"Now that you mention it, this is also something the American military helped out with," points out Shiryu Otaki, the owner of a produce shop in Ishigaki Island. During the US military era, Taiwanese immigrants gained the right of permanent residence, but they had to return to Taiwan every so often to go through a procedure, which was troublesome.
「說起來，這還是美軍幫的忙」，石垣島青果行老闆王志隆指出，美軍時代，台灣移民拿的是永久居留權，但每隔一陣子還是要回台灣去辦手續，相當麻煩。