Essay
Gallery
Bases in Okinawa
by Saki Nakamura
In this essay I present my research on bases in Okinawa because I'm from Okinawa, and I have learned about American army bases since I was an elementary school student, however I didn't catch the details. Now I want to research this topic more particularly. I want to explore how the size of bases in Okinawa is and what has happened because of bases in Okinawa.
First, I will show you that the size of bases in Okinawa is very large, then I will cover that the bases influences on people living in Okinawa is very serious.
In any study of Bases in Okinawa, it is important to know the background details. Bases in Okinawa are caused by the Japan-USA Security Treaty. After the Pacific War,Japan and the Allied Forces concluded this treaty as a peace treaty of this war in 1951.
This treaty was concluded at the same time as the San Francisco peace treaty. This treaty promised that the American army can reside in Japan for security by building the bases.
I think Bases in Okinawa are similar to Bases in Yokota because American army has bases in both cases and they have influenced the life of the people in both places.
However, there is a different point between the bases in Okinawa and base in Yokota because Yokota base is smaller than that of in Okinawa. The number of soldiers is 3,600 in Yokota. It is 2,100 fewer than bases in Okinawa.
How is the size of bases in Okinawa? I will show you the size of bases in Okinawa is very large. I think the American army set the most of their bases in Okinawa because I can see the bases throughout Okinawa.
According to the homepage of Okinawa prefecture, June 7th, 2004, After W.W. II, fifty- nine years have passed, Okinawa has seventy-five percent of American bases in Japan. (Though it has 0.6% of Japanese territory.) Bases occupy about eleven percent of the prefectural territory. There are thirty eight American army's facilities in Okinawa. Their total area is 23,753 ha. The number of American soldiers, soldiers' families and followers is 49,279. Though America has such a large number of bases, there are twenty-nine training areas in the sea and twenty training areas in the sky. Okinawa has restricted use of land, sea, and even sky.
I have shown that the size of bases in Okinawa is very large, now I will cover that the influences to people living in Okinawa by American bases is very serious.
According to Okinawa times, Sep 7th, 2003, extensive American army's facilities in Okinawa have affected people's lives and natural environments. Especially, affects to the health of people who live near the bases and crash accidents by combat planes and helicopters are big problems in Okinawa. Also, the number of criminal incidents by American army amounts to 5,076 since Okinawa was returned to Japan. These incidents make people in Okinawa worried about the safety of their life and preserving their finances.
In brief I have shown the size of American army bases in Okinawa is very large and the influences to people living in Okinawa by the bases are very serious. The situation might improve if the Japanese government asks for army's evacuation to the American government. However it is the very difficult problem. However the situation might deteriorate if the American government advances and extends the range of bases.
I think people live in Okinawa must appeal for the abolition the bases of the American army. It is not unrelated to young people. We must appeal for the abolition of the bases too.
For the future, I hope that the new safe relationship will be built between Okinawa and America, and it will have developed toward a new direction.
http://www3.pref.okinawa.jp/site/view/contview.jsp?cateid=14&id=579&page=1
http://www.city.fussa.tokyo.jp/yokota/
