Okinawa’s Rocky Relationship With the U.S. Military Flares Up Over Sex Offenses

Governor of Okinawa Denny Tamaki will head to the United States in September to campaign against the U.S military presence in Okinawa and the central Japanese government’s failure to report to the local government sex crimes committed by U.S servicemen stationed on the island.

It has been revealed that a U.S. serviceman based in Okinawa was indicted over the rape of an underage girl on the island. The crime was committed in December 2023 but was not publicly disclosed for six months. In May this year a U.S. Marine Corp member was arrested for allegedly inappropriately touching a Japanese woman in her 20s.

The recent sex crimes, which were first uncovered by the media in June, exacerbated existing tensions, triggering a flood of complaints from locals. A protest rally against sexual violence and the lack of public notification was held on August 10 and attended by some 600 locals.

The central government is suspected of covering up the cases and has been criticized for not reporting the crimes to the Okinawa authorities under the guise of protecting victim privacy. Okinawa’s prefectural government says the disclosure of information is a necessary step to prevent future crimes. Okinawan officials have accused the central government in Tokyo of deliberately delaying in reporting information about the crimes to local authorities.

Tamaki said he will use his trip to the United States in September to bring attention to the U.S government's failure to prevent sexual assaults in Japan. The trip will focus on the U.S. Departments of Defense and State. Tamaki has also pointed the finger at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for failing to share information about the crimes.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has worked to strengthen the Japan-U.S. security alliance. Both countries have promised to increase joint cooperation, interoperability, and monitoring to foster a greater deterrence role in the Indo-Pacific region. Yet Japan’s national security agenda has hindered Okinawa prefecture’s political efforts to stop construction of the new U.S military base in the Henoko district of Okinawa, despite overwhelming public disapproval.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa is in charge of reducing Okinawa’s burden of hosting a high concentration of U.S military bases. He said on July 23 that the government would “fully cooperate” to ensure constructive discussion takes place with the local community.

Tokyo also aims to strengthen measures to prevent U.S. servicemen from committing sex crimes. In March the central government asked U.S Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to take action to prevent recurrence. Hayashi said the government will set out to share information with Okinawa prefecture on sex offenses and other major incidents involving U.S. military personnel.

U.S Forces Japan also pledged to create a new forum for cooperation, which would serve as a “constructive exchange of ideas” for the Okinawan government and community members. But Tamaki slammed the proposal as having little effect on sex-related crimes committed by U.S military servicemembers.

The Okinawa prefectural government’s staunch opposition to relocating the U.S. military base from Futenma to a new site in the Henoko coastal area of Okinawa has created a widening rift, which includes deteriorating communication with the central government. Tamaki has frequently complained that the political will of the residents of Okinawa has been repeatedly ignored. “The central government should not force upon the Okinawa people what it thinks is in their public interest,” he stated in 2023.

The proposed military base currently under construction is a major flashpoint in Okinawa. While all sides – the United States, Japan’s central government, and Okinawa prefecture – agree that the U.S. base in Futenma is hazardous and must be closed, Okinawans are staunchly opposed to the Japan-U.S. agreement to replace the Futenma base with yet another facility within Okinawa.

Some 70 percent of Okinawan residents argue the island is overcrowded with U.S. military bases. Local citizen groups have spent decades protesting against the noise pollution associated with hosting U.S. military bases and the unfair burden they bear by hosting the majority of U.S. military personnel in Japan. U.S military air force accidents are also a serious concern to Okinawa residents.

Tamaki was elected governor in 2018 with an election promise to stop the construction of a replacement U.S. military base on the island. Over the years, he has argued that the construction of the Henoko base, which has already exceeded budget projections, will be “endless.” The seabed in Oura Bay is extremely soft, similar to “quicksand,” and critics say the location cannot be permanently filled through the current landfill project.

The upcoming ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election in September will see a new Japanese prime minister and Cabinet. That could give Okinawa and the mainland a fresh foundation to rebuild ties. For the Okinawa prefectural government, it's an opportunity to have a new Cabinet take their political agenda more seriously.