Dual Colonization of Okinawa: Gendered and Militarized Violence

Off the southern part of Japan is the small archipelago of Okinawa. Making up only 0.6% of Japan’s total land mass, Okinawa hosts 74% of the nation’s U.S. military bases. Since World War II, the U.S. military has grown a dominating presence on the islands, inevitably influencing the lives of the locals. A portion of Okinawans have since been protesting for the removal/reduction of these bases through what is known as the Anti-Base Movement but have been largely ignored by the governments of Japan and the U.S. At first glance, these protests seem to be centered around environmental issues, land rights, and the safety of the local people, however upon closer examination it is observed that the major protests come from cases of violence against the local women and girls perpetrated by U.S. servicemen and civilian workers. This research theorizes connections between dual colonization to gendered and militarized violence against Okinawans, and points to the structures that enable the continuation of these issues.