l r' 1 -J -l BACKGROUND PAPER SUBJECT ' - ' c Okinawa BACKGROUND US base issues are a subject of considerable local concern in Okinawa where 20% of the main island is taken by US facilities Okinawans complain that 20 years after reversion and 47 years after the Battle of Okinawa there has been little progress to reduce military installations The end of the Cold War has exacerbated this feeling and the people expect a peace dividend in the form of reduced U s military presence V In response US commanders have made remarkable efforts to reduce training and disciplinary incidents Progress under the Facilities Adjustment Program which adjudicates land use issues has been steady and problems in that process are largely the result of Japanese domestic politics Nevertheless the GOJ otherwise supportive of the presence of US forces in Japan is on the defensive in Okinawa and US commanders are often caught in the middle i' Since the beginning of the year attention has been focused on Okinawa and its attendant land issues by the approach of the 20th anniversary of the reversion of Okinawa to GOJ control on May 15th Foreign Minister Michio Watanabe made a point of raising the issue with SecDef during a January visit During his trip to Tokyo last month as the President's representative at the reversion ceremonies Vice President Quayle delivered a modest package of returned land parcels curtailed training and a declaration of intent to resolve outstanding land issues The presence of US forces in Japan is secure for the foreseeable future However political controversy over US bases in Okinawa ifnot addressed in a creative way could have negative implications for our ability to maintain a significant long term presence in Japan Distilled from the review of options in the previous five months are several points V Continued long term presence in Okinawa is essential to the Regional Defense st 1egy in the Pacific r New approaches are required to solve some of the Okinawans' concerns while re rving essential capabilities and facilities there The ball belongs in the GOl's court The US side does not receive credit for its forthcoming response to local concerns 7- Recent LDP electoral successes in Okinawa have dealt those who espouse confrontation a heavy loss and may enable a return to the LDP's characteristic low-key approach to issues We should be able to address military land and training issues in a more cooperative atmosphere than recently possible But the GOJ and LDP will no doubt continue to press us to make steady progress on base issues I TALKING POINTS Access to facilities on Okinawa and long term presence of US forces is essential to the success of the Regional Defense Strategy and forward presence in the Paci c We are determined to reduce friction in Okinawa over military land and training issues in order to preserve long term access A key element in doing that is the development by the US of a long term base consolidation plan for all US facilities on the island We look forward to progress in the Facilities Adjustment Panel in order to resolve longstanding issues Enhanced in-kind support will enable exible solutions to training requirements for US forces in Okinawa 23- progress in BP - LaserStation This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu