japan4life comments

Posted in: Landfill work resumes at new U.S. military site on Okinawa despite local opposition See in context

This Facility is being built because three U.S. Marines kidnapped and gang raped a child. Three Marines kidnapped and gang raped a child and the U.S. Marines got rewarded with a brand new state of the art facility paid for by the Japanese people and the people of Okinawa got punished by having a beautiful ocean spot destroyed forever. MCAS Futenma has never been an important base on Okinawa and should have been closed without any replacement being built as a gesture of gratitude to the people of Okinawa for all of the crap they have put up with all of the years from both the U.S. Military and the Japanese Government. The U.S. Marines on Okinawa are not a deterrent to an attack on Okinawa. They have nothing on Okinawa that would deter China, N.K. or Russia from attacking. The main deterrents are Kadena Air Base, Naha Air Base and the JSDF Missile sites. The U.S. Army communication sites are also critical. If the U.S. Marines were to leave Okinawa tomorrow, it would not affect the ability of the U.S. or Japan to defend Okinawa.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Posted in: Kishida to visit India to build Indo-Pacific partnership See in context

South Korea does not need QUAD! The United States is committed to defend South Korea by a Security Treaty. Australia is committed to defend South Korea through the United Nations Command. India is not needed for the defense of South Korea. Japan is not needed for the defense of South Korea. The major U.S. Military Bases in Japan that would be needed for the defense of South Korea are designated as U.N. Bases by an agreement with Japan and no permission from the Japanese Govt. is needed to use those bases for the defense of South Korea. South Korea does not need the QUAD!!!

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Posted in: Gov't was aware of sinking ground ahead of U.S. base landfill work: documents See in context

This Henoko Relocation Project has been based on lies and deceit from the J-Govt. from the very beginning. The biggest lie that the J-Govt. has told is that the U.S. Marines on Okinawa and MCAS Futenma are essential to National Security. The U.S. Marines on Okinawa are a very minor player in the defense of Japan with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and the JSDF on Okinawa all being more essential to the defense of Japan than the Marines . If all of the Marines left Okinawa tomorrow, it would not hamper the U.S. Military in Okinawa from defending Japan.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan, France, U.S. plan their first joint military drills in May: report See in context

kaimycahl,

I don't know who you are or do I care who you are. I will live in Japan no matter what happens, my Okinawan wife passed away several years ago but my daughter and granddaughters are still here and I already have a tomb here where my wife is interred so I will be here until I die. I earned the right to wear the Green Beret and we don't run no matter what and if Japan is attacked even though I am old I will fight to protect my family with all of the strength that I have left. The JSDF without the U.S. Military cannot defend Japan and never will be able to and that is just the way it is. The JSDF is just like a paper driver who has a drivers license but cannot drive a vehicle.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Posted in: Japan, France, U.S. plan their first joint military drills in May: report See in context

OssanAmerica,

I know a lot more about the JSDF than you do and I know a lot more about war than you do! I was in the jungles of Vietnam for 13 months and went on secret missions in Laos and Cambodia! Have you ever been in combat? Have you ever seen a good friend die 20 feet away from you? Have you ever visited a friend who became a vegetable for life because he stepped on a land mine? You know nothing about war? Always beating the drums of war without having experienced war for yourself! I worked closely with both US Forces and the JSDF on Okinawa for over 40 years before I retired in 2012 and I can tell you that the U.S. Military has no faith in the JSDF or the Japanese Govt. in being able to fight a war!

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Posted in: Japan, France, U.S. plan their first joint military drills in May: report See in context

I have lived in Japan for over 50 years, having first come to Okinawa with the U.S. Army Special Forces in 1967. I know the JSDF very well and I can tell you that like a lot of things in Japan, they look good on paper but that is all. Both Taiwan and South Korea have more combat ready and capable militaries than Japan does and with compulsory military service they both have a large number of the population with military experience which Japan definitely does not and their governments would be a lot more capable during war than Japan . I love Japan but you have to be realistic, does anyone believe that there is any politician in Japan that could be a wartime leader. Could you really see the current Suga Cabinet as being a wartime cabinet? Look at the responses to Fukushima and the many natural disasters over the last few years and imagine how the J-Govt. would respond in time of war. Come on people, be real!

-5 ( +6 / -11 )

Posted in: Japan, France, U.S. plan their first joint military drills in May: report See in context

Japan with an aging and declining population will never be a military power and all they will ever be able to do is beg other countries to defend them!!

