May 15th marks 52 years since Okinawa's return to mainland Japan after having been under U.S. military administration for 27 years following World War II.
Once a hub of a prefecture-wide movement for reversion to the homeland, Okinawa now shows almost no atmosphere of celebration on the day of its return,
with no commemorative events organized by the prefectural government.
The gap between Okinawa and the mainland remains deep, especially regarding base issues such as the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, Okinawan City, to Henoko, Nago City.
Meanwhile, there are also signs of change, with some residents placing emphasis on issues such as poverty alleviation.
April 28th, 1952, when the San Francisco Peace Treaty came into effect, is the day Japan regained its sovereignty.
But for Okinawa, it was also a day of humiliation, as it was separated from Japan.
In that sense, May 15th, 1972, when Okinawa was reverted to mainland Japan, can be seen as the day it fully regained its sovereignty.
However, a veteran prefectural assembly member from the Okinawa chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party observes,
before we know it, the day of humiliation has been highlighted and the significance of the day of reversion has faded away.
Fifty-two years have passed since Okinawa's return to the mainland on the 15th, after 27 years of war.
Okinawa used to celebrate the return of the people, but there is almost no atmosphere to celebrate the day of return, and no commemorative events are held.
The gap between Okinawa and the mainland remains deep, especially regarding base issues such as the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station,
and the fact that Okinawa has been a target of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station,
and the fact that Okinawa has been a target of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station,
On May 15, 1947, when Okinawa returned to the mainland, it was said that it was the day it fully regained its sovereignty.
However, a veteran prefectural assembly member from the Liberal Democratic Party observes,
before we know it, the day of humiliation has been highlighted and the significance of the day of reversion has faded away.
Today is May 27th, so it feels like it's too late, but it seems that the day of return has changed to the day of humiliation.
It's true, it's the day of humiliation.
We talked about the same topic two years ago.
Two years ago?
No, it was 52 years ago.
I thought we talked about it last year.
But we didn't talk about it when it was 50 years ago.
Yeah, that's right.
Why?
I was surprised.
Two years ago, it was a more hot topic at that time on the news, right?
But this year, it was not like that.
I was like, oh, it's the day of return.
A 15th anniversary was kind of like a big thing because it's 50.
But every year, the news says the same thing.
Today is the Okinawa Reversion Day, and we still have a military base.
That's all, every year.
Reversion itself is celebration or humiliation?
It's supposed to be a celebration, but
in the real sense, it's humiliating that it hasn't been restored.
I see.
Because in the end, Okinawa was able to be restored.
Only the shape was restored.
In the sense that the people of the prefecture are not rich and there is a base,
it's humiliating because it's being licked.
That's true.
It makes sense.
But if you celebrate, will you be beaten?
But we were celebrating.
It's not a celebration, but it's a weird atmosphere.
We were celebrating.
It means we wanted to be back in Japan for a long time, and we are back.
It's been 50 years, so it's a celebration.
It was not like that.
Then it should be like a big festival too.
It's not like that.
It's just a history.
Is it a sensitive topic?
I think it's better to have a lot of celebrations.
Can't we have a festival on that day?
Then will you be beaten?
Will you be attacked by various groups?
But that was on 4th of July.
That was an American Independence Day.
Independence Day.
So the Dragon Ball Independence Day is a celebration?
We are back.
We are independent.
We just came back.
From China to Japan, from Japan to America, and then to Japan.
But before that, it was the Dragon Ball.
We never became China.
We were just using it.
The Dragon Ball had a good relationship with China.
But Japan knew that.
So you got it at the right time.
According to Satsuma-han.
In urban legends, the history of the Dragon Ball is erased a lot.
There is a news that important treasures of the Dragon Ball era were found in a soldier's house.
It was taken like that.
It remains a mystery.
But there is a story that the Dragon Ball has been around for a long time.
It's like hundreds of years ago.
Yes.
So there are people who want to hide the history of the Dragon Ball.
Is it inconvenient to be known?
Is it bad?
But the Dragon Ball is now Japan.
As Okinawa.
I don't think Japanese government want us to feel like we are as one nation.
It's in the past.
It's over.
It's dangerous to grow up with an independent ideology.
Okinawa has a strong spirituality.
