U.S. President Bill Clinton will thank Okinawans for their contribution to Asia-Pacific security during his July visit, a senior White House official said Wednesday.
"That's simply because that's exactly how the United States feels (about Okinawa)," the official told Kyodo News on condition of anonymity.
The White House is making final preparations for Clinton's July 21-23 Okinawa trip for the summit of the Group of Eight nations.
The island prefecture accounts for only 0.6 percent of Japan's total land area but is home to around 75 percent of land occupied by U.S. military facilities in Japan.