2015 Volume 45 Pages 186
The U.S. military base is under construction in Ukawa area in Kyotango city, Kyoto prefecture. In February 2013, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to install an X-band radar in Ukawa area in order to strengthen missile defense system. After this announcement, the plan was unveiled that both governments planed not only installation of the military radar but also constructing new military base there. Residents of Kyoto prefecture including community members of Ukawa area raised many questions and showed their fear such as accidents and incidents by the U.S. soldiers, impact of an electromagnetic wave from the radar, and destruction of beautiful environment and scenery. However, after the negotiation between Japanese government and local governments, in September 2013, a governor of Kyoto prefecture and a mayor of Kyotango city officially announced to accept this plan. Then, construction work started in May of 2014. the U.S. military officially began to be stationed in Kyotango city from October 2014consisted of about 20 soldiers and 70 security workers and technical experts dispatched by private companies to support the military.
This article aims to analyze the dynamic process of militarization in Ukawa area. According to an important work of Cynthia Enloe, militarization is operated through various actions and decisions including appropriation of concepts, nonmilitary activities, and relationship among people. The militarization of Ukawa area was operated (1) prioritizing and strengthening the framework of national security, (2) practices to limit persons/subjects involved in the problem and weaken the autonomy of the local community, (3) changing community space under the control of military power. Therefore, the militarization of Ukawa area works through not only physical construction of military base but also various nonmilitary and non-political phenomenon.