By Norio Ikemiyagi (Attorney)
“Parachute training off the coast of Henoko,” “Osprey formation flight—launched from an amphibious ship deployed to Iran?”, “Once the base comes, it becomes ‘daily life’: Henoko residents fear them becoming a normal,” “JGSDF division upgrade signals war preparations—13 prefectural groups issue statement of opposition” (Headlines from the July 22, 2026 issue of the Ryukyu Shimpo).
“Deep, low-frequency roar in the dark of night in Yanbaru,” “Intensified US military aircraft noise at Takae,” “US military parachute training off the coast of Henoko,” “SACO Agreement: Government claims specific activities fall outside its scope,” “US military: Preparing for actual combat?” (Headlines from the July 22, 2026 issue of the Okinawa Times).
Listing these headlines might lead people in other prefectures to assume these were isolated incidents that occurred specifically up around July 21, 2026. In reality, however, these reports simply reflect the day-to-day situation of Okinawa—a region where military bases have been steadily reinforced throughout the fifty-four years since the reversion of administrative control to Japan.
Under the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty and the Status of Forces Agreement, the burden of hosting over 70 percent of U.S. military bases in Japan has long been imposed on Okinawa; however, successive Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) administrations have pushed for measures such as accepting the right to collective self-defense and abolishing the “Three Principles on Arms Exports,” and under the Takaichi administration, the government is accelerating its shift from a country “capable of waging war” to one that “wages war.”
Until now, many Japanese people likely viewed the base issues stemming from the U.S.-Japan military alliance as merely an “Okinawa problem.”
However, the following facts compel us to recognize that the base issues arising from this alliance must now be acknowledged as a nationwide problem.
An investigation by the “Regional Newspaper Security Coverage Network”—comprising eight newspaper companies across Kyushu, Okinawa, and Shikoku—into the use of 89 civilian airports nationwide by SDF and U.S. military aircraft between 2021 and 2025 revealed that three-quarters of the approximately 17,000 annual landings were concentrated in Kyushu and Okinawa. Naha Airport recorded the highest number of landings for five consecutive years, while Ishigaki Airport also showed an upward trend (the Ryukyu Shimpo, July 15, 2026).
Citing a potential “Taiwan contingency,” the Takaichi administration is reinforcing troop deployments and constructing missile bases on Yonaguni, Yaeyama, Miyako, and Okinawa Main Island under the pretext of defending the Nansei (Southwest) Islands; however, the reality of the military use of the aforementioned civilian airports makes it clear that the strengthening and expansion of SDF and U.S. military bases is extending far beyond that scope to encompass the entire country.
Amidst this military buildup anticipating a potential “Taiwan contingency,” the Japanese government—ostensibly to protect local residents—conducted evacuation drills for the people of Yonaguni, Ishigaki, and Miyako, planning for their relocation to prefectures in Kyushu, such as Kagoshima and Kumamoto, in the event of war.
It is nothing more than an utterly absurd, armchair theory. Do they seriously suggest it is possible to evacuate tens of thousands of island residents using civilian aircraft and ships in the event of war? If airports and ports were destroyed by just a few missiles, evacuation would be out of the question. There is no need to even recall the hellish Battle of Okinawa eighty-one years ago, which claimed over 200,000 lives. It is a foolish plan that treats the people of Okinawa with contempt.
Eighty-one years ago, the nation sent soldiers to the battlefield under the Rising Sun flag—resulting in over three million casualties—yet today, without reflecting on that war of aggression, the state imposes patriotism through laws criminalizing the desecration of the national flag and drives the country toward a new war. Here in Okinawa, too, most of those who experienced the horrors of the past war have passed away; consequently, the majority of the current generation sees nothing abnormal about the presence of U.S. military and SDF bases—a situation that is, in reality, utterly irrational given the island’s limited space. How to forge a path forward for Okinawa is a major challenge.
Published in Shiso Undo – August 2026, No. 1127