Okinawa During the Pacific War

During the Pacific War, Okinawa proved to be an important base for airstrikes and ultimately secured the victory of the allied forces against the Japanese military. With the US occupation of Okinawa, military bases were built as the Americans viewed Okinawa as a strategic location from which the US can maintain the balance of powers in North-East Asia. Between 1965 and 1972 Okinawa was a key staging point for the United States, in its military operations directed towards North Vietnam. Okinawa along with Guam also presented the United States military a geographically strategic launch pad for covert bombing missions over Cambodia and Laos.

Even after the end of the Cold War, the threat of war did not fade away with the presence of North Korea and the rise of China. Political Climate in North-East Asia remained uncertain and with the withdrawal of US troops in the Philippines, Okinawa seemed to be the key to maintaining peace in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, the local community in Okinawa has been protesting against the presence of the US military base for several reasons. Though the Okinawans account for only less than 1% of the Japanese population, Okinawa has hosted more than 75% of US military bases in Japan which seemed unfair for many of the locals. Social problems such as crime and pollution are also reasons for the protests.

The latest development has seen Prime Minister Hatoyama resigning amidst the Okinawa base issue, demonstrating the complexity of the issue which has implications beyond the domestic arena. This paper will show how the people in Okinawa have been marginalized through the issue of the military bases and how this form of marginalization has been legitimized by the Japanese public and central government.

Gavan McCormack. Client State: Japan in the American Embrace. London ; New York, NY : Verso, 2007.

Mike Mochizuki. Toward a true