ABSTRACT
The Okinawan people, as well as most Japanese mainlanders, were very surprised by this news. Okinawa was thought to be far less suitable for the Summit than the seven other sites proposed, especially in terms of the quality of the facilities and ease of security arrangements, in spite of the enthusiastic efforts of the Okinawan prefectural government to secure the event. The federal government explained why it had named the country's poorest prefecture, Okinawa, to host the G8 Summit, as follows: 'It has had a long, painful history. We have seen the strong passion and enthusiasm of the prefectural citizens for the summit' ('Okinawa Selected Summit Site' 1999).
