American Occupation of Okinawa

We may recall that the Battle of Okinawa, one of the last major battles of World War II, was one of the bloodiest and most brutal battles in the War in the Pacific, causing hundreds of thousands of soldiers as well as civilians to be killed. Although Okinawa was a Japanese territory and thus not fully integrated into Japanese culture, anti-American propaganda spread by the Japanese made the survivors on Okinawa afraid and distrustful of the American occupiers.

After the war was over, the United States first occupied Okinawa through the United States Civil Administration of the Ryuukyuu Islands from 1945 to 1950. The Treaty of San Francisco, signed in 1951 and made effective in 1952, ended the Allied Occupation of Japan and put Okinawa under the control of the US government. However, Okinawa was still under residential sovereignty of Japan, making Okinawans neither US nor Japanese citizens. During this time, American military presence did not benefit how they were seen by Okinawans, especially due to the US desire to main control in order to ward off communism. The Japanese flag was prohibited on the island; however, Japanese was still the main language. The Okinawan standard of living was low, as many lost their land through American occupation, and many of their basic needs were not being met.

During the 1960s, people suspected America was testing biochemical weapons in Okinawa. In 1969, a leak of nerve gas in Okinawa revealed to the world that the US was in fact hiding an immense amount of chemical weapons, causing public outrage. It became evident that the US was holding nuclear weapons there as well. This led to Operation Red Hat, where the US government was forced to remove their chemicals from the island. At first, this massive number of chemical weapons was decided to be moved to Oregon, but the destination was changed to Johnston Atoll.

The Okinawa Reversion Agreement, determined in 1969 and put in effect in 1972, allowed for Okinawa to rejoin Japan and officially relinquish American control of the island. By this time, the Okinawan economy was stagnating compared to the ostensibly flourishing economy of Japan, so this new development at first pleased residents of Okinawa. Contrary to the expectation of US military bases leaving the island, Japan allowed America to keep their military presence, so the state of Okinawa did not improve as much as it was hoped. However, improvement was still being made: the Japanese government gave more financial assistance to the island, and Okinawa was able to further develop its tourist industry through its beaches and remarkable diving locations.

Even now, the US military still occupies Okinawa, bringing some tension, exacerbated by military accidents and promises of reduced occupation not being met. Despite the military presence and tension, Okinawa now thrives as a tourist location with its own distinct culture, such as its unique cuisine and otoori. However, the tension is still far from over: recent developments include the construction of a new military base in Japan, very unpopular among Okinawa’s residents. Although having taken place over 70 years ago, effects as local as these still remain.

http://www.taiwandocuments.org/sanfrancisco01.htm
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/okinawa-and-the-u-s-military-post-1945/
https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/operation_red_hat/#.XMvCf5NKg6U
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands