Originally published on October 17, 2019.
This article examines remarks made by Governor Onaga at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and discusses the Senkaku Islands issue, China’s threat, the safety of Okinawan residents, the importance of U.S. military bases, and the contradictions in opposition to the Henoko relocation.
It argues that the issue Okinawa’s governor should have raised at the United Nations was not the base issue but the Senkaku issue, and criticizes the anti-base camp for turning away from the crisis directly before its eyes.

October 17, 2019.
Deep down, he probably believes that if he emphasizes the Senkaku issue, he will have no choice but to acknowledge the threat from China and the importance of U.S. military bases, and that the grounds for opposing the relocation to Henoko will be shaken.
I am republishing the chapter I originally posted on November 7, 2015, under the title:
The Prefecture’s Residents Are Made to Endure Fishing in the Waters around the Senkaku Islands, and to Endure the Outrageous Statements of the Chinese Government Claiming That the Senkaku Islands Are China’s Inherent Territory.
The following is the continuation of the previous chapter.
The Threat from China Is to Be “Endured.”
After returning to Japan, Governor Onaga held a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club on September 24.
Asked about the Senkaku Islands issue and the threat from China, he said:
“Okinawa wants to become a peaceful buffer zone.
I also believe that the Senkaku Islands are Japan’s inherent territory, but if, by any chance, a small clash were to occur, I think the one million tourists who come to Ishigaki City would drop to 100,000.
We must endure in peace, and think in peace.”
I was astonished by this word “endure.”
It is only natural to put peace first, but there is no reason why the prefecture’s residents should have to endure refraining from fishing in the waters around the Senkaku Islands, or endure the outrageous statements of the Chinese government claiming that the Senkaku Islands are China’s inherent territory.
As residents of the prefecture, they should refute such claims openly and proudly.
The theme that the governor should have appealed to the United Nations was not the base issue, but the Senkaku issue.
In the prefectural assembly, Yu Machida, director-general of the Governor’s Office, explained that the reason the governor did not take up the Senkaku issue in his United Nations speech was that “he judged it unsuitable for the Human Rights Council.”
However, every time the governor is pressed on the Senkaku issue, he has a tendency to bring out the word “peace” and run away.
Deep down, he probably believes that if he emphasizes the Senkaku issue, he will have no choice but to acknowledge the threat from China and the importance of U.S. military bases, and that the grounds for opposing the relocation to Henoko will be shaken.
The governor’s United Nations speech also brought into sharp relief the insincerity of the anti-base faction, which turns its eyes away from the crisis directly before it.