Text Fwd: Report from Hamamatsu, Japan, on AWACS and PAC-3

* Image Source as in the sites at the bottom
* Text fwd from Makiko Sato on May 8, 2009

Report from Hamamatsu, Japan, on AWACS and PAC-3

1. Ten Years Since the Array of AWACS

In 1998 and 1999, four AWACS, Airborne Warning and Control System, were arrayed at the Hamamatsu Air Base of the Japan Air Self Defense Force, the JASDF. Ten　years later, in May 2008, PAC-3, Patriot Advanced Capability, was arrayed at the Hamamatsu Air Base.

We are going to take a look at the military movement in Hamamatsu in these ten years. In 1999, together with the array of AWACS, the Exhibition “Museum” of the JASDF was constructed at the Hamamatsu Air Base, and the aerial acrobatics by Blue Impulse, (which were discontinued after its crash in 1982), was resumed. In 2000, AWACS was used in the Japan-America United Exercise, and was dispatched exercises in Alaska. It was also used to watch the Korean Peninsula, the World Cup, and the Summit in Toyako.

After the Iraq War broke out in 2003, the Japanese government dispatched the JSDF there. The C-130 at the Komaki Air Base was painted blue at the Hamamatsu Air Base to make it difficult to be seen in the Iraqi air. Troops were dispatched to Iraq 33 times from the Hamamatsu Air Base; the total number was 122. One of the troops who had returned from Iraq committed suicide because of the harassment within the troops, and the bereaved brought a lawsuit against the JSDF in 2008.

Thus, Hamamatsu has become the Japanese stronghold for dispatching troops. At the same time, however, there have been movements for recovering human rights.

As well as the anti-war movement, investigations have been made on the war-time bombings of Asian countries, war-time poison gas training in Hamamatsu, and the war-time historic sites in Hamamatsu. There has been a new discovery about the bombings. For example, the Japan Army School had researched on bombing with poison gas in Chichiharu, and its research and training were directly used in the real battle; even now its abandoned bombs are causing harm on humans there.

Recently the United States has been ruling over space and urging the global war. It is the missile defense system and PAC-3 that support “the preemptive attack.” PAC-3 was secretly arrayed in the Hamamatsu Air Base in May, 2008. It was after the array that the official announcement was made to citizens. In the Hamamatsu Air Base there are anti-aircraft artillery training teams, AAA, and maintenance teams, so the arrayed PAC-3 is for training and maintenance. In September of last year, PAC-3 from the Hamamatsu Air Base was used for a test launching in the White-Sons Launching Site in New Mexico.

Some citizens’ groups in the Tokai Region (Nagoya, Gifu, Mie, and Hamamatsu) formed a network against the array of PAC-3 in February, 2009. In the middle of the night in late Feb. 2009, PAC-3 was secretly arrayed from Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, the company that is licensed to produce PAC-3, to Gifu Base, guarded by 300 policemen. In late March, 2009, the Japanese Government announced preemptive destruction order of the “satellite” launched from North Korea, and PAC-3 from the Hamamatsu Air Base was arrayed for this in the Tohoku region in the north part of Japan.

In a real battle, PAC-3 is used under the united-command of Japan and the US which rules the space. Such usage of PAC-3 is in violation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution which prohibits collective defense and warfare. It is true that the real target of PAC-3 is Article 9. We are living in such a dangerous situation. However, to change our time from out of global war to out of global peace, we would like to learn from history and pursue such movements as to prevent Hamamatsu from becoming a military stronghold ever again.

2. The Movement of PAC-3 in Hamamatsu Air Base after the Invocation of MD in 2009

The Aso Administration announced “preventative destruction order” on March 27 in reaction to the launching of a ‘satellite’ by Korea. It was to array the MD unit for ‘interception’, which meant the destruction of the pacifism of the Japanese Constitution by the Japanese government.

On March 19, Hamamatsu Air Base announced notification of the passing of PAC-3 related vehicles to Iwate, Akita, and Hamamatsu City. Akita Prefecture received the announcement on 23^rd, and on 26^th the paper reported, ‘it was for training the unit.’ PAC-3 was carried out from the Hamamatsu Air Base at 7:00 a.m. A convoy, whose members were in camouflage fatigues, came out of its north gate, protected by police. Four units with 50 vehicles headed for the Shimizu Port by way of the Tomei Highway, and sailed for Tohoku on a ferry named Daiichi-Ariake-maru which belonged to a private company. We had a protest against it at Hamamatsu Air Base. We also went to city hall on the 30^th to request that Mayor also oppose this movement.

On March 26^th, one day before the preventative destruction order, a small jet flew to the Hamamatsu Air Base with some senior members of the JSDF. They may have come to Hamamatsu to prepare for arraying PAC-3. This means they had prepared for arraying PAC-3 before the preventative destruction order.

AWACS, incorporated in the MD system, repeated watching on the Korean Peninsula. The main strategy of contemporary global war is hegemony of space, the preventative first strikes, missile defense, intelligence war, and creating wartime in peacetime. The recent movements have shown the same objectives: based on the information from US satellites, the Japanese government formed the united operational headquarters with the US, invoked MD, operated an intelligence war in the name of ‘missile’ defense, and created wartime in peacetime.

Stirring ‘the missile crisis’, the Aso administration invoked MD. This shows the fragile nature of the Aso administration which easily responds to crisis. The Defense Ministry made a blunder of issuing false information of the North Korean ‘launching’. In the metropolitan area PAC-3 was arrayed to guard mainly the Defense Ministry. These facts show that MD is useless, and that PAC-3 is for guarding not citizens but military strongholds like Ichigaya, Asaka, and Narashino, and that the PAC-3 arrayed in the Tohoku region was only a varnish.

There is a mystery. When PAC-3 was arrayed at the Hamamatsu Air Base, the JSDF explained it was only for training, and that they would not array the warhead. Where did the warhead of PAC-3 come from that was arrayed in Tohoku region?

Human Rights and Peace, Hamamatsu　（TAKEUCHI YASUTO）

HP　http://www16.ocn.ne.jp/~pacohama/

　　　http://www16.ocn.ne.jp/~pacohama/pac3/nopac3.html

Hamamatsu PO Box 77, Asahi-machi, Naka-ku、Hamamatsu City

T/F: JAPAN 053-422-4810