If everyone brings out the same will, there will be a strong power.
That's true.
In that sense, it's a proper education that it's Japan.
I don't think it's necessary to grow up with an independent identity of Okinawa.
It's better not to grow up.
But if they want us to be part of Japan, they should take care of the base.
Japanese government?
Yeah.
To do...
70% of the base in Japan is in Okinawa.
It's better to spread out more.
Everyone should take responsibility.
That's what we've been trying to do for 50 years.
I think a lot of Japanese people agree to have a military base in Japan.
But not in their prefecture.
So they don't welcome us to be part of Japan.
You can say that.
So they don't want us to share the pain.
But for example, if we are the citizens of Osaka or Kagoshima...
You don't want us to come, right?
Maybe you don't.
I don't.
I don't want to, but if it's decided, we have to accept it.
At the citizen level.
So what would you do if you were a prefectural governor?
If they like Okinawa, they will think about it.
I think it's about money.
You can get the base, but how much can we get?
It's better to have a prefecture that wants money.
I think the higher-ups will think about it.
But if the citizens are against it, we can't move anywhere.
That's pretty normal.
You don't want that, right?
I don't.
Okinawa was there from the beginning.
I can't say I don't like it.
It was a battlefield in the first place.
It was destroyed.
The US military built the 58th battalion.
It was absolutely necessary to prepare the infrastructure.
The base, the Americans, all the Japanese.
So we had no choice.
Yes.
So I can associate with this, you know, losing feeling.
Yes.
That this Okinawa Reversion Day is not for celebration.
Yeah.
It's not.
That's right.
On the contrary, I said we shouldn't have a festival.
But when I saw you celebrating, I thought you were stupid.
It's like, do you understand what I'm saying?
Yes.
That's why I like this serious atmosphere.
Recently, there was an article about Okinawa Reversion Day.
It was not taught, but it was taught at some school this year.
If you think about it, isn't it crazy that it wasn't taught?
It's crazy.
It's crazy, isn't it?
Why wasn't it taught?
It wasn't necessary for Japanese government.
We are part of Japan, but we have base.
So we need to know as a residence.
I think if I am part of Japanese government person,
I want Okinawa people to be ignorant about why the U.S. military base is here.
You know, don't want you to know.
Because it's convenient.
Background.
Yes.
Let's celebrate Okuma.
Let's celebrate air base.
Let's celebrate Kadena Air something.
Let's celebrate Kadena Air something.
That's right.
If I were in government, I would do that.
Then, as a general citizen, what kind of awareness should we have in this world?
I thought about this topic last year.
It's a bigger than us issue.
But if you say that, you can't do anything.
For example, you can only go to the election.
I think more than 100 people will listen to this kind of talk.
There are people like this.
Or look at other people's thoughts.
So, it's not just about awareness.
People who are involved may be able to do something.
And now, the base problem.
Next.
Poverty issue.
It's been closed up every year.
Let's solve poverty.
Let's think about measures.
We have to improve the economy.
If we don't make money, we can't get rid of poverty.
If it's poverty, I think everyone can think seriously.
Even the citizens.
What should we do to raise the poverty level?
At the end, I think the top-down base problem will come again.
I think this was also a problem.
I think the base problem will come from there.
The thought of the population level.
Yes, whether there is income or not.
It doesn't matter.
I'm more worried about whether the children in the city can eat every day.
Yes.
Cats and dogs.
So from there.
So, the issue that the government, Denny, and the people above want to think about,
and what we want to think about at the local citizen level,
I think it's completely different.
So, I think all the politicians want the votes from us.
We have no choice but to work on the poverty issue.
If we want to win the election.
That's right.
But who do we choose in the election?
We need to dig information.
We need to watch news.
We need to know what we want to support.
Who we want to support.
I think you can understand if you watch the news all the time.
I don't know if I didn't watch the news.
I understand.
Do you understand?
Yes.
So, the hurdle is a bit high for people who live normally.
You have to think about this.
It's like only bored people can think about this.
In our generation, I don't think a lot of people are interested in this issue.
Probably like university students who always study about this,
or like old men who always watch news and newspapers,
probably are familiar topic.
Or the public officials.
Yes, that's right.
It's related to the salary.
I think it's the same for military personnel.
I think it's the same for Okinawans.
