On March 22, the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe filed an application to reclaim land off Henoko Point in Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, taking a concrete step forward to materialize its plan to relocate Futenma Marine Air Station from the heavily-populated Ginowan City. The Ryukyu Shimpo and The Okinawa Times – the prefecture’s two major dailies – reported on the government’s action in unison in their editions the following morning, strong objections permeating through the pages as expected. That these dailies will intensify their opposition to the government’s policy vis-à-vis the “Futenma” issue can rather easily be surmised, judging from their past coverage of matters pertaining to US-Japan relations.
　　　When it comes to discussing historical or military issues, both of them slide into a stunning bias against the US-Japan alliance almost without fail. Their coverage of the government’s submission of the application was no exception, having long shared a common propensity of failing to see the forest for the trees. For instance, the dailies described the government’s application as “a reckless act denying the principles of democracy” (Shimpo editorial), or as “a reflection of what is ominously wrong with this nation” (Times editorial), while accusing the government of “valuing its pledges to the US government over its commitment to Okinawa” (page 2, The Times) and of “giving the US-Japan alliance priority over a fulfillment of the wishes of the people of Okinawa” (page 3, The Shimpo).　These dailies single-mindedly characterized the government’s land-fill application as an implementation of what Abe allegedly promised President Obama during his successful visit to Washington in February.
　　　Both dailies completely neglected to mention why the government deems it necessary to transfer the Futenma base to Henoko in the northern region of Okinawa, instead of outside the prefecture. More importantly, the imminent threat from China vis-à-vis the “Senkaku” territorial dispute takes a backseat for these two dailies, because they obviously take the view that this threat “has constantly been adroitly taken advantage of by those who plan on maintaining and strengthening US bases across Okinawa” (Times editorial, November 11, 2012).
　　　The dailies in question would rather ignore what China is up to, but the reality is that China is up to quite a bit. On March 5, China announced its defense budget this year will be about 740 billion yuan (US$115.7 billion), up 10.7% from last year. Xi Jinping, newly elected president of China, reiterates time and again that China needs “a strong military that can win wars,” and that China “will absolutely not sacrifice its core interests (its territorial land and waters, etc).”
　　　Also during the closing session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) on March 17, Xi referred to his objective of “developing (the People’s Liberation Army) into a strong military that can win wars.” For the Chinese head of state to declare during an NPC session his resolve to develop the PLA into “a military that can win wars” is certainly very extraordinary.

Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

　　　What Japan urgently requires is military-preparedness in order to cope efficiently with the abnormally tough posture of China and its threat. That is one of the important reasons for keeping the Futenma Air Station within Okinawa, rather than moving it outside the prefecture. Although Japan must first strive to safeguard the Senkakus and the East China Sea itself by deploying the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), it is critically important that it also has a strong alliance in place with the US as additional support. This is the reality that both The Shimpo and The Times choose to ignore.
　　　What strikes me as more than a little strange is this: Although both dailies reported on the same day that Xi visited Russia on his first overseas trip, they obviously lacked the journalistic capability to deduce from the recent China-Russia initiative the necessity of a further strengthening of the US-Japan alliance. In the same way that Xi hopes to use Russia to strengthen his position with Japan vis-à-vis the Senkakus, his Russian counterpart, Valdimir Putin, hopes to use China to strengthen his position with Japan vis-à-vis the disputed “northern territories” (four islands north of Hokkaido). Yet the two dailies seem to be blind to these implications. As was the case with the news concerning the Xi-Putin meeting, the two major dailies in Okinawa more often than not turn to Kyodo News for important international news, running its dispatches word for word. Would it be wrong to surmise that these dailies may perhaps lack the ability to interpret international news properly and raise pertinent questions because they have always been too heavily dependent on wire services for foreign news?
　　　These dailies are also incapable of painting a full picture of the news as they fail to see the forest for the trees. Consequently, they are incapable of properly explaining to their readers the most critical aspects of the projected transfer of the Futenma air base – that it is part of the US military’s global realignment scheme, and that the five military facilities and extensive areas around them south of Kadena Air Base will be returned to Japan. As a result, the areas currently occupied by US military facilities in Okinawa will be reduced significantly following Futenma’s relocation — from 19% to 12%.
　　　Okinawans, including those bitterly opposed to US bases in their prefecture, have long been earnestly hoping to see their burden lessened significantly. Knowing that, Prime Minister Abe included Futenma in the agenda of his discussions with President Obama, promising to discuss all matters as concretely as possible, including the expected dates of the return of the bases. However, as the government’s measures to accommodate Okinawa’s demands begin to take concrete form, some influential Okinawans, mostly politicians and journalists, always use them as weapons with which to attack the government for some unknown reasons. For instance, here’s how The Times reported on the burden-lessening measures proposed by the government:
　　　“There will be no question that the government will take advantage of such ‘burden-lessening measures’ of returning land and facilities south of Kadena Air Base as a ploy to induce the governor to assume a more flexible posture (towards approval of the land-fill request in Nago).” (page 2, morning edition, March 23)
　　　While calling for a reduction in the burden shouldered by the people of Okinawa, the daily is quick to criticize the government’s efforts to safeguard the security of the Senkakus, the East China Sea, and Okinawa itself. The township of Yonaguni is equally guilty of being little interested in giving the government due credit for its commitment to Okinawa’s defense, turning the issue to its own advantage instead.
　　　Mayor Shukichi Hokama once spared no effort to attract a coastal monitoring team of the Japan Self-Defense Force troops to Yonaguni Island. Twice Hokama went up to Tokyo to petition the incumbent defense minister – Seiichi Hamada of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on June 30, 2009, and Toshimi Kitazawa of the Democratic Party of Japan on January 12, 2010. Kitazawa, who responded to Hokama’s request and actually visited Yonaguni, had this to say about his experience:
　　　“I really got a big welcome as the mayor wanted the JSDF troops stationed there as soon as possible. We discussed matters pertaining to site selection and acquisition at the town hall, and actually came up with a concrete plan.”
　　　I myself have covered Yonaguni Island several times and heard directly from the mayor and his staff that they were truly eager to have the JSDF troops stationed permanently there “the sooner the better” for two major reasons – economic factors and the Chinese threat.
　　　And yet, Mayor Hokama is now demanding that the government pay his township \1 billion (US$ 10.5 million) as a “nuisance fee.” This from a local politician who once came up to Tokyo to vigorously petition the government to station JSDF troops in his town.

Needed: Ability to Perceive Okinawans’ True Intentions

　　　Under such circumstances, the situation in Okinawa may look quite contradictory and unfathomable. However, observe people and happenings objectively, and you will begin to understand their true intentions and meanings. The first step towards “observing objectively” in Okinawa is to strictly bear in mind that the prefecture’s two major dailies are helplessly biased and that they do not necessarily report the real intentions of the people there. Secondly, remarks by the governor and mayors must always be taken with a grain of salt. Finally, one must analyze the remarks of each individual by classifying them within the framework of real intentions or official stance in order to come to grips with the truth.
　　　While describing the government’s application for land-refill off Nago as “too abrupt,” Mayor Atsushi Akima of Ginowan City, which reluctantly hosts Futenma Air Base, maintains that the best solution would be to move the base out of Okinawa, commenting: “What the people of my city desire strongly is the earliest possible return of the land (now occupied by the air base). The government must show its sincerity to the people of Okinawa Prefecture by responsibly sorting out varied difficulties involved in the Futenma issue.” (The Times)
　　　The mayor’s remarks boil down to this: give us back as soon as possible the land which has long been occupied by Futenma Air Station. While he did say the best solution would be to move the base outside the prefecture, one can read between the lines his basic posture of not strictly opposing the government’s action, wherever Futenma may end up.
　　　Yasumasu Oshiro, the head of Hekoko Ward in Nago City, was quoted by The Times as saying:
　　　“I have been cooperating with the government over the years, urging them to proceed accordingly, but I am afraid (the application) took much longer than necessary because the government was too wary about the reaction of Okinawa Prefecture as well as its towns and cities. The government must fully accept the request for compensation from the Nago fishermen’s cooperative.”
　　　Although Oshiro notes that the application should have been submitted much sooner, he still gives the government due credit for filing the application after all. Negotiations with the region’s fishery cooperative have been brought to a successful conclusion, although the exact amount of compensation has been withheld to respect the wishes of the fishermen.
　　　Viewed this way, the flexibility of attitude towards Futenma shared by those who now host the base, and those who will host the new facilities becomes discernible. Prime Minister Abe should proceed steadily ahead to realize the transfer of Futenma Air Base to Henoko. I have no doubt that it will eventually become evident that the majority of the people of Okinawa will benefit from his decision.

(Translated from “Renaissance Japan” column no. 552 in the April 4, 2013 issue of The Weekly Shincho)