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Originally Posted by nik-
Probably too harsh. Regardless, there's a budding superpower across a pretty narrow sea that hasn't forgot the past. They're going to want the Americans close. Japan should worry about their own police hiding crime stats to save face before they worry about military bases and crime around them.
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I have been to Okinawa and the American military presence is overwhelming. I saw with my own two eyes how they treat locals, definitely like second class citizens. Not all of them, but the good majority of these U.S. servicemen are 18-21 year olds who just want to fire guns, party, and meet (read: harass) women. You see it all the time, especially in Naha on a Saturday night on Kokusai-dori. They litter, they steal, they're loud, and don't always respect the culture. Anyone who has been to Japan will know that Japanese culture (outside of the major cities especially) is reservedness, quiet, and respect. That is often violated on a day-to-day basis.
Then, during the day, any loud noises are usually loud, obnoxious helicopter drills and fighter jets flying overhead, disrupting the natural peacefulness of island itself. You have to get out of Naha and head north to really get a better sense of nature in Okinawa.
Compound that by 70 years of permanent stay and a refusal to leave and you have a population that is fed up and wants them out, and it's fairly easy to understand and see why. The base there is a blight on Okinawa and an archaic position for a satellite base buildup. The U.S. has so many different military facilities across Japan, I can't see why this one, which has caused so much grief and concern, needs to be continued.