While some state that“ the Tokyo-based national media pay little attention
to issues relating to U.S. military bases in Okinawa,” the conservatives argue
that the coverage of local media in Okinawa is unfair, focusing only on protests
against the stationing of the U.S. army. The gap between the national media
with headquarters in Tokyo and the Okinawa-based local media was created by
the different histories of both sides after the Pacific War. When the campaign
against the proposed revision of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty surged in 1960,
the U.S. government acted not only on Japanese political and business leaders,
but also on the media to maneuver the silencing of criticism against the treaty
revision. They also moved their military bases from the Japanese mainland to
Okinawa and turned the eyes of the majority of Japanese citizens away from
issues concerning the treaty. Although the severe suppression of dissidents was
enforced in U.S.-occupied Okinawa, an immense surge of movement towards
the reversion of Okinawa to Japan took place and the 20-year-long struggle of
mass media in Okinawa against suppression resulted in their winning the freedom
of speech. While the local media have continued to protest against the concentration
of U.S. military bases that have persisted even after Okinawa’s
reversion to Japan in 1972, the Tokyo-based national mass media pays little
attention to issues related to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty due to the effective
maneuvers of both the government of the United States and that of Japan to
hide the military-related issues between the two nations. It is still unforeseeable
that the gap between the local and national media will be narrowed.
The intensifying confrontation between the Shinzo Abe Cabinet and the
Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Takeshi Onaga, as well as the heated political
argument concerning national security legislation, have stimulated anew the
interests of the Tokyo-based national media in the issues of the relocation of
Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. While the Abe Cabinet tries to forcefully
build a new military base in the Henoko coastal area in compensation for the
Air Station Futenma as proof of the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. military
alliance, the local Governor continues to appeal against the national government’s
plans. Media regarded as liberal are especially becoming more attentive to thevoices of people in Okinawa than they were before. The Abe Cabinet, however,
has put pressure on the media to manipulate its coverage, and it seems that the
approach of“ guessing the will of the Cabinet and hesitating to irritate them” is
beginning to prevail, which affects media coverage.
抄録全体を表示