The USFG should substantially reduce its military presence in Japan

I see this is your first debate, so I'd like to say welcome to DDO. ==Pro Contentions & Introduction== Pro begins by claiming there are gender and social problems in Japan, and it is due to US presence. No citations are provided, and any claims are of the opinion of Pro. Suggestions by Pro for fixing this supposed problem seem to be hypothetical in nature. The burden of proof of the mistreatment of women is on Pro, and so far no evidence is shown that there are any problems with the social atmosphere in Japan. My contentions will disprove Pro, and actually show that US presence is of huge benefit, and necessary to Japan and Japanese women. ==Con Contentions== A) Crimes by Servicemen ---For this debate, I think its appropriate to put some focus on the current controversy surrounding the Marine Corps. Air Base in Futenma, Okinawa, and how its presence has affected the local populace. For those not familiar with it, 3 marines were charged with gang raping a 12 year-old girl in 1995. Since US-Japan foreign policy dictates that US servicemen cannot be charged with crimes by Japan, there was a great uproar by the Japanese people. The marines were, however, turned over to Japanese authorities and convicted. 1) For my first contention, I will make the suggestion that if the US were to repeal this immunity given to US servicemen, attitudes towards the Americans being stationed in Japan would be much more tolerable. Instead of moving the entire US military presence out of Japan, it seems that stricter enforcement of crimes by servicemen would be a more efficient method. 2) Due to the unique relationship between the Japanese and the US, and the fact that Japan has the only pacifist constitution in the world, it is very necessary that the US remain in Japan. The Japanese spend 1% of their GDP on defense and would be completely helpless in an invasion of their own land. They have an agreement with the US, in which the US provides military assistance to Japan (1960 US-Japan Security Treaty). US troops act as a deterrent and in the case of war, are prepared to defend the Japanese Islands as if it were American soil. 3) Areas surrounding any sort of military institution tend to have higher levels of violence regardless of whose military it is. The fact is, the marines in Okinawa and all over Japan are prepared to give their lives for the Japanese people, and while this does not justify rape, it is something to consider. In place o this base, who knows what will be built, perhaps a smaller Japanese base? In which case the area will still be volatile. BUT, even if the base is removed, conditions in the IMMEDIATE area may improve, but I seriously doubt the overall national atmosphere will suddenly throw itself at the rights of women. B) Moving the Bases 1) Moving the US military presence from Japan would require time and money, something that would put unneeded strain on a US economy that is faltering. C) Traditional and Modern Values of Japan 1) Traditional Japanese culture has often shone a negative light on female sexuality. It even came to the point where gay homosexual relationships were considered more "honorable" than heterosexual relationships [1]. Since Japan had little outside influence until it was opened by the West in the late 1800's, it is safe to assume that prejudice against women has long been a part of Japanese culture. 2) During WWII, which was obviously a time of very limited US social interaction, the Japanese committed atrocious war crimes. One such particular event was the "Rape of Nanking". During the Japanese raids on the city of Nanking, soldiers would rape thousands of women, force incest among family members, sexually mutilate women's bodies, and murder tens of thousands of Chinese for sport [2]. I did not know it was possible for humanity to sink so low. a) To make matters worse, Japan did not officially apologize for this massacre until 1995. 3) I need not make references to blatant sexism and stereotyping in modern Japanese culture, because it is so obvious. Japanese manga and anime are a creation of Japan, and showcases the very worst in the sexual repression Japan has had over the years. D) US Interventions 1) To say the US presence in Japan is detrimental to women is an absolute lie. After Japan's surrender to Allied Forces in 1945, Japan's new constitution, penned by General Douglas MacArthur, gave explicit freedoms and equality to women that was never realized in Japan until that point [3]. It is very clear that the US does not condone patriarchy, and does not condone violence against women. As a matter of fact, if it were not for the US, Japan would have taken a much longer time to adopt these universal rights, or not have adopted them at all. 2) Even before this, however, it is considered that feminism in Japan is a Western idea, and that if it were not for the opening of the country in 1868 that it would have never been introduced, or at the very least, taken much longer to realize [4]. E) Pro Contentions would not solve anything 1) Given the evidence presented in the arguments above, would Pro's suggestion of the US withdrawing from Japan solve anything? It is more than obvious that US influence has given women a better standing in Japanese society. 2) It would not save money. Moving military bases is an expensive endeavor. 3) Patriarchy had always been a cornerstone of Japanese soceity, until the US removed it through the 1947 Constitution. ==Conclusion== It is apparent that Japan has always had a prejudice towards women, and that US intervention has greatly improved the lives of women there. A US presence is not only good for Japan, it is required, and moving troops from Japan would serve no purpose, other than the waste of time and money. From my arguments and research, gender equality is already guaranteed in Japan, at least as far as it can go currently, so I do not know from whence Pro takes her stand. I await rebuttal. [1] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [3] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [4] . http://en.wikipedia.org...