Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
INTRODUCTION
military bases in Okinawa since the end of World War II, which see
both the US bases and the Japanese central government. Finally, the
rally that for the first time unified the opposition in Okinawan
the shift of governance from Ota to Keiichi which marked the “cooling
THE OKINAWANS
part of it. The Ryukyu Kingdom was one of the most ‘faithful’
started in 1609 when the Ryukyu Kingdom was brought within the
royal family still sending tributary missions to China. Only after the
as Okinawa prefecture.
were separated from each other some time between 1,450 and 1,700
grater nasal breadth, eider eye opening, and most notably, the
Problem of Identity
much more common than in the rest of Japan, and has been a source
not such a bad idea after all. This reflected in some trends as Robson
describe,
the traditional topknot and pin to the crew cut popular on the
mainland. Women began adding the -ko suffix to their given
names, and men adopted kun pronunciations for their names
which previously had readings that were closer to on. In
Okinawa, unlike in Korea four decades later, such renaming
was voluntary. 3
migrants.4
Okinawans as lazy and unreliable, which justify the low wages they
During World War II Okinawa became the only Japanese war field. The
3
Steve Rabson (1996), “Assimilation Policy in Okinawa: Promotion, Resistance, and
Reconstruction” in JPRI Occasional Paper, No. 8, October, available online
http://www.jpri. org/jpri/public/op8.html
4
John Lie (2001), Multi Ethnic Japan, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, p. 98.
5
1945, their tie with Japan was abruptly severed, as Okinawa was
Japanese.
identity. Yet, they were not free from the legacy of being "Japanese,"
5
Ishihara Masaie (1992), “Okinawasen no shosoo to sono haikei,” as quoted in John
Lie (2001), Multi Ethnic Japan, p. 99.
6
poured with capital from the central government along with rigid
regional characteristics.”6
identity. Only in recent years there are some efforts to revive the
Economic Discrepancy
Being separated from the rest of Japan until 1972, Okinawa did
after the war. As cold war period started to begin, the Korean War
War. Again, Japan became the main supplier of US forces during the
war. Okinawa did not enjoy the advantage of these two wars since it
6
Kozy K. Amemiya (1998), “Being “Japanese” in Brazil and Okinawa” in JPRI
Occasional Paper, No. 13, May, available online
http://www.jpri.org/jpri/public/op13.html
7
was still under US military occupation during the Korean war, and
although the Vietnam War ended when Okinawa has been returned to
Japan, industry in Okinawa at that time was far from ready for such a
boom.
Twenty years after reversion, Okinawa’s per capita income was only
percent, two times higher than the national average.7 Ten years later,
Okinawa is now still the poorest prefecture with its both living
national average.8
7
Okinawa Prefecture, “Promotion and Dedvelopment of Okinawa” available online
http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/97/kokusaitoshikeisei/mokuji-e.html
8
Japanese Government, “National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure”
available online http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/zensho/3.htm
8
happened, means more than once a year. There ware report of toxic
waste disposals from the bases, and the common complaint of local
concluded that hearing ability of people reside near the bases was
0.9 percent in 2001, with the highest rates was 6.9 and 6.5 percent in
9
This report is available online at http://www.asahikawa-
med.ac.jp/dept/mc/hygiene/okinawa/ report-e.html
10
Okinawa Prefecture, “The Number of Criminal Cases in which SOFA Status People
have been Arrested,” available online
http://www2.pref.okinawa.jp/oki/okinawa.nsf/98ec0e16075d27
aa492567340044e504/6b5dda8761e27dd049256b7200236c4d?OpenDocument
9
paid to Japanese bases employees, rental fees for land used by the
expenditure.
Okinawa's gross expenditure has reduced over the years as the rest
the brutality and the young age of the victim. Through the
development of the case, there were two growing feeling within the
the view that the central government was not serious in responding
bases and personnel there. These feelings were due to the delay in
indicted.
in Okinawa. There were two other fuels for this sentiment. First, the
rally in Genowan city in October 21, 1995 was the biggest people
rally was that all opposition parties attended the rally; thus the rally
sign the necessary papers that would force 35 anti bases landowners
Yomitan village. Feeling confident with support from the mass and
in gaining support from the mass. The referendum, for which 479
million yen was allocated, asked one question consisted of two not
11
Translation by Robert D. Eldridge (1997) in his “The 1996 Okinawa Referndum on
US Base Reduction” in Asian Survey, Vol. 37 No. 10, October 1997, pp. 879-904.
12
policy. Ota was aware of the possible use of the 1952 Special
12
Vote result available online http://www.okinawa.ttc.co.jp/resultvote.html
13
elected for the first time in 1990 with his anti-base platform
campaign. Basically, his policy was based on his believe that the US
the bases problem would solve itself overtime, as East Asia stabilizes.
In his own words, “There is a good chance that by 2015 the Korean
payer will lose interest in spending more than $30 billion a year to
income: the bases for the base-related transaction and the central
13
Ota Masahide, cited in Mike Millard (1998), “Okinawa, Then and Now” in JPRI
Occasional Paper, No. 11, February, available online
http://www.jpri.org/jpri/public/op11.html
14
(1) a pool of 7.5 billion yen for each district hosting US military base;
for relocation within Okinawa prefecture, and (3) 100 billion yen over
Table 1
14
Julia Yonetani (2001), “Playing Base Politics in a Global Strategic Theatre” Critical
Asian Studies, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 74-75.
15
What Ota wanted for Okinawa was more autonomy and was
1995 rape case, “More people have begun talking about Okinawan
16
tariff and tax concessions that would attract investment, Ota hoped
had lost most of his anti-base posture when he gave up from Tokyo’s
landowners continue leasing their land for bases’ purposes. Ota saw
of the citizens voted against the plan to build Nago Air Station. 16 Ota
used this issue in the hope of rebuild his anti base image, but he
15
Chikako Yoshida, cited in Mike Millard, Ibid.
16
Nago was the chosen site for the relocation of Futenma Air Base.
17
Julia Yonetani (2001), “Playing Base Politics in a Global Strategic Theatre” Critical
Asian Studies, Vol. 33, No. 1, p. 79.
17
I believe one should settle for the latter . . . , rather than refuse to
issue.
Okinawa prefecture, doubled what Ota had from Tokyo for the
facilities needed.
18
Inamine Keiichi (2000), “Okinawa as Pacific Crossroads” in Japan Quarterly, Vol.
47, No. 3, p. 14.
18
more pro Tokyo policy and less anti base than Ota’s. However,
election.
CONCLUSION
Okinawa prefecture still has the lowest income per capita in Japan, its
Great Brittain.”19
19
John M. Purves (1995), Island of Military Bases: a Contemporary Political History
of Okinawa, MA thesis, International University of Japan, p. 188.
19
REFERRENCES
okinawa.nsf/98ec0e16075d27aa492567340044e504/6b5dda8761e27
dd049256b7200236c4d?OpenDocument