Historical Implication of Typhoon “Emma” Relief and Reconstruction Program in US-Occupied Okinawa

Abstract

In the late 1950s, the United States administration of Okinawa faced great difficulties involving “the land problem”, which caused the mass protest movement called “Shimagurumi Tousou”. The United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR) needed some means of appeasing Okinawan people. This paper focuses the typhoon “Emma”, which stroked the mainland of Okinawa in 1956 and brought severe damage to Okinawan housing, crops, commercial precises and utilities. This paper explores the development of the typhoon “Emma” relief and reconstruction program led by USCAR and examines the character of the program as an appeasing policy of the occupier. The results were as follows. First, typhoon “Emma” caused more severe damage to the rural area including local islands, in which some people forced out from their lives for the United States land acquisition program to the Ryukyu Islands had to resettled. Second, USCAR had researched for means of appeasing Okinawan people ahead of the typhoon “Emma”, so they could take immediate action for the disaster. Importantly, they had discussed the way of finance with the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Agriculture, and other agencies of the United States. Finally, the analysis of fund allocation showed the typhoon “Emma” relief and reconstruction program did not have only the aspect of social policy but also appeasing policy.