Tokyo – Japan on Friday commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the end of a historic battle on the island of Okinawa during World War II, where locals are still opposing the disproportionate presence of US forces there.
Thousands of islanders, local officials and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were scheduled to attend a ceremony later in the day to pay tribute to more than 200,000 war dead, including Americans, in one of the bloodiest WWII battles in the Pacific.
Okinawa was captured by US forces following the 1945 conflict. In 1972, 20 years after the allied occupation ended in most parts of Japan, the subtropical island reverted to the country. However, US bases remain and continue to cause friction with the islanders.
The anniversary comes at a time when many residents are protesting against the relocation of a major US air base on Okinawa to an environmentally sensitive area of the island.
Nearly 20 per cent of Okinawa’s main island, located 1,600 kilometres south-west of Tokyo, is devoted to US military installations. Okinawans have long complained about noise, accidents, environmental degradation and occasional crimes committed by US troops.
-dpa
