opinion

Japanese people are becoming increasingly critical of the US military bases in Japan.

Shortly ago, a lecture was given by the governor of Okinawa Prefecture to call on the whole country to take issue with the US military bases. The governor has reportedly given such lectures on 13 occasions since his inauguration in 2018. He said that all kinds of accidents caused by the US forces and problems such as noise and water pollution are also occurring in Okinawa, calling for thinking about what are the rights of the people and democracy through the issue of the US military base.

This issue has been a constant topic in Japanese society.

A Japanese civic organization, in a recent article contributed to a newspaper, strongly urged the authorities to immediately stop the project for removing the Futenma US air force base being pushed forward in Henoko, denouncing them for turning Okinawa and Japan proper into a theatre of war.

Meanwhile, citizens staged demos in different parts of the prefecture in demand of the withdrawal of the military base on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the return of Okinawa from the US.

As is known, Okinawa, where more than 70 percent of the US military facilities in Japan are concentrated, is a hotbed of GI crimes. Sexual assaults, robberies and murders by the American soldiers frequently occur and the number of crimes committed by them has reached more than 6 230 cases in the period between 1972 and 2023.

The US military bases in Japan are also the root cause of all kinds of accidents and environmental pollution. The noise of US military aircraft and frequent accidents have inflicted unbearable pain on the locals and caused tremendous disasters. The residents have suffered from all kinds of diseases including neuropathy due to sharp noise produced by aircraft when they take off and land, and sustained a lot of damage from plane accidents.

At least 270 environmental pollution cases occurred at three US military bases in Okinawa from 2002 to 2016, seriously contaminating vast tracks of land and the environs of the sea with various toxic substances.

However, the Japanese authorities zealously patronize the US forces, claiming that GIs play a great role in ensuring peace and stability and that they should not regard the US forces as villains, while turning a blind eye to the pain and misfortunes suffered by the people.

And the US military gets ever more puffed up for the servile attitude of the Japanese authorities.

The tragedy of Okinawa is a due result of the Japanese authorities’ pro-US sycophantic policy.