Okinawa Island marked 50 years since the end of the American occupation and its return to Japan

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15/05/2022

Sunday, 15 May 2022, 11:43 Updated: 12:03

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Okinawa Island today (Sunday) marked 50 years since the end of the American occupation and the return of the island to Japan.

The celebrations took place amid growing tensions in relations with China.

U.S. Army soldiers fought in World War II in a bloody battle to capture Okinawa, so that it could be an operational base in preparation for the planned invasion of the main Japanese islands.

In 81 days of battle, about 100,000 Japanese Imperial Army soldiers and 12,510 American soldiers were killed;

About a quarter of the island's population was killed or killed

following the surrender of Japan in September 1945, the United States controlled the island of Okinawa and surrounding islands until June 17, 1972. From 1972 American forces remained on the island, but power returned to the Japanese government.

Today, about 70 percent of U.S.-based U.S. bases are in Okinawa, and include more than half of the country's 47,000 U.S. troops.

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Japanese Prime Minister Pomio Kishida, 50th Anniversary of Okinawa Return, Japan, May 15, 2022 (Photo: AP)

Opposition to the U.S. military presence on the island soared after the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl in 1995 by U.S. military personnel.

A year later, Japan and the United States agreed to reduce the American footprint, but most of the island's residents opposed any American military presence there.

Of the 812 Okinawa residents who participated in a survey conducted in March by Japan's state television network NHK, 56% said they were strongly opposed to U.S. military bases on the island.

In addition, China's strengthening in the Pacific and the escalation in tensions between China and Taiwan, raises fears among islanders that they will have to witness the invasion of foreign power again, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The ruling Democratic Liberal Party in Japan has said it wants commitments for greater investment in defense and security, including missiles.

The country is currently updating its national security strategy.

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