When I visited Okinawa in August of 2015, not only did I witness a decades-long struggle against American military bases, but I learned about the mostly unknown and untold history of the United States on Okinawa since 1945 to the very present. Originally, Okinawa was to be a part of my new film, 11:57 – Three Minutes to Midnight, but it became apparent that I had to make a short film just about Okinawa. The similarities with Gangjeong Village on Jeju Island are glaring…in fact, the similarities between those two islands and the other 130 countries where the empire has located bases are troubling.
Douglas Lummis, an author and university professor, brilliantly explains the history and the current political issues with the bases and base relocations on Okinawa. His comments and summary at the very end of this film sum up the hope and determination of the people of Okinawa that should serve as an inspiration for the rest of us to stand up and take action.
There are four moving interviews with people involved with the resistance to relocate a massive Marine air base to the Henoko region of Nago City: a young 27 yr old woman who left her job to come to Henoko to be part of the protest; a Buddhist monk who tells Americans to rise up; an attorney from Nago City who is involved in a law suit in San Francisco to save the Dugong; and a woman who gave up her job in Tokyo and has been coming to Henoko for ten years to be part of this epic struggle.
It should be obvious that Japan, South Korea and governments around the globe no longer represent the will of the people, but some other more powerful, shadow force that is creating murder and mayhem around the world and destroying the planet.
I make these films to educate and hopefully to open the eyes of the many…..before it is too late.
The only hope for humanity is to join the people of Jeju and Okinawa, and the millions of people around the world who are on the front lines of the global struggle against militarism, war, Capitalism, the destruction of the environment, and the new world order.