To all the American troops stationed in Japan, thank you once again.
There should be more coverage of your activities in Japan.
The Japanese media did not adequately cover the cooperation of the U.S. troops
The Japanese are not a people who forget what others have done for them. However, there is something impeding their human sincerity from being adequately displayed and that is how the mass media in Japan covers events.
Below is an article published on our Japanese site, The Liberty web, on April 2, 2011.
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On April 1 the Self-Defense Forces, together with U.S. troops stationed in Japan and the Japan Coast Guard, started an intensive search for those missing in the coastal regions of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures during which they recovered the bodies of victims. With a total force of 25,000 made up of about 18,000 Self-Defense Force personnel and 7,000 U.S. troops, they will devote all efforts to finding those missing over three days until April 3.
Considering that it has been three weeks since the earthquake, the chances of finding survivors are slim. In fact it will probably mainly be finding and recovering bodies. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Self-Defense Forces in addition to the 7,000 Americans who, as part of Operation Tomodachi, are taking part in this difficult and trying task.
How did the major Japanese newspapers report the start of this Japan-U.S. search operation in the evening edition on April 1? In order of the breadth of their coverage, the Yomiuri reported it at the top of the front page with a photo of the U.S. Navy Essex aircraft carrier. The Nikkei reported it in the middle of the front page with a photo of a Self-Defense Force helicopter. The Asahi reported it at the top of the second page, but the article was short and there was no photo. The Mainichi reported it on one of the last pages with a photo of a Self-Defense Force diver. The Tokyo did not report it at all. The Yomiuri was the only newspaper that reported the search operation of the some 7,000 U.S. troops with a photo of the U.S. Forces.
In response to a question from a follower in Tokyo on March 31, Master Ryuho Okawa of Happy Science replied to the effect, “the U.S. fleet has cooperated considerably in Operation Tomodachi, but it has not received adequate coverage in the Japanese media. Coverage of the relief operation of the Self-Defense Forces has also been lacking. The first I saw of the rescue operation by U.S. troops was on CNN.” The Japanese media should report more on the activities of the U.S. Forces.
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The U.S. is in the midst of a presidential election. Regardless of who becomes the next president, at the present stage where Japan is not in a position to exercise its autonomous defense capability, Japan should maintain the Japan-U.S. alliance.
The Democratic Party of Japan and the Noda administration continues to stray on the issue of relocating the U.S. Futenma airbase in Okinawa. Using the occasion of the first anniversary of the earthquake, the government should once again express their gratitude to the U.S. Forces that conducted Operation Tomodachi. In addition, from a security perspective, they must realize that further strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance is a pressing matter. The Japanese mass media should also change their slant that a U.S. airbase is unnecessary. This may bring a threat to Japan’s national defense. They should adopt a fair and realistic attitude in its coverage.
This does not mean that there is only unfair media in Japan. On the first anniversary of the earthquake, The Liberty, like the HRP, would like to once again express a heartfelt gratitude to all the U.S. troops stationed in Japan for their role in Operation Tomodachi.
