Role of the Local Governments in the Process of Overdevelopment of the US Military Base Sites in Okinawa

This report considers redevelopment of the US military base sites which have not been focused on in any research. The statement regards that Okinawa may be overly developed; and the US base military sites may exceed the overdevelopment. This report focuses on the reason why the overdevelopment is triggered, and the roles that the Okinawa Prefecture and local governments play. In 1972, Okinawa was returned to Japan by the United States, and Okinawa Development Finance has provided nearly ten trillion yen to Okinawa at present. Special Measures Law for Development of Okinawa had approved this financial endeavor, as the purpose of the law was to redress the economic gap with other regions in Japan. After 1998, so called compensating development had started, which is the linkage of Okinawa’s development and security regarding the military bases. However, to tell the truth, the division among Okinawa and other regions had been almost compensated in the 1990’s. This political decision triggered the overdevelopment of public policy in Okinawa and the dependent economy of Okinawa toward the military bases. 2012 is a turning point of the exploitation of Okinawa military sites. Redevelopment of the US military base sites has additionally linked policy issues of bases and development of the region as compensation for the independence of the returned lands from the military bases. This policy has the potential to accelerate the overdevelopment. The main statement deals with the reality of ongoing redevelopment of the US military base sites and the role of the Okinawa Prefecture and local governments.