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of Waseda University. Newsmen were
present and cameras flashed. First we
visited the University of the Ryukyus,
and were taken to the office of Presi–
dent Takara. The president gave us a
brief history of thc University, estab–
lished in 1950 on the site of the old
Shuri Castle by the United States mili–
tary authorities. A Michigan State Uni–
versity group was sent as consultants.
Th.is cooperative arrangement ended in
1968.
There are now five colleges in the
university, and 29 departments, with a
student body in excess of 4,000. I
became well acquainted with President
Takara before leaving the following
day, and arranged with him for an
exchange-student program between the
University and Ambassador College.
Next, we visited Chief Executive
Yara, leader of and spokesman for the
people of Okinawa. Dr. Ohama accom–
panied us on this and all interviews. I
wanted to know as accurately as pos–
sible the attitude of the people of Oki–
nawa, and what led up to the riot of the
preceding December. He did not hesi–
tate to tell me.
Obviously, if there were no American
military base - and if the island were
not under U.
S.
Military government,
there would be no troubles. But many
incidents and accidents had occurred
involving U. S. military personnel on
and off duty.
Most of the anti-American feeling
centers in the fact that all court juris–
diction over
U.
S.
military personnel is
in the hands of the military court. The
Okinawans have no right to arrest,
investigate, try or sentence U. S. military
offenders. Any U.
S.
offenders must be
turned over to the MP's. And thcy
claim there have been many incidents
and crimes.
The Chief Executive told us of the
accident that led to the December riot.
A lady pedestrian had been hit and
killed by a car driven by an American
soldier. The Okinawans claimed he was
drunk.
The Ameri can authorities had
released the driver of the vehicle.
Apparently this was resentcd by the
Okinawans. Mr. Yara said that had the
driver been arrested and prosecuted
The
PLAIN TRUTH
under Japanese law he would have been
dealt with severely. Consequently, he
said, the Ryukyuan people have no con–
fidence in the American administration
of justice - and there is a very definitc
anti-American attitude.
The military court procedures, Mr.
Yara state, involve closed-courtroom
proceedings. However, it seems there is
now the offer to aUow one Okinawan
witness at such trials.
Crime, said the Chief Executive, had
been steadily increasing since the end of
World War II. It has increased even
further since announcement that the
islands would revert to Japan.
It
must
be remembered that most of these Gl's
are in their late teens, or just out of
their teens, and usually are in Okinawa
for rest from Vietnam fighting.
He said emphatically, and with sorne
emotion, that there is strong tension.
Many Okinawans want relief
now.
But
he insisted that the American attitude
does oot indicate any willingness to
provide it.
"They just don't care !" he insisted
repeatedly, emphatically.
Dr. Ohama said something must be
done. And he asked why are we Ameri–
cans so indifferent about emotional
problems of su
eh
great importance?
Recently, he reminded us, the military
government had discharged 3,000 peo–
ple, who are now without jobs. The
U. S. position was that they are having
to cpt back, but Dr. Ohama deniecl this.
"Are the American authorities, here,
or at Washington, aware of the tension
you say exists ?"
I
asked.
"The American High Commissioner
here cannot express his awareness -
for military reasons," said the Chief
Executive.
"ls
the tension, in your opinion, so
great that reversion may be affected ?" 1
wanted to know.
"The Americans just don't cace
enough to do anything now," replied
the Chief Executive. "They have power.
But they doo't care. The Okinawans
feel that reversion will take place, but
the bases later may be disturbed or seri–
ously affected. Maybe later the Okina–
wans will 'push' the bases into the
ocean - but maybe they will only be
disturbed."
April 1971
"The Americans carne to Okinawa as
rulers, not as employers, and they
should think of the social welfare of the
people, and
be
more socially concerned
as responsible rulers," added
Mr.
Yara.
When all is said and done, the real
crux of the problem is that of tlie van–
quished and the victors. It is the lesson
of history that no invading and occupy·
ing military force has ever been success–
ful, in the long run. It is a situation
that does not make for friendship,
peace, and good will.
It
is a situation
fraught with resentments, feelings of
injustice and ill will. These men felt
definitely that there will be more riots
and disturbances before reversion is
accomplished.
That night, a dinner was jointly
hosted by Dr. Ohama and myself which
was attended by sorne
17
of the most
prominent Okinawans and their wives.
At dinner's end
I
spoke for sorne
twenty minutes to our guests, following
a brief speech by Dr. Ohama. I spoke
from the heart, and pleaded for under–
standing and patience between our peo–
ples. 1 tried to picture to them the real
heart and true attitude of the American
people, and how we have always been
first to go to the aid of other peoples in
times of distress or disasters.
1
felt they
were visibly moved, and the general
attitude was one of friendship.
The next day, Wednesday, February
24th, I had a half-hour interview with
the High Commissioner, Lieutenant–
General
J.
B. Lampert in his executive
office. Mr. Rader, Mr. Gotoh and Dr.
Ohama accompanied me.
After preliminary introductions and
my brief description of the College's
worldwide enterprises, the General gave
us a brief run-down on trends in the
Ryukyus. As a consequence of World
War
II,
he said, Okinawa was 95%
destroyed. 180,000 Okinawans lost their
lives in the final campaign of the war,
and sorne 18,000 Americans also were
killed in the same battle. Fort Buckner
in Okinawa is named after General
Buckner, also killed during the invasion
of 1945.
Since the war, the General continued,
200,000 Ryukyuans were repatriated
from other areas controlled by Japan,
(Contin11ed on page 46)