(Japan) Air Tanker Transfer: The Reality of an ‘Increased Burden’

http://watchingamerica.com/News/241671/air-tanker-transfer-the-reality-of-an-increased-burden/



Air Tanker Transfer: The Reality of an ‘Increased Burden’
Chugoku Shimbun, Japan
Translated By Courtney Coppernoll
26 June 2014
Edited by Emily France

It appears that the facilities of the U.S. military base in Iwakuni are going to be getting even stronger. From July 8 through the end of August this year, 15 aircraft from the U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Refueling Transport Squadron will be transferred from Air Station Futenma in Okinawa to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni.

In Okinawa, U.S. military bases are being integrated in an attempt to reduce the burden placed on the prefecture by the military. It seems highly likely that this transfer is connected to that integration. While Okinawa's burden is being reduced, however, Iwakuni is facing just the opposite. For the first time, the burden associated with restructuring the U.S. military forces in Japan is becoming a reality. Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda announced the reception of the additional aircraft six months ago. Like him, there also seemed to be a growing number of local residents who thought it was unavoidable.

However, that doesn't mean that concerns over the issue disappeared; rather, people were simply considering whether or not it was a good idea to fight the transfer. After all, if the military was allowed to conduct its training however it saw fit, Iwakuni residents would face the same torment inflicted upon Okinawa. That could not be permitted.

Aerial refueling is indispensable to aerial battles; if you lose that ability, fighter planes and transport aircraft cannot travel long distances. It naturally follows then that the strategic importance of the Iwakuni base will increase after the transfer. Residents will have to worry not only about daily noise and the dangers of military training exercises, but also potential attacks from hostile enemies or becoming a target of terrorism. These possibilities cannot be denied, and yet any discussion on that point has been left unclear.