In 2022, the 50th anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan from postwar US control was commemorated. To many Okinawans, however, this was no reason for celebration. Seventy percent of the US military deployed in Japan is stationed in Okinawa, and protests by citizens and local and prefectural-level politicians against this persisting imbalance have persisted for decades. As their demands continue to be neglected by the national government in Tokyo, many Okinawans question the quality of their membership in the Japanese nation-state.
Gabriele Vogt contributed this opinion piece entitled “Okinawa’s Unsettled Membership in Japan” to the 2022 annual China and East Asia issue of Current History, a journal published by University of California Press. This study is part of Japan-Zentrum’s ongoing research projects on Political Participation and Electoral Behavior on a Subnational Level and Bearing in Remembrance: Wartime Japan and Germany.
Vogt, Gabriele (2022): Okinawa’s Unsettled Membership in Japan. In: Current History, 121 (836), pp. 224-230. https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.2022.121.836.224
Since LMU does not hold a subscription to Current History, students interested in Professor Vogt’s piece, please request your copy from Ms. Jane Khanizadeh at Jane.Khanizadeh@lmu.de.