Toward a Peaceful Far East

     As far as an Infantry Division and other US forces are in South Korea, and a Marines Division and other US forces are in Japan, both of these countries are bound to function as the US bases.  It is particularly so in the case of Japan, as the Peace Treaty together with the Security Treaty were signed during the Korean War itself, enabling the whole country to be used as the US bases to support the UN forces under the US command in the Korean Peninsula.  The legal framework has remained as it was.  Both of these Treaties with Japan were signed right in the middle of the Korean War and were meant for the anti-DPRK and anti-Chinese purposes.

     Suppose an ASEAN-like superstructure comes into sight in the East Asia.  What are the uses of the US Infantry or the Marines?  Is there any need for the US forces to defend South Korea or Japan, and against whom, let alone to move to other places to fight new enemies?  The main US objective when having a Peace Treaty with Japan in 1951 was to find ways and means of maintaining and freely using their military bases in Japan, thus to continue the situation of occupation of Japan.  That need has disappeared now, or is going to before long.  Where is the need, for example, for constructing the gigantic Henoko Air Base at Okinawa, which is said to serve for 200 years?

     It may sound idealistic, but this is no longer the time for the Security Treaties and the foreign bases.  These are the things which are blocking the countries like Japan and South Korea from becoming really independent ones.  It is many years now since the DPRK has been free from foreign troops and foreign bases and in that sense she is far ahead of others like Japan.

     For the Japanese the foremost question would be where is Japan going to place itself in the new Far East, particularly in connection with the DPRK.  We will talk about it tomorrow.