Latest update: 24/09/2010

Okinawa: fed up with the US military presence

Okinawa - the picturesque Japanese archipelago complete with sandy beaches, tourists… and US military bases. The locals are exasperated with the noise, accidents and rising crime rates. What they want is for the Americans, there since Japan’s defeat in 1945, to leave.

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Comments (8)

stationed in okinawa

by Anonyme - 13/06/2011 - 07:17

i am stationed in okinawa. we are not leaving!!! this video is only one sided and half of it is lies. only 5% is bs. more like 15-20. they don't tell you about the lockdown in 2008 for only 2 weeks all the RESTAURANT owners, housing, car dealerships, bars, clubs, were either hurting very badly and even in some cases closed.... permanently. The okinawans were begging us to come back out. the guy that lived next to the base moved there after the base was already there. call me crazy but if i move next to an airport then i won't complain about the noise. how many people moved INTO chernobyl after the incident? common sense plays a huge factor. Okinawans want everything handed to them. I've been here for over 5 years now. if america leaves here... okinawa would be just like a third world country. not to mention the 8000 employees out of jobs, families, economy gets even worse. we aren't going anywhere. as far as large navy...ha ha ha. don't think so. if people really knew how things were then they would say nothing and mind their own business.

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trash

by Anonyme - 06/02/2011 - 10:32

Many (mainly civilians) who want the troops to leave give no consideration as to the political balance against North Korea that exists in East Asia.

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america as a stabilizer

by Anonyme - 22/10/2010 - 05:17

if america leaves, what will happen?
japan has one of the biggest navies (by another name) in the world. the idea that japan can't deal with a being responsible for their own defenses is inaccurate.
but what will happen if the americans leave? one result will likely be the need to normalize the japanese constitution to allow for their own defense. why is this important? just ask yourself who will be uncomfortable about this? china.
the likelihood will be an arms race. however, japan's economy relative to china's does not provide the means to maintain any sort of a conventional balance. so what might happen? a technologically advanced japan that feels insecure with a normalized constitution may end up building a nuclear arsenal simply because it is a balancing measure and sign ensuring japan's prestige globally.
it's tricky process to deal with. China may want america out of east asia as do okinawa residents, but politically the americans provide a buffer of sorts between nations in the northeast. if the buffer (and lightning rod)the american are were to be removed, it may highlight misgivings in the region particularly as politicians need to continuously satisfy domestic interests which will ultimately bring about focuses on new lightning rods.

that said, i am in favour of the gradual withdrawal of troops as has occurred in korea, but as one saying goes and tempers my optimism "good fences make good neighbours".

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Does Japan really want to pay the cost of defending itself?

by Anonyme - 29/09/2010 - 01:23

If so, hurray. The US can leave. I doubt, however, that the Japanese are really interested in the financial and human costs of building up a military to defend itself against very real threats from North Korea and potential threats from China. I'm sure the Americans are annoying, but it seems to me that the Japanese get the better of this arrangement.

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Okimawa

by Anonyme - 28/09/2010 - 00:12

Bring all of our troops home, immediately!

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Gordian Knot

by amserv - 27/09/2010 - 12:14

Japan has a bad reputation in its neighborhood. Unlike Germany, it has only reluctantly and unconvincingly apologized for the havoc it wreaked in WWII. No neighbor would have been willing to trade with postwar Japan unless it could be assured that Japan's military would be kept in check.

The US also recognized the strategic value of maintaining forces in Japan.

So, it became a win-win proposition for everyone but the Okinawans. Japan was able to spend less than 1% of it's GDP on defense and get preferential trade treatment from the US in the decades following WWII while the US got an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" on Okinawa.

Now the US can no longer afford to stay in Okinawa just when the Chinese have overtaken Japan economically and militarily. China has been patiently waiting for its chance to repay Japan for the humiliations and atrocities inflicted on its people in WWII. With their unyielding stance over the jailing of the fishing trawler captain this month, it looks like their time has come.

Okinawa's local economy is in a shambles. The departure of US bases would be disastrous. The increase in unemployment that would result, both direct and indirect, would end up forcing Okinawans to export their children to mainland Japan where the majority are treated like day-laborers.

No easy solution presents itself.