Steve Rabson introducesWhy are We in Okinawa? A History of Violence(Bloomsbury Academic, 2026) and interviews the author, Jon Mitchell, about his work with the Okinawan media, why he wrote the book, and what it reveals about the continuing overconcentration of U.S. military bases in the prefecture. An excerpt from the book follows the interview.
In his new book,Why are We in Okinawa? A History of Violence(Bloomsbury Academic, 2026),1journalist Jon Mitchell traces the origins of the ongoing U.S. military presence in Japan’s southernmost prefecture. Starting with an exploration of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Meiji government’s “Ryukyu Disposal”, he then moves to the twentieth century to focus on U.S. and Japanese atrocities during the Battle of Okinawa, the U.S. military’s 27 years of colonial rule and how the Japanese government colluded to keep the bases in Okinawa following the islands’ return to Japanese administration in 1972. The subsequent chapters detail how, throughout 50 years post-reversion, the Japanese and U.S. governments have constantly broken pledges to reduce Okinawa’s military burden. In response, Okinawans have created a resilient, non-violent movement found few other places in the world. The final coda – “So why are wereallyin Okinawa?” – draws together the threads Mitchell weaves throughout the book to compellingly conclude that the primary reasons for keeping 31 U.S. bases in Okinawa have very little to do with their purported deterrence effect – the real reasons are money (on the U.S. side) and structural discrimination (on the Japanese side).
As well as drawing on Okinawan, Japanese and American sources, the book features declassified CIA materials and documents that Mitchell obtained via the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. These reveal aspects of Okinawan history hitherto unknown, such as covert Cold War operations, accidents involving U.S. chemical and nuclear weapons, and CIA attempts to manipulate Okinawan public opinion as recently as 2012. As one reviewer, Catherine Lutz, co-founder of theCosts of Warproject, writes, “Based in sources unearthed from the U.S. government,Why Are We in Okinawa?is a must-read for anyone concerned with justice movements, geopolitics in Asia and the Pacific, and U.S. military policy and behavior.”
Unsurprising given Mitchell’s expertise in environmental issues, the book discusses the environmental impact of militarism, including the U.S. Air Force’s contamination of 450,000 Okinawans’ drinking water with toxic Forever Chemicals – a problem that is still unresolved. Hisnewspaper articlesand previous English book,Poisoning the Pacific(2020), have helped U.S. veterans to receive compensation from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and this book will surely help many more.
Why are We in Okinawa? A History of Violenceis by far the best history in English of Okinawa’s long-running and continuing militarization. It is rigorously researched, containing lengthy endnotes and bibliography to enable readers to further explore the issues raised. At the same time, the book is eminently readable and accessible for a non-academic audience. Illustrating how well Mitchell’s research is regarded in Okinawa, too, Naomi Jahana, University of the Ryukyus, wrote, “For Okinawans who continue to fight – even though they sometimes feel alone – this book offers guidance like the North Star orNinufabushi, which helped ancient Ryukyu sailors to traverse the oceans. It connects the people of Okinawa with others around the world.”
Figure 1: The cover of Why are We in Okinawa? A History of Violence (Bloomsbury Academic) incorporates original artwork by Yuken Teruya, The Ryukyu Beltway, as an obi wrap.
Steve Rabson (SR):Thank you for agreeing to this interview and congratulations on publication of your new book. You and I have been in contact since the mid-2010s when youinterviewed me about the Okinawan diasporain Japan. But we did not meet in person until March 2023 when you came to New York University to screen your documentary about PFAS contamination,Nuchi nu Miji: Okinawa’s Water of Life. You co-directed that documentary with Shimabukuro Natsuko from the Okinawan TV station, Ryūkyū Asahi Hōsō, and you are a correspondent for the newspaper, Okinawa Times. Can you explain about your work with the media in Okinawa?
Jon Mitchell (JM):I’ve been writing about Okinawa since 2009. When I started, I was a freelancer forJapan Timeswriting mainly about the Cold War; for example, the deployment of nuclear weapons – a topic about which I know you have firsthand experience. In 2016, I became a correspondent forOkinawa Timesspecializing in the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Also, I work with TV stations and independent film directors to report about military issues in the prefecture.
Originally, I’m from Wales, a country that shares similarities with Okinawa, including linguistic suppression and a deep-rooted culture of pacifism. Wales has a strong tradition of investigative journalism, too. In the 1930s, Gareth Jones was the first journalist to reveal the Soviet Union’s famines, notably the Holodomor in Ukraine. During the Vietnam War, the Welsh photojournalist, Philip Jones Griffiths, recorded the brutality and the futility of that American conflict – and helped to turn U.S. public opinion against that war. So, I come from a country that values how journalism can make a difference. The media in Okinawa shares a similar outlook.
As I explain in my book, journalism in Okinawa has been strongly influenced by two main factors. Before and during World War II, journalists in Okinawa glorified militarism, thus encouraging Japanese imperialism and setting the stage for soldiers’ atrocities. So, there is a deep feeling of responsibility and regret for journalism’s role in that war. The second influence: For 27 years, Okinawa was a U.S. military colony which lacked freedom of speech; the media was censored and journalists surveilled. Those two factors have given the media in Okinawa a strong desire not to glorify militarism and a deep respect for freedom of the press. Journalism should hold the powerful to account and serve the public first.
Source: Global Research
