[…] Today a fifth of Okinawa’s main island remains in US hands, to the frustration of most residents. Just 0.6 percent of Japan’s land mass hosts 70 percent of American military forces in the country. As a sop to locals Washington is supposed to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the coastal territory in Henoko. The project, however, is now more than a decade behind schedule and won’t be completed until sometime in the 2030s.
Okinawans are overwhelmingly against the replacement plan, saying their prefecture already carries too heavy a burden in terms of hosting U.S. bases. They want the Futenma replacement facility either moved to another prefecture within Japan or scrapped altogether. Successive governors of Okinawa prefecture have sought to delay construction through legal wrangling, including revoking permits for necessary work and questioning the environmental impact. Japan’s central government, however, remains committed to the current plan, seeing it as crucial for the overall Japan-U.S. alliance. […]
Although the island was returned in 1972, the U.S. military continues to intrude in island life. Prime real estate and beautiful beaches still are controlled by the Pentagon. Neighborhoods abut bases. Long fences keep Okinawans out of territory once part of their community. The presence of thousands of foreign young men creates social friction, including high-profile crimes. Three cases of alleged sexual assault this past summer caused Okinawa’s Governor Denny Tamaki to complain about the U.S. military’s lack of transparency. […]
Today U.S. bases put the Okinawan people in great danger if the United States and China end up at war—most likely over Taiwan, or one of several maritime and territorial disputes. Noted Yoko Shima, editor of the Ryukyu Shimpo, which has backed closure of the American facilities, “There is a high possibility that Okinawa will become a target, because there are currently U.S. military bases here. So, it shouldn’t become a target.” The Okinawan people agree. While 70 percent of them believe that they bear an “unfair” burden of US bases, an incredible 83 percent believe that “military bases in Okinawa Prefecture would be targets of an attack in an emergency. Läs artikel