It has been 50 years since Okinawa returned to the mainland in 15 days.
70% of the facilities dedicated to the U.S. Forces in Japan are still concentrated in Okinawa, and the prefectural income is only 75% of the whole country in terms of economy, so it is a challenge to realize the "mainland level" that people expected at the time of return. Is left a lot.
Okinawa, which was under the control of the United States for 27 years after the Battle of Okinawa, returned to the mainland on May 15, 1972, 50 years ago.
On the 15th, a commemorative ceremony by Okinawa Prefecture and the government will be held at two venues, Okinawa and Tokyo, at the same time.
The area of US military facilities has decreased to two-thirds compared to when it returned to the mainland, but about 70% of the facilities are still concentrated in Okinawa, which is only about 0.6% of the national land area.
Damages such as incidents, accidents, and noise derived from the base are endless, and the prefectural government is opposed to the plan to relocate the Futenma base off the coast of Henoko, Nago City, and the gap remains deep.
On the other hand, in terms of economy, tourism revenue has nearly doubled in the 10 years up to the first year of Reiwa due to the rapid growth of the tourism industry.
In addition, the unemployment rate, which was once twice as high as the whole country, dropped to 2.7% in the first year of Reiwa, narrowing the gap with the whole country (2.4%).
However, the income per citizen of the prefecture is about 2.39 million yen as of 2018, which is only about 75% of the whole country, and the difference is still wide.
Even after 50 years, there are still many issues to be solved in order to realize the "mainland level" that the people of Okinawa expected to return to the mainland.
Approximately 70% of U.S. Forces Japan facilities are still concentrated
When Okinawa returned to the mainland from under US rule, many citizens of the prefecture expected the return of the US military base.
According to the Okinawa Defense Bureau, when it returned to the mainland in 1972, there were 83 dedicated facilities for the US military in Okinawa, and the total area was 27,850 hectares, accounting for 20% of the main island of Okinawa.
After that, there was a growing demand for the reorganization and reduction of bases triggered by the assault by American soldiers that occurred in 1995, and the Japanese and US governments agreed to return 11 facilities including Futenma base.
Furthermore, in 2013, it was announced that the Japanese and US governments agreed on a reorganization plan for the US military in Japan, and that the US military facilities south of Kadena Air Base would be gradually returned.
According to the plan, about 4,000 of the III Marine Expeditionary Forces stationed in Okinawa will be gradually relocated to Guam in order to reduce the burden on Okinawa's bases.
On the other hand, the planned return of the Naha military port and the Makiko supply area in Urasoe city is subject to the relocation of the base function within the prefecture.
The government is proceeding with relocation work off the coast of Henoko, Nago City, over the Futenma base, which was agreed to be fully returned 26 years ago, but Okinawa Prefecture is opposed and the conflict continues.
In the 50 years since the return to the mainland, the number of dedicated facilities for the US military has decreased to 31, which is less than half, and the total area has decreased to 18,483 hectares, which is more than 14% of the main island of Okinawa.
However, in Okinawa, which accounts for only about 0.6% of the national land area, about 70% of the dedicated facilities of the USFJ are still concentrated.
The ratio of bases to the area of the local government is 82% in Kadena Town, where Kadena Air Base is located, and 55.6% in Kin Town, where Camp Hansen is located.
It has also been pointed out that the importance of Okinawa's bases is increasing as the security environment surrounding Japan becomes more severe, such as China's advance into the ocean. It has increased more than Otoshi.
The economic "mainland level" difference is widening
Since returning to the mainland in 1972, Okinawa has been aiming to be "on par with the mainland" in terms of economy.
Especially in the last decade, we have made great progress, but the difference is still widening.
Of these, the tourism industry, which is the main industry of Okinawa, has grown rapidly in the last 10 years due to an increase in inbound tourists.
In the first year of Reiwa, before being affected by the new corona, the number of visitors to Okinawa exceeded 10 million a year for the first time, and tourism revenue reached about 750 billion yen, nearly doubling in 10 years.
As a result, the employment situation has improved.
The unemployment rate in 2012, which marked the 40th anniversary of the return, was 6.8%, which was significantly higher than 4.3% nationwide, but dropped to 2.7% in the first year of Reiwa before being affected by the new corona. The difference of 2.4% from the whole country has narrowed.
On the other hand, the income per Okinawan citizen is about 2.39 million yen as of 2018, which is only about 75% of the national income.
While the number of employment recipients has increased due to the growth of the tourism industry, the ratio of non-regular employment is 39% in 3rd year of Reiwa, which is higher than the whole country, and the labor productivity is the lowest in all prefectures. It remains at about 70%, and the issue is how to improve the “quality” of employment and labor.
In addition, with the development of the economy centered on the tourism industry, the dependence on the so-called "base economy" formed under the rule of the United States is decreasing year by year, and the ratio of income obtained from the base to the total income of the citizens of the prefecture is At the beginning of the return, it was 15.5% in 1972, but it decreased to 5.1% in 2018.