Operation Tomodachi an Important Step toward a Deeper Japan-U.S. Alliance

In the wake of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, the U.S. military has been cooperating with the Japan Self-Defense Forces and carrying out support operations on an unprecedented scale. We value this highly as an important step in deepening the Japan-U.S. alliance.

Under Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. military has mobilized as many as 20,000 troops to restore airports, ports, schools, as well as transport relief supplies. Between April 1 and 3, the U.S. military conducted an intensive joint search operation with the SDF for missing persons in coastal areas in three Tohoku prefectures, recovering 79 bodies.

Although the U.S. military has troops stationed all over Japan, there is no treaty that obligates the United States to aid Japan in the case of a natural disaster. Still, the U.S. military is lending tremendous support, which is the result of a relationship of trust between Japan and the U.S., forged over many years. Japan must now cooperate closely with the U.S. and overcome its “compound situation” of ongoing simultaneous crises.

The U.S. military’s operations are rooted in a foundation of SDF commanders’ daily careful coordination with the Defense Ministry, U.S. Forces Japan Headquarters, and the Ground SDF North Eastern Army Director General’s Office in Sendai. It can be said that the smooth cooperation now on display between Japan and the U.S. was made possible by joint drills and the experience of joint overseas operations.

In response to the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident, Japan and the United States have formed a team to carry out various tasks such as quarantining radioactive material and disposing of nuclear fuel. A special battalion of U.S. Marines has also come to Japan on a mission to detect and decontaminate radiation.

The United States was initially dissatisfied with Japan for failing to provide adequate information regarding the situation. However, it was the United States who insisted on switching from sea water to fresh water to cool the nuclear reactors and provided barges for doing so. The level of cooperation is indeed growing deeper.

The United States’ earnestness regarding the nuclear plant problem stems from not only support for its ally, but also from its own adherence to promoting nuclear energy, which the United States regards as important. Japan and the United States must make use of every last ounce of their wisdom, equipment and capabilities to deal with the problem.

The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake is the greatest trial Japan has ever faced. It is said that the 2001 terrorist attacks changed the United States’ worldview, but the shock and impact of 3/11 surpass even that of 9/11. However, this trial is also an opportunity for Japan and the United States to strengthen their alliance. After the 9/11 attacks, Japan passed new laws and dispatched SDF ships to the Indian Ocean, which strengthened the alliance.

The Two-Plus-Two Meeting, a cabinet-level Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee conference, was scheduled to be held during the long string of holidays in late April and early May. Whether the meeting will still be held is unclear, but they should do all they can to hold it as planned. We want to see a discussion on how to tie this current experience to the future of Japan-U.S. cooperation. Such a discussion would guide the alliance to another level.