Fumio Kishida attended the "50th Anniversary of Okinawa's Return" commemorative ceremony, and a large number of people protested against the US military base in the rain outside the venue
[Global Times correspondent in Japan Yue Linwei, Global Times reporter Xing Xiaojing and Ma Fang] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Okinawa Prefecture Governor Danny Tamaki attended the commemorative ceremony on the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's return to Japan on the 15th in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture. Give a speech.
A large number of Okinawans protested strongly outside the venue that day, demanding that the size of the U.S. military base in Okinawa be reduced or even withdraw all U.S. military bases.
Some analysts said that due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic and the development of Japan-US relations, the issue of the relocation of the US military base in Okinawa may become more and more difficult to solve.
According to a report by Japan's NHK TV station on the 15th, Fumio Kishida said in his speech that day that he will maximize Okinawa's potential, realize Okinawa's economic growth, and will continue to try his best to reduce the burden of the US military base in Japan on the local area.
Danny Tamaki pointed out that, based on the existence of the problem of the US military base, "the goal of 'Okinawa becoming an island of peace' has not been achieved 50 years after the return."
He asked the government to build an Okinawa where residents can truly feel happiness, peace and prosperity.
The Okinawa area started to rain heavily on the morning of the 15th. Outside the venue where the commemorative ceremony was held, more than 100 people from various civic groups gathered at the main entrance of the venue to protest and demonstrate (pictured). With slogans such as Okinawa becoming a military fortress" and "Don't let Okinawa become a battlefield again", and confrontation with the police who maintained order at the scene, the scene was very tense for a time.
Demonstrators said emotionally that today's heavy rain is the tears that the people of Okinawa have endured endlessly for 50 years.
After Japan's defeat and surrender in 1945, Okinawa Prefecture was once occupied by the US military.
On May 15, 1972, the U.S. government officially returned the administrative power of Okinawa Prefecture to Japan, thus marking the official return of Okinawa Prefecture to Japan.
According to Japanese media reports, the area of Okinawa only accounts for 0.6% of the whole of Japan. When the United States handed over the administrative power of Okinawa back to Japan in 1972, the area of U.S. military bases in Okinawa accounted for 58.7% of the total area of U.S. military bases in Japan. Now this ratio has increased to 70.3%. %.
There are currently about 55,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan, and more than half of them are stationed in Okinawa.
"50 Years of Okinawa's Return to Japan: Residents' Failed Hopes", "Deutsche Welle" reported on the 15th that the United States actually regards Okinawa as its "static aircraft carrier". In addition to aircraft noise, the US military has repeatedly Misconduct and illegal crimes sparked protests.
According to the statistics of the Okinawa police, from 1972 to 2020, the number of crimes committed by the US military and related personnel stationed in Okinawa reached more than 6,000, including nearly 600 vicious cases such as murder, robbery, arson and rape.
The rape of an 11-year-old girl by three U.S. Marines in 1995 is deeply etched in the collective memory of Okinawa residents.
Under the protection of the "Japan-U.S. Status Agreement", U.S. troops stationed in Japan enjoy priority jurisdiction, and most U.S. military personnel can escape legal prosecution in Japan after committing crimes.
For decades, Okinawa Prefecture has been pressing for an overhaul of the Japan-U.S. Status Agreement.
A poll of residents of Okinawa Prefecture released by the "Okinawa Times" on the 12th showed that about 90% of the respondents "believe" that there is a gap between Okinawa Prefecture and Japan. Among them, 62% of the respondents believe that "income" is biggest gap.
According to NHK TV, the per capita income of residents in Okinawa Prefecture was 2.39 million yen in 2018, about 75% of the national average, and the gap between the two is still very large.
Some Japanese media analyzed that although the anti-US base faction represented by Yucheng Danny is still trying to prevent the relocation of the Futenma base, they are largely fighting alone.
Under the condition that the Japanese government maintains and even strengthens the Japan-US alliance, it is difficult for the demands of the local people in Okinawa to get a response from other parts of Japan.
In addition, as the epidemic continues, the economy of Okinawa Prefecture has been affected, and the issue of the relocation of US military bases has declined in importance.
Danny Yucheng is about to expire this autumn. If the Japanese government plays the "economic card" in the election of the new governor, the anti-al-Qaeda faction may be under greater pressure.
It is worth noting that some Japanese politicians have been using the "China threat" as an excuse recently to advocate the strengthening of military deployment in Okinawa.
In an interview with the Global Times reporter on the 15th, Okinawa political activist Takayama Yuzo said that in order to expand the bases of the US military and the Self-Defense Forces, the Japanese government has exaggerated the "China threat theory" to "because China will attack, it is necessary to "The establishment of a (military) base in Okinawa" as an excuse to forcibly build military facilities on the Ryukyu Islands, which also made the Japanese people who had no interest in politics begin to believe those rumors without evidence.
In the view of Tokayama Yuzo, Okinawa is still a military colony of Japan and the United States, and one step further is the "battlefield".