Consul General Thomas G Reich speaks at Okinawa Times Seikei-konwa-kai

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October 27, 2005

Thank you for inviting me here today. I first came to Okinawa in the summer of 1992, when I arrived to begin my assignment as political-military officer at the American Consulate General. Although I had studied Okinawa for almost two years before arriving, I expected to find an island that was small, not very crowded, not very developed economically, and comparatively isolated.

Instead, I found that Okinawa was so large that it has distinctive regions (nanbu, chubu, yanbaru) and even different traditional dialects; it was pretty crowded in the central area; it had lots of modern apartment buildings, offices, and shopping centers; and there were airline flights to many places in Japan and to neighboring Asian countries. In fact, some Americans who come to visit me in Okinawa have told me, "Wow! Okinawa looks like it is part of Japan!"

Of course, Okinawa is part of Japan. Some of the American "old timers" who knew Okinawa before reversion tell me that the changes here since 1972 have been truly remarkable. After 1972, so many roads were paved; so many buildings constructed; personal incomes rose so much - the list of statistics is long. What these statistics show me is that after reversion Okinawa became much more similar to the rest of Japan than ever before. Yes, Okinawa definitely keeps its own traditional cultural influences - but more and more younger Okinawans are similar to young mainland Japanese. At least, that is what many Okinawans tell me.

From the very beginning, I thought Okinawa was a wonderful place. The beaches are beautiful. The weather is nice. The sea is full of fish and coral. The food is delicious and healthy. And awamori is good for your health also!

And, of course, the Okinawan people are wonderful. I honestly think Okinawans are the friendliest people I know. So many of my Okinawan friends have freely shared their time teaching me about this island and its culture. I have enjoyed many wonderful experiences here, including meeting my wife, Seiko.

During my first assignment here, I learned a lot about Okinawan politics and U.S. military bases. I learned about the different political parties. I learned about the roles of the governor, the mayors, and the prefectural and municipal assemblies. I learned about the media in Okinawa. And I learned about how local government in Okinawa deals with the Japanese central government. It can be a complicated framework.

During my first assignment here, it was during the administration of Ota Masahide. At that time, there was no SACO agreement. Not many people were discussing return of Futenma. There was no big plan for reducing U.S. bases in Okinawa or reducing the number of troops. It was just after the end of the Cold War. The threat from the Soviet Union had ceased to exist and China's military power was not seen as much of a threat in this region. In Okinawa, I could frequently hear criticism of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. Many Okinawans asked me if the treaty system (tai-sei) was still necessary to protect Japan.

I found that the media in Okinawa was very tough on military base issues. Some of my best friends work for the newspapers and I asked them why their newspapers were so tough. They explained the historical role played by the media in Okinawa during the struggle for reversion in the 1960 and 1970s and the mission the media still feels it must perform to remove all U.S. bases from Okinawa. I was glad to hear this explanation because it helped me understand how the Okinawan media views our bases here.

This was the situation when I left Okinawa in 1995.

Two years ago, I returned to Okinawa for my second assignment as Consul General. Many things have changed. Return of Futenma is now an objective decided by both national governments. The SACO agreement has already returned some former military base land, and will return more in the future. Within Okinawa, there is still not a lot of concern about China's growing military strength, but there is more interest in what China might do with her military power in the future. Also, Okinawns almost never ask me if the U.S.-Japan security treaty system (tai-sei) is necessary. It seems that most people in Okinawa now accept the necessity of the treaty system.

Some things have not changed. There is still a widespread concern over incidents, accidents, and crime. There are still good relations between our base commanders and local governments. And the Okinawan media is still as tough on U.S. bases as it was ten years ago!

Since I returned two years ago, I have also realized again how complicated politics is in Okinawa with regard to U.S. military bases. I think this small island probably has the most complex politics of any place in Japan. Through my years of living here and knowing many people, I understand there is a general desire among most Okinawans for a reduction in the "base burden." But it is not so easy to understand what "reducing the burden" means in a concrete sense.

For residents of Ginowan, "reducing the burden" probably means returning Futenma. For residents in Kin-cho, perhaps it would be early relocation of Range 4 or some other training issue. For residents near Kadena Air Base, I expect it would mean reducing aircraft noise.

So I understand that Okinawa is a place where different localities often have different priorities for U.S. military restructuring (beigun saihen). Since there are over one million residents on this island, this is only natural. I know there are some goals that probably most Okinawans share, such as a reduction in the number of troops stationed in Okinawa, and early closure of Futenma Air Station.

As we all know, discussions are continuing between Japan and the U.S. on transformation of the U.S.-Japan Security Alliance, to make it stronger and more balanced, and better able to tackle the challenges of the future. Part of this transformation is also aimed at reducing the burden of hosting our bases. We must wait until the two governments announce the results of their discussions. When the result is announced, I hope Okinawans will follow the suggestion I've heard made by Governor Inamine, which is to look at the total result for Okinawa before making an assessment. In other words, I hope most Okinawans will not base their assessment of the result just on one part, but rather consider all the parts in deciding whether the result is good for Okinawa.

My own opinion is that the result will be very good for Okinawa's future. And I hope most Okinawans will have the same conclusion.

Because I'm talking about U.S. military restructuring, I should also mention my understanding of Okinawa's strategic importance. In Japan and the U.S., there are a number of magazine and newspaper articles about Okinawa's strategic importance. But I don't read about this subject very much in Okinawa. I find that when I discuss this subject with Okinawans, very often they are very knowledgeable about Okinawa's strategic importance, but it is not a subject they want to discuss very much. Often, I get the impression that Okinawa's strategic importance is an uncomfortable fact that many people wish they could avoid.

I can sympathize with that way of thinking. In my experience, most Okinawans would just like to live their lives peacefully and not have to think about regional security or hosting U.S. bases. But the fact is that Okinawa is closer to Manila and Shanghai than to Tokyo, and closer to Hanoi than to Hokkaido. These facts are not going to change. Because of that, I believe strongly that Okinawa will always have an important role to play in the defense of Japan and in maintaining security in this region.

I am optimistic that whatever the future structure of U.S. forces in Okinawa is, our forces will continue to have good relations with their Okinawan hosts. I know you are all familiar with the terms "tatemae" and "honne." I sometimes get the impression that the gap between "tatemae" and "honne" can be quite large in Okinawa. I don't mean to say that people who want to see reductions in our bases don't really mean it. What I mean is that relations between our military commanders and most Okinawans are actually much better than some observers outside Okinawa might think. Sometimes when I read newspaper or magazine articles, I get the impression that relations between Okinawans and the U.S. military are always tense and full of problems. But I know that although problems sometimes do come up, normally relations are good. I know this because I stay in close contact with local government leaders and our military commanders.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I'm very glad that one thing has not changed in the last ten years. That is the warmth and kindness of the Okinawan people. That is one of the things that makes living here so enjoyable everyday. I really cannot think of any place where I would rather be.

Thank you.