Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Tuesday denied earlier reports about a secret deal with the United States military concerning the joint use of a US Marine base in the southern prefecture of Okinawa
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi on Tuesday denied earlier reports about a secret deal with the United States military concerning the joint use of a US Marine base in the southern prefecture of Okinawa.
On Monday, the Kyodo news agency reported on a secret deal reached in 2015 between then-chief of the Ground Self-Defense Force, Gen. Kiyofumi Iwata, and Lt. Gen. Lawrence, a commander of the US forces in Okinawa at the time, meant stationing a regiment of the GSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade at the US Marines' Camp Schwab in Okinawa's Henoko district.
"We are not considering placement amphibious rapid deployment units as well as joint use of Camp Schwab. The decisions are made based on a wide discussion [of such issues] by Japan and the US' foreign and defense ministries. These issues are not for the Ground Self-Defense Force and the Marines to decide. The Ground Self-Defense Force is taking into account different options, and I would refrain from giving answers on any of them," Kishi said, according to Kyodo.
Despite being just 0.6 percent of Japan's territory, Okinawa hosts most of the US' forces and military installations in the country. Per the prefecture's data, some 25,800 US servicemen, as well as 19,000 of their family members and civilians, reside there.
