Resisting U. S. Bases in Okinawa(Photo: Ojo de Cineasta / Flickr)They come in kayaks and canoes to protect the bay, maintain a tent city on the beach, and hold candlelight vigils. From posters to marches, songs, and a petition expressing international solidarity, Okinawan residents have left no question about their fierce opposition to construction of a new military base for the U. S. Marines on their island. ![]() Overriding these emphatic voices, the Japanese and United States governments have begun work on a new facility at the Nago City site of Henoko—initiating offshore drilling, tearing down buildings, and bringing in construction supplies. The building of this base has broad ramifications: it will destroy local marine life, pollute natural resources, and put residents in danger. Even more disturbingly, it reflects the long- term violation of Okinawans’ democratic rights—namely, their ability to set the policies that affect their lives. ![]() And more globally, it signifies Japan’s slippery slope toward further militarization, and solidifies Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s support of U. S. This episode rekindled a fierce opposition movement among Okinawans who had long objected to U. S. This included the Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in the city of Ginowan. But there was a catch: the air station would need to be relocated to a fortified and multi- functional “sea- based facility.” Despite intense Okinawan opposition to the creation of a new base, the two governments agreed to build the Futenma Replacement Facility in the Camp Schwab area at Henoko, near Oura and Henoko Bays. ![]() Chosen in 2. 00. 6, the location was confirmed in 2. For nearly two decades, Okinawan activists have impeded the construction of the replacement base in Henoko. Futenma FoodIn 2. 00. 4 and 2. Meanwhile, a sit- in on Henoko beach, initiated by elders who had survived the terrible Battle of Okinawa by taking refuge there, marked its tenth year in April 2. Lately, however, events have been moving in the other direction. In December 2. 01. Okinawa accepted a package of subsidies from the Japanese government and gave the go- ahead for offshore landfill work in preparation for construction. Residents responded at the ballot box. In January 2. 01. Nago City re- elected the incumbent mayor, Susumu Inamine, who had run on an anti- base platform and won against a candidate heavily backed by the Japanese government. Inamine has vowed to resist construction by all means within his power and has refused permission for Nago City property to be used for construction purposes. However, the project is advancing over all objections. On July 1, the Okinawa Defense Bureau started demolishing buildings at Camp Schwab. Okinawans responded by organizing a day- and- night blockade outside the base. Nonetheless, at dawn on July 2. Camp Schwab in 3. On July 2. 7, more than 2,0. Okinawa body to prevent the construction. Finalization of "Basic Plan" Concerning the Replacement. Ignoring public opinion, the Defense Bureau began offshore drilling on August 1. Meanwhile, authorities have been combating the protesters. Police arrest demonstrators, while Japan’s coast guard harasses those trying to impede offshore drilling from the sea. To prevent a replay of the successful protest against offshore drilling 1. Abe cabinet expanded the restricted area for fishing from 5. Henoko, despite opposition from Mayor Inamine and the Nago City Council. ![]() The blatant disregard for popular will has only strengthened the anti- base activists’ determination. On September 2. 0, 5,5. A History of Repression. For the Okinawan people to have their rights trampled upon is nothing new. The story goes back at least to the 1. ![]() Onaga’s Victory Means More Delays for the Futenma Replacement Facility. Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture has hit another substantial obstacle with. Futenma, Senkakus provide most memorable. The target date for completing the Futenma Replacement Facility. Okinawa’s gubernatorial. Asahi Shimbun, June. ![]() Air Station at Futenma, located in an urban area in central Okinawa, and build a replacement facility in a less populated. House of Japan’s Diet. Okinawa, and Three Looming Elections. Japan overrode China’s objections and annexed the independent Ryukyu kingdom, which it re- named Okinawa. The Japanese government banned the Okinawan language, curtailed indigenous religious practice, suppressed local cultural activities, and enforced education in Japanese language and customs. Okinawans who migrated to the mainland were often met with prejudice and discrimination in jobs and housing, while restaurants displayed signs saying, “No Okinawans Welcome.”During World War II the Japanese government conscripted Okinawans into the Imperial army. As the war reached a crescendo in the spring of 1. Allied powers waged a three- month- long battle in Okinawa. In order to protect its major population centers, Japan localized the violence in Okinawa, thereby sacrificing it to spare the mainland. As much as a third of the population died in the Battle of Okinawa, often described as