APPROVED FOR RELEASE 2025 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14176
(Classification)
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
GIST: JAPAN: A new source of friction to US-Japan relations?
INR BRIEFING NOTE
TO: The Director, INR
DATE: June 12, 1963
TIME: regular morning
COMMENTS CONTAINED IN INR BRIEFING NOTES ARE INITIAL AND TENTATIVE.
SOURCE(S)
TDCS-314/09548 Confidential
6/12/63
CLASS./CONTROL(S)
The Japan Peace Committee, a Japan Communist Party Front, has obtained a complete set of the Japanese-language documents covering nine years of negotiations between the Japan Defense Agency (JDA) and US forces in Japan regarding the return of the East Fuji training field. The Peace Committee plans to pass the English translation of the document to the Fuji Farmers Association which will then present it to US representatives involved in the negotiations. The Japan Peace Committee hopes that the disclosure of these documents, which represent the JDA position, will foster distrust between the JDA side and the US side. The Fuji farmers hope to obtain immediate eviction of the Americans and monetary compensation from the Japanese government for use of the land by the JSDF. Both are dissatisfied with the efforts of JDA to obtain the return of the land to Japanese control.
Tokyo's 9180, Confidential
6/12/63
Embassy Comment: JDA has split over return of Fuji training area with JDA military officers hoping US will continue control of the maneuver area while civilians under Director General JDA working to have Fuji status revised from permanent US control to temporary US use. Whatever the effect the disclosure of these documents has on the negotiations, it will enable press to focus attention on yet another irritant to US-Japan relations.
REA Comment: At any other time the disclosure of these documents might have been of only slight interest but coming after several other incidents it may add to the burgeoning public concern about the US military presence in Japan.
INR OFFICE
BRIEFER
EXTENSION
REA
Cheatham
4640
CONFIDENTIAL
(Classification)
INR 31097 DocId:33061196 Page 1
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