Okinawa Governor Pushes Regional Diplomacy Amid Rising Tensions

Denny Tamaki, the governor of Okinawa Prefecture, faces a unique and complex challenge. He oversees a chain of islands in a region considered a dangerous neighborhood, caught between the escalating tensions in the South China Sea and China's disputed claims over Taiwan. The U.S. military considers Okinawa a strategic location, dubbing it the “Keystone of the Pacific”, and maintains a significant presence on the island. This presence, however, has come at a cost for the Okinawan people, who have endured the burden of hosting a large contingent of U.S. military forces for decades.