Part of U.S. Pacific Command to Be Moved from Hawaii to Japan

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to move part of the Navy Pacific Command to the U.S. Naval Base in Misawa, Japan by this fall, reported Mainichi newspaper on Saturday.

The plan is part of recent moves by the U.S. military to realign its forces scattered around the world, analyzed the daily.

Currently, Misawa accommodates U.S. military`s largest wire tapping center in East Asia. If the new reconnaissance command joins, it will become the largest base for the U.S. military for intelligence purposes.

Now, the airstrips in Misawa are jointly used by U.S. Navy and Air Force, Japanese Naval Self-Defense Forces and commercial airliners.

Upon request from Washington, the Japanese government is considering construction of two more airstrips at the base.

The reconnaissance command operates P-3Cs and EP-3s, covering the entire Pacific Rim and the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. military is reportedly also conducting talks with its Japanese counterpart about moving some communication facilities and equipment in Yokohama to Misawa, said the newspaper.

Hun-Joo Cho hanscho@donga.com