Japan and the United States have finalized a plan to realign U.S. military bases in Japan by 2014. The plan, adopted at a "two-plus-two" meeting in Washington D.C. of the two countries' ministers in charge of foreign affairs and defense, has two objectives: One is to reduce the burden on local citizens and municipalities near U.S. military facilities, especially the burden on Okinawa, which accounts for 75 percent of all area in Japan dedicated to U.S. military facilities. The other is to strengthen the U.S. capability to deal with military contingencies even if they occur far away from Japan.
The plan is part of Washington's global-posture realignment effort, which includes a strengthening of its force structure in the Pacific theater. Under the plan, Japan will be further integrated into the U.S. global strategy. Thus it may drastically change the character of Japan-U.S. security relations. It is regrettable, therefore, that the Japanese government has agreed to the force realignment without putting the essential nature of the plan to a public debate.
The main purpose of the U.S. force realignment on a global scale is to deal with new threats, including terrorist attacks, following 9/11. The realignment is designed to reduce forward deployment in Asia and Europe and make it more compact and mobile. Clear roles are envisaged for America's allies to perform.