The recent announcement by the government that the Henoko project would take at least another 10 years (thus, twice as long as originally stated) and cost three times as much exposed an inconvenient and dirty little secret.

Not that the two governments are very much incompetent in matters concerning Okinawa, which is not a secret after all, but that most people in the prefecture in fact do not truly desire a solution to the so-called Okinawa problem.

To be sure, some, particularly in the city of Ginowan, where U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is located, certainly do, if they can even define what the "problem" is.