794.5/3–1253
No. 636
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of
State for Far Eastern Affairs (Allison) to the Secretary of State
Subject:
- Joint Defense Planning in Japan.
Background
The Security Treaty between the United States and Japan is based on the expectation that “Japan will itself increasingly assume responsibility for its own defense”. While some progress has been made in the development of Japan’s defense forces, the Japanese Government has been reluctant, for political and economic reasons, to press consistently for rearmament. Progress to date falls short of previous United States expectations.
The Japanese Diet has authorized a strength for the National Safety Force (ground forces) of 110,000. Approximately 100,000 men are now in uniform. The United States has equipped those forces with both heavy and light equipment. Sixty-eight United States [Page 1393] Coast Guard-type vessels are in the process of being transferred to the Japanese Coastal Safety Force. In addition, the Coastal Safety Force is operating forty Japanese World War II minesweepers. Japan has no air force.
United States plans envisage the development by Japan of a balanced ten-division ground force (total strength of 325,000) and defensive air and naval arms. United States views with respect to the ultimate strength of Japan’s forces have not been revealed to the Japanese Government.
A total of $528 million has been made available through Army appropriations for equipping the Japanese ground force. Under these appropriations, special Presidential authorization was given for loaning equipment to the Japanese, and to date about $80 million worth of equipment has been loaned and an additional $170 million programmed. These amounts are approximately enough to take care of the present 110,000 man force through Fiscal Year 1953. The total of $528 million is estimated to be enough to provide for a six-division (180,000 men) force. The Department of Defense is proposing to introduce legislation into the present session of Congress authorizing the transfer of this equipment to the Japanese. It is expected that additional funds of up to $150 million, a major part of which will be for aircraft procurement, will be included in the Fiscal Year 1954 Mutual Security Program. Because of the long lead-time on aircraft, they will not be available for transfer to the Japanese before 1956. Since military assistance to Japan has to date been financed by Army appropriations, no bilateral agreement under Mutual Security legislation has been required; such an agreement will be required before equipment or services can be provided Japan under the Fiscal Year 1954 Mutual Security Program. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a recent conversation with Embassy officials, expressed a desire to begin discussions of a bilateral military assistance agreement.
A Joint (Military) Planning Board has been established in Japan to consider questions of combined command, disposition of forces, and other military matters. However, there is no formal mechanism for joint consideration of the political and economic aspects of rearmament, and the Joint Planning Board has as yet achieved little in the way of concrete results. Some of the Japanese have emphasized that two major obstacles to Japanese rearmament are the lack of information in the Japanese Government as to the policies and long-range objectives of the United States with respect to Japanese rearmament and a lack of genuine mutuality in approach to this problem.
[Page 1394]Current Action
After clearing it within the Department with EUR, S/MSA, S/P and G and securing the concurrence of Defense and the Office of the Director for Mutual Security, we have sent the attached airgram (Tab A)1 to Tokyo. The Joint Chiefs are sending a similar telegram (Tab B)2 to General Clark. Our airgram lays down broad policy guidance for the Ambassador and gives him discretion as to the method and timing of the approach which he and General Clark will make to the Japanese. In summary, the airgram:
- (1)
- warns against the danger of exerting too great pressure on the Yoshida Government;
- (2)
- authorizes discussion with the Japanese of the Joint Chiefs of Staff force goals for Japan and the working out with the Japanese of a timetable for the development of their forces; and
- (3)
- authorizes the commencement of the negotiation of a mutual defense assistance agreement with the Japanese.
In order to allay any fears that they may have that we are moving too rapidly or too far with Japanese rearmament, we plan to discuss soon with representatives of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and the Philippines the general nature of our thinking with respect to Japanese defense, including the force goals which we have in mind at present.