Denny Tamaki is in charge of a chain of islands in what many people consider a dangerous neighborhood.
As governor of the Okinawa Prefecture, he oversees about 160 inhabited and uninhabited islands in southwest Japan. The U.S. military refers to it as the “Keystone of the Pacific” due to its strategic location situated regionally between Tokyo, Manila, Seoul and Hong Kong. It currently finds itself in the crosshairs of China’s disputed claims over Taiwan and escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
When asked what is the biggest threat to Okinawa, the 65-year-old says it’s not about one individual country.
“Actually, it's not about where,” Tamaki said. “The threat is not on which island or what particular island, but the fact that if one country stretches too much on military balance, then it would create a threat to peace diplomacy.”
As Japan and the U.S. build their military alliances, Tamaki is one of the louder voices calling for American forces to pull back on the “extensive overconcentration” of U.S. military bases on the island.
“I believe that easing tensions and building trust through peaceful diplomacy and dialogue is the direction that the international community should take. That is why I strive to practice regional diplomacy with the neighboring countries,” Tamaki said.
A story tied to the U.S. military presence on Okinawa
His personal story is deeply entwined with the U.S. military’s presence on Okinawa. He comes from a bicultural background with an Okinawan mother and an American father who served in the U.S. Marines on the island. His father returned home before Tamaki was born.
“When I was 2 years old, she decided not to follow my father to the States,” Tamaki said. “She threw away all the letters and photos that my father had sent from the States. So actually, I don't know what he looks like. I don't know what food he likes, and also, I don't know whether he supports Democrats or Republicans, so I don't have much information about him.”
He has freckles and light brown eyes, and was teased as a young child.
“There was an environment where people, not just me, but also with a similar background, we were bullied and also discriminated against because of that,” Tamaki said.
But he said as he entered middle school, he found a group of friends that supported him, and learned to love some parts of American culture.
“I enjoyed listening to American music coming out from the jukebox,” he said. “When I was in junior high, I listened to rock music, and I actually formed a rock band myself.”
For someone who shoulders tremendous responsibilities, his face lights up when he talks about his days as the lead singer of The Wizard. He and his young bandmates were inspired by iconic 1970s American rock bands Kiss, ZZ Top and Aerosmith.
Despite his love of American music, he also witnessed the “complicated situation” between the U.S. military community and the locals.
“There also is the fact that when I was young, there were environments where single parents, the women who had to raise their children as single parents, worked near the bars that the U.S. military servicemen enjoyed,” he said.
Okinawans suffered immensely during World War II. It was the only Japanese prefecture to experience on-the-ground combat. More than 200,000 people, including 94,000 Okinawans, died during the fighting, according to a message from the Okinawa Prefectural Government Washington, D.C., office. After the war, most of the locals were placed in internment camps. The U.S. military took control of the islands until Okinawa was handed back to the Japanese in 1972.
Today, 70.6% of land in Japan designated for U.S. military facilities is concentrated on Okinawa. More than half of the approximately 54,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan are stationed there.
“If you've ever been in Okinawa, it's very hard to get away from the flight path of an F-16. It's just very large on a very small amount of space, so it's very hard to sidestep or to avoid interaction with the US bases themselves,” according to Sheila Smith, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
The relationship between the Okinawans and U.S. military has been put to the test over contaminated water, training accidents and the bases’ impact on the local economy. This year, diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Japan were strained when three alleged sexual assault cases involving U.S. servicemen came to light.
“I think he is neither fully on the progressive left side of the camp, nor is he a conservative,” Smith said. “He is one of this next-generation problem solvers who identifies himself in a kind of centrist position.”
Both U.S. President Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are stepping down from power this year. Tamaki says no matter which party the next president of the U.S. belongs to, he or she is welcome in Okinawa.
“We are hoping that this new leader will actively contribute to our actions as we provide peaceful diplomacy,” Tamaki said.
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