NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — On Aug. 4, 2005, then Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine was told by Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya that the United States had agreed to return all of the major military bases south of Kadena, central Okinawa Island, to Japan on condition that the Futenma air base be relocated to Nago, farther north.
Inamine's reaction surprised Moriya at their Tokyo hotel meeting. According to Moriya, Inamine said "nobody in Okinawa wants (a) large-scale reversion," apparently due to concerns over the expected loss of economic benefits from the U.S. bases.
"I was surprised because I thought he would be happy to hear about the agreement," Moriya told The Japan Times during a recent interview.