Rethinking Anti-Military-Base Social Movements in Okinawa

This article first reviews three representative social movements in the third wave of the Okinawa Struggle and discusses their similarities and differences. After depicting these three social movements, I scrutinize Japanese nationalism and Okinawan distinctiveness, including why people in Okinawa insist on non-violent means of resistance.
In the process, I hope to show that, through peaceful, anti-war, non-violent means and goals, Okinawans interact with and connect to Japanese mainlanders and other social movements worldwide. This makes social movements in Okinawa remain vigorous, despite pressure from the Japanese government and Japanese nationalism. Furthermore, this process also creates Okinawans’ subjectivity and the possibility of surpassing the constraints of the state.