Okinawa and Military Housing: Challenges and Opportunities for Progress

Abstract

There are many challenges related to U.S. Military Housing on Okinawa. Several of the most prominent issues are U.S. military-related accidents and incidents (e.g. Aircraft related accidents, Pollution, Wildfire, Noise), crimes, economic impact, and compensation politics. Both the U.S. and Japanese governments regard the U.S.–Japan security alliance as a cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and the U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) continues to play a critical role in supporting this alliance. Although the USFJ reformation plan includes reducing the burden on Okinawa as one of its objectives, significant challenges persist. This research confirmed that the crime rate and traffic accident rate by U.S. military-related population is much lower than the civilian population. However, the number of U.S. military-related accidents and incidents has not decreased over the past 20 years, averaging approximately 86 cases per year. There is a substantial safety risk associated with hosting U.S. military bases. It also affects the local economy development and influences the local communities policies. This research also uncovered opportunities for better understanding current conditions, specifically identifying the need for a clear definition on how think about the concentration of military forces outside the U.S. The concentration of military forces is not only about the size of U.S. military-related population, the size of base, or how closely they are located to each other, but also what kind of units and from which branch of the military they are from. U.S. military-related incidents and accidents are associated with the combination of units, which military service branch they come from and what kind of training and operations they conduct. There needs to be greater quantitative and qualitative research as this can help shape local and national policies governing not just Okinawa, but in similar conditions around the world.