As it has been 49 years since Okinawa returned to Japan, a photo exhibition has begun at the antenna shop in Okinawa Prefecture, which is located in Ginza, Tokyo, to convey the lifestyle under American rule before the return.
Okinawa Prefecture's antenna shop "Watashi Shop" in Ginza, Tokyo is one of the bases for selling local specialties and disseminating Okinawan culture.
The photo exhibition was held on the 15th, 49 years after Okinawa returned to Japan.
The photographs on display are about 30 photographs taken by Katsu Moriguchi, an 83-year-old journalist from the mainland. Of these, the photographs taken in Naha City in 1966, six years before his return, include junior and senior high school students. It is recorded that they march with a banner stating "We are Japanese".
Also, three years before his return, a photo taken in what is now Kadena Town in 1969 shows a bomber flying just above people from a U.S. military base in Okinawa during the Vietnam War. You can learn about life under American rule.
Mr. Moriguchi said, "I want you to face the fact that the bases are still concentrated in Okinawa and the Okinawan people are not in the shape they wanted after returning."
A couple in their 40s in Yokohama said, "While I feel sorry for the unsolved problems with Okinawa, I always felt that the smiles of the children were wonderful."
The photo exhibition is open until the 31st of this month.