There was much rejoicing in Okinawa Prefecture over Ryo Kiyuna becoming the first Okinawan native to win an Olympic gold medal after the southernmost prefecture returned to Japanese sovereignty in 1972.
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At one time the Kokusai-dori area of Naha was described as the miracle mile because of the rapid economic development that followed Okinawa s return to Japanese sovereignty. (Minako Yoshimoto)
NAHA The island prefecture of Okinawa got left behind from mainland Japan decades ago. Postwar U.S. military occupation primarily took care of that.
Now, as Okinawa marks the 49th anniversary of its return to Japanese sovereignty, the lingering effects of being under U.S. control for so long are coming into sharper focus.
That, and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, have had a devastating toll on the local economy.
Okinawa was the independent Ryukyu Kingdom until 1879 when it was annexed by Japan.
U.S. Department of Defense
Moderator)
Director, East-West Center in Washington
Members of Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki s advisory group, the Bankoku Shinryō Council on U.S. Military Base Issues, discussed the findings and recommendations contained in their March 2021 report. After initial remarks by Governor Tamaki (English translation here), members of the Council addressed the following issues (PowerPoints available here): (1) the need to reconsider the Futenma Replacement Facility project at Henoko and eliminate the dangers from Futenma Air Station, (2) implications of US-China strategic competition for Okinawa, (3) new operational concepts of the US military and their implications for US bases in Okinawa, (4) Indo-Pacific diplomacy and Okinawa, and (5) the US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement and the impact of US military training on local communities in Okinawa and the rest of Japan.
US military aircraft also suspected of low flights over Japan s Kagoshima Pref.
April 26, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Osprey aircraft are seen flying low over the city of Amami, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Feb. 4, 2021, in this image provided by citizens group Amami bloc pro-Constitution Peace Forum. KAGOSHIMA Amid the issue of U.S. military helicopters spotted flying over Japan s capital and the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa at very low altitudes, aircraft appearing to belong to U.S. Forces have also been seen more frequently in southwestern Japan s Kagoshima Prefecture. A record-high 137 sightings of low-flying aircraft were reported in Kagoshima in fiscal 2020, about 1.6 times the figure for the previous fiscal year. Among them, 83 were suspected to be of U.S. military aircraft another record-high as of December 2020. While many of these were over remote Amami-Oshima island, low-altitude flights possibly involving U.S. military aircraft have also been confirmed ove