In April, an epoch-making event occurred in the history of the Japan-U.S. security alliance. Two Diet members of the governing Liberal Democratic Party met with U.S. State and Defense Department officials to ask Washington to consider overhauling the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.
Taro Kono and Hideaki Omura, who serves as secretary general of the Parliamentarians' Union, made the representation on behalf of the "association to secure a true Japan-U.S. partnership through a revised SOFA," a policy group of 93 LDP lawmakers.
It is the first time that governing party lawmakers have made such a request as the first step in establishing an equal partnership under SOFA. The news, however, received scant attention in the Japanese media, except in Okinawa.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.