Air Tanker Transfer: The Reality of an ‘Increased Burden’

It appears that the facilities of the U.S. military base in Iwakuni are going to be getting even stronger. From July 8 through the end of August this year, 15 aircraft from the U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Refueling Transport Squadron will be transferred from Air Station Futenma in Okinawa to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.

In Okinawa, U.S. military bases are being integrated in an attempt to reduce the burden placed on the prefecture by the military. It seems highly likely that this transfer is connected to that integration. While Okinawa’s burden is being reduced, however, Iwakuni is facing just the opposite. For the first time, the burden associated with restructuring the U.S. military forces in Japan is becoming a reality. Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda announced the reception of the additional aircraft six months ago. Like him, there also seemed to be a growing number of local residents who thought it was unavoidable.

However, that doesn’t mean that concerns over the issue disappeared; rather, people were simply considering whether or not it was a good idea to fight the transfer. After all, if the military was allowed to conduct its training however it saw fit, Iwakuni residents would face the same torment inflicted upon Okinawa. That could not be permitted.

Aerial refueling is indispensable to aerial battles; if you lose that ability, fighter planes and transport aircraft cannot travel long distances. It naturally follows then that the strategic importance of the Iwakuni base will increase after the transfer. Residents will have to worry not only about daily noise and the dangers of military training exercises, but also potential attacks from hostile enemies or becoming a target of terrorism. These possibilities cannot be denied, and yet any discussion on that point has been left unclear.

Also of concern is that any detailed operations of the unit are unlikely to be made clear to local residents. For instance, there are currently additional thoughts on broadening and diversifying training for the purpose of refueling a variety of aircraft. There’s a need here for the U.S. military to provide full disclosure to the public, and likewise for the Japanese government to insist that they do so.

Yet, based on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s words and deeds, I can’t help getting the impression that Iwakuni’s concerns are being put on the back burner. It’s obvious that the prime minister’s stance on touting the appeal of the transfer is because it results in lessening Okinawa’s burden.

In other words, it’s not exactly a “good deed” being performed here by the current administration. After the 1995 assault on a young Japanese girl, an opportunity arose for the Japanese and American governments to agree on returning Futenma base lands to Okinawa. Such plans were subsequently included as part of the U.S. military’s restructuring process, though initially there was talk of exempting that particular prefecture.

Now, Iwakuni is experiencing a similar back and forth. The air tankers were approved in 1997, but when concerns were raised over the deal, subsidiary funds set aside for the construction of a new government office in Iwakuni were unilaterally frozen by the Japanese government. I want the prime minister to properly shift his attention to these prior incidents.

It remains fresh in my memory that the plan to relocate part of the ground troops from Okinawa to Iwakuni, and the fact that furious opposition to that plan came to nothing, emerged in an era in which the Democratic Party was in power. Still, while the city has a relative understanding of the base as it is now, the current administration should also take to heart the need to be sensible of new, increased burdens.

Following the transfer of these 15 air tankers, focus will then shift to a unit of 59 aircraft carrier-based planes. There are plans to move these planes from Kanagawa prefecture’s Naval Air Facility Atsugi to Iwakuni by around 2017. These plans also include the steadily continuing development of U.S. military residences and related institutions on Mount Atago.

In any case, air tankers are not the same as ship-borne planes, which carry a risk of significant noise. It remains to be seen whether or not unbearably noisy nighttime takeoff and landing training will be implemented at the Iwakuni base, but the issues certainly appear to be piling up.

Even though Mayor Fukuda is demonstrating a cooperative attitude toward the relocation of ship-borne planes, he’s not saying whether or not he’ll approve the measure. At the same time, the deeply rooted opposition movement continues. As a result of the U.S. military restructuring, Air Station Iwakuni would become the largest military base in the Far East. In light of this fact, what is the best way forward for the region? As of now, no clear answer is being given, which makes it feel as though time is merely dragging on.

In reality, since first encountering the harm caused by military bases, people have complained and even called for countermeasures. The significant weight this issue is putting on the country and the U.S. military is evident from the examples of Okinawa and Atsugi. What must we do before it’s too late? Before anything else, I want discussions on the matter to hurry up while strictly keeping track of the use of air tankers within the area.