At an inaugural news conference, new Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said, "Japan's independence and world peace are guaranteed because of, and thanks to, Okinawa's hosting of the U.S. bases." His way of saying it sounded as if Okinawa were not part of Japan. U.S. Defense Secretary Bob Gates has said something similar, probably because of his single-minded desire to keep U.S. bases in Japan indefinitely.
Ishiba, however, is the highest ranking officer in charge of Japan's defense. Implicit in Ishiba's off-the-wall and weird expression of gratitude is the suggestion that he will exert himself to perpetuate the presence of large foreign military contingents on Okinawa by lavishly providing them with "free" bases and facilities and even building a new one for them. His words would be quite understandable if he were standing in as proxy for the U.S. defense secretary, and Ishiba should know that.
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