By MIKA KUNIYOSHI/ Staff Writer
February 27, 2023 at 16:43 JST
Protesters march while carrying signs and banners proclaiming, “Don’t turn our islands into battlegrounds!” in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, on Feb. 26. (Takashi Watanabe)
NAHA--Throngs of protesters took to the streets here on Feb. 26 to decry missile deployments and other plans to increase the presence of the Self-Defense Forces in Japan’s southwestern region.
The protesters brandished signs that read, “Don’t turn our islands into battlegrounds!” and called on the government to abandon the missile deployments, which they worry will raise military tensions, in favor of diplomatic efforts to bolster regional security.
Tetsu Inomata, a resident of Yonagunijima island, where the SDF plans to deploy surface-to-air missile systems, said it is “really hard to voice opposition in a small island community like ours” where people are politically divided on the issue.
“The silent voice of those people should be heard,” Inomata said. “We need to take actions for peace and never let fear (of an imagined threat) take over.”
Joined by a group that opposes the disproportionally large U.S. military presence in Okinawa Prefecture, the rally drew 1,600 protesters, according to the organizer.
Many referenced how Okinawa had suffered the bloodiest battle in the Pacific in World War II after it became a military focal point.
“I’m alarmed because it looks like Okinawa is being turned into a fort,” said Hojun Kakinohana, 89, who organizes guided walking tours of World War II historic sites. “Okinawa went through a fierce ground battle. We need to raise our voice to prevent war from happening again.”
“In helping recover the war dead, I’ve been convinced that war should never happen again,” said Takamatsu Gushiken, 69, a volunteer for a project to recover the remains of the war dead. “I want to give voice to the people who wanted to join us today but couldn’t.”
“We should be alarmed by the plans to increase the presence of the SDF, not just the U.S. military,” said Tomoko Miyagi, 53, who lives near the contentious U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan. “We should never let our children get involved in war.”
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