Japan to control flight routes in U.S. military airspace over Tokyo

Excellent! The US is preparing to leave Japan. It’s a small step, but a step in the right direction!

Not quite, and this is not as simple as just "giving it back". The enormous number of commercial and military aircraft that fly over this country on a daily basis would amaze most people. Just use the flight tracker app and take a look.

Having two different entities controlling the airspace raises a host of problems and taking the time to get it right is the only way to go.

macvToday  07:54 am JST

I hope US does pull military out of Japan let them defend themselves

Some people hope to see Japan as defenseless as possible vis-a-vis China and North Korea.

Since the new flight routes will be set over central Tokyo areas, some residents have voiced concern about excessive noise and parts possibly falling from aircraft.

No, don't worry, only American aircraft are noisy and have parts fall off. Japanese aircraft never have those problems.

Excellent! The US is preparing to leave Japan. It’s a small step, but a step in the right direction!

LOL Delusional thinking.

There could be a re-calibration of the U.S presence in Japan as Japan itself rebuilds its military.

Swapping different assets in and out to make sure everything is covered and to make for a stronger whole, but there will be no withdrawal.

Well! Have a taste of Okinawa! Maybe the indifference that Tokyoites and the national govt. have, over the concerns of Okinawans, may turn more towards compassion.

Remember that these "new" paths will be by civilian airlines and not military one's.

A foreign country controls Tokyo airspace WTF! That country firebombed Tokyo killing 500,000 women and children and nuked two cities.

Is this the first you knew about this? The US has controlled the airspace over Tokyo since WWII.

Step by step.

Two allies figuring out how to update the arrangements in place to accommodate what both desire / need.

Japan could do what the Philippines did and boot out the U.S. military out lock, stock, and barrel. The Philippines did have that right and they exercised it, probably much to their regret now.

To the extent that the U.S, forces remain and have airfields in the Kanto Plain, there has to be a mechanism to manage the air space that works for both Japan and the U.S. and, most importantly, ensures safety from an air traffic control perspective.

This is good news for all those traveling in and out of Haneda and good to see that this could be facilitated.

That's not a denial. You must prove such facts as I call quasi-occupation don't exist -- for example, 

You are ever so fast to make the comment that people "must" do this or that, based upon your OPINION.

As you know, Japanese right-wingers are the most pro-American bunch of people who are strong supporters of the U.S. military presence in Japan

Wow, you certainly know little about Japan if you think this is a fact. Using Ishihara Shintaro as the example here he was "anti-gaijin" to no end. He liked to blame the foreigners in Japan for everything from earthquakes to the economy crashing and everything else in between. (figuratively speaking of course)

The right wing-nuts here in Japan are NOT for the US military here, that is the LAST thing they want, they want the country to return to the days where the Emperor was God and the JAPANESE have a military that controls their own destiny.

They are just smart enough to know better thats all!

That's not a denial. You must prove such facts as I call quasi-occupation don't exist -- for example, asking a foreign power to return an area of its own territory within its own country. .Remember all these areas and bases are carry-overs from the Occupation era.

I'm sorry, you only asked me if I could deny it. I answered your question. Yes I can deny it.

Now, since it has been repeatedly explained to you ad nauseam by myself and multiple other people on multiple occasions, I see no need to explain again how there is no such thing as a 'pseudo-occupation' and Japan is definitely not experiencing one.

You must prove such facts as I call quasi-occupation don't exist -- for example, asking a foreign power to return an area of its own territory within its own country. 

You want "proof"...you are typing your responses here on a site called Japan Today! Not to mention that the people here sing Kimigayo as the national anthem, and we use money that is called Yen and not Dollar, have a Prime Minister and DIet, not a military governor, or president.

The very fact that you carry a foreign passport in this country and hold a visa status and are allowed to live here under Japanese law should be more than enough "proof"

The reason why Trump and Pence used Yokota Air Base when they visited Japan and left might have been because Air Force One and Two pilots wouldn't be bothered with the massive walls Yokota presented if they had used Haneda.

Of course the leaders of the United States would use a US controlled facility to arrive and depart from if it's available, why wouldn't they?? It's already secured and isn't full of civilian travelers... Why is everything always a conspiracy.

 suzerain-colony relationship. 

