Description

• Title:
  Political Leadership and the Security Policy: Negotiations on the US Military Bases in Okinawa under the Murayama and Hashimoto Cabinets
• Creator:
  Bochorodycz, Beata
• Contributor:
  Żakowski, Karol;
  Adam Mickiewicz University
• Description:
  The monograph provides knowledge on the complex nature of both external and internal determinants influencing foreign policies of East Asian countries. Through a range of case studies on Japan, China, Taiwan and North Korea, the authors analyze international relations in East Asia as a mosaic of intertwining processes of globalization and regionalization, interests of global and regional powers, local social and economic conditions, national institutional arrangements, and even personal factors. They argue that sometimes a sudden change of one small element in this mosaic suffices to influence the whole system. Instead of providing a simplified interpretation of the analyzed processes, the monograph tries to illustrate them in their entire complexity.;
  The problem of the US military bases, including the relocation of the Futenma military air station and a construction of a Futenma replacement facility (FRF) in Okinawa, has been a difficult and contested issue in Japanese domestic and foreign affairs for decades. In November 1995 Prime Minister Murayama and Vice President Al Gore established a Special Action Committee on Okinawa for deliberation on the reduction and realignment of the military bases. In April 1996 President Clinton and PM Hashimoto decided on the relocation and construction of the FRF in the prefecture within five to seven years. As of 2015 the prospects for implementation seem dim, especially after the electoral victory of the anti–base governor Onaga Takeshi in November 2014. This article focuses on the decision–making process under two consecutive prime ministers, Murayama and Hashimoto, since it was during their premiership that the issue was set on the agenda and decided upon. The article argues that on one hand PM Murayama made several important decisions, but lacking enough experience and power as a minor coalition member, as well as due to short term in office, was not able to supervise implementation of his decisions. On the other hand, PM Hashimoto did exercise strong leadership in regard to Futenma Air Base, but as the LDP president his decisions run along the general policy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is in charge of the foreign policy formation on daily base. Furthermore, the American side agreed to the relocation since the benefits – a new and technologically advanced facility for the US army, entirely paid by the Japanese government, outweighed the hardship of the transfer. In the entire process, the Okinawan community, demanding removal of the bases outside the prefecture, was not consulted and hence the ongoing opposition to the US bases and FRF.;
  This article is a result of research conducted as a part of a project financed by the Polish National Science Centre based on decision No. DEC– 2013/11/B/HS5/04005.
• Object availability:
  free access
• Rights:
  Uznanie autorstwa-Użycie niekomercyjne-Bez utworów zależnych 3.0 Polska;
  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/pl ;
  © Copyright by Beata Bochorodycz, Łódź 2017, © Copyright for this edition by Uniwersytet Łódzki, Łódź 2017
• Date:
  2017.01.30;
  2017
• Type:
  Book chapter
• Language:
  English
• Format:
  application/pdf
• Publisher:
  Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Relation:
  Changing Determinants of Foreign Policy in East Asian Countries;;
  Contemporary Asian Studies Series;
• Subject:
  Foreign and defense policy;
  Futenma;
  military bases;
  decision making;
  prime minister role
• Identifier:
  B. Bochorodycz, Political Leadership and the Security Policy: Negotiations on the US Military Bases in Okinawa under the Murayama and Hashimo¬to Cabinets, [w:] K. Żakowski (ed.), Changing Determinants of Foreign Policy in East Asian Countries, Contemporary Asian Studies Series, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, Łódź 2017, s. 89-114.;
  http://hdl.handle.net/11089/20402 ;
  978-83-8088-376-5;
  10.18778/8088-376-5.06
• Data provider:
  Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Can I use it?:
  seek permission
• Type:
  text