Okinawa in Postwar U.S.-Japan Relations, 1952-1972

Okinawa, the largest of Ryukyu Islands, was occupied by the United States following a bitterly fought battle in the early months of 1945, and remained under US administration for 27 years. This book examines the impact of the US occupation of Okinawa from the end of the US Occupation of the rest of Japan up to the reversion of Okinawa to Japan in 1972. It shows how Okinawans opposed the US presence, and how the continuing US occupation of Okinawa was a major factor in US-Japan relations in the period.

Robert D. Eldridge is an Associate Professor in the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) and Director, U.S.-Japan Alliance Affairs Division, in the Center for International Security Studies and Policy (CISSP), Osaka University.