Based on a WiLL magazine article by Okinawan journalist Keiryu Nosuke, this piece reveals the hidden involvement of Korean activists in Okinawa’s anti-base movements—facts consistently ignored by Japan’s mainstream media.

March 4, 2017
What follows is an article written by Keiryu Nosuke, a journalist born and active in Okinawa, published in the current issue of the monthly magazine WiLL under the title “The Okinawa Turmoil, Governor Onaga, and the Questionable Purpose of His Feudal Lord–Style Trip to the United States.”
The article spans nine pages in a three-column layout.
It contains facts that the Asahi Shimbun and television media never report, yet are essential reading for all Japanese citizens regarding what is happening in Okinawa.
The actions and statements of former Asahi Shimbun reporter Takashi Uemura are also recorded here.
Through them, the true nature of the Asahi Shimbun as a newspaper company is vividly revealed.
All emphases within the text, except for headings, are mine.
Omitted introductory passages.
Why are Koreans present in Okinawa?
At present, in the protest movements against the bases in Henoko and Takae, many resident Koreans and activists who have come directly from South Korea are mixed in among local residents.
They play leading roles in the struggle.
Perhaps because of this, Hangul characters have become increasingly visible throughout the prefecture.
Meanwhile, among those arrested in the Henoko and Takae areas for obstructing official duties are individuals of resident Korean or South Korean nationality.
However, because the media report them simply as “Nago City residents,” the public mistakenly believes they are local Okinawan citizens.
Okinawa now gives the appearance of a resort for anti-Japanese and anti-American forces, recalling Jeju Island around 1946.
To that extent, forces from mainland Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and even some of Chinese origin have gathered in Okinawa, all claiming to oppose the relocation of Futenma Air Base within the prefecture.
The activities of Korean-affiliated activists are particularly vigorous.
Between January 24 and 27, the South Korean sculptor couple Kim Un-sung and his wife Kim Seo-kyung, creators of the so-called “comfort women statue,” visited Okinawa for the first time.
They toured battle sites of the Okinawa War in the southern part of the main island and viewed U.S. military bases from outside.
As an impression, Kim Seo-kyung stated that she “felt the souls of people who experienced extremely painful events.”
The couple came to Okinawa with the support of a certain South Korean organization and not only referred to the anti-base struggle on Jeju Island in 2014, but also stated that “if a base is built, lives will be taken from there,” and that “only when U.S. forces leave Japan will true peace come to East Asia.”
They further referred to the comfort women issue, stating that the anger of the Korean people is directed not only at the Japanese government but also at the South Korean government that concluded the agreement in December.
Meanwhile, on February 3, former Asahi Shimbun reporter Takashi Uemura, now a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Korea and known for reporting on the so-called “comfort women issue,” participated in a rally by anti-base activists held in front of the U.S. military camp in Henoko.
At that time, he stated that “we must not lose to forces that deny the war damage caused by Japan.”
He emphasized that the sit-in movement by students in South Korea to prevent the removal of comfort women statues and the protest activities in Henoko are a “common struggle to protect democracy.”
In summary, the common characteristic of Korean activists and Okinawan anti-base activists is that they make no mention whatsoever of North Korea or China, which are intensifying military provocations, while sharing and citing a sense of victimhood toward Japan.
To be continued.