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Introduction

After conquering Okinawa in one of the bloodiest bat-

tles of World War II, the United States turned the island

into a garrison state.  Even today, more than a half cen-

tury after the end of that conflict, Okinawa hosts some

27,000 American soldiers, 24,000 dependents, and 40 U.S.

military installations.  The Marines account for roughly

60 percent of the forces and most of the facilities.

Futenma Air Station, Kadena Air Base, Camp Hansen, Camp

Schwab, Henoko Ordnance Ammunition Depot, Torii

Communication Station, and two score other facilities dot

the island, occupying 43,400 acres of land.  The bases are

surrounded by seemingly endless fences adorned with signs

barring entry by Japanese citizens.

U.S. facilities occupy 20 percent of the island and

an even larger portion of Okinawa's heavily populated cen-

tral region.  In fact, the American military controls more

than 40 percent of the land area of six communities: 82.8

percent of Kadena town, 59.8 percent of Kin town, 56.4

percent of Chatan town, 51.5 percent of Ginoza village,

46.9 percent of Yomitan village, and 41.5 percent of

Higashi village.  Roads, homes, schools, and businesses

abut bases sporting golf courses, tennis courts, and plen-

ty of green open space as well as land dedicated to overt-

ly military uses.  Moreover, the United States controls 29

sea zones and 15 air zones; two of the three airports are

run by the United States.

It is not just the extraordinary outrages--the 1995

rape of a 12-year-old school girl, for instance, and the

other "111 rapes, 23 murders, 357 robberies, and 2,479

burglaries" committed by U.S. military personnel since

1972, according to Governor Masahide Ota--that bother

Okinawans.1   It is also the daily accidents, noise, conges-

tion, and crowding.  As the island's official petition,

submitted to the U.S. government in April 1997, observes,

Okinawa is beset by many other serious problems

arising from the heavy concentration of U.S. fa-

cilities: (1) chronic aircraft noise plagues res-

idents near the bases, (2) live firing exercises

destroy the natural environment, (3) leakage of

oil from base facilities cause soil and water

pollution, and (4) military aircraft accidents

occur from time to time.  As a result, these

problems disrupt the daily lives of the prefec-

tural residents and instill great fear in them.2