Tuesday, October 6, 1998
Okinawans fight for end to US occupation
MILITARY: Philippine Senate pushes for American military bases
on once-independent Pacific islands
By Ryan Yokota
These are troubling times in which the news is a buzz with talk
about the economic crises rumbling through Asia, South Korea,
Japan, Indonesia and Russia. Yet as the news focuses on these
events, there is little talk about how the United States and its
corporate interests are taking advantage of these instabilities to
further penetrate Asian markets through bail-outs proposed by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
Alongside of this economic push, however, the United States is
also tying up its military strangleholds in Asia and is trying to
establish even more of a military presence in these countries.
The main issue that has developed in recent months has been the
push within the American-controlled Philippine Senate to
re-establish U.S. military bases in their lands through a new
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). What this would do, in effect, is
turn the Philippines into one huge military base for the United
States. Yet as activists are urging the rejection of the VFA, we
can look at the situation in Okinawa, Japan, to see just how
terribly U.S. military forces can affect the peoples within a
specific country.
To begin with, Okinawa currently is the name given to the group
of islands to the south of Japan. Just as the Philippines had to
deal with the direct U.S. military presence in their lands before
1992 and are now having to deal with the VFA, the people of Okinawa
are still under the control of the U.S. military. Yet in a greater
twist, the people of Okinawa, like many other nations in Asia, are
faced with imperialism and colonialism from two imperialist
nations: from not only the United States but also Japan.
To understand the complexity of this situation, it is important
to know a little history. In a way, the story of Okinawa and its
relationship to Japan is similar to the situation between Hawaii
and the United States.
The Okinawan people were an independent nation previous to their
colonization and incorporation into Japan in the 1880s, much as
Hawaii was an independent island kingdom before the United States
overtook it. Previous to formal annexation and colonization by the
Japanese, Okinawa and the islands surrounding it were collectively
known as the Ryukyu Kingdom.
The Okinawan people have always referred to themselves as
Uchinanchu, a term which literally refers to "the people."
In the period after Japanese occupation, the Japanese forcibly
erased much of the traditional Ryukyu language, customs and culture
in the same way that Japanese colonization impacted other nations
in Asia, such as Taiwan, Korea or China. In fact, Okinawa and her
people were always considered as an expendable appendage of Japan,
despite official language naming Okinawa as a part of Japan.
Even in the final days of the second World War, Okinawa was used
as the last military staging ground of the Pacific War during the
Battle of Okinawa. In that battle, Japan made an explicit move to
conduct the mass of its fighting in Okinawa, so as not to have a
full scale invasion on "Japanese" soil.
Additionally, in the atrocities of that battle, many Uchinanchu
were forced to commit mass "suicides" by the Japanese military as
their "duty to the Japanese emperor." These incidents and many
others linger in the minds of many Uchinanchu who still have bitter
memories of their treatment at the hands of the Japanese
military.
This all changed, however, in 1945 when Japan was defeated by
the United States at the end of World War II.
But it didn’t change for the better.
As part of the peace treaty signed with the United States, Japan
agreed to cede the islands of Okinawa to the United States in
exchange for their own version of a Japanese "Marshall Plan." In
essence, Japan gave Okinawa to the United States to use as a
military base, and in return the United States helped Japan to
rebuild its economy and be its crony in Asia.
This was the beginning of the U.S. occupation of Okinawa which
lasted for 27 years, from 1945 to 1972.
In a situation analogous to places like Guam, American Samoa and
Puerto Rico, Okinawa was forcibly annexed to the United States and
had to deal with the consequences of foreign domination by the
United States. This was also the beginning of the Uchinanchu’s
direct problems with the U.S. military and the beginning of a long
record of insults and injuries, which have included rape, theft and
murder of the Uchinanchu.
This is not to mention the continued use of Okinawa as a rest
and relaxation facility by the U.S. military in both the Korean and
Vietnam Wars, and the vice and prostitution which that "R&R"
brought to the islands.
As part of the occupation process, the Okinawan people’s lands
were taken without compensation, political processes were
controlled, and basic rights to self-determination were negated.
Even today, U.S. military bases cover 20 percent of Okinawa’s total
land area, or 40 percent of the island’s arable soil.
Of all the U.S. military forces stationed in Japan, 75 percent
of these forces are in the islands of Okinawa.
In 1972, after Okinawa reverted to Japanese control, its
problems with the U.S. military did not cease, as reversion to
Japan did nothing to change the complete domination of Okinawan
affairs by the U.S. military bases. Numerous incidents, including
rapes of women and children and killings by U.S. servicemen
continued to be documented by the people of Okinawa during this
time.
Following the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three
U.S. servicemen, massive anti-base protest activities were
organized by the Women’s and Peace Movements in Okinawa.
Voicing longstanding resentment at the U.S. military presence,
the people in Okinawa held continuous demonstrations, culminating
in a huge anti-base rally of 85,000 people which represented
roughly 10 percent of the total population of the islands. Holding
a non-binding plebiscite, a majority of the Okinawan people voted
for the removal of the U.S. military bases.
Even now the protests and work are continuing, and on Oct. 7, a
delegation of women from the Okinawan Peace Movement will be coming
through UCLA to raise the issues of the Okinawan peoples. These
issues include issues of violence against women, military toxins
and environmental issues, American Asian children and the Status of
Forces Agreement (SOFA).
But most of all, these Okinawan women wish to build greater
links between all peoples around the issues of the U.S. military in
order for us all to fight back against the monster which is the
U.S. imperialist system of military domination.
Undoubtedly, those of us on the side of justice stand firmly in
support of the struggle against the VFA and against the ongoing
push by the U.S. military to place their bases in our lands. No
longer will we abide by the U.S. military staying in our lands and
denying the people their rights to self-determination.
This issue has special significance to all conscious peoples
everywhere who support peace and the right to
self-determination.
Those of us who are American citizens should realize that our
tax dollars support this military presence in Asia. Our own
military forces could better be applied at home, providing food,
shelter and clothing to thousands of impoverished families. Or
these same funds that support the military could be applied toward
making our educational system more affordable and accessible to
all.
All in all, we need to stand up for the rights of indigenous
peoples everywhere and against the U.S. military when it attempts
to infringe on native people’s liberties. As people dedicated to
liberty and genuine democracy everywhere, that is our promise and
our duty.
In Hogen, the indigenous language of the Uchinanchu, there is a
phrase that we use that I hope that you will remember. Just as many
years ago, the Zapatistas in Chiapas asked that a small piece of
your heart be Zapatista, I now ask that a small piece of your heart
be Uchinanchu. "Okinawa Kaiho" means "Liberate Okinawa." In the
spirit of peace and freedom, I ask that you remember this and keep
it close to your heart.
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© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board