Okinawa: Great Power Competition and the Keystone of the Pacific

This thought-provoking book dives deep into the complex politics of the Okinawa Islands, a Japanese possession on the frontlines of one of the world’s geostrategic hotspots. Mason explores internal Japanese debates about the U.S. military presence in Okinawa, such as how to weigh the economic benefits of a military base against its environmental impacts, and about the island chain’s role in larger regional security dynamics. He makes the case that the strengthening of the U.S.-Japanese alliance and the presence of U.S. bases in Okinawa—which occupy almost 15 percent of the main island—endanger Okinawa’s security by significantly increasing the likelihood that the islands will become a flash point in a potential conflict with China. Although Okinawa is only a Japanese prefecture, Mason concludes that Okinawa should try to leverage its antimilitarist tradition and its role as a regional trading hub to embrace neutrality and position itself as a bridge for trade and investment between China and Japan, even potentially joining China’s Belt and Road Initiative. China skeptics will question Mason’s benign view of Beijing’s intentions, but his arguments merit serious consideration.