Opposition Grows to US Bases Poised Against China

9 comments

1. > Hideki Yoshikawa, director of the Okinawa Environmental Justice Project, said at a recent Codepink event that “As tensions between China and the US are intensifying, Japan as a client state of the US, is taking advantage of this situation trying to push its militarization and the militarization of Okinawa. Unfortunately this fear mongering about ‘Chinese threats’ is spreading through the Japanese government and major media outlets.” In March, the government of Japan declared Okinawa a “combat zone” in the event of a Taiwan contingency. Okinawa is closer geographically to Taiwan than it is to Tokyo, Japan’s capital.

   > The war danger is not Okinawans’ only concern. Yoshikawa recently sent a letter signed by over 100 organizations and 40 US state and local elected officials addressed to US Congress, saying the bases are a constant hell for Okinawan residents. The letter called on the US to honor its 25-year-old promise to close US Marine Corps Futenma Air Station and cancel construction of a new US base at Henoko, Okinawa. Yoshikawa highlighted the massive local opposition to the bases and underscored the importance of upholding the principle of democracy and environmental justice in Okinawa. There is non-stop rage among Okinawans against the intrusive military presence, sexual violence, ecological catastrophe, and settler dispossession by the US military.

   > Over 55 anti-war, labor, and civil-society organizations in Okinawa and Japan signed the anti-base letter, as well as 45 groups in the US and around the world. Signers among US organizations included DSA International Committee, Codepink, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, The Red Nation, RootsAction, Empire Files, and World Beyond War. DSA helped organize US signers and has committed to fight to close US foreign military bases and demand reparations for the human and environmental destruction they’ve caused. Forty DSA affiliated state and municipal elected officials signed to support the letter, including Jabari Brisport, Nikil Saval, Zohran Mamdani, Tiffany Cabán, Ruth Buffalo, David Morales, Julia Salazar, and Tanya Vyhovsky. These organizations and US politicians urged members of Congress to heed calls from Okinawa and support their demands to close these dangerous and destructive US military bases, which only serve the interests of war profiteers.

   > Jabari Brisport, New York State Senator and DSA representative, recently shared a message of support: “I stand in solidarity with people in Japan and across the world who are opposing construction of this base. US imperialism is in direct opposition to our fight for a more just and equitable world. Our movement must be internationalist. There is a wide coalition of progressive forces in Japan who are opposing construction of this base, including socialists, labor unions, anti-war organizers, and local indigenous activists. This project doesn’t only affect Okinawa. It impacts us here in New York and across the entire United States. The Biden administration requested $813 billion for the next National Defense Authorization Act. That would put total annual military spending at $1.5 trillion. That is an unfathomable amount of money to spend on imperialism and war mongering, instead of caring for our communities at home. This is also about climate justice. Constructing a new base will increase the US military’s already out-of-control carbon emissions and destroy a local ecosystem. As it stands, the US military is the world’s largest non-state polluter – 140 states combined pollute less than the US military.”

2. I wonder how much money china contributes to these anti-base movements.

   And this “article” is a pretty poor attempt at journalism.

3. Those bases are the only reason Okinawa isn’t a province of China

4. Japan has legit concerns. US doesn’t mind using them as human meat shields they’ve already proven that a number of times.

5. I live in Korea. In the center of the city every weekend, there are 1000 pro US protestors for every 100 anti us protestors.

6. And don’t forget about the poor dugongs

7. u/strange_definitions, commenting on someone’s post history is one of the most pathetic comments you can make on reddit.

   I could just as easily point to the post history of the US imperialism supporting commenters in this thread (but I won’t).

   But more importantly, the article stands by itself. It doesn’t matter who submitted it. If you’re going to attack me, attack me for what I have actually *said*, not what articles I submit.

8. COVID originating in wuhan, and killing obese people at far higher rates (Americans are incredibly obese, perfect weapon), fentanyl made in Chinese factories killing tens of thousands of Americans, Tik Tok data being stolen used in god knows what way, Chinese money being used to fund demonstrations like this OP, also in US Universities as “Confucius institutions “ – it’s really clear to me that there is a widespread , concerted, 5th generation warfare campaign against the US, waged by China, that has been ongoing for years.

   The COVID one might be a stretch, but all the other shit is clearly a direct link between China and negative effects or campaigns against the west primarily the US

   Insane conspiracy theories? Maybe. Maybe not. The fact that we just ignore this as it continues to happen is utterly insane.

9. How dare the stupid Japanese complains! They should be grateful to their American masters!