Source: Global Times-Global Network
[Global Times-Global Network Report Reporter Xing Xiaojing] May 15th is the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's "return to Japan" and a large-scale demonstration against the construction of US military bases will also be held on the same day. The "Battle of Okinawa" is the bloodiest battle on Pacific battlefield in World War II . Today, only 0.6% of Japan's land in this area is concentrated 70.3% of the US military base in Japan. Through interviews by multiple parties, reporters of " Global Times " found that on one hand, Okinawan people demanded to get rid of the "Island of Bases" and on the other hand, the Japanese government's continuous increase in security guarantee strategies out of geopolitical needs. Not only is it difficult to find a balance between the two, but it is becoming increasingly rippled.
Okinawa is 600 to 1,000 kilometers away from Kyushu Island, mainland China, Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula. For US Marine Corps stationed in Japan, Okinawa is its strategic focus for "control" the entire Indo-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia. Kadena Base in , Okinawa Prefecture, is the largest air force base in East Asia. The only overseas headquarters of the Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture. " Nikkei Shimbun " reported on the 12th that Okinawa's position is "irreplaceable" in Japan and the United States' security strategy.
reported that when the United States handed over the Okinawa administration to Japan in 1972, the area of the U.S. military base in Okinawa accounted for 58.7% of the total area of the U.S. military base in Japan, and this proportion has now increased to 70.3%. Meanwhile, the number of Japanese Self-Defense Forces facilities has also increased by 20% over the past 10 years. Ground Self-Defense Force deployed coastal surveillance forces on Yonago Island in 2016 and missile forces were deployed in Miyako Island garrison in 2019. The Nikkei Shimbun commented that the Japanese government's argument that the importance of security has been blindly emphasized by the Okinawan people.
Relevant persons from the Okinawa Peace Movement Center told the Global Times reporter on the 12th that the center is planning a large-scale parade planned to be held on the 15th, and will make demands to the Japanese government such as "closing or returning Futenma Base as soon as possible", "revoking the construction of the Hatano Ku New Base", "revoking the missile forces deployed by the Self-Defense Force", and "opposing the ' military base ' of the southwestern islands".
"I hate all kinds of evil deeds of the US military stationed in Japan." The civil group "Okinawa Island-wide Conference to stop the construction of the Okinawa Koichi Base" Bureau staff member Yukiko Yoshiko told the Global Times reporter on the 12th that the US military stationed in Japan relied on the privilege of not being bound by Japanese laws, and has been suffering from bad problems such as rape, murder, plane crashes, and noise disturbances in the people over the years. Voting results show that more than 70% of Okinawa prefectures "expressed opposition" to the US military base.
So, can the security strategies that the Japanese government has continuously increased to enhance the sense of security of Okinawa prefecture? When answering a question from a Global Times reporter, Yukiko Yenyama first expressed her position with "hehe". She said that the Japanese government's security strategy serves the United States. Not only was the Okinawan people not protected, they were deeply harmed and did not even have the minimum respect.
In the interview, Yukiko Yeonyama also revealed the deep concerns of the Okinawa people: setting up a US military base in Okinawa is equivalent to binding Okinawa with the war, and local people have always been worried that they will be forced to be involved in the war because of the US military base. This feeling is "fearing."
"It is completely unnecessary to deploy US military bases and self-defense forces in Ryukyu (i.e. Okinawa, the same below)." Matsushima Taikashima, a professor at the Department of Economics of Ryukyu University in Japan from Okinawa, said in an interview with a Global Times reporter on the 12th: "Those so-called security measures are not to protect Ryukyu people . Looking back on history, it can be found that the security strategy of the Japanese government itself started with the sacrifice of Ryukyu."
Matsushima Taikashi believes that the "Okinawa Battle" in 1945 was to put it bluntly to delay the combat time for the Japanese mainland, and it was a complete "battle of abandoning children." The logic of the Japanese government's addition of US military bases and self-defense force bases is exactly the same as the "War of Okinawa" - "Sacrificing the Ryukyu people and protecting the Japanese natives."
Matsushima Taisaki said: "Since 77 years after the war, the calls for Ryukyu people to get rid of the 'Base Island' have never stopped. However, the vicious incidents caused by the US military base in Japan have survived to this day, causing a great impact on the local people. The strong voices of the Ryukyu people are nothing more than to protect their own lives and daily life, which conflicts with the so-called security guarantee strategy of the Japanese government, and the contradiction between the two may be even more difficult to reconcile. ”