a “Typhoon of Steel.” Some perished in the fighting, while others succumbed to Japanese soldiers’ orders to commit suicide rather than submit to Allied forces. Survivors took shelter in caves and gravesites, barely subsisting on wild plants. The fighting pulverized much of the main island into rubble and left residents with indelible memories of the brutality of war. These experiences underlie Okinawa’s strong peace movement to this day. After Emperor Hirohito’s surrender on August 1. Allied forces occupied Japan. The United States created the post- war Japanese constitution, enacted in 1. San Francisco Peace Treaty signed the previous year went into force. In signing the Peace Treaty, Japan sacrificed Okinawa once again by agreeing to leave it under direct U. S. While Japan’s new constitution declared popular sovereignty, guaranteed basic human and civil rights, and embraced pacifism as a national credo, Okinawa was excluded and forced to serve as a U. ![]() S. Under a 1. 95. U. S. However, their hopes were dashed when Okinawa’s reversion to Japan in 1. U. S. Around three- quarters of all U. S. As Japan’s poorest prefecture, Okinawa is used for U. S. In an interview on July 2. Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine summarized the situation in this way: “The core problem is that the Japanese government doesn’t have a say when it comes to operations of U. S. According to Keiko Itokazu, a member of the Japanese Diet elected from Okinawa and co- chair of Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence, “The government does not pressure the U. S. After China’s communist revolution in 1. Communist China.” Japan took a first step toward rearmament as early as 1. U. S. It has expanded the SDF’s role outside Japan, starting with minesweeping in the Persian Gulf in 1. In 2. 00. 4, Japan sent 9,6. ![]() SDF personnel to Iraq on support missions. In 2. 00. 9, SDF vessels were dispatched to police pirate activity off the coast of Somalia, and the SDF’s first overseas base was established in Djibouti in 2. The SDF has been deployed in 1. Cambodia in 1. 99. Futenma Replacement Facility Okinawa Diet RecipesSouth Sudan. On July 1, 2. Prime Minister Abe’s Cabinet adopted a resolution, supported by the United States, approving the latest reinterpretation of Article 9. This allows Japan to exercise the right to “collective self- defense” and to aid a friendly country under attack. Although there were divisions in the Cabinet over what military actions would be permitted, and though a majority of Japanese people opposed it, this constitutional revision signaled a marked departure from Japan’s past reluctance to send troops abroad on combat missions. Now, the SDF is legally permitted to engage in combat overseas alongside U. S. Over the years, citizens have tried to elect anti- base candidates at city, prefectural, and national levels. They have also turned to the legal system: U. S. Meanwhile, Okinawan activists have sustained a prolonged and creative campaign of direct action through sit- ins, flotillas, and marches. A recent slogan sums up their approach: “We will win if we never give up.” Seeking Genuine Security. Rather than an alliance between the United States and Japan based on militarism, we call for an alliance that will foster genuine security among all our communities. This includes making apologies and appropriate reparations for atrocities committed during the Second World War. The United States has yet to apologize or provide compensation for the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki that caused instantaneous devastation of those cities. Meanwhile, the Japanese government has not made amends for the brutal terror that their troops committed during the Battle of Okinawa. Genuine security requires respecting the will of the Okinawan people and stopping construction at Henoko, as well as reducing the militarization of the Asia- Pacific region by—among other things—enacting a moratorium on all new bases. The Okinawan people’s struggle is at a critical juncture. People of other nations are urged to contact the nearest Japanese embassy to show solidarity with Okinawans against the construction plan. Okinawan activists also request that messages of support be sent to nohenokotakae@gmail. As Diet member Itokazu said, recalling the Battle of Okinawa and the people’s enormous suffering, “Life is a treasure. We are against war. We do not want to lose our precious lives by getting involved in war.” It’s time for the international community to join Okinawan citizens in mobilizing toward that end. Ayano Ginoza, Michiko Hase, and Gwyn Kirk are members of Women for Genuine Security: www. News. Unit. Select a unit. Marine Regiment. 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Marine Regiment. 12th Marine Corps District. Marine Regiment. 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Marine Expeditionary Unit. Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. Battalion, 1. 1th Marines. Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Dental Battalion. Marine Aircraft Wing. Marine Corps District. 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