As part of the U.S. force restructuring in the Pacific, the U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa is preparing to move its air wing to Shimoji, an island southwest of the main island of Okinawa, about 200 miles east of Taiwan, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation reported Oct. 13. That same day, Taiwan's ET Today Web site reported the United States and Japan have established an outpost on Xiadi Island (Shimoji) and that Japan's Department of Self-Defense has decided to station four Air Force units, including F-15C squadrons, on the island. The proposed movement of U.S. and Japanese air assets westward demonstrates the evolution of the U.S.-Japanese security alliance that includes not only more active participation by Japan, but also Taiwan. U.S.-Japanese discussions over the U.S. force restructuring have been ongoing for more than a year; plans for the future U.S. military presence in the Pacific are unfolding slowly. Negotiations to establish a cooperative security outpost at Shimoji reportedly began recently, but were not discussed publicly until mid-September — after China began laying a 290-mile pipeline from Shanghai to the offshore Chunxiao gas field, which could stretch into waters claimed by Japan. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage warned Oct. 13 that talks between Washington and Tokyo might have begun too early and as a result the two countries are having difficulties. (Translation: Nothing is decided yet, and if you want to know what is going where and when, wait for the press release.) With that said, it must be noted that for a number of reasons, Shimoji is an ideal location for a U.S.-Japanese air base. First, the 4 square-mile island has a population of only about 75 people, which means U.S. forces and Tokyo will not have to worry about local backlash from the presence of U.S. soldiers — unlike the situation in Okinawa. The island also already has a 10,000-foot concrete runway, which would be sufficient to service a variety of military aircraft, including Japan's F-15C fighter jet. The security interests of Japan, Taiwan and the United States — which have been aligned since the end of World War II — are now beginning to evolve into a more balanced relationship where the two regional powers not only assist the United States with some heavy lifting, but also protect each other. While addressing the opening ceremony of the 2004 Forum on Taiwan-Japan Relations on Oct. 10, Taiwanese Prime Minister Yu Shyi-kun said Japan should develop into a "normal nation" (meaning it should drop its pacifist constitution) and play an active role in the region's security and defense. The prime minister said Taiwan hopes to enhance the relationship among the United States, Japan and Taiwan to create an alliance. Taiwan is interested in a strong Japanese military because it hopes its northern neighbor will rush to its assistance in the event of an attack from China — or at least keep Beijing occupied and give Taiwan room to carry out its own military and political plans. Japan, as it continues to transcend the strategic limitations placed on it by its pacifist constitution, would probably heed Taiwan's call for protection. Tokyo would not sit idly by while China moved to reclaim Taiwan and potentially cut off Japan's access to the South China Sea and the waterways that carry the country's critical oil and natural gas imports. The United States is trying to bolster Taiwan's defenses against China's growing naval and air forces — including approximately 600 ballistic missiles targeting the island — with an $18.2 billion arms package that includes four Kidd Destroyers, 12 P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, eight diesel-electric submarines and six PAC-3 anti-missile batteries. The new weapons systems, however, likely would not be enough to protect Taiwan a decade from now as the military balance continues to slip out of Taiwan's favor, but it does contribute significantly to the trilateral coalition. The combined capabilities and mutual security interests of Japan and Taiwan will help the United States counter a potential Chinese military threat in the 21st Century while it continues to keep forces spread globally to meet threats from militant Islamist groups and regional flare-ups.