Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-young expressed concern Tuesday about recent reports that the U.S. and Japan have a operational plan, dating from 2002, calling for joint operations in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula. Meeting with Social Democratic Party of Japan chairperson Fukushima Mizuho, who is currently on visit to Korea, Lee said reports that the U.S. and Japan had joint operation plans in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula were discomforting. He also said recent moves to amend the Japanese constitution to strengthen the scope of the Japanese Self Defense Force and the deployment of Aegis warships in the East Sea have given him the feeling that Japan is strengthening a “new Cold War system” against China.
Lee did say, however, that the view of history held by Japan’s citizens was not that simple, and he would take interest and watch to see if Japan chose a foreign policy line in conformity with the interests of the Japanese people. He also praised Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro efforts to move forward with diplomatic normalization talks with the North Koreans, despite the unpopularity of that policy within Japan. He also said those efforts were playing a role in softening hardline U.S. policy.
3 Comments
Toss the pro-Nork in the clink where he belongs.
Japan is signatory to a treaty with United Nations whereby seven Japanese bases are reserved for U.N. use in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula. I believe that use of these bases by the United Nations Command is premised upon the mere existence of a conflict on the Korean peninsula to which the U.N. is party. If that is the case, I would expect that there is an OPLAN for support operations to implement that plan, and with the U.S. being the major non-Korean force provider, their component commands in Japan should have joint plans with the JDF.
Are these the “joint plans” in question? If so, the Uri party chairman is merely playing politics. The “japan card”, so to speak.
These “secret plan” stories are always overblown. Yes, the US military has a secret invasion plan for essentially every single possible scenario– it would be insane to not have one.