ITOMAN, Japan, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Local residents in Japan's Okinawa have voiced their dissatisfaction with the government's handling of U.S. military-related issues despite the pledge by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to reduce the burden imposed by the heavy concentration of U.S. bases.
During a memorial ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa on Monday, Ishiba expressed his commitment to reducing the burden placed on Okinawa residents by the heavy concentration of U.S. military bases.
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, speaking at the ceremony, highlighted the continued strain caused by the disproportionate presence of U.S. bases, ongoing incidents and accidents involving U.S. personnel, environmental issues, and the controversy surrounding the new Henoko base construction.
Local resident Takamatsu Gushiken told Xinhua that he hopes for the complete removal of U.S. forces from Okinawa. "For 80 years, the U.S. military has been stationed here and brought us great suffering. I don't want the next generation to inherit this situation," he said.
On the eve of the ceremony, some residents staged a protest at the memorial park, including a hunger strike, opposing the government's use of soil from southern Okinawa to reclaim land for the new U.S. base in Henoko.
Okinawa hosts approximately 70 percent of the land area occupied by U.S. military bases in Japan. According to Okinawa Prefecture, from 1972 to 2023, around 6,200 criminal cases involving U.S. military personnel and their families were recorded, including serious offenses such as murder, rape, and robbery.
The Battle of Okinawa lasted nearly three months in 1945, claiming the lives of about one-quarter of the local population. ■
