On May 21, 2018, a symposium on security policy in Okinawa took place in Naha, the capital of the Japanese archipelago of Okinawa. Professor Harima Honmori from the International University in Okinawa moderated the symposium organized by the Okinawa-Times newspaper.
Speakers on the panel were Yukihisa Fujita, Koji Yanagisawa, frm. Assistant-Secretary of State, US-Consul General Joel Ellenrike, Professor Hiyori Higori
20% of Japan’s Okinawa archipelago is occupied by US military bases. The majority of residents in Okinawa are in opposition of the US-military presence and regular protests are taking place.
Discussions focused on the potential forthcoming US-North Korea Summit and the ongoing negotiations between the governments of North and South Korea and the consequences for the discussions surrounding the US-military bases in Okinawa.
The three experts from Japan and the United States held discussions on the future of the security environment, including the impact of the Japan-North Korea Summit on the US military bases in Okinawa and on the circumstances of the Korean Peninsula, which should ease tensions through dialogue.
Koji Yanagisawa, former Former Assistant-Secretary of State, said that in the process of the possibly to end the Korean War by creating a peace treaty, perhaps, the status of US troops in Korea could be reviewed and discussed, and there might be a possibility that the case of the US-Forces in Japan will be also involved in this discussion. He expressed his hope that the conflict between the nations of Northeast Asia could relax, and that there was also a chance in Okinawa to think of new ways forward.
Mr. Yukihisa Fujita, deputy chair of the committee discussing the issues surrounding the US military base, formed by a bipartisan member of parliament, said, „Regarding the transfer of the US-military base Henoko to the Futenma Air Force Base, basic data on the environment, Cost, construction time, etc. was not checked properly.
The japanese experts of the panel openly discussed the plan „and criticized the plan to move operations to the US air-force base in Futenma.
US Consul General Joel Ellenrike responded to criticism: „This is the answer that has taken the Japanese government and the US government a long time to agree on, and it is necessary to realize the Japan-US common vision.“
The symposium is the first in a series of ongoing Peace and Economics events in Okinawa.
