The US Army on Wednesday upgraded a base in Japan into a key Asian operational hub, despite protests by local leaders who oppose a greater influx of US troops. Camp Zama on Tokyo's outskirts was named a forward headquarters of the I Corps, which is under the Pacific Command but whose troops have also been sent to Iraq.
The I Corps headquarters remains at Fort Lewis in the western US state of Washington, but the forward unit gives Camp Zama the communications network to co-ordinate in response to an emergency. The Central Readiness Force of the Japanese army-known as the Self-Defence Forces due to the pacifist constitution-also plans to move here by the 2012 fiscal year as Tokyo takes a more active military role abroad.
I Corps commander Lieutenant General Charles H. Jacoby, taking part in a ceremony to launch the forward headquarters in Japan, said it would help the US military "to work more closely with our indispensable ally."
The United States is required by treaty to defend Japan. Edward Roper, who handles host nation relations for the US army in Japan, said that "in addition to defending Japan, the unit is also for contingencies in areas surrounding Japan."
But the ceremony was boycotted by all local leaders in the base area, including the governor of Kanagawa prefecture. "It's impossible for us to attend such a ceremony as we received no alternative plans to ensure this does not become a permanent facility," a spokesman for Zama city said.
The US military has been tight-lipped on how many more troops would be brought in. Japanese media reports, quoting local officials, estimated that 30 to 300 more US soldiers would arrive. More than 40,000 US troops are based in Japan and have often had uneasy relations with local populations who accuse them of causing crime and noise.
The Camp Zama upgrade was part of a realignment plan agreed by Washington and Tokyo in 2005 which is part of a global transformation by the US military to meet new challenges. Under the deal, around 8,000 US troops are expected to leave Japan for the US Pacific island of Guam.
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