Intersecting risks and governing Okinawa: American bases and the unfinished war

Abstract

This article investigates the internal risks posed by US military installations to the inhabitants of Okinawa as a result of the security policy adopted by the Japanese government to deal with the external risks and specific threats faced by Japan. Although these outposts of US power are viewed by supporters of the alliance as beneficial to the security of Japan, their existence and operation pose risks to the population, with the overwhelming burden imposed on the inhabitants of Okinawa, whether in terms of crimes, noise and environmental pollution or the erosion of solidarity among the population due to the divisive role foreign bases play. The article thus does not focus on the external risks posed to Japan by the hypothetical enemy of the day, as with the Soviet Union during the Cold War or North Korea today, but rather on the internal risks to the everyday lives and peace of Okinawans posed by the American presence. A key concern is how the risks of the bases are articulated by the inhabitants and mediated by the state as part of the national governing system of Japan. This system of governance allocates, distributes and locates the bases unequally, exposing Okinawa to disproportionate dangers and hazards, but offers compensation as a way to deal with the problems their existence and operation pose.