-12 ( +2 / -14 )

Posted in: Suga, U.S. Marine head oppose China's assertiveness in Indo-Pacific See in context

BeerDeliveryGuy,

Thank you and same to you. No disrespect if you are an ex-Marine. I have worked on all of the Marine Bases on Okinawa at one time or another and have met many good Marines and their families. Just because people are willing to do business with you doesn't mean they like you. Just on Nov. 8, a 20 year old Marine from Camp Hansen was arrested for choking and robbing a taxi driver in Chatan.

My main complaint with the Japanese Govt. and U.S. Military is that they are not really serious in their talk of reducing the burden of U.S. Bases on Okinawa. Let me give you an example. Why do the Navy Seabees need their own base on Okinawa with housing, a gym, a club etc.? Since they are a part of the Navy and they are not that many of them, couldn't they be easily moved on to White Beach or even one of the many Marine Bases and the land taken up by the Base known as Camp Shields be returned to Okinawa? There are things like this that could be done to reduce the burden on Okinawa but neither the Japanese Govt. or U.S. Military have the will or desire to do them.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Suga, U.S. Marine head oppose China's assertiveness in Indo-Pacific See in context

Yubaru,

Never was in the AF, but was in the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Hallelujah, everybody in Nago and Henoko are going to be driving a Rolls-Royce  and a Bentley because of all of the govt. spending! And when the govt. spending dries up but you are still left with that monstrosity sitting permanently in Oura Wan Bay, what then? Are private companies with good paying jobs re-locating to Nago and Henoko?

Didn't say that the Marines don't matter, I just don't think that that they matter on Okinawa. When I first came to Okinawa in 1967, the Marines were disliked by all of the other branches of the Military and the people of Okinawa and they are stilled disliked today. Some things never change.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Suga, U.S. Marine head oppose China's assertiveness in Indo-Pacific See in context

Why does the U.S. Marines have the most bases and take up so much land on Okinawa when they contribute the least to the defense of Japan than any other Military Force on Okinawa?

Please stop the BS of wanting to reduce the burden on Okinawa when all you do is take the burden from one part of Okinawa and place it on another part of Okinawa.

If all of the U.S. Marines left Okinawa tomorrow, not one member of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy or Okinawan would miss them. The Marines have never been liked on Okinawa and never will be!

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Posted in: Biden unlikely to alter U.S. base transfer plan in Okinawa: locals See in context

The people of Okinawa deserve respect and gratitude for sacrificing their quality of life in order to host massive U.S. Military Bases that not only defend Japan but defend the Philippines, Taiwan and other countries in the area but all they get is disrespect and snide remarks like give them to China. And for all of you people who say that the people of Okinawa always have their hands out begging to the Japanese Govt., the people of Okinawa deserve a lot more than what they get from the Japanese Govt. and for Okinawa to have a very large portion of its prime land taken up by U.S. Military Bases but yet is among the poorest prefectures in Japan is a disgrace.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Chinese ships spotted near Japanese islands for record number of days See in context

I guess China is neither impressed with or scared by the Keen Sword exercise by  U.S. and Japan armed forces that is going on right now and is meant to deter this type of activity by China.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to export defense radar system to Philippines See in context

Desert Tortoise,

I first came to Okinawa in 1967 as a member of the UI.S. Army Special Forces and I have lived here as a civilian since 1971 and worked on the U.S. Bases on Okinawa for over 40 years until I retired. The U.S. Bases on Okinawa are not just for the defense of Okinawa and Mainland Japan, they would also be used for the defense of the Philippines, Taiwan and other countries in the area. The U.S. Bases on Okinawa have been used for every U.S. war from Korea including Vietnam, the Gulf War and the war in Iraq an Afghanistan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to export defense radar system to Philippines See in context

Desert Tortoise,

The Philippines is a freeloader on defense! The people of Okinawa have to bear the burden for their defense! But in reality who would want to take over that country with all of its poverty and corruption!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to export defense radar system to Philippines See in context

