Where is the key to US power in Southeast Asia hidden
In late May, President Trump traveled to Japan and demanded that Tokyo carry out a “fairer trade”. policy". Washington also insists on even closer military cooperation with the Land of the Rising Sun. Much closer, I would like to ask Donald Trump. The Japanese are already tired of the American military contingent located with them under the agreement of 1960. Especially from the presence of the "Yankees" the inhabitants of Okinawa suffer.
Under the control of Washington, this largest island in the Japanese archipelago passed in 1945 during the Second World War. During the landing operation "Iceberg" killed more than 100 thousand civilians, with whom the Japanese themselves did not stand on ceremony, using them as human shields, shooting at any suspicion, taking away their provisions and forcing them to commit suicides.
After the war, the “liberators" even thought of handing Okinawa to Taiwan, but Taipei wisely refused. The fact is that the island was previously under the patronage of China, but during the Meiji Restoration era, the Japanese annexed it by force, sending a military landing. As a result of the unsuccessful Sino-Japanese war over Korea, the loser China was forced to abandon its claims. In 1972, the island was returned to Japan, and another “atomic bomb” was laid under the relations of Beijing and Tokyo by the Americans.
Today, three quarters of US military bases in Japan are located in Okinawa. The strategic importance of this island is difficult to overestimate. The Pentagon gained operational access not only to the East China and South China Seas, but also to the Japan, Okhotsk and Bering. The Navy and the US Air Force, as well as the Marine Corps, are deployed in Okinawa. During the Cold War, American nuclear weapons were even stored on its territory.
Interestingly, the presence of a foreign military is paid for at the expense of Tokyo. It is believed that the Pentagon "roofs" Japan from a military threat from China, North Korea and Russia. However, this also has its negative downside. Okinawa residents are constantly protesting against unbelted American youths in uniform. Due to these warriors, 26 murders, 115 rapes of local girls, and more than 550 serious crimes.
If you call a spade a spade, US troops behave like occupiers, which they are. Experts confirm this:
The local population is also annoyed by Tokyo's attempts to rewrite the history of Japanese atrocities during World War II in their favor. The authorities tried to remove from the textbooks the references to how indigenous Okinawans, Ryukyus, were forced to commit suicide.
Today, the US military presence in Okinawa is one of the most painful topics in Japan. The population of the island is also fragmented. Some require the transfer of the US military base to a less populated part of it, while others insist that the Yankees retire home. Young people see their future as part of a united Japan, older people generally want to see Okinawa independent. A local political party has been created to fight for national sovereignty.
It is noteworthy that in some media publications began to appear urging China to recall its historical rights and take Okinawa under its wing. Beijing is silent. But who knows if he will dare to strike Americans and Japanese in the underbelly in the future, supporting the separatist sentiments of the islanders.
Under the control of Washington, this largest island in the Japanese archipelago passed in 1945 during the Second World War. During the landing operation "Iceberg" killed more than 100 thousand civilians, with whom the Japanese themselves did not stand on ceremony, using them as human shields, shooting at any suspicion, taking away their provisions and forcing them to commit suicides.
After the war, the “liberators" even thought of handing Okinawa to Taiwan, but Taipei wisely refused. The fact is that the island was previously under the patronage of China, but during the Meiji Restoration era, the Japanese annexed it by force, sending a military landing. As a result of the unsuccessful Sino-Japanese war over Korea, the loser China was forced to abandon its claims. In 1972, the island was returned to Japan, and another “atomic bomb” was laid under the relations of Beijing and Tokyo by the Americans.
Today, three quarters of US military bases in Japan are located in Okinawa. The strategic importance of this island is difficult to overestimate. The Pentagon gained operational access not only to the East China and South China Seas, but also to the Japan, Okhotsk and Bering. The Navy and the US Air Force, as well as the Marine Corps, are deployed in Okinawa. During the Cold War, American nuclear weapons were even stored on its territory.
Interestingly, the presence of a foreign military is paid for at the expense of Tokyo. It is believed that the Pentagon "roofs" Japan from a military threat from China, North Korea and Russia. However, this also has its negative downside. Okinawa residents are constantly protesting against unbelted American youths in uniform. Due to these warriors, 26 murders, 115 rapes of local girls, and more than 550 serious crimes.
If you call a spade a spade, US troops behave like occupiers, which they are. Experts confirm this:
Over 70% of local residents opposed the preservation of the US military base, despite the fact that for many of them it provides jobs.
The local population is also annoyed by Tokyo's attempts to rewrite the history of Japanese atrocities during World War II in their favor. The authorities tried to remove from the textbooks the references to how indigenous Okinawans, Ryukyus, were forced to commit suicide.
Today, the US military presence in Okinawa is one of the most painful topics in Japan. The population of the island is also fragmented. Some require the transfer of the US military base to a less populated part of it, while others insist that the Yankees retire home. Young people see their future as part of a united Japan, older people generally want to see Okinawa independent. A local political party has been created to fight for national sovereignty.
It is noteworthy that in some media publications began to appear urging China to recall its historical rights and take Okinawa under its wing. Beijing is silent. But who knows if he will dare to strike Americans and Japanese in the underbelly in the future, supporting the separatist sentiments of the islanders.
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