Pacific Newsletter | American Samoa

Tokyo, JAPAN – Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reportedly wants a more “equal” alliance with the United States.

Ishiba, who takes office this week, is seeking the presence of Japanese troops on Guam, according to a report from the Pacific Island Times.

The news website reported that Ishida “said it is high time for Tokyo and Washington to seal their lopsided deal.”

“The current security treaty between Japan and the US is structured in such a way that the US is obligated to ‘defend’ Japan, and Japan is obligated to ‘provide bases’ to the US,” Ishiba said in a statement to the Hudson Institute. to the Pacific Island Times report.

“The time is ripe to change this ‘asymmetric bilateral treaty’.”

Ishiba, described as “a centrist and moderate conservative”, has been elected chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has placed him in the prime minister’s seat, succeeding Fumio Kishida, who decided not to seek another three-year term after to strive for, the report said. .

He is a former defense secretary and has recommended the revision of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and the Status of Forces Agreement to allow the stationing of Japanese Self-Defense Forces on Guam “to strengthen Japan-U.S. deterrence capabilities.”

“If this happens, a status agreement for the ‘SDF in Guam’ could be made the same as that for US forces in Japan,” he added.

“Additionally, expanding the scope of joint management of U.S. bases in Japan would also reduce the burden on U.S. forces in Japan.”

He said his goal is to elevate the Japan-US alliance to the level of the US-Britain alliance, in which both countries are “equal partners.”

“To achieve this, Japan must have its own military strategy and become independent in terms of security until it is willing to share its own strategy and tactics on an equal basis with the US,” Ishiba said.

By the end of the year, Guam expects the arrival of the first wave of U.S. Marines to be moved from Okinawa as part of the 2006 agreement between Washington and Tokyo. About 5,000 Marines will be moved to Guam.

According to the USFJ website, the US has seven different bases in mainland Japan. Yokota and Misawa, representing the Air Force; Camp Zama, representative of the military; Iwakuni; the Marine Corps; and Yokosuka, Atsugi and Sasebo, the Navy.

The nearest of these is Camp Zama, about 20 miles from Yokota. The second largest facility on the island is Yokosuka, which is 70 kilometers away and can take two to three hours by car.

(Pacific Island Times)

TUVALU LANGUAGE WEEK

Tuvalu Language Week has started in Aotearoa. The theme this year is ‘Uphold your language and dialect, because it is your identity’.

According to the 2018 census, 48 ​​percent of Tuvaluans living in New Zealand can speak Te ‘Gana Tuvalu.

Resources, including language guides, event schedules and cultural content, will be available on the Ministry for Pacific Peoples website.

(RNZ Pacific)

TRANSNATIONAL CRIME

The government of Papua New Guinea is exploring changes to combat the increase in cross-border crimes.

The Post-Courier reports that transnational crimes include money laundering, trafficking of drugs, people, weapons and ammunition, cybercrime, organized crime and gangs, and corruption.

Prime Minister James Marape said drug traffickers will now be dealt with more seriously, with the government considering life sentences for those convicted of serious drug-related crimes.

He said they will expand prison capacity to house drug inmates.

(RNZ Pacific)

CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN THE PACIFIC

New Zealand’s Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to Fiji on Monday to attend a ministerial meeting with the Pacific Islands.

He said attending the Talanoa will strengthen New Zealand’s commitment to supporting climate resilience in the Pacific.

Watts said the meeting will bring together climate change ministers from across the Pacific to discuss joint climate priorities in preparation for COP29 later this year.

Australia’s bid to co-host COP31 in 2026 is also on the agenda.

(RNZ Pacific)

FIJI PASSPORT PRINTER

Fiji’s Immigration Department is looking for a new passport printer to clear its current backlog after a nationwide power outage last month caused problems with their current printer.

The ministry said demand for new passports continues to increase.

Currently, they aim to print 400 passports daily, which will delay the issuance of passports for some applicants.

(RNZ Pacific)

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM

The Fijian government says more than 170,000 Fijians will benefit from the newly installed flood early warning systems.

The network includes four rain stations, seven water level stations and six warning posts.

The government said these will significantly enhance Fiji’s ability to predict floods and carry out timely evacuations, reducing the devastating impact of natural disasters on local communities.

These were implemented by the Government of Korea through the National Disaster Risk Management Institute, in partnership with Dongbu Engineering, Todo Communications and Fiji’s Natural Disaster Management Office.

(RNZ Pacific)

RESOURCES FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Pacific Youth Ministers have called for more funding for youth development at their first meeting in more than a decade.

The fourth Pacific Ministers for Youth Meeting was held in Nadi earlier this month, hosted by the Government of Fiji in partnership with the Pacific Youth Council as co-chair and the Pacific Community as secretariat.

The meeting included representatives from 21 Pacific countries and territories.

Ministers approved the development of a new ten-year Pacific Youth Development Pathway and committed to equitable and inclusive youth development initiatives, taking particular account of gender, persons with disabilities and youth in all their diversity.

(RNZ Pacific)