{"id":53758,"date":"2022-05-15T13:35:26","date_gmt":"2022-05-15T13:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/05\/15\/okinawa-marks-50-years-of-end-to-us-rule-amid-protests\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:48:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:48:06","slug":"okinawa-marks-50-years-of-end-to-us-rule-amid-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/05\/15\/okinawa-marks-50-years-of-end-to-us-rule-amid-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Okinawa marks 50 years of end to US rule amid protests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TOKYO \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2022\/01\/09\/us-japan-agree-to-keep-troops-on-base-to-curb-covid-spread\/\" target=\"_blank\">Okinawa<\/a> Governor Denny Tamaki on Sunday urged Japan\u2019s central government to do more to reduce <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/10\/01\/okinawas-new-governor-has-a-big-problem-what-to-do-about-the-us-military-and-its-bases\/\" target=\"_blank\">the U.S. military presence in the southern island group<\/a> as it marked the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan after 27 years of American rule, amid <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/japan-tokyo-world-war-ii-01228cb1c35ff2748f4cbefb1e280340\">frustration and bitterness<\/a> over a lack of support from the mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tamaki said Okinawa has come a long way since the devastation of World War II and nearly three decades of U.S. rule, which ended when it reverted to Japan on May 15, 1972. But the tiny island group\u2019s yearslong demand for the mainland to share its security burden remains unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI call on the central government to share with the entire nation the significance of Okinawa\u2019s reversion and the importance of permanent peace that Okinawans have long craved for,\u201d Tamaki said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/01\/07\/us-japan-agree-to-two-defense-pacts-amid-china-worries\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21135325458040.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US, Japan agree to two defense pacts amid China worries<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The U.S. and Japan are close to signing a new five-year pact for Japan to support U.S. military forces in the country and a new agreement to research and develop new defense technologies.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ceremonies marking the anniversary were held simultaneously in two locations \u2014 one in the Okinawan city of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/10\/01\/okinawas-new-governor-has-a-big-problem-what-to-do-about-the-us-military-and-its-bases\/\" target=\"_blank\">Giowan<\/a>, home to a disputed U.S. air station, and the other in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/03\/16\/japan-us-officials-share-their-challenges-with-china-in-tokyo-talks\/\" target=\"_blank\">Tokyo<\/a>. The separate ceremonies symbolize the deep divide in views over Okinawa\u2019s history and ongoing suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he takes Okinawa\u2019s concerns seriously and will make efforts to reduce the burden while still maintaining U.S. military deterrence on the islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kishida and his minister in charge of the islands were in Okinawa, where hundreds of protesters staged a rally Saturday demanding a speedier reduction of U.S. military forces, as fears grow that Okinawa may become a front line of conflict amid rising China tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More protests were held Sunday on Okinawa, including one in the prefectural capital of Naha, where nearly 1,000 people renewed their demands for peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3968\" height=\"2645\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22135419168904.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22135419168904.jpg.jpg 3968w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22135419168904.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22135419168904.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22135419168904.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22135419168904.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22135419168904.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3968px) 100vw, 3968px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters stage a rally, demanding a speedier reduction of U.S. military forces in Naha, Okinawa, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (Kyodo News via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Resentment and frustration run deep in Okinawa over the heavy U.S. presence and Tokyo\u2019s lack of effort to negotiate with Washington to balance the security burden between mainland Japan and the southern island group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of the US. bases, Okinawa faces burdens including noise, pollution, accidents and crime related to American troops, Okinawan officials and residents say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adding to Okinawa\u2019s fears is the growing deployment of Japanese missile defense and amphibious capabilities on Okinawa\u2019s outer islands, including Ishigaki, Miyako and Yonaguni, which are close to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2022\/01\/24\/china-sends-39-warplanes-toward-taiwan-largest-in-new-year\/\">geopolitical hotspots like Taiwan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okinawa was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, which killed about 200,000 people, nearly half of them Okinawan residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okinawa was sacrificed by Japan\u2019s imperial army to defend the mainland, and many Okinawans are skeptical that the Japanese military would protect them in future conflicts, experts say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. military kept its troop presence on the island group for 20 years longer than most of Japan, until 1972, due to Okinawa\u2019s strategic importance for Pacific security to deter Russia and communism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many Okinawans had hoped that the islands\u2019 return to Japan would improve the economy and human rights situation as well as base burdens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, a majority of the 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact and 70% of military facilities are still in Okinawa, which accounts for only 0.6% of Japanese land. The burden has increased from less than 60% in 1972 because unwelcomed U.S. bases were moved from the mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Emperor Naruhito, in his online speech from his Tokyo palace, acknowledged \u201cmany issues\u201d remain on Okinawa and said \u201cI hope that the people, including the younger generation, will have a deeper understanding of Okinawa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His abdicated father Akihito, devoted to atoning for scars of the war fought in his father Hirohito\u2019s name, was nearly hit by a Molotov cocktail during a 1975 visit as crown prince, but continued showing a special interest in Okinawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to visit Japan next week, praised the strong U.S.-Japan alliance and their shared values and vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am profoundly grateful for Japan\u2019s resolute support for democracy, freedom, and the rule of law and for Okinawa\u2019s contribution to advancing these ideals,\u201d Biden said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest sticking point between Okinawa and Tokyo is the central government\u2019s insistence that a U.S. marine base in a crowded neighborhood, the Futenma air station, should be relocated within Okinawa instead of moving it elsewhere as demanded by many Okinawans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tokyo and Washington initially agreed in 1996 to close the station after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three U.S. military personnel led to a massive anti-base movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tamaki earlier in May submitted a petition to Kishida\u2019s government and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel demanding a significant reduction of the U.S. military in Okinawa, the immediate closure of the Futenma base and the scrapping of a new base in Henoko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Economic, educational and social development in Okinawa lagged behind as Japan enjoyed a postwar economic surge that was helped by lower defense spending because of the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The central government\u2019s development fund since the reversion has improved Okinawa\u2019s infrastructure but the growth of local industry that was largely hampered during U.S. rule is still largely limited to tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, Okinawa\u2019s average household income is the lowest and its unemployment is the highest of Japan\u2019s 47 prefectures. If land taken by the U.S. military is returned to the prefecture for other use, it would produce three times more income for Okinawa than the island now makes from bases, Tamaki said recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okinawan authorities regularly face denials by the U.S side in criminal and environmental investigations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki has urged Japan\u2019s central government to do more to reduce the U.S. military presence in the southern island group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":93111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,24,89,16,26],"tags":[8503],"coauthors":[1190],"class_list":["post-53758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","tag-japan"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"BQ4JO2KQNBHDHBLVHAPZEERCLI","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2022\/05\/15\/okinawa-marks-50-years-of-end-to-us-rule-amid-protests\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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