[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 23, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5323-S5324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 564--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

  Mr. WEBB (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. 
Bond) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 564

       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;

[[Page S5324]]

       Whereas the treaty entered into force on June 19, 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 peacekeeping 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.

                          ____________________