A NEW ANTITERRORIST COMMAND CENTER AT CAMP ZAMA

Tokyo’s growing enthusiasm for participation in the War on Terrorism is beginning to take more concrete form. The Nihon Keizai Shinbun has reported that plans are now underway to set up an anti-terrorist command center in Camp Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, to begin operations in 2006. Camp Zama is an American military base, but under the new plan Japanese forces will also use the base.

According to the Nikkei, the initiative for this plan came from the Japanese side. During informal meetings in Washington on the 7th and 8th, Japanese officials made the proposal, and the US side agreed in principle.

Camp Zama is at the center of debates about how to reposition US forces in Japan. Soon, the US Army First Corps is expected to come to Camp Zama from the state of Washington, and this plan is intended to make this process smoother. This is also an important step in the direction of practical integration between US forces and the SDF. The basic notion is that it may soon be possible for US and Japanese forces to conduct joint “anti-terrorist” missions overseas.

Local citizens’ groups in the Zama area have already announced their opposition to these plans, and strong protests are said to be a clear possibility. In the current political climate, however, it seems likely that this project will in fact be carried through. US-Japan cooperation in regard to terrorism is now taking on a more institutional form.

In a related event, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura on the 14th gave a speech at the summit meeting of the UN Security Council. The opening passage of his talk was devoted to the issue of terrorism:

In the fight against terrorism, there are three important areas in which the international community must intensify its efforts. First, priority must be placed on the strengthening of measures to prevent terrorist acts. For its part, Japan adopted the Action Plan for Prevention of Terrorism last December and is in the process of reviewing both its legal institutions and government practices. Second, it is important to enhance international legal frameworks, as well as to improve our domestic legal system. Tomorrow, Prime Minister Koizumi will sign the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism here at the United Nations. I call upon all Member States to show their utmost flexibility so as to ensure early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Third, we must increase assistance for capacity-building against terrorism. I believe the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, has the capacity to play a greater role in each of these areas, as exemplified by the resolution adopted today.

From a civil liberties perspective, I can’t help but wonder what “enhancing international legal frameworks” and “improving our domestic legal system” really means in practice.