Okinawa

There are many reasons that the author suggests that US military presence in Okinawa is necessary, but most obviously are security reasons. The United States is there to not only further its own agenda in having military in the area, but Japan does not have a working military force, rather just a "self-defense force." The United States is there to help Japan, and since Okinawa is a colonial province of Japan, it serves as the pawn. As military forces were downsized on the mainland, they were added to Okinawa because the people were under Japanese law. Though, for the people of Okinawa, the bases are becoming more and more of a burden. The bases, which used to employ thousands upon thousands of Okinawans, now employ less than 10,000 of the native people. The military personnel on the bases also are angering the Okinawans. There have been reports of mischief and other crimes done by the military personnel on bases that have negatively affected their image to the people of Okinawa. American forces also occupy nearly all of the island with the amount of bases it holds. This has angered the Okinawans because the United States has previously cut back on forces on the mainland of Japan. The people no longer see the bases as necessary especially with the amount of bases there are and with the destruction they cause to the island.