Draft:Okinawa under the United States administration

Okinawa under the United States administration, often referred to as the “American Era” by Okinawans, began on June 23, 1945, when it was occupied by U.S. military forces and lasted until its reversion back to Japan on May 15, 1972. During these 27 years, Okinawa was treated as a territory of the United States.

By June 1945, the main island of Okinawa along with several surrounding islands were occupied by American forces. Following the announcement of Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration on August 14, the U.S. military established the Okinawa Advisory Council on August 20 as the governing body for the main island of Okinawa, replacing the dismantled Okinawa Prefectural Office.

The United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands (USCAR), which replaced the U.S. Military Government in 1950, functioned until Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972. It oversaw the native Ryukyuan government and could overrule all decisions made by the local government.

From November 19 to 21, 1969, Prime Minister Sato of Japan and President Richard Nixon of the United States held a meeting in Washington, D.C., and issued a joint statement. In 1972, administration of Okinawa, except for U.S. military bases, was returned to Japan. It was promised that Okinawa would be returned to Japan on May 15, 1972. However, even after the reversion, Okinawa Prefecture continues to call for the consolidation and downsizing of bases, reduction of military forces, and a review of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

Initially, the United States recognized that the Ryukyuans were a distinct ethnic group from the Japanese, considering them not part of the Japanese mainland but rather islands that Japan had conquered by force. Until the peace treaty with Japan was officially signed in San Francisco on September 8, 1951, the U.S. government drafted many versions of the peace treaty. Almost all drafts before 1950 defined the Ryukyu Islands as "under United Nations trusteeship, with the United States as the governing authority," and clearly stated Japan's surrender of Ryukyu territory.

In 1949, as the Cold War between East and West intensified and military tensions on the Korean Peninsula increased, large-scale military bases and facilities were constructed in Okinawa as part of America's Far East regional strategy, which resulted in prolonged US military presence and various security and social instabilities for the residents in the area.