Myth, Protest and Struggle in Okinawa

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Figure 9.1 Koe, Koe, Koe (courtesy of Kunimasa Mie). Koe = Voice. The design and layout of the pamphlet suggest that it is handmade, not massproduced, conveying a sense of ordinariness and accessibility
172 Myth, protest and struggle in Okinawa to-door visits. Women’s participation in the campaign was recognized as the Referendum Promotion Council as ‘a decisive contribution to the result of the referendum’ (Nago Shimin Tōhyō Hōkokushū Kankō Iinkai 1999: 59). A number of female individuals in Okinawa were concerned with the consequences of the construction of the heliport. In Onna village, about ten politically inexperienced women (in their thirties and forties) organized to discuss the heliport issue, and joined the referendum campaign. Many had never had anything to do with politics before the heliport issue came up, and did not know how to start a ‘protest movement’. 39 The offices of established political parties and trade unions or any ‘anti-military’, ‘peace’, ‘anti-Ampo’, ‘anti-war’ organizations sounded unapproachable to them. Those who found ‘approachable’ groups close to where they lived, for example, the Society of Nago Citizens Opposed to the Heliport, helped collect signatures or distributed pamphlets. In the process of trying out new experiences in political activities, female locals separately formed female-only anti-base groups. Kunimasa explains that communications and building teamwork were easier in women-only groups because they had so much in common. For example, their schedule similarly centred on children, annual rituals, and family affairs. Their handmade pamphlets were casual and informal but, unlike the stereotypical anti-base pamphlets, expressed their feelings. Their style of collective action particularly appealed to those who silently felt fearful of the new heliport and its effects, but did not have access to traditional anti-base protest organizations, or did not know exactly how to express their concerns. The meaning of ‘ordinary, inexperienced women’ becoming the subject of collective action was significant. Women had always been present in the ‘Okinawan struggle’, during the 1950s land struggle and the reversion movement. In the Okinawan community of anti-base protest, however, a majority played supportive roles as wives and secretaries of male protesters. Typical women’s roles would be to make tea and prepare meals in the protest offices, for example, and the wives of male activists contributed to their husbands’ protest by undertaking housework, part-time work, and child-rearing so that their husbands could focus on their protest activities until late at night. Most women accepted such roles and did not consider otherwise. 40 Kunimasa comments that Kamadus’ status as a small group of ‘ordinary’ women not accustomed to political action appealed to other protesters: the first step taken by obviously novice protesters sent a significant vibration to change the usual ways of collective action in the community of protest (Interview, May 1999). These new-found, female-only groups have not explicitly expressed a feminist message, apart from saying ‘we are concerned with the construction of a new base from a woman’s perspective, as mothers, for our children’, relying on a rather essentialist image of women. When they are given a public presence, Okinawan women activists are often represented as ‘mothers’, or romanticized carriers of a primordial religious aspect of life who are closer to nature, and antithetical to war and military bases. During the campaign against the bases, women’s messages as mothers against the new base construction were taken full advantage of by male members against the heliport, and were among the most oft-used expressions during
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Myth, Protest and Struggle in Okina
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Japan’s Economic Power and Securi
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Myth, Protest and Struggle in Okina
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For Peter Makiko and Jun Tanji
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Maps and figures Maps A Ryūkyū Is
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xii Acknowledgements and Asian Hist
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Glossary Ampo US-Japan Mutual Secur
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Kume Okinawa Gunto - Oblique Mercat
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1 Northern Training Area 2 Okuma Re
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1 Introduction A community of prote
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Introduction 3 change, disagreement
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Introduction 5 protest community te
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Introduction 7 common, invisible el
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Introduction 9 protests and uprisin
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2 Diversity and unity in the commun
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Diversity and unity 13 industrial s
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Diversity and unity 15 RMT can argu
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Diversity and unity 17 But how, if
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everywhere but most often it ‘pre
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3 Annexation and assimilation Intro
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Annexation and assimilation 23 nine
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economy. Indeed, Japan turned on it
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Annexation and assimilation 27 124)
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Annexation and assimilation 29 Okin
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Annexation and assimilation 31 Jaha
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Annexation and assimilation 33 fund
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Annexation and assimilation 35 fiss
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In relation to the wider theme of t
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The Battle of Okinawa 39 told the r
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a 17,900-square-metres space with 1
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The Battle of Okinawa 43 staged a c
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The Battle of Okinawa 45 In 1983, C
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The Battle of Okinawa 47 anti-war a
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The Battle of Okinawa 49 included d
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alterations and the way in which th
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5 The first wave Opposition to US m
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The first wave 55 military basicall
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The first wave 57 Another major loc
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The first wave 59 much money do the
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The first wave 61 members’ speech
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The first wave 63 of twenty years.
