US navy landing on Okinawa in September, 1945. Flickr/Don O'Brien. Some rights reserved.The history of Okinawa, a group of small islands located in the East China Sea, is not known to many. Before it was forcibly annexed by the Japanese government in 1879 through military force, the islands were governed by an independent kingdom (Ryukyu Kingdom) which enjoyed its strategic trade location and housed diverse religions and languages. As the vastly unique culture and religions which had existed since 1429 was halted through Japanese colonization, assimilation policies were imposed on the people of Okinawa, including a ban on using indigenous languages and practicing religious and other forms of cultural tradition.
Okinawa was ordered to serve important strategic purposes for the Japanese government during the Pacific War. In addition to approximately 80,000 soldiers from outside Okinawa, 25,000 adults and teenagers including boys and girls under18 years old were recruited locally to protect the interests and ensure the safety of mainland Japan. Of the 188,136 people who were killed in the Battle of Okinawa, a quarter of the death toll was the local population. Inevitably, this left strong resentment among the locals and a strong desire for sustainable peace. The people of Okinawa no longer wanted to be sacrificed for Japanese or US military interests.
Currently, 74% of the entire US military presence is situated in Okinawa, even though Okinawa only comprises 0.6% of Japan's total land area. During the period following the Pacific war, Okinawa, which came under US control for 20 years until 1972, witnessed an escalation of human rights abuses. The land of the locals was confiscated to build military bases and facilities. Women and children were reportedly raped, and a disturbing number of locals were killed by US soldiers or in US aircraft crashes. The victims of grave human rights violations were hardly given any justice under the foreign administration, which escalated the locals’ bitter feelings towards the US military bases.
