimoji airport, it also says that all
airports and ports in Miyako and Yaeyama areas will be used for military activities."
Nagasaki
said that the union would immediately start a campaign to protest any implementation of
recommendations made by the report.
Okinawa
Gov. Keiichi Inamine, in the United States this week to lobby for reducing the number of
Marines on Okinawa and other military-related issues, said he could not accept any
increase in U.S. military operations anywhere in the prefecture.
"Our
wish to reduce the U.S. military presence on Okinawa means not only by the size of the
bases, but in the total presence, including force strength," he told the Ryukyu
Shimpo.
"Naturally,
anything that has conflict with that is not acceptable," he said.
But he was
cautious in putting too much credence into the Rand report.
"There
are many think tanks," he said. "I can’t be too concerned each time they
release some study. My basic stance is to reduce burden of the military presence that the
people of Okinawa have shouldered for 56 years after World War II."
Seiko Higa,
the mayor of Ginowan, home of the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, objected to the
report’s suggestion that the Marine airfield be used as a contingency base for Air
Force jet fighters in case of trouble in the Taiwan Strait.
"Futenma
sits in the middle of the city," he said. "Even now, with just the Marine
helicopters, the noise damage is serious, and the base is very dangerous. Adding to this,
if fighter jets come, it will be deadly disastrous. I will use all my force to stop
it."
According
to an agreement made by the United States and Japan in 1996, MCAS Futenma is to be closed
and Marine air units relocated to a new airport in northeast Okinawa.
David
Allen contributed to this report.
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