08 February 2002
Text: Adm. Blair Says World on the Offensive Against Terrorism
(Adm. Blair's Feb. 4 CNN interview in Japan) (2130)
The world is "on the offense" against terrorists and those who support
them, according to the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command
(CINCPAC).
Being on the offensive in the war on terrorism "makes it safer for all
Americans that are coming to Japan and other countries," Admiral
Dennis Blair said in a February 4 interview with CNN in Japan.
Blair cautioned that those who either use terrorist methods or support
terrorists "ought to be worrying about their own safety and not
worrying about attacking others."
In response to a question about the naming of North Korea as part of
an "axis of evil," Blair said the military's responsibility is "really
the deterrent part of this."
To ensure that deterrent capability, the admiral continued,
consultations with South Korea "are the most important."
Blair said the United States, with its alliance with Japan, has an
integrated force structure that counts "on working with Japan to be
able to maintain that deterrence."
He recalled that North Korea had fired its Taipo Dong missile over
Japan.
Following is the CINCPAC transcript of the event:
(begin text)
UNITED STATES PACIFIC COMMAND
TRANSCRIPT
Adm. Dennis C. Blair
Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command
Interview with Rebecca McKinnon, CNN Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan
February 4, 2002
Question: First of all, one big question as we're looking at the
relationship currently between the U.S. and Japan. The war on
terrorism. If the U.S. had no bases or virtually no bases here in
Japan today, they were all coming from Guam, Hawaii, how would the war
on terrorism have been different?
Adm. Blair: It would have been slower and not as effective. Some of
the forces here in Japan played important roles in the operations
against Afghanistan, both Navy forces and Air Force forces, and it was
important for them to be able to be here two weeks closer sailing time
than the United States.
Question: So it would have made a two week difference?
Adm. Blair: Right.
Question: Would it have made a critical difference, well it would have
been slower. Did it change what they were or were not able to do?
Adm. Blair: These things are really matters of degree, and faster and
more powerful is better than slower and weaker, so it made a
difference.
Question: Coming to this question a lot of people here in Japan have
been asking you about, President Bush's recent speech in which North
Korea was named as part of the axis of evil.
Before President Bush made this statement, was there any consultation
that went on with authorities here in Japan about what kind of impact
that kind of statement might have on countries in the region like
Japan?
Adm. Blair: Yeah. Our part of this dealing with North Korea, those of
us in uniform, is really the deterrent part of this. And of course our
consultations with South Korea are the most important. We have an
alliance and an integrated force structure that we also count on
working with Japan to be able to maintain that deterrence. That's to
me the more important factor. The North Korean Taipo Dong missile was
fired over Japan.
Question: There does seem to be a little concern here that perhaps, I
mean just speaking to people, you do catch them by surprise a little
bit, the characterization, North Korea, part of the evil axis. They're
a bit worried, as some other people have mentioned, that it could
create a backlash that perhaps a more subtle engagement approach, or
at least wait until Bush comes to the region and kind of consults with
regional leaders and develops a consensus and then sort of makes its
issue with North Korea more forceful. It kind of caught North Korea's
most immediate neighborhood by surprise, and perhaps that might not
have been the best thing.
Adm. Blair: Well, President Bush will be here in a couple of weeks and
he'll be consulting with both Japan and South Korea, who in Northeast
Asia are our two most important allies, and that's why he's coming, to
talk about these things.
I think the most important thing about the President's statement is,
as opposed to the time before the 11th of September, we the United
States and in fact we the world were on the offense against terrorism
and those who support them. I can tell you, that makes it safer for
all Americans that are coming to Japan and other countries and those
who either use terrorist methods of support them or think about them
ought to be worrying about their own safety and not worrying about
attacking others, innocent citizens like ours.
Question: In terms of the U.S./Japan alliance, one got the sense today
when you were speaking with the Japanese press that -- and I've gotten
the sense more too, that from a U.S. point of view the alliance is in
a very good place and the U.S. hopes it will continue pretty much
along these lines. A few squeaks here and there, but basically if it
continues forever roughly the same that's great.
Adm. Blair: Uh huh.
Question: There are more questions being raised, certainly within the
Japanese public and of course the government about whether that should
change. Really where Japan wants to go with this ultimately. Does it
really want to be that tied to the United States?
Is that your sense of the way it is? Is the United States pretty much
happy with the status quo, and Japan a little more uncomfortable with
the status quo?
