It has been found that U.S. Department of Defense officials had ordered military leaders stationed in Okinawa to remove the tents set up by its residents in front of the gates of Camp Schwab, a U.S. Marine Corps camp in Henoko, Nago City, and to keep the protesters off its premises.
That indicates governmental involvement by the U.S. to quell the demonstrations over the construction of a new base. More than a military-led overstep, this is an execrable detraction from democratic values, given that the U.S. government itself had a direct hand in this. We should never ever turn a blind eye.
“Freedom of expression,” which guarantees the right to express one’s views, constitutes the bedrock of democracy. Naturally, democracy should also be ready to welcome antigovernment views without a wince. Washington should already be familiar with this principle.
Yet, it resorted to its military apparatus to brazenly infringe on “freedom of expression” right here in Okinawa. It definitely flies squarely in the teeth of democracy, exceeding what is to be expected of any democratic nation. Never ever let this trespass be forgiven.
The Department of Defense says that the arrests of Mr. Hiroji Yamashiro, the chairman of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center, and others, are based solely on the “judgment on the ground,”* for all intents and purposes laying the whole affair to the Marine Corps’ charge. But the Marine Corps would just say in turn that “it’s local security guards that rounded them up. We just held them in detention temporarily before yielding up their custody to the local police.”* This systematic evasion of responsibility is almost past cure, I must say.
Either way, it is no less than a gross violation of human rights to attack those with no intention of trespassing or to drag protesters by the legs 70 to 90 feet. I cannot help but wonder if the U.S. democracy might not be going through a process of insidious degeneration.
Defense Department officials ascribed the removal of the tents to “security concerns.”* But the demonstrations will continue. So, if that’s really the case, then there’s no other viable solution than for the U.S. to leave here immediately.
The oppression under the heavy boots of the U.S. military hasn’t been diminished — not even a lick — since the 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement. It is beyond appalling that anti-U.S. military base protests are being clamped down on all the time here in Okinawa, all of which points to the false hubris of the U.S. military as the de facto ruler of Okinawa. Yet, vexingly, against this backdrop of rank injustice and oppression, our prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is as nonchalant as ever. Is he really worthy of the stewardship of a sovereign nation?
What has been all too clear in recent days is our government’s poltroon attitude in trying to keep in the good graces of Washington. Under direction from American officials, the U.S. military here demanded of Japan the removal of tents, to which Japan, servilely and shamelessly, gave in.
Our government should stop doing America’s bidding right now and release ourselves from our sense of vassalage to America. Unless and until that happens, Okinawa’s situation will never be different.
Japan has one friend in the world — the United sates of America. There is only one country in the world that can insure Japan’s territorial integrity — the United States of America. You can whine about your little petty grievances with u, but cooperation with the U.S. is the wisest course for your country.