Okinawa's Democratic Voice Crushed in MV-22 Osprey Deployment

Osprey Descending Over Ginowan City
Photo by Osamu Makishi

On August 12, the US military resumed its deployment of the controversial MV-22 Osprey aircraft to Okinawa. The deployment had been put on hold after a US Air Force HH-60 helicopter crashedin the mountain area of Ginoza village, part of US Marine Corps’ Camp Hansen on August 5 , evoking outrage from Okinawan islanders. 

The arrival of 9 new Ospreys was visible and audible in most parts of Ginowan City where the US Marine Corp’s Futenma Air Station is located. The Ospreys flew and descended over the city and landed at the Futenma Station at around 10:30 am amid heated protest at the station's Nodake gate.

In the process, Okinawa’s democratic voice was crushed once again by the US military and the Japanese government.

Okinawa’s Opposition

Since the official announcement of the Osprey deployment plan in June 2011 by the Japanese government, Okinawa has been putting up a stern and unified opposition against the deployment.  There have been a 100,000 people mass rally and numerous sit-ins/rallies against the deployment. Okinawa Governor and the mayors of all the municipalities have taken every opportunity to voice their opposition. The Okinawa prefectural assembly and all the municipal assemblies of Okinawa have passed resolutions against the deployment.

When the first round of Osprey deployment took place in September 2012, the protesters blocked all the three gates of the Futenma Air Station for three days (see this Stars and Stripes article).  Protest rallies at the station's Nodake gate continues everyday.

Protesters at Futenma Air Station's Nodake Gate
Photo by Osamu Makishi

Concerns for the overall safety of the Osprey aircraft and for the high levels of noise and low frequency sound generated by the aircraft are main reasons behind the opposition. These concerns are becoming more pressing as a total of 24 Ospreys will be stationed soon at the Futenma, which is often referred to as “the world’s most dangerous air base.”  

Surveys conducted in last November and December by the Okinawa prefectural and municipal governments have found that the Ospreys flew in violation of the US-Japan Joint Committee Agreement, in terms of flight routes and flight time schedule (see this Okinawa Prefectural Government report in Japanese).　

Also, surveys by Takeshi Tokashiki, a University of the Ryukyus professor and expert on acoustics, have revealed that the levels of noise and LFS generated by Ospreys are higher than those estimated in the DoD’s “Environmental Review” and in the Okinawa Defense Bureaus’ “Environmental Impact Statement” for the Futenma relocation plan (see this Ryukyushimpo article). 

To counter Okinawa's contentions, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has released a report in July that concludes that Osprey operations in Okinawa are in observation of the regulations set by the US Joint Committee Agreement (see this MoD's briefing document in Japanese)  The Japanese government justifies the deployment by arguing that the Osprey deployment to Okinawa is “of great significance to Japan’s national security.” (see this Prime Minster's Cabinet press conference excerpt).

Angry, weary, and frustrated

Okinwan islanders, including those who are pro-Tokyo politicians, are angry and indignant at how utterly the US military and the Japanese government have ignored their democratic voice and forced the Osprey deployment on them. Many are also alarmed as they see the deployment as part of the continuing militarization of the islands. At present, Okinawa faces the construction of a US military airport in Henoko and Oura Bay and the construction of six helipads at Takae in the Yanbaru forest (the unfolding saga of Agent Orange issues are also distressing Okinawan islanders as well. See Jon Mitchell's Japantimes article).  

At the same time, many islanders have become weary of and frustrated with the ineffectiveness of Okinawa’s political power and actions and with the prospects of what they could actually do to challenge the situation vis-a-vie the Japanese government and US military. For example, despite his warning in July last year that “we will have to make a move toward (demanding) the immediate closure of all of the U.S. bases in Okinawa Prefecture (if an Osprey accident occurs) (see this Asahi Shimbun article), what Governor Nakaima has been able to do so far is just taking his complaints and demands for the withdrawal of the deployment plan to the US and the Japanese governments. And this has been to no avail.

Some protesters at the Futenma Air Station's Nodake gate have grown impatient with their “non-violent and democratic means of protest and direct action.”  Although the organizers of the protest are determined to continue their current style of protest as the “Okinawan way,” they are re-examining the definition of “direct action” and contemplating new strategies.

US Military Keeps Distance from Protestors

Protester Sending his Messages to US military Servicemen in Car
Photo  by Osamu Makishi

It should be emphasized that despite some scuffles and arrest of protesters, the protest around the Futenma Air Station has not led to any confrontation between the protesters and US military, creating a semblance of the situation being under control. This is partly because the Japanese police force, of whom many are Okinawan themselves, deals with the protesters. The US military, including its MPs, keeps distance from the protesters, staying behind the Japanese police and the fence, which separates literally and figuratively the US military from Okinawa. 

Given the intensifying situation, however,  it remains to be seen whether the Japanese government and US military can continue to steer clear of confrontation. Any violent confrontation could escalate the protest, which could have an immense impact on the presence of the US military bases in Okinawa as well as on the overall US-Japan security relationship.

The most violent confrontation between Okinawans and US military took place on December 20, 1970. In what is known as the Koza riot (koza sodo), 5,000 Okinawans clashed with US servicemen and MPs. 60 US military servicemen were injured, 80 cars were burned and some 20 Okinawans were arrested (see this wikipedia site; see also Jon Mitchell's Japantimes article). It was considered as a spontaneous eruption of Okinawa’s anger towards the US military’s 25 year occupation of the islands. Two years after the Koza riot, the Reversion of Okinawa to Japan took place in 1972.