The Philippines kicked the U.S. Military out but they still want the U.S. to protect them so now the people of the small island of Okinawa have to bear the burden of hosting U.S. Military Bases to defend them and the Japanese Taxpayers have pay the cost to defend them. The P.I. are the true freeloaders on defense in the region!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Okinawa urges U.S. to do more to stop virus outbreak at bases See in context

rgcivilian1,

So what you are saying is that the United States does not consider Japan to be an equal ally and because of WWII will always consider Japan to be under its control and will never give them any concessions or renegotiate the SOFA.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Okinawa urges U.S. to do more to stop virus outbreak at bases See in context

This exposes the problem of just how weak the Japanese Govt. is when it comes to dealing with the U.S. Military. Japan allows massive U.S. Bases on their soil but have absolutely zero control over them. Hopefully this will lead to a proper revision of the SOFA Agreement and allow Japan more control over these bases but I have my doubts. In the 1990s, both Germany and Italy demanded and got major revisions to their SOFA Agreements and you should look at the link below and compare the controls that Italy and Germany have versus Japan.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180422/p2a/00m/0na/005000c

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: Bloc against U.S. base transfer keeps majority in Okinawa election See in context

I am always amused at several posters who are always anti- Abe and LDP except when it comes to Okinawa and then they become ardent supporters. So for all of you Abe and LDP Central Govt. lovers, I will leave you with this article taken from The Asahi Shimbun dated 2 May 2020;

A total of 30.2 billion yen (282.24 million U.S Dollars) in central government funding went down the drain after officials in Tokyo were finally forced to concede that some land reclamation work for a U.S. military base in Okinawa Prefecture was doomed before it started. The money was paid to construction companies that had been contracted to build embankments or reclaim land in Oura Bay off the Henoko district of Nago in the southernmost prefecture.

Funding was paid to six contractors, including work for embankment construction. The Defense Ministry was forced to alter the project's design due to the existence of soft seabed discovered in the bay, a situation that emerged as far back as at least 2016 but was withheld from the public. The existence of weak subsoil in the bay was detected in a drilling survey conducted between 2014 and 2016. Even so, the central government plowed ahead with the land reclamation project in December 2018 without publicly acknowledging the finding that would eventually prove to be a major setback.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Bloc against U.S. base transfer keeps majority in Okinawa election See in context

Most of the work all ready completed at Henoko has been deemed unnecessary because due to the incompetence of the Japanese Govt. there has to be a major design change which is going to increase the cost several times.. The J-Govt. has to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Japanese Construction companies for work that was not necessary. This location at Henoko was a mistake and this project has been a disaster from Day One. What the Japanese Taxpayers are getting with this Henoko Relocation Project is a tremendous waste of their tax money and a facility that is of little importance to the defence of Japan. Japan has a Ministry of Defence but no Defence experts, only bureaucrats whose expertise is wasting tax money. How anybody can still support this White Elephant that has always been just a large pork barrel public works spending project without any accountability is beyond me.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: Looking for laughs See in context

Talentless and Clueless!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: U.S. Forces extends health emergency to all of Japan See in context

Tom,

Private Japanese Companies who do construction or maintenance work inside the U.S. Bases are paid by the U.S. Military unless it is a GOJ Project then it is paid for by Japan. All Japanese who work inside the U.S. Bases and are MLC and work directly for the Military or are IHA and work for organizations like AAFES, MWR or MCCS are paid for by the Japanese Govt. I cannot speak for Mainland Japan but inside the Bases on Okinawa there are a lot of U.S. Civilians and Military Dependents working so the idea that Japanese are taking work away from U.S. Citizens is nonsense. Again I cannot speak for Mainland Japan but on Okinawa the Japanese Govt. has built excellent housing, dependent schools, daycare centers, medical facilities and leisure facilities for the U.S. Military and their families. The bottom line is that the Japanese Govt. has spent more money on the U.S. Military and their families than any other host nation in the world.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to pick partner this year for next fighter jet development See in context

gaijintraveller,

Very well said and the absolute truth! Have you noticed how the J-Govt. has no trouble finding money when it comes to projects like this and nobody ever asks how are we going to pay for it.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Posted in: Sanders quits U.S. presidential race See in context

So the voters of the U.S. get to choose between two candidates who are both  Pro-Business, Anti-Worker, and Pro-Military Industrial Complex. Both candidates have questions concerning their Mental Health and both candidates have been accused of Sexual Assault. What a choice, like having to choose between being shot to death or stabbed to death.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Posted in: Abe tells Trump Japan preparing for Tokyo Olympics as planned See in context

