Abstract
The series “Oral History of Broadcasting” has been conducting interviews with an aim to trace the history of broadcasting from the testimonies of people involved in broadcasting by adopting the research methodology of oral history. This paper features the broadcasting history of post-war Okinawa. After WWII, Okinawa came under the direct rule of the U.S. military forces and was totally detached from the mainland Japan in terms of politics, economy, and legal system, which was extended to social and cultural aspects. Broadcasting history was no exception: how it began and how it developed was entirely different from that in the mainland Japan. In the ruins where broadcast function had been completely lost, a radio broadcast service was launched from scratch by the U.S. military and gradually evolved into an established entity while being tossed up and down by the Japanese and U.S. governments as well as social landscapes. Here is a person who has been deeply involved in the process, experiencing each critical stage: Chosei Kabira, former President of Okinawa Hoso Kyokai (OHK) [Okinawa Public Broadcasting System].Mr. Kabira is a rare figure who has been involved in broadcasting all the way from the launch of broadcasting in the post-war period to the reversion of Okinawa to Japan.This paper focuses on how Chosei Kabira thought and acted at each phase as an individual broadcaster and what prompted him to do so, as an attempt to vividly elucidate the history of broadcasting in Okinawa.
