Photo/Illutration The Asahi Shimbun

Eighty-nine percent of Okinawans believe their prefecture has fallen behind the rest of the country in certain areas, including income and education levels, a survey showed.

Only 9 percent of residents in the southern island prefecture feel there are no discrepancies, according to the survey.

The survey was conducted by The Asahi Shimbun, The Okinawa Times and Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting Corp. in March and April, ahead of the 50th anniversary of Okinawa’s return to Japanese sovereignty from the U.S. military rule in May.

In telephone surveys conducted in 2002 and 2012, less than 80 percent of respondents felt that such gaps existed between Okinawa and the other Japanese prefectures.

In the latest survey, respondents were asked to choose the area with the biggest disparity from among: income; employment; transportation network; education; and feelings toward the U.S. military base issue.

The largest group, at 55 percent, picked income, followed by 20 percent who chose feelings toward the U.S. base issue.

In the 2002 survey, the U.S. base issue was cited 30 percent and income by 20 percent.

Asked what they felt was the most urgent issue for the prefecture, 38 percent in the latest survey said the economy, compared with 26 percent who picked resolving the U.S. base issue.

In a telephone survey conducted in 2017, 33 percent cited the U.S. base issue and 19 percent chose the economy.

As for whether U.S. bases contribute to the local economy, 58 percent replied that they do, compared with 69 percent in 2002 and 62 percent in 2012.

Forty-four percent of respondents in the latest survey support the central government’s approach of providing grants to local governments willing to host U.S. military facilities, while 51 percent opposed that program.

In 1971, ahead of Okinawa’s return to Japan, the government of the Ryukyu Islands under the U.S. military control compiled a five-pillar proposal for Okinawa’s future without U.S. bases to the Japanese government.

The five pillars are: economic development led by Okinawans; denunciation of war and pursuit of peace; respecting local autonomy; improvement of welfare programs; and restoration of human rights.

Asked to choose up to two pillars that have yet to be sufficiently achieved, the most common answer was economic development led by Okinawans, at 41 percent, according to the latest survey.

Thirty-four percent cited denunciation of war and pursuit of peace, and 31 percent picked respecting local autonomy.

The survey was conducted by mailing questionnaires to 2,000 randomly chosen eligible voters in the prefecture. Valid responses were collected from 1,218, or 61 percent.

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