Japan welcomes U.S. troops' aid

Just one year after tensions over U.S. military bases in Japan forced out a prime minister, a relief mission mounted by American soldiers after the earthquake and tsunami is showing a new and welcome face for troops the Japanese have hosted - sometimes grudgingly - for decades.

Roughly 20,000 U.S. troops have been mobilized in "Operation Tomodachi," or "Friend." It is the biggest bilateral humanitarian mission the United States has conducted in Japan, its most important ally in Asia, and it is ramping up fast.

As logistics gradually improve, U.S. troops have been moving farther into hard-hit zones and providing tons of relief supplies and badly needed manpower to help the hundreds of thousands of Japanese whose lives were shattered in the March 11 disaster.

In a part of Japan that hosts few U.S. bases, the Americans in uniform are a high-profile presence.

"To be honest, I didn't think much about the U.S. troops until now," said Arika Ota, 29, who works at an amusement center in the coastal city of Sendai. "But when I see them working at the airport every day, I'm really thankful. They are working really hard. I never imagined they could help us so much."

The Sendai Airport cleanup is one of the troops' most visible - and successful - operations so far.

Sendai is the biggest city in the region hit by the tsunami, and its airport was destroyed. The grounds and runways were covered in mud, rubble and more than 1,000 vehicles that were tossed about by the sea. The first floor of the terminal building was caked in sandy sludge, its windows were shattered by the tsunami and its shops were a jumble of garbage and broken souvenirs.

Now, the runways are clear enough to handle large cargo planes, the tossed-about cars have been placed in rows and the second floor houses a command center.

For Marines such as Capt. Robert Gerbract, who is in charge of the cleanup operations, it's a satisfying assignment.

"I'd much rather be carrying relief food packages than a rifle, to be honest," he said.

The Marines are just one facet of the U.S. operation.

•Within days of the tsunami, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was stationed about 100 miles off Japan's northeastern shore. It had to reposition itself due to radiation from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility but is now sending sorties to hard-hit towns. The U.S. Navy has 19 ships, 140 aircraft and 18,282 personnel assigned to assist in the operation.

•The Air Force has opened its bases for relief flights. Its transport planes have flown dozens of missions, and its fighters have flown over the devastation in search of survivors. Two of its aircraft have helped the Japanese monitor the nuclear plant.

•Nearly 500 soldiers with the U.S. Army in Japan, which has fewer troops here than the other branches, have delivered blankets and other supplies and are conducting support and refueling for military helicopter operations.

The U.S. forces stress that they are not taking a lead role. That is being done by Japan itself, which has mobilized more of its troops than at any time since World War II.