Throughout twenty-seven years of military occupation, US public affairs activities aimed to persuade the local Okinawan public that the US administration of Okinawa should be maintained. The US maintains military bases around the globe while advocating democratic ideals, including freedom of the press. Yet, while declaring the occupation of Okinawa necessary for the defence of democracy, the US military administration vigorously repressed freedoms of speech, assembly, the media, and self-determination. This landmark study explores and uncovers the labyrinthine manipulations and mechanisms established to continue to defend the hard deployment of military forces through the soft power techniques of public relations.

Awards

This research, first published in Japanese, received the 43rd Iha Fuyu Okinawa Study Award.

About Editors and Authors

YOSHIMOTO Hideko is Professor in the Faculty of Intercultural Studies, Yamaguchi Prefectural University. She received her PhD in Political Science from Waseda University, and served as Associate Professor at Yamaguchi Prefectural University from 1999 and has been in her current position since 2016. Her field of specialization is international relations and gender, and her research interests include militarism, Okinawa, the Cold War and the history of the occupation of Okinawa.

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