Resisting U.S. Militarism in Okinawa: Film Screening of The Targeted Village
Thu, May 21, 2015
6:30 PM–9:00 PM
“The Targeted Village” focuses on the residents of Takae district in northern Okinawa, their recent protests against the construction of U.S. military helipads and deployment of Osprey helicopters, and the Japanese government’s attempt to coax and silence them. Released in Japan in 2014, the 91minute film is based on an awardwinning TV program produced by Chie Mikami. The film takes its title from Takae’s history, where the U.S. military used their land and residents as a mock target in jungle warfare training during the Vietnam War. The subtropical rainforest surrounding Takae is still being used for U.S. Marine Corps training, including guerrilla attacks, infantry training and helicopter drills. The contested deployment of MV22 Osprey aircrafts at the Futenma Air Base was met with an unprecedented, complete shutdown of the Air Base by Okinawa residents. They were later forcibly removed by police in scenes most major networks never aired. According to Mikami, the film “showed well who the people of Okinawa are fighting against and why they are forced to fight such a battle.”
The film will be followed by short presentations about Okinawa struggles and Q&A session with an Okinawa native Megumi Chibana (University of Hawai’i) and Yuko Tonohira (Sloths Against Nuclear State, NYC) who have been supporting ontheground struggles in Okinawa.
Cosponsored by AsiaPacific, Islanders People Solidarity (APIPS), The Center for Place, Culture and Politics, Revolutionizing American Studies, and Women of Color Network