Do you even know what the word "suzerain" means? Your constant use of the word tells me that you don't, as your usage is always wrong. I am quite sure that Abe and company would get angry with you for even suggesting it!

is any relationship in which one region or nation controls the foreign policy and international relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary nation to have internal autonomy.

Suzerainty differs from true sovereignty in that, though the tributary state or person is technically independent and enjoys self-rule, this self-rule is limited in practice. Although the situation has existed in a number of historical empires, it is considered difficult to reconcile with 20th- or 21st-century concepts of international law, in which sovereignty either exists or does not. While a sovereign nation can agree by treaty to become a protectorate of a stronger power, modern international law does not recognize any way of making this relationship compulsory on the weaker power. Suzerainty, therefore, is a practical, de facto situation, rather than a legal, de jure one.

>

So the formal and technical definition of the word has no room for refuting my claim.

FYI, there is no "formal" nor "technical" definition of this word.

This is the ONLY definition of the word

As usual, you’ve formed an opinion on something without understanding how that something actually works.

You fail to realize that any foreign visitors still have to be processed through customs and immigration even when arriving through a US military base. I speak from experience. There is no ‘backdoor’ or ‘impunity’ except for those obsessed with fake conspiracies.

U.S. air bases such as Yokota and Kadena are like convenient back doors through which U.S VIPs and their entourage can enter Japan or depart from it with impunity. 

The only person that would make this assumption would be someone who is ignorant of reality!

Next time try asking, instead of assuming something you dont know about.

Since the new flight routes will be set over central Tokyo areas, some residents have voiced concern about excessive noise and parts possibly falling from aircraft.

Well! Have a taste of Okinawa! Maybe the indifference that Tokyoites and the national govt. have, over the concerns of Okinawans, may turn more towards compassion.

We see and hear the airplanes approaching both the Yokota and Atsugi airfields from the South, both US and Japanese; there is really not so much noise from the military airplanes as they fly over, though the propellor planes are noisier so than the jets, but the low-flying helicopters that seem to travel the short distance from Yokosuka to these bases are a problem. You can hear the roof tiles rattling as they fly over.

"Some people hope to see Japan as defenseless as possible vis-a-vis China and North Korea"

When the thieves call :"THIEVES" ! Thats the biggest myth ever!

Under such circumstances, one can safely say that Japan is still under pseudo-occupation of the U.S. even today. Can anyone deny it?

Yes. Everyone can deny it.

That's only possible when two countries are in suzerain-colony relationship.

That is not true, as the government often uses US military airfields when travelling around the world.

That's only possible when two countries are in suzerain-colony relationship. The Japanese government authorities are reported to have opposed to the use of Yokota Air Base for such purposes because it would besmirch Japan's sovereignty whatever that may be..

This is just ridiculous. You use words incorrectly and make up others, all the while your opinions are still just that: opinions. Opinions based on incorrect, made-up information.

In 2009, then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Japan to participate in a G8 Speakers' Meeting. She landed on Haneda when she arrived but departed from U.S. Yokota Air Base when she left. I thought at the time it was really a strange arrangement even though that might have saved her a lot of time necessary for ordinary exit formalities.

So Trump and Pence had a predecessor to use U.S. Yokota Air Base for entry and exit as if it was a local airport in California. Such an arrangement is impossible if the two countries were on equal footing, which any reasonable-minded person would agree with except you and a few other posters here.

Honestly, I have absolutely no idea what you are trying to say here.

which any reasonable-minded person would agree with except you and a few other posters here.

This part is funny though.

It's really mind-boggling that Japan, a sovereignty, should be asking the U.S. to return some portion of airspace 73 years after the war ended or when the occupation was long over. The airspace stretching over Tokyo and 8 other prefectures is one of many areas of airspace that are reserved exclusively for the U.S. Air Force.

Former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara moved to ask for Yokota Air Base’s return, but to no avail.

Under such circumstances, one can safely say that Japan is still under pseudo-occupation of the U.S. even today. Can anyone deny it?

t's really mind-boggling that Japan, a sovereignty, should be asking the U.S. to return some portion of airspace 73 years after the war ended or when the occupation was long over. The airspace stretching over Tokyo and 8 other prefectures is one of many areas of airspace that are reserved exclusively for the U.S. Air Force.

