SENATE RESOLUTION RECOGNIZES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF TREATY OF MUTUAL SECURITY AND COOPERATION WITH JAPAN

Washington, DC—The Senate last night approved a resolution introduced by Senator Jim Webb, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, which recognized the 50^th anniversary of the ratification of the Treaty of Mutual Security and Cooperation with Japan and affirmed support for the United States-Japan security alliance and relationship (S.RES.564).

“The U.S.-Japan alliance has preserved for generations a largely stable environment in Asia which has directly and crucially contributed to the region’s robust economic growth and political development,” said Webb.  “Recent troubles in the region—for example, the sinking of the Republic of Korea’s ship, the Cheonan, by North Korea—have underscored the need to maintain this strategic relationship and regional balance.”

The bipartisan resolution was cosponsored by Senators Kit Bond, Benjamin Cardin, Christopher Dodd, James Inhofe, John Kerry, Joseph Lieberman, and Richard Lugar.

“The U.S.-Japan alliance is critical to the continued security and economic prosperity of the Asia Pacific region.  It is critical we continue to strengthen this strategic partnership between our two nations in order to deal with new and emerging challenges in the 21st century,” said Senator Kit Bond.

“For more than half a century, our alliance with Japan has been the foundation for unprecedented security, freedom, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Like all Americans, I am proud of that our alliance has grown into a force for good all over the world. In a dynamic and uncertain future, I am convinced that our alliance and friendship with Japan will only grow more important,” said Senator Joe Lieberman.

The full text of the resolution is below:

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Treaty of Mutual Security and   

       Cooperation with Japan, and affirming support for the United States-Japan security alliance  

       and relationship.

Whereas Japan became a treaty ally of the United States with the signing of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security on January 19, 1960;

Whereas the treaty entered into force on June 23, 1960, after its ratification by the Japanese Diet and the United States Senate;

Whereas, in furtherance of the treaty, Japan hosts approximately 36,000 members of the United States Armed Forces, 43,000 dependents, and 5,000 civilian employees of the Department of Defense, with a majority located on the island of Okinawa;

Whereas the United States and Japan signed the Roadmap for Realignment Implementation on May 1, 2006, to strengthen the alliance by maintaining defense capabilities while reducing burdens on local communities;

Whereas the United States and Japan signed the Guam Agreement on February 17, 2009, on the relocation of approximately 8,000 Marines assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) personnel and their approximately 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to Guam, which would reduce the presence of the Marine Corps on Okinawa by nearly half;

Whereas the Governments of the United States and Japan maintain a strong security partnership through joint exercises between the United States Armed Forces and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces;

Whereas Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have contributed broadly to global security missions, including relief operations following the tsunami in Indonesia in 2005, reconstruction in Iraq from 2004 to 2006, relief assistance following the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, and maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden;

Whereas Japan assists in the United States-led effort in Afghanistan where it ranks as the second-largest donor after the United States pledging $5,000,000,000 over five years to improve infrastructure, education, and health, in addition to underwriting, with the United Kingdom, a reintegration trust fund for former Taliban fighters;

Whereas Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have played a vital role in United Nations’ peace keeping operations around the world, beginning in 1992 when Japan dispatched two 600-member engineering battalions to the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC);

Whereas the sinking of the Republic of Korea’s Cheonan naval ship by North Korea was a direct provocation intended to destabilize Northeast Asia and demonstrates the importance of cooperation between the United States and Japan on regional security issues;

Whereas recent maritime activities by China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy to challenge Japan’s sovereignty claims in waters contested by Japan and China underscore the vital nature of the United States-Japan alliance to maintaining a balance of security in the region;

Whereas, on May 28, 2010, members of the United States-Japan Security Consultative Committee reconfirmed that, in this 50th anniversary year of the signing of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, the United States-Japan alliance remains “indispensable not only to the defense of Japan, but also to the peace, security, and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region”;

Whereas the security alliance has served as the foundation for deep cultural, political, and economic ties between the people of the United States and the people of Japan; and

Whereas Japan remains a steadfast global partner with shared values of freedom, democracy, and liberty: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) affirms its commitment to the United States-Japan security alliance and the deep friendship of both countries that is based on shared values;

(2) recognizes the benefits of the alliance to the national security of the United States and Japan, as well as to regional peace and security;

(3) recognizes the contributions of and expresses appreciation for the people of Japan, and in particular the people of Okinawa, in hosting members of the United States Armed Forces and their families in Japan;

(4) values the involvement of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in regional and global security operations;

(5) promotes the implementation of the Roadmap for Realignment to reduce the burden on local communities while maintaining the United States strategic posture in Asia; and

(6) anticipates the continuation of the steadfast alliance with its invaluable contribution to global peace, democracy, and security.

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