Explosion at US Pacific Air Base in Okinawa Leaves 4 Injured
NewsweekJUN 10
Japanese Soldiers Injured in Explosion at Okinawa Base
Above: An aerial view of central Okinawa Island and U.S. Kadena Air Base on December 12, 2021. Image copyright: Jinhee Lee/Contributor/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-US narrative
The U.S. military presence in Okinawa is key to regional security in the Asia-Pacific. The military installations on the island establish America’s forward presence, simplifying air, sea, ground, and intelligence operations in both defensive and offensive capacities. This is essential to counter the growing threat from China, which seeks to dominate the region.
Establishment-critical narrative
For too long, Okinawa's people have been used as pawns in great-power politics, first by Japan and now by the U.S. The U.S. seeks to use Okinawa as a platform in a war against China and its population as collateral in an inevitable future conflict. The people of Okinawa have made it clear they reject this arrangement, and the U.S. must downsize its presence in acknowledgment of their wishes.