If Trump really pushes the postponement until next year then Abe and the Olympic Committee will have no choice but to comply. If the U.S. refuses to participate, you can bet that other important countries will follow and if major countries do not participate and their media outlets do not broadcast the games then the Olympics will be a disaster.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Military might: Japan’s expanding needs open market to U.S. defense business See in context

Cannot believe countries still want to waste the taxpayers money on overpriced weapons and defence systems that are useless against viruses and natural disasters. Spend the taxpayers money wisely on improving the lives of the people and keep a large fund available to help people in the case of natural disasters and medical emergences like the Corona Virus.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Okinawa governor renews demand to stop U.S. base relocation plan See in context

All those arrogant MOD Bureaucrats who have been spitting in the faces of the people of Okinawa all of these years now have egg all over their faces because their inept planning has caused massive cost increases and time delays. When the J-Govt. comes begging for your signature to change the construction plan Gov. Tamaki, just give them the middle finger because that is all they deserve!

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Posted in: Time and cost of relocation of U.S. base in Okinawa to double See in context

If the Japanese Govt. is publicly saying that costs will double then you can be assured that costs will actually triple or quadruple. This is a massive waste of taxpayers money with the Main Beneficiaries being Large Mainland Japanese Companies who are huge donors to the LDP.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan extends construction period for U.S. base in Okinawa to 10 years See in context

Inept Japanese Bureaucrats and Inept Japanese Politicians along with a sham Environmental Impact Survey and a sham Pre-Construction Survey equals the Disaster known as the MCAS Futenma to Henoko Relocation Plan. So the same Japanese Govt. who was screaming that MCAS Futenma is the most dangerous base in the world and has to be closed right away to protect the safety of the people of Ginowan is now saying that closing MCAS Futenma after 2030 is no problem! Neither the Japanese Govt. or the U.S. Military care anything about the safety of the people of Ginowan because if they did they would have started negotiating the closure of MCAS Futenma on May 15, 1972 which is the date of Reversion. In 2030, the necessity of the Marines on Okinawa for the security of Japan will be even less than it is in 2019. This Henoko Relocation Project is more about enriching Mainland Japanese Construction Companies who are huge donors to the LDP than it is about the Security of Japan. Any money spent on the U.S. Marines on Okinawa is a waste of money that would be better spent on upgrading the JSDF. Get the Marines completely out of Okinawa and return all of that wasted land back to Okinawa. Keep Kadena Air Base, U.S. Army Bases and the U.S. Navy Base at White Beach and those forces along with the JSDF can defend Okinawa and Japan without any problem.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Trump says he asked Abe to pay more to host U.S. troops See in context

Trump should visit Okinawa and see the facilities the Japanese Govt. has built for the U.S. Military. He could play 18 holes of golf at the U.S. Marines Taiyo Country Club that the Japanese Taxpayers paid for or if he does not have time for 18 holes, he could play at the 9 hole course built by the Japanese Taxpayers at the Chibana Sports Complex. He could visit at the High school, Jr. High Schools and Elementary Schools built for U.S. Military Children by the Japanese Taxpayers and see the facilities and nice areas to play on that the children have and then he can go to a local school on Okinawa and see the facilities and areas that they have to play on. Then he can visit one of the Centrally A/C Centrally Heated Housing Units that the Japanese Taxpayers built for the U.S. Military. I do not understand why the Japanese Govt. continues to allow this myth that Japan is not spending enough on U.S. Forces in Japan. They should publish a list of every facility they have built on U.S. Bases in Japan including photos and costs for each facility. Japan has paid and continues to pay more than its fair share to host U.S. Forces in Japan.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: Should Japan pay more to Washington for hosting U.S. bases? See in context

Japan pays more than its fair share to cover the costs for stationing U.S. Military forces in Japan. I cannot speak for U.S. Bases in Mainland Japan but I can speak for the U.S. Bases on Okinawa and I can tell you that the Japanese Govt. has built first class housing, dependent schools, day care centers, and leisure facilities including golf courses for the U.S. Military and their dependents on Okinawa. In fact a lot of the Japanese Govt. funded construction on the bases on Okinawa have been for facilities that are not actually necessary for the defense of Japan but were built because of all of the Military Dependents on Okinawa. If you believe that Japan is getting a free ride, then come and take a tour of the bases on Okinawa and see how the U.S. Military and their dependents live thanks to the money spent by the Japanese Govt. and I think you will change your mind.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

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