It's only mind boggling to those who keep their heads in the sand, and those who dont know the reasons why things as they are, but still find comments to make based upon ignorance.

It was very convenient for Japan to have the US control the airspace, yet times are changing and the US is cooperating too.

Former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara moved to ask for Yokota Air Base’s return, but to no avail.

Be grateful that Shintaro is no longer involved with any politics here. If he had his way, we all would be raising our hands daily to pictures of the Emperor on the wall screaming fanatical "banzai's"

extanker,

Yes. Everyone can deny it.

That's not a denial. You must prove such facts as I call quasi-occupation don't exist -- for example, asking a foreign power to return an area of its own territory within its own country. .Remember all these areas and bases are carry-overs from the Occupation era.

Yubaru,

As you know, Japanese right-wingers are the most pro-American bunch of people who are strong supporters of the U.S. military presence in Japan. Shintaro Ishihara is part of this gang. But even he, as Tokyo Governor, thought it was abnormal for a large U.S. base, Yokota Air Base, to exist in the middle of Metropolitan Tokyo blocking free commercial airways like massive walls.

The reason why Trump and Pence used Yokota Air Base when they visited Japan and left might have been because Air Force One and Two pilots wouldn't be bothered with the massive walls Yokota presented if they had used Haneda.

extnker,

Of course the leaders of the United States would use a US controlled facility to arrive and depart from if it's available, why wouldn't they?? It's already secured and isn't full of civilian travelers... Why is everything always a conspiracy.

That's only possible when two countries are in suzerain-colony relationship. The Japanese government authorities are reported to have opposed to the use of Yokota Air Base for such purposes because it would besmirch Japan's sovereignty whatever that may be..

When I say the Japan-U.S. relationship is like that between a suzerain and its colony, I am using the word rhetorically as a simile. So the formal and technical definition of the word has no room for refuting my claim.

extanker,

U.S. air bases such as Yokota and Kadena are like convenient back doors through which U.S VIPs and their entourage can enter Japan or depart from it with impunity. This appears to me to reflect an abnormal Japan-U.S. relationship but to you there appears to be nothing wrong and abnormal with it. That may be the reason why my post sounds funny and ridiculous to you.

I hear there's a spcial agreement between the two governments regarding roops entering and exiting Japan to cut down on the red tape of complex customs procedures. 

Does this preferential treatment for moving troops apply also to VIPs who ariive at Yokota Airt Base accompanied by large entourages including reporters?

When Elemendorf AFB, Alaska-based fighter jets come to Kadena Air Base and maneuve in Okinawa, do the pilots go through ordinary ccustoms procedures?

The Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement that stipulates the status and internal transfer of personnel, equipment, vehicles, vessels and aircraft that belong to USFJ. The catch is whether or not the U.S. President, Vice President and House Speaker are members of USFJ. Furthermore, can Alaska-based jet fighters and National Guard aircraft fall into the category defined by the SOFA?

Some people hope to see Japan as defenseless as possible vis-a-vis China and North Korea.

Japan should bulding your atomic bomb and this country is able to defend itself, is not something the U.S. government interferes with internal affairs of Japan.

Yubaru,

And how do your respond to my question:

Can you prove the current Japan-U.S relationship is never like that between a suzerain and a vassal where the U.S. is warranted to exercise all its right to use bases and areas with impunity, with U.S. service members enjoying the same old perquisites as they did in the Occupation era?

extanker,

In 2009, then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Japan to participate in a G8 Speakers' Meeting. She landed on Haneda when she arrived but departed from U.S. Yokota Air Base when she left. I thought at the time it was really a strange arrangement even though that might have saved her a lot of time necessary for ordinary exit formalities.

So Trump and Pence had a predecessor to use U.S. Yokota Air Base for entry and exit as if it was a local airport in California. Such an arrangement is impossible if the two countries were on equal footing, which any reasonable-minded person would agree with except you and a few other posters here.

A foreign country controls Tokyo airspace WTF! That country firebombed Tokyo killing 500,000 women and children and nuked two cities.

I hope US does pull military out of Japan let them defend themselves

Excellent! The US is preparing to leave Japan. It’s a small step, but a step in the right direction!