How Much Value Is Left in Futenma Base?

The issue regarding the Futenma air base has led directly to the resignation of former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. As one report on May 26 stated, “The Futenma Base issue has already become problematic in Japanese politics,” and “Hatoyama has broken his promises several times, and he is at risk.” On June 7, Professor Han Xudong from the National Defense University wrote for Xudong Troops column, analyzing the value of the Futenma base to both the U.S. and Japan from an original perspective …

While Futenma, the U.S. military base in Okinawa, has “played an important role” in Hatoyama’s resignation, the situation continues to present a difficult issue for the new prime minister, Naoto Kan. The Americans refuse to leave Okinawa, and the Japanese seem to be walking on ice when dealing with the issue of Futenma. To these two countries, this is more than a military base. This poses the question: How valuable is the Futenma base?

The value of a military facility is determined by the time period affected, its geographical position and the role it plays, among other factors. The Great Wall, which connects the sea in the East to the desert in the West, historically played a huge military role. In the “Cold Steel” Era, the Great Wall, which separated agricultural areas from nomadic areas, largely prevented the nomadic people from harassing the farming people. However, the Great Wall today has become the heritage of Chinese traditional culture and military progress. For the Futenma base, its military value is also in the process of change.

During World War II, the U.S. Army built a simple airport at “Ginowan-shi” in Okinawa in order to attack Japan with the B-29 bombers, playing an important role in America’s attack on Japan. It is also the “embryo” of the current Futenma base.

During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union fought globally, and they used blockade and containment methods against each other. Because of Okinawa’s desirable location to contain China and the Soviet Union, and its key position in the first island chain in Asia, Futenma was highly valued by the United States. The U.S. invested heavily in the Futenma base through several expansions and renovations, making it the largest and one of the most important military bases in East Asia. In some ways, the Futenma base on Okinawa has played an important role in the situation between the U.S. and the Taiwan Strait, the Korean Peninsula and the containment of the Soviet’s expansion in East Asia.

After the Cold War, great changes took place in the world military situation. As the global battlefield is forming gradually, the value of the Futenma base is decreasing gradually, which can be shown in the following three aspects:

First, the role of strategic deterrence has declined. It is mainly the U.S. Marine Corps and helicopter gunships stationed at the Futenma base. The main task of the armed helicopters is to attack armored and other hard targets on the ground, support landing operations and so on. It’s not difficult to see that the role of armed helicopters is limited to the tactical and operational scope.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union wanted a military solution and built everything with a focus on “attacking.” In this context, the Futenma base was playing an important role. With the formation of the global battlefield, countries started to use a global military perspective. Those who possess weaponry or military facilities with global impacts, such as aircraft carriers, strategic bombers, early warning aircraft and missile defense systems, would increase their strategic deterrence. Thus, the military role of Futenma is in relative decline.

Second, in the U.S. global military deployment, the value of the Futenma base is declining. During the Cold War, Futenma received a lot of attention. With constant expansion and the increase in the number of troops, it became the area with the most U.S. forces in Japan. After the Cold War, the United States continued to adjust its deployment of troops in Okinawa. Currently, there are 10,000 U.S. Navy and Marine personnel in Japan. In accordance with U.S. global force redeployment plans, by the end of 2014, the U.S. military will have 8,000 Marines moved to Guam. This indicates that the number of U.S. Marines stationed in Japan will be significantly reduced, thus the decrease of Futenma's military value.

Third, the decline of strategic value can be seen in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, when the U.S.-Soviet strategic balance was first formed, and the competition for dominance started. Precisely in such circumstances, the U.S. in 1972 returned Okinawa — which had been occupied by the U.S. since World War II — to Japan. From this action, it could be seen that the military strategic value of Okinawa began to decline during the Cold War. The strategic value of Futenma base, which played the role of campaign tactics, has also fallen. That the United States reduced the amount of its troops in Futenma is an important embodiment of the continuation of this decline.

Undeniably, the Futenma base still has its military value. Otherwise, the U.S. helicopter base in Okinawa would have left. In the face of the Okinawans’ strong demand for them to move out, the U.S. relocated the helicopter base to the northern Okinawan city of Nago. The underlying reason for the move is not hard to understand.

We must have a correct understanding of the military value of the Futenma base. Only in this way can we have a better understanding of the attitudes of the U.S. and Japan toward the issue of U.S.-Japanese relations and of the U.S. global strategy.