U.S. Nuclear Operation Plan and Okinawa

• In Event: Postwar Racial Liberalism from Mississippi to Okinawa

Abstract

This paper aims to re-examine the “Sato-Nixon Agreement” on the reversion of Okinawa agreement in 1969. Specifically, it will analyze the US military nuclear strategy in the Asia-Pacific region from the end of World War II to the mid-1970s, and the positioning of the Okinawa bases within this strategy, in order to clarify the US demand for the retention of nuclear weapons and its response to the removal of nuclear weapons in the “Sato-Nixon Agreement”.
Since the release of historical records by the US in the 1990s, more detailed diplomatic history research based on documents has been carried out, and with the release of historical records by the Japanese side around 2009, the negotiations between the Japanese and US governments have become clearer. In this context, previous research on nuclear issues have been focusing on the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department. In these studies, it has been argued that the “Sato-Nixon Agreement” was significant in that the United States placed importance on its relationship with Japan with the renewal of the Japan-US Security Treaty in 1970 in mind, and that Japan achieved “nuclear-free, same as the mainland” domestically while maintaining its relationship with the United States.

However, why was it possible to achieve “nuclear-free (mainland-level)”? This paper analyzes the military side's historical records, which have not been fully analyzed due to restrictions on the release of historical records, and clarifies the awareness of the US military side, which was forced to respond. This will lead to a clearer understanding of the following three points: (1) Why did the US military seek the right to redeploy and transit through Okinawa in times of emergency? (2) Why did they seek to maintain specific nuclear weapons storage sites, namely Kadena, Naha, Henoko, and the Nike Hercules bases? (3) Why did the US government promise to remove nuclear weapons from Okinawa?

Author

• Jinshiro Motoyama