It is a curious point that seven U.S. military bases in Japan fly the United Nations flag. While the reason is rooted in history, its significance for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and with it in the rest of Northeast Asia, is as important today as it has ever been.
From Futenma, Kadena and White Beach in Okinawa to Sasebo on Kyushu and Yokota, Camp Zama and Yokosuka on Honshu — these flags indicate bases across Japan designated for multinational usage. Alongside the U.S., their operations are overseen by a small but important headquarters west of Tokyo that is part of the United Nations Command (UNC) force structure established in 1950 to support South Korea during the Korean War.
It’s called the UNC’s rear area headquarters — or UNC-Rear — and the roles it plays could prove crucial in the event of a renewed breakout of hostilities on the peninsula as it would facilitate the flow of forces, assets and materiel from nine UNC member states through Japan.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.