I think it's the same for Okinawans.
It's related to the military personnel issue.
My aunt married to military.
So my uncle was in US Navy.
She is more sensitive and interested about global news.
She is more sensitive and interested about global news.
She is more sensitive and interested about global news.
She is more sensitive and interested about global news.
She always say like it's not her problem.
She probably isn't part of the US Navy, but it's not her personal problem.
She probably isn't part of the US Navy, but it's not her personal problem.
I think it's interesting to hear the opinion of the other side.
We talk about this topic for the second time, but it will never be our personal issue.
We talk about this topic for the second time, but it will never be our personal issue.
I think it's not anyone's personal issue.
Because it's a war issue.
Because it's a war issue.
It's a country issue.
It's a country issue.
Japan doesn't have a single dictator.
If Mr. Kishida says it's a right-wing country, it's not a right-wing country.
It's bigger than anyone else.
I don't think anyone in Japan can control this.
We are obedient for United States.
We are American.
We are American citizens.
We are American citizens.
Our purpose is to improve our quality of life.
If it's too big an issue for us.
If it's too big an issue for us.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
It's about poverty.
Welcoming.
Advantage.
There are a lot of people who have moved to Japan and started their own business.
So when I read about it in the newspaper,
everyone is like,
keep the current situation.
It's kind of welcoming.
It's more real.
But we can't say it.
It's kind of scary to say it.
Sneaky.
Being happy.
People in general
just think about their life.
Not think about
third generation later.
Not think about
third generation later.
I don't think people are being manipulated.
I don't think people are being manipulated.
I feel like they are taking the balance.
I feel like they are taking the balance.
I was opposed to the existence of the base,
I was opposed to the existence of the base,
but when I compare it to
people in the base
people in the base
from a smaller point of view,
they are not in the opposite direction.
they are not in the opposite direction.
There are pros and cons
in life.
There are pros and cons in life.
Perspective is different.
is different.
I don't know if it's a bigger picture or a smaller picture
So if you have a job in government in Canada
You need to see a bigger picture
But you can hang out with American people and go to exchange
I don't care
Get along with anybody
kind of vibe as a Rokina one
Yeah, but we need to think about like 50 years later
It's really difficult
Yeah
Yen is so weak
Nowadays
Being a dog sitter
Dream job
If you go to the US
It's worth 5 million
I wonder if the rate will change
I wonder if you can live a luxurious life
Because it costs more to live
Yeah, the land price is getting higher
It's like a super inflation
Exchanges are getting really expensive
You can't even buy a soap
Campbell's soap is like 2 dollars
2.50 dollars
It's like 500 yen
It's like a super inflation
You can't buy anything
Even if you hang out with Minami
It's too expensive
You can only buy Bacchus
It's sad
That's why a lot of tourists come
There are a lot of Europeans in Okinawa
So you have to do a lot of inbound
And get a lot of money
That's the only way
That's why it's hard to make money
The hurdles are getting higher
Yeah
It's like you can make more money if you go abroad
It's cheap
But you can make more money if you export
It's the opposite
Minami doesn't have a lot of money
But there are a lot of companies that make a lot of money
It's cheap
There are a lot of locations in Okinawa
It's cheap
But the budget is higher than the budget of Japanese people
I think that's the reason
It's like that now
It's the same in Okinawa
But Japan is a big tourist country
What if we end up in a poor country like Okinawa?
You know?
Yeah
It's cheap
And Japan is like Southeast Asia
More cheap
It's crazy
I don't know if Japan is poor or other countries are rich
I don't know
But they are poor
And they don't have a lot of children
And the government is trying to accept immigrants
I wonder if Japan will be like America
Population
Mixing up
In America, there are Chinatowns and Japantowns
In Okinawa, there are Korean towns
There are a lot of Philippines villages
Thailand
We already have an American village
So it's like a multi-ethnic village
Then the local village
Yeah
The only area we can live
What if that happens?
