An Anniversary In Okinawa

 

AP photo

Gate at US military base on Japanese island of Okinawa

Today, June 23 on the Gregorian calendar, is the anniversary of the end of the four month WWII battle for the Japanese island of Okinawa. Over 200,000 people died in this episode, many of them civilians, and its memory has been commemorated for the 77 years that have elapsed since. Fifty years ago control over the island prefecture had been transferred from the US military to Japan but the local residents don't seem to enjoy the political autonomy that the change promised.

 The local citizens have objected for these many years to the US military presence with its disruption of the local culture, environmental degradation, crime and the fact that it makes Okinawa a tempting target in a possible international confrontation. The Japanese national government appears willing to accept without objection a situation that increases this kind of peril for a remote portion of their country rather than a similar facility closer to the bigger islands. The majority of the 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan are posted to Okinawa, which is the site of 70% of US facilities in the country. 

According to militarybases.com, US installations in Japan include Kadena Air Force Base: 

 "Currently, Kadena Air Base is home to over 7,500 active duty airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines. Military family members, Department of Defense contractors and Japanese civilian employees bring the population of the base to a staggering 20,000 plus. The base covers over 11,000 square acres between two separate areas, the largest portion of which is used primarily for storage. Kadena Air Base has two nearly identical 12,100 foot runways that are flanked by 15 reinforced and shielded aircraft hangers. The length and construction of the runways allow Kadena to receive any aircraft in the United States or Japanese aircraft fleet."

Nearby is Torii Station:

" Torii Station is currently the most important military base run by the United States of America in Japan. It is the home of the US Army. It is located close to Okinawa, in Yomitan. Although the profile of the base is military, it is also used for civilian needs. It supports most of the operations required in Okinawa, from fuel supply to port actions. The civilians have access to the SCUBA equipments from Scuba Locker, whether they plan to buy or rent such sets. Other than that, since Yomitan is a small village that mostly concentrates on agriculture, a wide area on site is used for farming activities by the natives."

In all, there are fifteen US military bases on Okinawa: Camp Hansen Marine Base, Camp Foster Marine Base, Fort Buckner Army Base, Kadena Air Base, Torii Station Army Base, Camp Kinser Marine Base, Camp S. D. Butler, Camp Schwab Marine Corps Base, Camp Lester Marine Corps Base, Camp Gonsalves Marine Corps, Camp Mctureous Marine Base, Fleet Activities Okinawa Naval Base, Fleet Activities Sasebo Naval Base, Fleet Activities Yokusuka Naval Base  and MCAS Futenma Marine Corps Base. 

According to the US Marine Corps:

  "The U.S. population in Okinawa approaches 80,000. Nearly 30,000 are active-duty military people from all four branches of the armed forces. One thousand, four-hundred Department of Defense civilians, 700 DoD Dependents, Schools teachers and staff, and almost 25,000 U.S. family members form our military community here. Service members reside and train on numerous major installations on Okinawa."