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© KYODOPeace march held in Okinawa ahead of 50th anniversary of return to Japan
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itsonlyrocknroll
Is there really any prospect of peace?
What is there to commemorate on this 50th anniversary?
The global community is closer to blowing the living daylights out of each other tomorrow let alone 50 years ago.
Certainly if the unthinkable took place and the Government of China took advantage of the Putin's crazy war in Ukraine, invading Taiwan, those forward bases will become indispensable.
xin xin
Set up fund to subsidize those who don’t want to live near a military base to move away as far as they want. The base can’t move due to strategic reasons but people can.
Yubaru
Happens every year, just this year is a "memorial" year being the 50th anniversary.
painkiller
Keisuke Yokota, a 30-year-old resident of Yokosuka said he was marching out of sympathy for people in Okinawa as his city near Tokyo hosts a U.S. Navy base.
Many participants in "marches" and "bases protests" on Okinawa are from mainland Japan.
WA4TKG
How much per hour are they paying now to show up?
Last time I lived at Chatan, my neighbor read an ad paying ¥1000 an hour to "Protest".
OssanAmerica
A dream is correct. Okinawa has the misfortune of being strategically located and has always been eyed and coveted by greater powers. And I don't see this changing in the near future.
noriahojanen
That's obvious, judging from the banners in the photo above.
Rivera
The U.S should just give what the people of Okinawa really want and get out off there ..after let’s see what happens in the very very near future if the Okinawa people would regret and cry back for that protection …I have one question Do You Really Think Russia,China and North Korea care what Japan wants?
Blacklabel
It’s really hard to tell if eliminating the bases would destroy the Okinawan economy or not. If it did that costs Tokyo a lot of money.
Japanese government not sure either and bases gotta be somewhere and that’s where they already are so….
Desert Tortoise
The major problem with leaving Okinawa unprotected is that it would be ripe for picking by China. Once their forces are established there in any numbers the US and Japanese would have an awful fight to take it back, and the population as a whole would suffer grievously. Control of Okinawa would be a big prize for the Chinese as it would make it impossible for the US to defend Taiwan or to bottle the Chinese fleet inside the First Island Chain. The strategic importance of Okinawa is hard to understate.
Desert Tortoise
Yokosuka Arsenal was constructed for the IJA in the 1870s. The original drydock completed in 1871 is still in use. Long before WWII it was one four major IJA shipyards. The other three are Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru. If US forces left tomorrow it would remain a major naval base and shipyard for the JMSDF.
itsonlyrocknroll
Thank you, Desert Tortoise, I was not aware of Yokosuka history.
I understand the concern, the Japan people have a target on there back.
I am a tad cynical about policy of these forward bases main priority.
To protect Japan or US interests in the South China Sea?
With the war in Ukraine, the regional security objectives could change.
voiceofokinawa
A deja vu image, this photo.
Alan Harrison
Maybe if US bases were spread more evenly across Japan, this might elevate any animosity some people in Okinawa have towards Japans protectors.
Peter Neil
Alan HarrisonToday 01:04 am JST
“Japans protectors” are there for their own purposes of global presence, not to protect Japan. The US will protect its bases and people.
Yubaru
Right, and please tell me how you are going to differentiate between the Okinawan people (ethnically) and Japanese(ethnically) who are ALL citizens of Japan, on Okinawa?
No one can answer that question, because it is impossible! Okinawan's are Japanese too! The overwhelming majority are apathetic to, support, or have no strong opinions about the bases.
Just a loud, noisy group that gets press a few times a year.
Desert Tortoise
Chose what country you wish to belong to and if necessary move there. The so-called Velvet Divorce of Czechoslovakia into separate Czech and Slovak republics is a good model to follow.
itsonlyrocknroll
Peter I believe that these forward bases have been indispensable for the protection of US interests since they came into service.
Okinawa will continue to bear the burden, as will Yokosuka.
painkiller
Thank the US for providing peace the last 50 years.
evian1
Ryukyu Independence!! Ryukyu doesn't belong to Japan!!
Peeping_Tom
"Ryukyu Independence!! Ryukyu doesn't belong to Japan!!"
You seem a "bit" confused.
Ryukyu ceased to exist in 1879.
There's no more Ryukyu, Guvnor.
Peter Neil
itsonlyrocknrollMay 14 06:12 pm JST
Indispensable to whom? So the US can fly/ ship blankets and ammunition to Taiwan?
The US and the UN will retaliate with stern, strongly-worded scoldings if China attacks Taiwan.
painkiller
noriahojanenToday 12:31 am JST
No, it is not obvious, because the photo above is from one march, and there are no photos from any protests accompanying this article.
Desert Tortoise
One wonders if Japan and the US would be better off if Japan granted Okinawa their independence and walked away. Let them fend for themselves.
Rodney
How about independence March next?