Tokyo plans to revise the agreement on the status of US troops stationed in Japan. With this initiative, the new Minister for Okinawa and the "northern territories" Tetsuma Esaki.
During a press conference in Okinawa, the politician said that it was necessary "to reconsider the agreement on the status of the forces". "The government should properly respond to the feelings of local residents and tell the US what needs to be said, let it take time, but it's necessary to talk," Esaki said..
This statement was made in the context of the Japanese government's request to the US to stop Osprey's Osprey gasoline on Okinawa until the cause of the crash of one of them near the coast of Australia. However, the Americans did not obey and continue to fly, as if nothing had happened.
Japanese observers note that Esaki took a wrong place, touching on his sensitive issue such as the revision of the status of American troops deployed in Japan. Although he is the Minister for Okinawa affairs, he is responsible only for the economic development of this prefecture.
About 70% of all US military facilities in Japan are concentrated on the island of Okinawa. Their functioning is determined by the agreement on the status of American troops, signed in 1960. Japanese social activists and some politicians for the past few decades have expressed dissatisfaction with the terms of this agreement, which protects only the interests of Americans and absolutely does not take into account the demands of the Japanese side.
Thus, according to the agreement, the Japanese prosecutor's office can not charge American soldiers for unlawful acts committed while passing military service. In January this year, representatives of the two countries signed an additional agreement, which limits the judicial immunity of a number of military base personnel. Nevertheless, many residents of Okinawa insist on the withdrawal of part of American bases outside the prefecture and protest against the construction of a new airfield in the north of the island.
In recent months, a discussion in Japan on the need to give local self-defense forces the status of full-fledged armed forces. In May, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed to amend the Constitution. It is assumed that they can enter into force within three years.
As explained by the head of government, Japan should maintain a peaceful status, while securing in the main law the status of the self-defense forces that actually play the role of the army. "The self-defense forces are fully fulfilling their duty, and now more than 90% of the population enjoy the confidence. At the same time, many constitutional lawyers say that (self-defense forces) constitute a violation of the Constitution, "the Prime Minister noted..
Thinking about the "legalization" of the armed forces of the Japanese forces a tense situation around the DPRK. The government was even prepared for the first time in the post-war history to authorize a military operation abroad if one of the North Korean missiles tested would hit facilities on Japanese territory. Tokyo also repeatedly stated its intention to purchase various weapons so as not to depend on the national security issues from the US military stationed in the country.