This article was published in the National Interest. To read the actual article, please click here…
Okinawans have long opposed the US military presence in Futenma, and plans to deploy the hybrid helicopter-plane MV-22 Osprey to the Marine Corps Air Station to the air station have only exacerbated tensions. While much of the literature has framed the challenges associated with the deployment of the controversial aircraft within a domestic context, this article contextualizes the issue within the larger framework of the US regional rebalancing effort and the implications of US-Japan tensions for the rest of East Asia. Ultimately, the author argues that Japan’s leaders must not lose sight of the important role that Okinawa plays in the posture of critical U.S. forces in the region, and that the controversy over the Osprey makes it even more imperative that Japan’s leaders successfully relocate the air station from Futenma to Henoko.