Public opinion in Okinawa has rallied around the goal to restore normalcy of daily life that has been menaced and virtually destroyed by the noise created, accidents caused, and crimes committed by soldiers from the US bases. The US bases have been stationed on Okinawa since the beginning of the US occupation in 1945. In order to improve relations between the bases and the local communities, the Okinawa Prefecture government has petitioned for a revision of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.
The US bases in Japan and Okinawa are justified in Article 6 of the Japan-US Mutual Security Treaty, signed on January 19, 1960. Under Article 6, both governments then signed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on the same day. The new Mutural Security Treaty was a revision of the original Japan-US Security Treaty, signed in Tokyo on February 28, 1952.
Article 5 of the Mutual Security Treaty excluded Okinawa from the arrangement that both countries would act jointly for the common defense against an armed attack. Indeed, the United States insisted on full control over Okinawa in order to maintain the free use of bases to launch attacks, including the use of nuclear weapons. Thus, Okinawa fell under the sole control of the United States. In 1972, when the administration of Okinawa was reverted back to the Japanese government, the Mutual Security Treaty ensured that the United States could retain its US bases under conditions of the SOFA that applied to US forces in mainland Japan.
This essay will analyze the negotiation process of revising the Japan-US Security Treaty, Administration Agreement, and related agreements. It also intends to review the role of US bases on Okinawa in terms of security questions in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Moreover, this essay will assess the decisions made at the time of the reversion. This essay will conclude that the US bases on Okinawa, were placed on Okinawa in order to address legitimate security concerns of the time. As such, the US has been assured of free and unlimited use of the bases and, at least theoretically, the right to establish nuclear weapons on Okinawa. The agreement—under the auspices of SOFA—between Japan and the US continues to ensure the freedom of action by the US military.
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