news Okinawa: “US military base threatens peace”

[ClashAndBurn]

 

 

[byzantium]

I think the US has too many military bases and the majority of them should be closed.  But the main one in Eastern Asia seems to be a much mirkier topic.  There seems to be other entities “threatening the peace” in that region as well” 

[Cruel Summer]

Reading the article, I can’t help but think it gross that neither the US nor Japan’s own national government are listening to what the citizens who actually live in Okinawa want.

[Marvin]

If the citizens don't want them there, they should leave. It's pretty simple imo.

[byzantium]

2 minutes ago, Marvin said:

If the citizens don't want them there, they should leave. It's pretty simple imo.

There is always an interesting question of how you define citizen.  Notably here the Japanese Government is supporting this.  So the Japanese people presumably want this base.  The relationship between the micro and macro groups is always an interesting and complex one. 

[Communion]

11 minutes ago, byzantium said:

There is always an interesting question of how you define citizen.  Notably here the Japanese Government is supporting this.  So the Japanese people presumably want this base.  The relationship between the micro and macro groups is always an interesting and complex one. 

The irony though is that it's hard to contextualize Japan's actions as in response to China's over-reach in this very case given that Japan is considered as illegally occupying and colonizing Okinawa.

 

I'm sure the government of Japan supports the bases - it's just though a view that Japan is not the rightful governing body of Ryukyu.

Edited September 21 by Communion

[byzantium]

31 minutes ago, Communion said:

The irony though is that it's hard to contextualize Japan's actions as in response to China's over-reach in this very case given that Japan is considered as illegally occupying and colonizing Okinawa.

 

I'm sure the government of Japan supports the bases - it's just though a view that Japan is not the rightful governing body of Ryukyu.

Perhaps but according to who?  The Japanese invasion occurred over 400 years ago and today there is not really a material independence/sovereignty movement. 

[playwithme]

Cry more tankie. 

[ClashAndBurn]

2 hours ago, byzantium said:

There is always an interesting question of how you define citizen.  Notably here the Japanese Government is supporting this.  So the Japanese people presumably want this base.  The relationship between the micro and macro groups is always an interesting and complex one. 

Ah yes, the Japanese people who don’t live on Okinawa and won’t have to put up with belligerent drunken American soldiers beating up on defenseless locals who would have no legal recourse due to the Americans only being held accountable by their own justice system that routinely turns a blind eye to their crimes overseas. Of course they wouldn’t be opposed to it, since they’re not impacted in any way.

[Jormungand]

4 hours ago, ClashAndBurn said:

Ah yes, the Japanese people who don’t live on Okinawa and won’t have to put up with belligerent drunken American soldiers beating up on defenseless locals who would have no legal recourse due to the Americans only being held accountable by their own justice system that routinely turns a blind eye to their crimes overseas. Of course they wouldn’t be opposed to it, since they’re not impacted in any way.

The US has several other bases on the main islands of Japan right. Majority of them are hosted on Okinawa, and while I understand where the residents are coming from, the bases aren't there just for show. It doesn't even make strategic sense for them to move those bases elsewhere. If Japan wasn't threatened by China, North Korea, and Russia to a lesser extent, no one, not even the Japanese government could justify the existence of those bases.