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civilian shipping, fishing, or recreational

activities because of naval and other military

requirements; deadly effects of toxic wastes of

the bases seeping into the soil or running off

into the sea; deafening noises of bombers, fight-

ers, and helicopters which physically damage

young school children and disrupt their learning

processes; accidents in the air and on the roads

caused by U.S. military aircraft and vehicles;

destruction of nature by live-ammunition

artillery exercises, which also deny civilian

access to highways in the exercise areas; crimes

committed by off-duty service personnel against

civilians and their properties; and on, almost ad

infinitum.70

In any case, economic benefits for Okinawa offer no

reason for the United States to station troops there.  A

false patriotism has long been the last refuge of the

scoundrel seeking to justify economic privileges.  Now

salaries and rental payments seem to be the last refuge of

the scoundrel seeking to justify outdated military commit-

ments.

Of course, the ultimate decisionmakers are the politi-

cians, not the military officers.  Gen. Frank Libutti,

commander of the 3rd MEF, recently told the Daily Yomiuri

newspaper, "Any further reductions of forces on Okinawa

would hurt our ability to provide peace, stability and

prosperity to the entire Asia-Pacific region."71   He is

right in the sense that if the U.S. and Japanese govern-

ments expect the Marines to police all of East Asia, then

the Marines need to be stationed close by, and the most

obvious location is Okinawa.  But with the end of the Cold

War, there is no reason to expect the Marines to play such

a role.  And many Okinawans understand that the root of

Washington's military presence is the belief that

Washington should run the world.  Moriteru Arasaki

expresses the hope that "the American people will try to

change U.S. government policy."72

Executing a Graceful Withdrawal

With the end of the Cold War, the world, including

East Asia, has changed.  Observes former Japanese prime

minister Morihiro Hosokawa, "Today the international envi-

ronment has changed dramatically in East Asia," a develop-

ment that he believes warrants the phasing out of the U.S.

military presence in Japan.73   The threats have dimin-

ished--the Soviet Union is no more, North Korea is crum-