Not China but US, Japan try to turn Okinawa into ‘ battlefield’ again: Japanese observer

The real threat to Okinawa, a Japanese prefecture in the Ryukyu Islands, is not China, said a Japanese observer and social media influencer who was born in Okinawa during an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Sunday. The observer criticized the Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) who irresponsibly instigated internal conflicts between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan island, pushed forward the construction of US military bases and self- defense forces bases on the Ryukyu Islands, and tried to turn Okinawa into a battlefield again.

Yuzo Takayama, a political activist and also an influencer on social media, posted a video to introduce the true history of Okinawa on social media three days ago, ahead of the 50th anniversary of its reversion to Japan from US control Sunday, which attracted wide attention.

Speaking about the intention of making the video, Takayama told the Global Times that the Japanese government is hyping the “China threat theory” in Okinawa in order to expand the US military base and the Japanese self- defense force base, making the Japanese people start to believe those groundless anti- China rumors. As social media is increasingly flooded with misinformation, he is willing to use his real name and responsibly present Okinawa’s real history.

After the video was released, a smear campaign ensued, with right- wing forces in Japan accusing him of being “paid by China” and “a spy for China.” At first, he would refute these one by one, but such irresponsible remarks are “endless,” Takayama said. Seeing that many Japanese people also said they “got to know the truth” through the video, Takayama began to ignore the slander and focus on making more truth- promotion videos. “I am deeply outraged by the Japanese government which has completely disregarded the lives and safety of the Okinawan people,” Takayama said, noting that Okinawan people have been opposing the construction of US military bases for 50 years.

Moreover, in order to realize its own interests, the Japanese government ignores its own history of aggression and pushes forward to build a military base on the Ryukyu Islands by claiming that it is necessary because China will attack. The Japanese government’s actions were “despicable and shameless,” Takayama said. He believes Okinawa is still a military “colony” of Japan and the US until now and Okinawa is likely to be dragged into the war because of the US military base. He explained that the US military base makes Okinawa an automatic target in the event of war.