The Inhumane Reality Faced by New Ambassador Kennedy

Caroline Kennedy, 55, has been appointed as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan. She is the oldest daughter of former president John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated 50 years ago. She will become the first female U.S. ambassador to Japan. Expectations are growing within the Japanese government that Kennedy, in whom President Obama places deep confidence, will become the impetus for strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance. Okinawa has a different perspective. Seventy-four percent of the U.S. military facilities in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa, where there is the serious matter of unceasing incidents, accidents and noise pollution. I want her to prioritize finding a solution to this excess military burden.

Kennedy holds a law degree and is committed to nonprofit organization activities, but she has never engaged in administration and diplomacy practices. Because of this, her ability to handle diplomatic conflicts in Asia, such as the Japan-U.S. relations problem of returning Futenma Air Base, as well as [resolving] the Senkaku Islands dispute between Japan and China, remain to be proved. However, we can expect original ideas not bound by precedent precisely because she is a diplomatic “amateur.”

Regarding plans to relocate Futenma air base to Henoko in Nago City, even though 17 years have passed since the return agreement, she should face an abnormal situation of a policy that is rejected by residents.

Governor Nakaima Hirokazu, the prefectural assembly, the heads of all 41 municipalities, the entire parliament and the majority of residents are opposed to relocation to Henoko. Where in the world is there a democracy that continues to ignore the will of the people?

Of the new sphere of activity in Japan, Kennedy stated at the Senate hearing in September that “I am conscious of my responsibility to uphold the ideals he [John F. Kennedy] represented.” I want her to exemplify the true value of a prominent diplomatic figure with high ideals by abandoning relocation to Henoko, which is a violation of humanity and democracy.

I would like to draw attention to a mentor of Ms. Kennedy’s, Senior Fellow Sheila Smith of the U.S. think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms. Smith has advocated the relocation of Futenma outside the prefecture, saying “Okinawa should not be asked to bear the full burden of the U.S.-Japan alliance.”

A paper entitled “Lessons Futenma Provides for the Future Plans for U.S. Military Bases in Japan,” published on the Regional Security Policy Division homepage, makes a case that stresses Okinawan public opinion and severely criticizes the policy approaches of Japan and the U.S. from a perspective that questions the fairness and political sustainability of the military burden.

I want Kennedy to make a clear distinction between herself and the so-called “Japan handlers” who have a key role in Japan-U.S. security policy, to eliminate prejudice and to deal with the Okinawa problem. To begin with, I want her to observe closely the reality in Okinawa and to start by lending an ear to the compelling voices of each stratum of residents, including those in the vicinity of the base.