That's so sad
It used to be our land
That's right
Then we get married to the immigrants
And that's how we get rich
True
There are more immigrants in the mainland
There are only Americans in Okinawa
There's a Kurdish problem
There's a Turkish immigrant town
There's a Kurdish immigrant town in Saitama
And there are more Kurdish immigrants there
So there's a lot of problems
There's a lot of bad manners and discrimination
Japanese are being kicked out
That's an extreme example
But there are things like that
So it's not that we don't want to accept immigrants
If we don't have strict regulations
Like limiting the area
Like buying real estate
If we don't put restrictions on what we can buy
In the end, people who don't live in Japan
Won't be Japanese
So they failed
And then we become like that
And then we need to go for it
So we're going to be an immigrant country
Even so, we have to improve
If that happens
So then, what's the purpose to preserve our culture?
I mean, we want to preserve the culture
We don't have to stick with Japanese
You know, Japanese, Japanese
DNA
What do you call it?
As a nation
If we can't survive anymore
We don't need to preserve it
But we are like a rare nation
I saw a DNA test on YouTube
I think there are a lot of people who are 100% Japanese
So you're saying that there are no mixed races?
Yes
But if we go out of Japan
It's most likely they're all mixed with some country, right?
But in Japan, we are always in this land
And we didn't immigrate to anywhere
I mean, a lot of people stay in Japan
So we preserve and continue our whole Japanese DNA
I don't know about Okinawa
Okinawa also has 100% DNA
But is it called Japanese?
I wanted to do a DNA test
Now it's Japanese
But a lot of DNA
So Korean and Japanese are all together
It's Asian
Because I think the DNA investigation association is mostly in Europe or US
I don't think they have much of the data
Between Korean and Japanese
And we don't do that in here
Americans do a lot of DNA tests
There are a lot of Westerners
And there are a lot of people from Europe
So the mixed race is the basic
So it might be like that
But Japan is unique
So if the political control is still being manipulated
Even if it's being manipulated
Because it's being manipulated, Japan was able to survive
Right to the right
Okay
Right to the right is the Japanese way
But that's why this culture survived
As a nation
So even if other countries take it
There are people who find value and protect it
I see
I don't know
But if we talk about Japan, it's a big issue
In Okinawa, there is a problem of wealth and poverty
If we think a bigger picture
Japan is also not in danger
But it's in a weak position
For these 50 years
For the US
So it's not a big deal for the people in the US
But for the Japanese people
This small island is a sacrifice
And they are trying to protect it
But if that doesn't work
If Okinawa becomes poorer
Your rights will also be in danger
There is a possibility
If we don't do the diplomacy well
We don't know what will happen to the Self-Defense Force
And the emergency response
It might change
So the issue in Okinawa is the issue in Japan
It's a war issue
That's why it's difficult
I see
The key to the development of the Self-Defense Force
If it is converted as planned, it will have an economic effect of 890 billion yen per year
That's right
So if we talk about the economic effect
Then yes, we don't need the base to make money
To raise our economic level
To be protected by the US or Japan
Then what are we going to do?
As we talked
If the war happens in Okinawa
Then the US almost loses the war
And they are going to go back to the mainland America, right?
They tend to, because they don't want to die
I don't know their protocol or their plan
But now the US base is here
And they are supposed to protect us
Or protect the people who live here
But what if China got so strong
That they can beat us in the United States so easily on this island
I think the US military has a plan A, B, C, D
There is an ultimate plan
To evacuate and go back to the states to save the soldiers' lives
Then what are we going to do?
We are going to be left in a war place
We have no power
This is a part of Miyami's delusion
The US military is strong
So they can't beat us so easily
That was a delusion
But if North Korea gets so strong
Then it's possible
But in order to prevent that
We have a base in Okinawa
So we can go investigate right away
But what if the base is not in Okinawa
Do you think they are going to target us?
If we were to be beaten
I don't know
Location, maybe
I think we are going to be like Taiwan or China
I think China is the only country
Trying to have an advantage to have Okinawa
As they are China
But Taiwan is isolated
They are independent, right?
They used to be China, but they are Taiwan, right?
Now they are a Taiwan country
So we want to be like that
But I think they are going to target us once
We are going to be like Chinese
We are going to speak Chinese
So Japan depends on other countries
But now America is the coolest
Because it is China
So now we have a base
And we are protected from Asian threats
I don't know if it is true
But if it is true, then we are protected
We are not threatened by the military
There are not many Self-Defense Forces
And the story of Taiwan and China
To be honest, it is better to talk to the military
Than to listen to the Japanese
As a local
As a Japanese, I don't know what is going on
I don't know about the South
But we are depending on each other
Even if North Korea makes a mistake
We are like, Japanese news is like this, but how about yours?
