U.S. military bases in Asia

Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto was not exaggerating when he said that the U.S. military bases on Okinawa were "a matter of our nation's existence". Indeed, the American presence in Japan is intrinsic to the security and stability of the Asia- Pacific region as a whole.

Hashimoto is to be commended, therefore, for seeking parliamentary approval last week to extend leases on land for bases on the island. Without parliament's approval, the government would not have the authority to meet a May 14 deadline on expiry of leases on private land housing U.S. military installations in Okinawa.

That would prevent it from providing the bases and facilities which the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty obliges it to. The consequences would be felt not only in Japan -- though most insistently there -- but also in the region at large.

-- The Straits Times, Singapore