Above, former Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Armitage lays out his views about the Futenma US Marine Air Corps Station fiasco at a CSIS Pacific Forum conference earlier this year.
Armitage accepts blame on behalf of the elites who basically run US-Japan relations for “not explaining” deterrence well enough to Japanese citizens to help them understand how important Futenma is. But his comments are essentially a defensive ongoing articulation — offered on 19 January 2010 — of why Futenma was important to the U.S.
Armitage, who then thought that the Democratic Party of Japan leadership would not yield to the US, called for a “Plan B” regarding Futenma.
Well, Hatoyama did cave — and then resigned.
But my hunch is that the drama over Okinawa and Futenma is not over.
So, first question to Rich Armitage at the CNAS-sponsored conference on US-Japan security relations is what was the “Plan B” that he and his team developed after calling for it last January?
— Steve Clemons
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