US Planned to Use Naha Airport Alongside Kadena Base for Taiwan Strait Contingencies

Classified U.S. diplomatic documents have revealed a long-standing plan to utilize Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan, in conjunction with Kadena Air Base during potential emergencies in the Korean Peninsula or the Taiwan Strait. The revelation comes from documents declassified and analyzed by Professor Susumu Kawana of Daito Bunka University, who accessed them through WikiLeaks.

According to the documents, U.S. officials discussed this contingency plan with the Japanese government in 2009 during negotiations concerning the realignment of U.S. forces and the return of Futenma Air Station. Sources familiar with the discussions confirmed that the U.S. had indeed proposed using both Naha Airport and Kadena Air Base for operations during such crises.

The U.S. has previously linked the return of Futenma to the construction of a replacement facility in Henoko, along with the identification of a usable "long runway." Professor Kawana's analysis of the secret files suggests that this "long runway" likely refers to Naha Airport. In 2009, then-Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell reportedly stated that in the 1990s, the U.S. believed two runways, those at Naha Airport and Kadena Air Base, would suffice for responding to contingencies involving the Korean Peninsula and China.

However, the documents also indicate a shift in U.S. assessment due to China's military buildup. By 2009, the U.S. determined that at least three runways would be necessary in the event of a crisis. The specific location of this third runway was not detailed in the documents, nor was the Japanese government's response to the proposal of using Naha Airport recorded. The document, dated October 15, 2009, was sent from the U.S. Embassy in Japan to various high-ranking officials, including the Secretaries of State and Defense.

In 2013, Japan and the U.S. included "improving the use of civilian facilities in emergencies" as a condition for Futenma's return, intended to support the operation of the alternative facility if it lacked a long runway. However, no specific civilian facility was named in the agreement. The U.S. Department of Defense has also cited the absence of a "long runway" at the proposed Henoko base as a reason for not returning Futenma until an alternative runway is designated by the Japanese government.

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In the 1990s, the U.S. believed that only the two runways at Naha Airport and Kadena Air Base could respond to contingencies related to the Korean Peninsula and China.