248. Memorandum From the Director of the Office of Northeast Asian Affairs (Parsons) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson)1
SUBJECT
- U.S. Force Reduction in Japan
We have received from Embassy Tokyo a résumé of the report on force reduction given by the military member at a recent Embassy–USFJ Consultative Committee meeting.2 The following table shows the extent of the reductions, completed and planned, in U.S. forces in Japan, and the attendant drop in the number of Japanese civilians employed.
| USFJ | Japanese Employed Under Master Labor Contract | |
| No. as of 1 July 1957 | 100,000 | 125,731 |
| No. as of 15 October 1957 | 82,000 (reduction so far is 44% of original plan, 50% of revised plan) | 118,900 |
| Original Planned level 30 June 1958 | 59,000 (would be a 40% cut) | 85,000 |
| Revised Planned level 30 June 1958 | 63,000 (will be a 37% cut) | 85,000 |
The revised plan came into effect on October 17 when Defense, with State concurrence, decided to retain the First Marine Air Wing in Japan for the indefinite future.
The U.S. commitment for prompt withdrawal of all ground combat forces is complete with the exception of a small “roll-up” detachment of the Third Marine Division, and an artillery rocket battalion whose orders have not yet arrived.