This article questions the basic framework of “dependence/independence” arguments that are often made in relation to military-base issues in Okinawa. To execute this, four perspectives are raised.

Firstly, the background of the “island-wide” protest movement in Okinawa is presented. It is argued that the fundamental problem at the root of divisions and conflicts in Okinawan society was the question regarding how it ought to define its possibilities within the “reality” of subjection to the overwhelming occupying power. The “island-wide” movement broke out in the mid-1950s, as the policy to pursue “possibilities within a realistic framework” through cooperation with the occupying forces came to an end.

Secondly, the article discusses the channel for pacification that emerged between the Japanese Government and Okinawa. The Japanese Government was concerned that the heightening of “island-wide” criticism of the occupation in Okinawa might negatively affect public sentiment toward America in the mainland. Accordingly, it began to search for a method to subdue Okinawan opposition through economic assistance. In turn, a political stance in Okinawa emerged toward the end of the 1950s, aiming for gradual reform of the “reality” under the occupation by obtaining assistance from the Japanese Government.

Thirdly, the implication of the Japan-U.S. Security Alliance on the issue of trade liberalization is discussed. As the new Security Treaty was effected in 1960, liberalization of imports became a salient matter. To meet American demands, Japan embarked on liberalizing its domestic sugar market in 1963. Therefore, the rapidly expanding sugar production in Okinawa began to decline, causing further depopulation in rural areas and migration of laborers out of the island. Thus, the security alliance, whose premise was the inevitable fortification of Okinawa, also imposed a heavy burden on the island through trade liberalization.

Fourthly, the question of state protection for local industries is raised. In relation to the rescue of the sugar industry, the arguments as to whether local industries in Okinawa were worth national protection had been frequently proposed since the 1920s. However, the fundamental question raised by those arguments remained when the sugar market was liberalized in the 1960s.