OSAKA -- In early 2005, senior U.S. officials had become fed up with Okinawa.

Then U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was particularly mad at Okinawa and central government officials for not making progress in relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to northern Okinawa Island, for which a plan had been first formulated in 1996.

Rumsfeld's anger began in a November 2003 meeting with Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine. After listening to the governor talk about the problems caused by having U.S. forces in Okinawa, Rumsfeld said they won't be stationed where they're not wanted.