Tokyo: Japan had prioritised the US forces stationed in the country to use a training ground near Mt Fuji for 270 days a year.
According to the documents obtained by a Japanese researcher, the East Fuji Manoeuvre Area has been jointly used by the US and Japanese Ground Self Defence Force.
But the minutes of the January 1970 hearing on Japan and Okinawa by the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations' subcommittee showed the US military has priority use, a fact that Japan has denied until now.
The Defence Ministry declined to comment on the US’ documents, but denied that Japan has given priority to use the area for 270 days a year to the US side, saying the number of days were between 160 and 180 days, and dropped to around 100 days in fiscal 2008 and 2009.
Japanese governments in past have denied such a "secret agreement" between Washington and Tokyo.
"It's possible there are many more such (bilateral) agreements on how to use (training) areas that are controlled by the Defence Ministry and used by the US military," said Shoji Niihara, a Japanese historian specialising in Japan-US relations, who obtained the records.
The documents "backed up the fact that both the Japanese and US governments have coordinated behind closed doors so that US forces can use bases and facilities in Japan freely for its convenience," Niihara added.
The Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement allows US forces to temporarily use some areas and facilities that were returned to Japan from the United States.
PTI
First Published: Friday, February 19, 2010, 15:19