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MISSILE DEFENSE
Japan to axe new funds for missile defence

Japan PM under fire over delay in US base row
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 16, 2009 - Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama came under fire on Wednesday for delaying a decision on moving a controversial US air base in a row the government admitted has damaged ties with key ally Washington. Hatoyama on Tuesday defied US pressure and postponed until next year a decision on where to relocate the unpopular base on the southern island of Okinawa island, a move the opposition branded "irresponsible." Tokyo and Washington agreed in 2006 that the base would be moved from a city area to a coastal region of the island, but the centre-left Hatoyama, who took office three months ago, has said he is reviewing the plan. Okinawa, a major World War II battlefield, has hosted most of the US troops in Japan, currently about 47,000 nationwide, and its residents have often protested about noise, pollution and crimes committed by US servicemen.

Japan's media and conservative opposition harshly criticised the centre-left government for vacillating on the issue, and Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada conceded that ties with the United States had deteriorated. "Our diplomacy has been going well, except for the Japan-US alliance," Okada told a meeting of business leaders. "We have to quickly create an atmosphere in which we can discuss how we can improve the Japan-US alliance." During a visit to Tokyo last month, US President Barack Obama asked Japan to resolve the issue "expeditiously" while other senior US officials have also repeatedly voiced irritation with Japan's new government. The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper warned that the government was "running the risk of destroying the relationship of mutual trust Japan and the United States have built up over the years". "Of course, the prime minister bears the greatest responsibility for creating the current situation," the mass-circulation daily said in an editorial.

Shigeru Ishiba, a former defence chief and a senior figure in the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, said of Hatoyama: "He is just trying to be all things to all men. We cannot accept this inconsistent, irresponsible decision." In Washington, General James Conway, commandant of the US Marine Corps, said the postponement was "unfortunate," warning it may push back a wider plan to reorganise US bases, which includes moving thousands of Marines to Guam. Hatoyama defended his decision, saying: "I don't think the Marines are satisfied, but the Japanese government has its own thoughts. I would like to seek their understanding through negotiations at any cost." The premier, also under pressure from anti-base coalition partners, said Tuesday there would be a decision in several months, and that he was seeking an alternative site to the coastal region of Henoko for the US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station.
by Staff Writers
 Tokyo (AFP) Dec 17, 2009
 Japan's centre-left government, which took power three months ago, will suspend new funds for its joint missile defence system with the United States next year, officials said Thursday.

The cabinet approved defence spending guidelines for the 2010/11 financial year, including a delay in the deployment of new Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air interceptors until after April 2011.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's government also postponed a major review of defence policy guidelines by a year to "thoroughly review the important issue of national defence after the historic change of government".

Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told reporters that "regarding the deployment of PAC-3 units at three more bases, we will wait for the new defence guidelines to be issued before proceeding with the plans".

Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan and its left-leaning and pacifist coalition partners have signalled a shift from supporting military missions to humanitarian aid in a break with their more hawkish conservative predecessors.

The new government has scrapped a naval refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean that has supported the US-led campaign in Afghanistan and announced a review of a 2006 pact on relocating US bases in Japan.

Japan and the United States, its main post-war security ally, have for years jointly developed a missile shield of land and sea-based interceptors against possible attacks, pointing at the threat of communist North Korea.

"The freeze certainly raises questions about how Japan would address contingencies, for example in North Korea, in its alliance with the United States," said Takehiko Yamamoto, a professor of international relations.

"The freeze could simply be lifted a year later," added Yamamoto of Waseda University. "After all, there are few other options (than missile defence) if you understand the basics of security in this region."

Japan's defence ministry had requested 4.7 trillion yen (52 billion dollars) for the next fiscal year, and had planned to deploy PAC-3 units at three more Japanese military bases over the next five years.

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MISSILE DEFENSE
Poland, US sign deployment accord
 Warsaw (AFP) Dec 11, 2009
 Poland and the United States on Friday signed an agreement on the status of US troops in the eastern European country ahead of the deployment of US Patriot missiles. "This agreement allows the stationing of US soldiers and materiel in Poland," Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich told the press. "For Poland it means that its security will be strengthened." The Status of Forces Agreement ... read more






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