American High Official Slanders Okinawa; Inappropriate Words Harm Alliance Relations

Extremely inappropriate utterances can do nothing but injure the Japan-U.S. alliance.

It has become obvious that in December of last year, Director of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Japan Affairs Kevin Maher said things about Okinawan citizens, such as, “Okinawans are masters of ‘manipulation’ and ‘extortion’ of Tokyo.”

Although U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell explained that, “These [comments] in no way reflect the attitudes of warmth and gratitude and friendship that the United States has for the people of Okinawa,” he still indicated an intention to apologize to the Japanese.

Based on Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano’s protests voiced to American Ambassador to Japan Roos and the objection resolutions adopted by groups such as the Okinawa Diet, the Americans are attempting to smooth over the situation. An apology from the American side is due.

Maher’s utterances came from part of a lecture to American university students who planned to visit Okinawa. The terms were that the lecture be “off the record.”

According to the speech transcript drawn up by the students, Maher said things such as, “Consensus building is important in Japanese culture. While the Japanese would call this ‘consensus,’ they mean ‘extortion’ and use this culture of consensus as a means of ‘extortion.’ By pretending to seek consensus, people try to get as much money as possible.”

He seems to be referring to his perception that, using the U.S. air base as collateral, Okinawa seeks to promote its economic interests in the Japanese government.

Such arbitrary statements calling Okinawan citizens “lazy” were also a part of the spite-filled slanderous presentation.

It is known that Maher worked for pro-Japanese groups under such people as the Okinawa consul general. As a background for the utterances, the DPJ political administration has been unskillful in diplomacy, and issues such as straying from the relocation problem of the U.S.’ Futenma air base are irritating.

If these alleged comments were truly uttered, not only Okinawan citizens, who are under the pressure of the overweight burden of the air base, but also all Japanese citizens have been injured. These comments are capable of breaking down the relationship of mutual trust that has been built up by both Japan and America over many years.

This crosses the limits of a mere verbal slip and cannot possibly be overlooked.

However, the situation of these utterances negatively affecting all of Japan-American relations must be avoided.

Former Foreign Minister of Japan Seiji Maehara — who was assertively repairing the alliance relationship, which deteriorated under Hatoyama’s administration, and who had a lot of personal connections with America, because of the foreign-received donation problem — resigned after only six months. Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeaki Matsumoto was promoted as his successor.

The new Foreign Minister Matsumoto wants to stick to the current route of using Japan-U.S. relations as a yardstick for Japanese diplomacy and wants to steadily advance the deepening of the alliance since last year. The difficulties from Maher’s utterances and the Futenma problem should be tackled persistently.

It must not be forgotten that the importance of the Japan-America alliance is increasing all the more, considering North Korean military provocation and the friction surrounding territory disputes with China and Russia.