Tuesday's announcement by Tokyo and Washington that an agreement has been reached that more narrowly defines those classified as civilians employed by the U.S. military in Japan was greeted with caution by top Okinawan officials, who are taking a wait-and-see attitude.
But the new definitions covering civilian contractors and technical experts and the legal protections they enjoy under the bilateral Status Of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which now separates them into four basic categories, are unlikely to quell calls for more fundamental revisions to the pact itself.
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga told reporters Tuesday afternoon in Naha that as details were still lacking, the prefecture will be watching carefully to see how bilateral discussions to further refine those details progress over the following months.