Proposal for Evacuation of US Military Families: Do Not Burden Okinawa with Risks

Published in Ryukyu Shimpo
(Japan) on 4 November 2024
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Dorothy Phoenix. Edited by Patricia Simoni.

 

 

There are fears that the concentration of military bases in Okinawa exerts a significant harm to innocent residents. This article demonstrates that fact.

In December 2023, a high-ranking, active-duty U.S. Marine Corps officer contributed an article titled “Put III MEF* in a Fighting Stance” to Proceedings, a publication of the U.S. Naval Institute. In the article, in the event of an emergency concerning China, there is a proposal to evacuate families of U.S. troops back home from Okinawa, which could become a target for attack. Even within the U.S. military, there is seemingly a spreading awareness of the risk that Okinawa could become a fierce battleground during such a crisis.

Seventy percent of the bases of U.S. forces in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa, with Kadena Air Base being the largest U.S. Air Force base in the Far East. The Japanese government, bearing in mind China and its increasingly overbearing conduct, is proceeding with the “southwest shift” of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, as well as a rapid reinforcement of the forces within the prefecture.

If there is an emergency, it is beyond doubt that regions with a high concentration of military facilities will become targets for attack. The Battle of Okinawa and other present-day conflicts around the world have resulted in massive civilian casualties.

In 2014, a cabinet decision granted approval of the right to exercise collective self-defense. In 2022, a revision to three security bills established Japan's maintenance of the ability to attack enemy bases (counterattack capabilities), and the following year, the U.S. and Japan agreed to “deepen bilateral cooperation toward the effective employment of Japan's counterstrike capabilities ...” Civilian airports and harbors are also repeatedly used to conduct large-scale joint U.S.-Japan military exercises. Because of U.S.-Japan military integration, it can be said that there are growing concerns that Okinawa would get dragged into an emergency situation.

One of the reasons cited in the recommendation to evacuate U.S. military families was the proximity of U.S. military facilities to family homes. However, this is not limited to residences belonging to people affiliated with the U.S. military, but also applies to nearby civilians. For residents who have been suffering through noise pollution and other such issues from the bases, it is nothing less than further burdening them with the risk of becoming a target of attack. A reduction in bases would lead to protection for Okinawa residents. The Japanese government should acknowledge this situation.

The article also points out that, during an emergency, efforts will be divided as families are evacuated, delaying combat readiness. Furthermore, the Sakashima Islands area would be one of the regions, demonstrating the thinking that “developing U.S. infrastructure at them [the locations of critical JSDF locations] will better enable continual deployments to operate, maintain, and sustain themselves in a contingency.”

The article could seemingly imply that as U.S. military families are being evacuated, in the event of an emergency the U.S. military would want to share the use of JSDF facilities in Sakashima. What we can glimpse is the cool-headed military view that in an emergency, Okinawa would serve as an offensive stronghold rather than a safe haven for citizens. According to Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, the U.S. has defensive responsibilities, but is placing emergency bases in Sakashima and turning Okinawa into a battlefield fulfilling the obligation to defend Japan?

In the previous Battle of Okinawa, Okinawa was sacrificed to protect the Japanese mainland. Military logic must take priority and Okinawa must not be sacrificed once again. Instead of enhancing U.S. military and JSDF facilities, which would fan the flames of U.S.-China antagonism, the U.S. and Japan must prioritize diplomatic effort, so that all citizens can live securely.

*Editor's note: The III Marine Expeditionary Force is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps, with potential action ranging from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to amphibious assault and high-intensity combat.



<社説>米兵家族の撤収提言 沖縄にリスク負わせるな

基地の集中は無辜(むこ)の住民に多大な被害を及ぼす恐れがある。そのことを示す論文だ。

 米海兵隊現役幹部が2023年12月、米海軍協会が発行する雑誌「プロシーディングス」に「第三海兵遠征軍を戦闘態勢に」と題する論文を投稿した。その中で、中国が関与する有事となれば、攻撃対象となる沖縄から隊員の家族を本国に撤収させることを提言している。米軍内部にも、有事の際に沖縄が激しい戦場となる危険性があるとの認識が広まっているようだ。

 沖縄には在日米軍専用施設の7割が集中、嘉手納基地は米空軍の極東最大の拠点だ。日本政府は威圧的行動を強める中国を念頭に、自衛隊の「南西シフト」を進めており、県内での自衛隊増強が急速に進んでいる。

 有事となれば、軍事施設が集中する地域が攻撃対象となることは火を見るより明らかだ。沖縄戦の経験や、現在世界各地で起きている紛争でも民間人の死者が多数に上る。

 14年に集団的自衛権の行使容認が閣議決定された。22年の安保関連3文書の改定で敵基地攻撃能力(反撃能力)の保有を決め、翌年に日米は「効果的な運用へ協力を深化させる」と確認した。民間空港・港湾を使った大規模な日米共同統合演習もたびたび実施されている。日米の軍事一体化によって、有事に沖縄が巻き込まれる恐れは高まっていると言えるだろう。

 米兵家族撤収の提言では、米軍施設と家族住宅の近さをその理由の一つに挙げている。しかし米軍関係者の住宅に限ったことではなく、周辺の住民も同様だ。騒音などの基地被害に遭っている住民に、さらに攻撃目標となるリスクを背負わせることにほかならない。基地の整理縮小が沖縄県民を守ることにつながる。そのことを日本政府は認識すべきだ。

 この論文では、有事には家族を避難させることに力が割かれ、戦闘態勢をとるのが遅れると指摘している。その上で先島地域を拠点の一つとし、「米軍のインフラを整備することで、有事における継続的な展開が可能となる」との考えを示している。

 米兵の家族らは撤収させる一方で、有事の際に先島の自衛隊施設を共同使用したいとの意向が読み取れる。垣間見えるのは、有事の際は、住民の安全よりも、沖縄を攻撃拠点としようという冷徹な軍事的視点だ。日米安全保障条約第5条は米国による防衛義務を定めているが、先島を有事の拠点と位置付け、沖縄を戦場とすることが果たして日本を防衛することになるのか。

 先の沖縄戦では、沖縄は日本本土防衛の「捨て石」とされた。軍事の論理が優先され、沖縄を再び「捨て石」とさせてはならない。米中対立をいたずらにあおるような米軍、自衛隊施設の機能強化ではなく、全ての住民が安全に暮らせるよう、日米は外交努力を優先させるべきだ。
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