Okinawa, which has often suffered the fate of being associated with U.S. military bases, is being buffeted again. This time it is the Okinawan economy that has been hit by cancellations of reservations for group tours to the prefecture following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Tourism is one of three pillars that support the Okinawan economy; the other two are public works spending and base-related employment and business. Since the prefecture's tourist industry has been directly affected by the attacks, the situation can only be described as serious. According to statistics compiled by the Okinawa Prefectural Government, as of Nov. 6, 744 schools in other prefectures had canceled school trips to the island prefecture, amounting to about 167,000 visitors. The figure for canceled ordinary package tours was 48,000 visitors. The reason was that Okinawa has been rumored to be a target for terrorist attacks.

This rumor has spread because three-quarters of the U.S. military stationed in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa. But the fact is that the daily life of the Okinawan people has not changed at all. The rumor has taken off by itself, causing the flood of cancellations.