Okinawa’s Unsettled Membership in Japan

Abstract

In 2022, the 50th anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan from postwar US control was commemorated. To many Okinawans, however, this was no reason for celebration. Seventy percent of the US military deployed in Japan is stationed in Okinawa, and protests by citizens and local and prefectural-level politicians against this persisting imbalance have persisted for decades. As their demands continue to be neglected by the national government in Tokyo, many Okinawans question the quality of their membership in the Japanese nation-state.