It is going to be fine
Nobody cares
There are different types of missiles
I think there are dangerous ones
But not all of them have missiles
Because the information is slow
So we don't know
We don't know if there are dangerous ones or not
So as a local level
We need to have a good relationship with the American people here
Leave aside the government
It doesn't matter
As a local level
We need to have a good relationship
It is different from the story of our return
But the base problem is such a big issue
We can say what some people think
And we can also say what some people think
Young people tend to be aggressive
I think so
It is like saying the opposite reason
That's right
That's why we can't say it is going to be better without it
Because we don't know the version without the base
And our young generation don't want to be involved with the war
Japanese are like that
They haven't been educated yet
At school, we were told that Japan is a peaceful country
At school
In other countries, we are not allowed to do that
So I don't think the young generation has been taught
How to approach the war
That's right
I think the education and the law in Japan
Is something that everyone obeys
I think there is a nationality
But in other countries, especially in the US
There is a strong patriotism
Like I said before
There are people who are against it
But they are interested in their own country
There is not much of that in Japan
So they try to unify
The government controls it
But they can't unify
Because there are too many people who are indifferent
At the end of the day
Indifference means
They just obey
Because they are stupid
I see
But in the US, it's easy to control the patriotism
Recruiting the military people as well
Because they are gonna pay their petition
For the school, for the university
A lot of people join the military
Because they want to go to school
I wonder if there are people in the US
Who are against the US military
I wonder if there are
They always respect all military people
Everyone is like, thank you for your service
I see
So there are no people who are against the war
I mean, they don't want to do a war
In the land of their land
But they've been doing the war since 9-11
I see
I think the US is a country that has been at war for a long time
There is no threat to the US
But the CIA is active in the water
FBI and the Special Forces
They do a lot of things
And they prevent terrorism
So it's like, thank you for your service
Because it's hard to spread bombs at school
I see
I talked to Minami earlier
On Instagram real
Like a military guy dead
And then he sent a video to his dad
And then it says, you see this video so I'm already dead
The reason why I became a military is because of that
My dad pointed to the stars
And said, the people who died in the war
They are shining like the stars
I sympathized with that story
And I became a soldier
So I'm proud to have died in the war
That's what he said
So if I'm his dad, I regret
I told him about the military story
So it became this result
Bring this result
You don't want your parents to die
That's right
To your kids
Everyone is like that
The price of war
Because of that thought
I became a soldier and died
I don't think it makes sense
For me
We could never imagine
How situation they've been through
If he, the military guy
Died for protecting
Let's say, terrorism
Then it's worth him to die
For the country
I think he's satisfied with being dead
Because of the war or something
From the service
As a military
But I'm his family
I don't regret
It's all I can live
But I died
As a family
If I decided to join the military
I would think the same
Why did I join?
After all, dying
What is war?
If you survive
That's good
If you survive and do well
It's just an old story
In the end, the number of people who die is constant
If you think about it
What are they doing it for?
But
If the enemy is killed by the country
Someone has to stand up
So
Military people
If they
Have a lot of experience in the front line
I think there are many
Really
Your own justice
To protect the country
If you don't think you're doing it to protect your family
You can't attack
That much
How do you say it?
It's impossible from the usual situation
If you don't take it that far
You can't kill the enemy
You have to make it right because it's a war
If you don't do justice, you can't kill the enemy
It's amazing that you can jump over your personal life
And die for the country
That's right
Most people
Think about this benefit
There are many people who join
Because in the first place, the reason to earn money and raise a family is the majority
So
I don't know if Akane is on Instagram
At the bottom of your heart
I think there is something like emptiness
If not, it doesn't make sense
Because there are a lot of people who have PTSD
And going to commit suicide
You don't know that there are so many people
Actually, injured soldiers
They are like a
Not a douche bag
No need more
As a force
Because you are injured
You are just him being by
You get a VA claim by yourself
But we don't help you
That's reality
That's true
I feel sorry for them
Yeah
We will talk about that with a military guest
We should think about what war is
I want to hear
It's a modern war