Why is the U.S. military still in Okinawa?

The U.S. military kept its troop presence on the island group for 20 years longer than most of Japan, until 1972, due to Okinawa’s strategic importance for Pacific security to deter Russia and communism.

Are there US troops in Okinawa?

Since 1972, Japan has administered Okinawa and has allowed US bases to remain there, in accordance with the 1960 US-Japan Security Treaty, which permits US bases in Japan.

How many US forces are in Okinawa?

26,000 U.S. military personnel
U.S. military in Okinawa About 26,000 U.S. military personnel are on Okinawa Island. There are 13 United States military bases on Okinawa Island. Approximately 62% of all United States bases in Japan are on Okinawa.

Do Okinawans like the U.S. military?

Young Okinawans are optimistic, but feel weight of US military presence on their island. CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – Fifty years after Japan regained dominion over Okinawa, the island prefecture’s young people are more accustomed than their parents and grandparents to the U.S. military presence on the island.

What percentage of Okinawa is U.S. military?

ⅴ. U.S. ｍilitary ｂases account for 15% land areas in Okinawa Main Island which is home to over 90% of Okinawa’s population. ⅵ. Most of the U.S. military bases on Okinawa are concentrated in flat and highly useful lands in the urban area of the Central and Southern part of Okinawa Main Island.

What percent of Okinawa is military?

ⅴ. U.S. ｍilitary ｂases account for 15% land areas in Okinawa Main Island which is home to over 90% of Okinawa’s population.

Does the US still have military bases on Okinawa?

There are now 31 U.S. military installations on the island prefecture of Okinawa, which accounts for 70 percent of all U.S. military bases in Japan. The current flashpoint is a plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Futenma, currently located in a dense residential area.

How many US Marines are on Okinawa?

Japan’s smallest and poorest prefecture, Okinawa houses about three- fourths of the U.S. military facilities and two-thirds of the 45,000 American troops in Japan. Roughly 20,000 of the 29,000 troops on Okinawa are Marines.

How much of Okinawa is military?

Today, 72 years since the war ended, roughly 70.4% of the area exclusively used for U.S. military facilities in Japan is still concentrated in Okinawa Prefecture, which only comprises about 0.6% of Japan’s total land area.

Is U.S. military leaving Japan?

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Sunday that Japan and the U.S. have reached “a basic agreement” on banning the U.S. military from leaving its base grounds, amid growing worries about a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.