North Korea, China give Japan a couple reasons to keep US Marines on Okinawa

**Don** · 26-05-2010, 11:12 PM

...most of them (the Japanese) prefer that Okinawa bear the brunt of the US military presence rather than distribute that burden around the country. And many Japanese leaders think their country of 130 million people can soon have enough military might without US help to stand up to a China with 1.3 billion people. They ignore America's stabilizing role in a region fraught with tensions and historic enmities.

I might add that from spending 2 years on Okinawa, most other Japanese look down on the Okinawans as poor relations, at best and as such probably consider the Marines as a proper burden for them. Plus since the Marines are already there, Japan doesn't have to bear any expense in moving them elsewhere in the islands.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Editorial-Board-Blog/2010/0524/North-Korea-China-give-Japan-a-couple-reasons-to-keep-US-Marines-on-Okinawa?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_ campaign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Ftop+%28Christian+Science+ Monitor+|+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

**Tantal** · 27-05-2010, 04:40 PM

Let's close the base and let the Japanese fend for themselves. In the past 60 years I think that they've demostrated that they can be trusted again. Besides, who would they invade if allowed to re-militarize? Korea? China? Doubtful.

**Don** · 27-05-2010, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by Tantal

Let's close the base and let the Japanese fend for themselves. In the past 60 years I think that they've demostrated that they can be trusted again. Besides, who would they invade if allowed to re-militarize? Korea? China? Doubtful.

AH my friend, the idea was and is to fend off China and NK. Showing the flag. Just a hop skip and a jump across the South China Sea. Also we used to control the entire island up to 1980 or so, civilian population, everything. We also used it as a jumping off point to VN.

**Robin Edward Putland** · 27-05-2010, 08:49 PM

If American Marines did leave and China attack with enough force to take the Island quickly then no one would contest it and Japan would be lost to tyranny. It would also leave South Korea very vunrable to attack from all sides meaning any soldiers leaving Japan would end up there.

**Nicholas A. R. Fraser** · 21-01-2011, 11:03 AM

This is reply to the post that China would invade Japan if the US marines pulled out of the Okinanwan base:

What you say is alarmist for two reasons, I think that you radically oversimplify the geo-political and economic relationship between China and the US.

1) YOUR COMMENT ASSUMES THAT AMERICAN POWER IN THE REGION RELIES SOLELY ON ITS BASES IN JAPAN. Japan has long been established as a buffer to China by the US and I seriously doubt that they would ever give it up. If they did they would compensate by sending troops to Taiwan and/or South Korea and the rumblings in the South China Sea between the two powers demonstrates that the US is still a powerful player in the region.

2) YOUR COMMENT ASSUMES THAT CHINA WOULD BE ABLE TO AND READILY GO TO WAR WITH A KEY AMERICAN ALLY IN THE REGION. This might be possible militarily but it would be economic and diplomatic suicide for China. Diplomatically, it would have no credibility and be condemned. It would likely loose its place on the UN Security Council and be attacked unilaterally by the US and/or by a multi-national effort. Economically, China would risk sanctions by many countries by boycotting Chinese goods--if this was effective it would seriously hurt the Chinese export market. If any combination of these events happened the rapid decline of the Chinese market would hurt the American and world markets very quickly. CHINA WOULD NOT INVADE JAPAN NOR WILL AMERICAN FORCES VACATE EAST ASIA--EITHER MOVE WOULD BE TOO CATASTROPHIC.