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The first wave 65 GRI Chief Executi
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N Barbed wire fence 0 1 km The firs
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The first wave 69 Figure 5.1 Beggar
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chan incident’ after the name of
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The first wave 73 Price-Report rall
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1955 (Ahagon 1998 [1992]: 32). 44 T
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6 The second wave Introduction Towa
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The second wave 79 improved materia
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ested with the High Commissioner (R
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The second wave 83 the arbitrary US
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The second wave 85 Kenrōkyō. The
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The second wave 87 affirmation of u
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Figure 6.2 Okinawan citizens’ ral
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The second wave 91 The primary inte
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introducing the mainland Japanese e
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The second wave 95 to reconsider re
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The second wave 97 meant to be ‘O
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The second wave 99 clear that Okina
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The second wave 101 The choice the
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The second wave 103 war zone (Ryūk
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Gendered bodies and physical identi
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wave’ of Okinawans’ island-wide
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Iken Kyōtō: successor to the Coun
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The anti-war landowners 111 reversi
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- an original member of the One-tsu
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The anti-war landowners 115 been en
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The anti-war landowners 117 Butai K
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The anti-war landowners 119 Air Bas
Page 142 and 143: The anti-war landowners 121 refusal
Page 144 and 145: The anti-war landowners 123 Marxist
Page 146 and 147: fear of delaying Okinawa’s revers
Page 148 and 149: 8 Kin Bay and Shiraho Introduction
Page 150 and 151: 124ºE 24º30’N 0 20 km N ISHIGAK
Page 152 and 153: Kin Bay and Shiraho 131 one of the
Page 154 and 155: Kin Bay and Shiraho 133 In Ishigaki
Page 156 and 157: Kin Bay and Shiraho 135 We have see
Page 158 and 159: Kin Bay and Shiraho 137 parties wer
Page 160 and 161: Kin Bay and Shiraho 139 Figure 8.1
Page 162 and 163: Kin Bay and Shiraho 141 Konwa-kai).
Page 164 and 165: Kin Bay and Shiraho 143 required in
Page 166 and 167: Kin Bay and Shiraho 145 communicati
Page 168 and 169: thinks that the Shiraho struggle ag
Page 170 and 171: Kin Bay and Shiraho 149 mainland Ja
Page 172 and 173: different kinds of activity in poli
Page 174 and 175: The third wave and beyond 153 Nairo
Page 176 and 177: The third wave and beyond 155 viole
Page 178 and 179: The third wave and beyond 157 have
Page 180 and 181: The third wave and beyond 159 incid
Page 182 and 183: Earlier in September after the rape
Page 184 and 185: The third wave and beyond 163 Conse
Page 186 and 187: The third wave and beyond 165 refer
Page 188 and 189: The third wave and beyond 167 In Ju
Page 190 and 191: The third wave and beyond 169 great
Page 194 and 195: The third wave and beyond 173 the r
Page 196 and 197: The third wave and beyond 175 to li
Page 198 and 199: Conclusion The expression ‘Okinaw
Page 200 and 201: Conclusion 179 Diet, the central go
Page 202 and 203: Notes 1 Introduction: a community o
Page 204 and 205: Notes 183 8 Related to this point,
Page 206 and 207: 24 This locates his argument in lin
Page 208 and 209: Notes 187 21 Since 1965, Ienaga has
Page 210 and 211: Notes 189 a foreign - even imperial
Page 212 and 213: 39 Subsequent to the defection of t
Page 214 and 215: Notes 193 poor public transport and
Page 216 and 217: Notes 195 his project of collecting
Page 218 and 219: Notes 197 11 The new law responded
Page 220 and 221: Notes 199 32 At the time, the US wa
Page 222 and 223: Notes 201 25 Ui Jun is a scientist
Page 224 and 225: Notes 203 9 Former Governor Nishime
Page 226 and 227: Notes 205 Taimususha 1998: 51). Tha
Page 228 and 229: activities and advises Washington o
Page 230 and 231: Bibliography 209 Arakawa, A. (2000a
Page 232 and 233: Bibliography 211 Dower, J. (1971)
Page 234 and 235: Bibliography 213 Hiyane, T. (1982)
Page 236 and 237: Bibliography 215 Kawamitsu, S. (199
Page 238 and 239: Bibliography 217 Melucci, A. (1989)
Page 240 and 241: Bibliography 219 on the Application
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Bibliography 221 President Nixon an
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Bibliography 223 Region) (Research
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Yamanouchi, Y. (1996) Shisutemu Sha
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Index ‘A’ sign businesses 80, 1
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Funabashi, Y. 155 Futenma air base
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Nago City 49, 178 Nago heliport str
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Ryūkyū kingdom 21, 22-3, 183-4 Ry
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