2019 Volume 25 Pages 35-50
Military bases in Okinawa, Japan have caused the violation of human rights and harmed the environment in numerous incidents and by structural violence in not only times of war but also times of peace. Environmental Sociology can make a positive contribution to the ongoing critical situation by intervening and bringing about a change to the oppressive political climate of Okinawa as characterized by the issue of the construction of a new U. S. military base in Henoko. Up to the present time however, Environmental Sociology has not focused on military base problems in earnest. This paper attempts to address the issue by presenting some important points for Environmental Sociology to consider when examining military environmental problems, and also by creating a process for global demilitarization.
First, the paper outlines the history of military environmental problems in Okinawa and confirms that these problems are not limited to the national border, but rather spread beyond it and have a long-term impact on human lives and the natural environment. Second, a critical discussion of the basic concepts and framework of the discourses on military base issues is conducted in terms of militarization as a daily performative process. For example, it could be said that the common perception that local communities receive benefits from hosting military bases, such as job opportunities, large subsidies to improve public welfare and so on, is itself a concept within a militarized framework. At the end of the paper, some theoretical points demonstrating how Environmental Sociology can contribute to the creation of the demilitarization process are presented.
