3.11 Crisis and Okinawa's Demilitarization Movements

Okinawa has a long history of resistance against the U.S. imperialism and Japan’s power over its islands and have been engaging in various forms of resistance to protect their ancestral lands, dignity and human rights. This paper looks at the demilitarization movements in Okinawa, and examines what kind of impact Japan’s post 3.11 crisis have brought to the movements and how Okinawans have responded to it.  One of the common frameworks used to describe a connection between Okinawa and 3.11 survivors is that they both are “sacrificed” for the larger “national agenda.” Some of the anti-nuclear protestors and Japanese settlers in Okinawa suggest that it is a coalition opportunity between people of Okinawa and the survivors. However, some Okinawan activists criticize such framework because it overlooks complicated power struggles between Okinawa and the national government. Another common misconception is that Okinawa is a safer place to be. Various types of Japanese organizations have planned getaway programs for the survivors of 3.11 in Okinawa. Okinawa is marketed to be a “safer place” since it is the farthest location from the “affected region” in Japan. These programs upset some activists for its false and disrespectful claims. Due to the largely concentrated and long lasting U.S. military presence, Okinawa’s land and water has been contaminated by many toxic chemicals such as PCB, dioxin, depleted uranium and so on that the military had stored. Lastly, some of the post 3.11 Japanese settlers in Okinawa declare themselves “refugees” and participate in the demilitarization activism threaten the ownership of the movement and attempt to shift the focus of the movement to fulfill their agenda.