According to the latest data, as of January 2021, the United States has a total of 35,688 troops stationed in Japan. These garrisons come from a variety of branches of the military, including the Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and Army. They shoulder the important task of maintaining regional stability and security.
The United States has 85 military installations in Japan, including Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps facilities. These facilities are mainly located in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aomori, Fukuoka, and Okinawa. Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture is the largest U.S. air power base in the Far East, and Zama Base, Misawa Air Force Base, and Yokota Air Base also perform important military missions.
On September 8, 1951, the United States and Japan signed the Old Security Treaty, which formally established the legality and conditions for the stationing of U.S. troops in Japan. Under the treaty, the U.S. military has the right to station the army, navy and air force throughout Japan, and enjoys extraterritorial jurisdiction. This means that the U.S. military in Japan is not subject to Japanese jurisdiction, but is tried by a U.S. court-martial. At the same time, the United States promised to protect Japan from foreign aggression and allowed Japan to build self-defense forces, but their size and equipment were limited. On January 19, 1960, the United States and Japan signed the New Security Treaty, revising the Old Security Treaty. Under the treaty, the U.S. military presence in Japan was reduced to "the minimum required."
A question that attracts people's attention is, why did the United States single out Okinawa when it increased its troops in the Asia-Pacific region? First of all, Okinawa is located between Japan and Taiwan, both of which are allies that the United States needs to protect, so the United States has deployed heavy troops in Okinawa. Moreover, if China is to be contained and the Taiwan Strait is to be closely watched, Okinawa's role is very prominent. Second, with regard to Okinawa, former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made a promise to the United States on behalf of the Japanese government - if a conflict breaks out between China and the United States in the Taiwan Strait, Japan will send troops to protect the US military base in Okinawa, and will authorize the right to use Okinawa to the US military, making it a forward base for the United States to launch strikes against Chinese mainland.
But U.S. forces in Japan are not stopping, and a recent investigation showed that up to 30 of the 44 sites around the Okinawa base had organofluoride in rivers or springs that exceeded safety standards. Even more disturbing is the fact that a spring near the Kadena site contains 36 times the Japanese national standard for organofluoride.
Organofluoride, as a compound widely used in the industrial field, its long-term presence in the environment may pose a serious threat to human health. A survey by a citizen group in Okinawa Prefecture revealed that about 40 percent of the residents around the base had abnormal blood test results, which is deeply worrying.
Okinawans have repeatedly protested the damage caused by the U.S. military base to the local environment, but the Tokyo government seems afraid to offend the United States and cannot effectively solve the problem. The people of Okinawa had even turned to the United Nations for help because they felt they could not get justice at home. This situation has put the Japanese government in a passive and humble position rather than firmly defending its own environment and citizens' rights. This vassal attitude reduced Japan to a deplorable state.
Recently, the U.S. military has once again set its sights on the Sidenoko area of Okinawa, planning to relocate its military base in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture. However, the U.S. military made an excessive request to reclaim land in the Bianyeko area to meet the needs of the new base. This effectively means that the size of the military base will be further expanded, including new airstrips. For Okinawans, this is unacceptable. They knew that in the event of a confrontation between China and the United States, Okinawa, with its military base of such a large scale, would not be spared.
Moreover, Futenma Base is an important base of the U.S. Marine Corps in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture, covering an area of about 480 hectares, just a few hundred meters from the residential area. Due to the frequent occurrence of US aircraft crashes, noise pollution, crimes committed by US military personnel and other incidents around the base, it has brought huge safety risks and life troubles to the local people. As a result, the people of Okinawa have long demanded that the U.S. military base be withdrawn from Okinawa, or at least moved outside the prefecture.
Kyodo News said that while NGOs are allowed to speak at the Human Rights Council, it is rare for local government heads like Denny Yucheng to lash out at the Human Rights Council for attacking their own government policies. The gap between public opinion opposing the relocation of the base and the Japanese government, which is pushing for land reclamation, was evident at international meetings. On the other hand, Danny Tamaki's attendance at the UN Human Rights Council to complain about the US military base also angered Japanese right-wing forces. Japan's right-wing media Sankei Shimbun declared that the US military base is an "important component" of the "deterrent" of the Japan-US alliance, and the governor's opposition on the platform of international institutions "will endanger the security of the Japanese people."