Okinawa is marking the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan after 27 years of American rule on May 15, 1972, amid protests against a continued heavy U.S. military presence and lack of support from the mainland.
Ceremonies will be held simultaneously but at two locations — one in the island prefecture’s capital of Naha and the other in Tokyo. The separate ceremonies symbolize the deep divide in views on Okinawa’s history and ongoing suffering.
Okinawa was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, which killed about 200,000 people, nearly half of them Okinawan residents. Many Okinawans had hoped that the islands’ return to Japan would improve the economy and human rights situation as well as base burdens. Tokyo and Washington initially agreed in 1996 to close the station after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three U.S. military personnel led to a massive anti-base movement.