Keywords
Okinawan sovereignty, US military land leasing, economic dependency and resistance
Abstract
Military land leasing in Okinawa has played a central role in limiting Okinawan political sovereignty since the end of World War II by fostering economic dependence on US military bases and enabling policies that override local opposition. Tracing the evolution of the leasing system under both American occupation and Japanese administration reveals how land expropriation, compensation policies, and increasingly generous financial incentives encouraged reliance on base-related income while discouraging advocacy for land reversion and base reduction. The analysis further demonstrates how the Japanese government's legal enforcement of mandatory lease renewals, particularly during the 1996 Okinawa land dispute, curtailed the rights of landowners and undermined local democratic decision-making despite widespread public resistance. Together, these developments illustrate how economic dependency and centralized political authority have reinforced a lasting neocolonial dynamic that continues to shape debates over sovereignty and the US military presence in Okinawa.
Recommended Citation
Blau, Kathryn
(2025)
"Leasing Land, Losing Sovereignty: US Military Land Leasing in Okinawa, Japan,"
The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing: Vol. 54:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thetean/vol54/iss1/3
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