Adm. Blair: I think that the continual revalidation of the alliance is
important. We're both democracies, countries that have votes like 100
to
Question: Another related question. I guess one of the things about
the alliance, one of the more philosophical questions, the alliance
was of course founded on, as formulated post World War II by
McArthur's staff, the idea that Japan was capable of doing a lot of
evil and it had to be prevented from doing so with a special
constitution that prevented it from developing a military the way all
the other countries in the region have militaries. So one kind of gets
the sense that while there is, the alliance per se is something I
think I get the sense that most Japanese think of course we want to be
aligned with the United States. Who else would we be allied with? Yet
at the same time it is quite uncomfortable with the fact that the tons
of the alliance comes from its history of guilt, comes from this
assumption that the Japanese are perhaps more capable of doing bad
things than other people in the region which at this point in time
seems a bit ludicrous.
Why can't Japan have all the things that China or Pakistan or India
have? Why should they be considered more likely to do bad things with
them than other countries? And yet somehow the alliance, because it's
based on this kind of sense of guilt, that's perhaps what grates on
people the most. What's your feeling about that?
Adm. Blair: I think the attitude towards the alliance are changing
with new generations and with new developments in both Japan herself
and in the situation in the region. I think the alliance and
particularly Japan's role within the alliance will be updated over
time. The cry you hear in Japan of we want to be a more normal nation,
I think that's the sort of path that you were talking about. So I
think it will evolve.
I have a feeling that as Japanese security thinking evolves it will
have a strong portion of it which will favor a tight alliance with the
United States. We have alliances with very mature countries such as
the United Kingdom and France and others that are founded on quite
different bases that look very similar, U.S. forces stationed in those
countries drawing together to do missions in third areas of the world.
So I think there's some room for the alliance to adapt based on
developments in Japanese security in a way that is healthy and
positive and serves Japan's interests.
Question: Just a follow-up on that. Could you see potentially, and
obviously it depends on what the Japanese want, but could you see
potentially a compatibility between a solid alliance and a more normal
Japanese military? A military that more resembles other militaries in
the region?
Adm. Blair: Absolutely. I think that's very possible, in many ways
desirable.
Question: Why do you think that's desirable?
Adm. Blair: Because Japan is a powerful country with a great deal of
national pride and they want to play. I think that Japan has learned
from reactions of the past and its strong commitment to a new way of
operating is permanent and solid and that kind of a Japan can be very
much in the interest of both the United States and the region as a
whole.
Question: Do you think the U.S. can play a role in convincing some of
Japan's neighbors who are a little nervous about that process to
become more comfortable with it?
Adm. Blair: I think Japan's neighbors feel that a Japan that is allied
with the U.S. is a good thing. So I think Japan's neighbors favor us
being here as Japan itself does.
Question: What do you think is least understood about the nature of
the relationship? In your talking, in gatherings like today, what's
your feeling about what is most understood in the alliance?
Adm. Blair: That's a good question. I don't have a quick answer for
you.
The understanding is very uneven. Those who work closely know a great
deal about each other, form personal friendships. Like anything else,
I think the misperceptions are mostly by those who don't deal on a
day-to-day basis.
I had a question today at the press conference expressing a pretty
extreme viewpoint about the relationship and I'll bet that's a person
who has not been on a U.S. ship here in Japan and has not been to
dinner with an American family that lives here. Those who have find
that we have a great deal in common and the difference is more
interesting than it is challenging. So I think more contact is better.
Question: Do you think that some -- and I know you've got to go. I
think this is my last question. Do you think this is in a way kind of
a holdover of some people who kind of remember the United States as
being the occupying victor? If that perception can be truly gotten rid
of that a lot of these problems might go away?
Adm. Blair: I think there's a lot of historical baggage on both sides
in this relationship. But I think the feeling of my father who was on
a ship struck by a kamikaze attack is different from my attitude. I
have friends, Japanese friends, whose parents were killed at
Guadalcanal by American Marines, and I know their attitude is
different from their kids' attitude. So I think that the historical
relationship is something that's changing. I think education, travel
-- My kids lived here in Japan when they were nine and twelve years
old. To them the Japanese people are real people. People who have
never lived here, Japanese people are what they see on television. I
think their attitude is driven by circumstances different by
generations.
But I think we sort of have to take a step back from it and make your
eyes clear and look at the trend, I think that understanding is
increasing and I think the hard-eyed, no emotional commitment to
working both countries' interests is very thorough, and those who
think about clearly know that the United States and Japan ought to
stick together because we'll have a great deal to gain.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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