Two referenda took place in Okinawa prefecture in a short span of time between 1996 and 1997. The raping of a young school girl by American soldiers in September, 1995 had triggered a harsh anti-militaristic protest throughout the Okinawa islands. There is a treaty between the United States and Japan that Japanese authorities can not investigate and try Ameirican soldiers. This treaty has caused several criminal American soldiers to flee to their homeland. Okinawan people have strong feelings concerning the unfairness of the treaty. Some radicalists said that if it can not be changed to be more appropriate, they hope that all the American soldiers will return to the United States. Basically, the Okinawan attitudes toward militaristic power are negative. This reflects the Okinawan tradition as “a peaceful nation” and their horrible experience during World War II. Okinawa is the only prefecture which experienced ground fighting in Japan. Their strong call for peace and the ideal to have the islands without military is essential for the people in Okinawa. This feeling was echoed by the governing circle of the Okinawa prefectural administration. Masahide Oota, the governor of Okinawa Prefecture, raised the question that it is doubtful whether we need such a huge military force on this tiny island after the end of the cold war. This regional clamour of the anti-militaristic movement in Okinawa has called for referenda concerning international security issues. So far, these “high political” securuty issues are seen not as matters of municipality but only as matters concerning the Ministry of Foregin Affairs or the central government itself. Because Japan has a representavive political system, until these referenda, there has been no direct chance to express the peoples' will in the municipality where it has the greatest impact. On September 8, 1996, the first prefectural referendum in Japan was held in Okinawa. The political turmoil in Okinawa has caused another municipal referendum at the city level in Nago City, Okinawa, on December 21, 1997. In this paper an attempt is made to indicate some possible relations between the impact of international issues on the national political situation and the reactions stemming from distinctive cultures. In my analysis, the sub-cultures which are reflected in social cleavages are the core. In order to review this theme, particular attention must be paid to the contribution made by Stein Rokkan. A series of referenda shows the common features of a gap betwen center and periphery in the recognition of international issues. This gap clearly points out the existence of the cleavages in Japan and these referenda clearly show that the international issues have revitalized centreperiphery cleavages in Japan.

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