I Am Keenly Aware of The Importance of Voicing Up- Interview with Yuko Oyakawa

The fourth person we feature is Yuko Oyakawa, born and raised inGinowan City, located in southern-central Okinawa. Okinawa
prefecture holds many U.S. military bases. In particular,
approximately 70% of the bases used exclusively by the U.S. militaryin Japan are concentrated in Okinawa1. Her hometown, Ginowan
City, has Futenma Air Base. It is said that the Futenma base wasoriginally built for attacks on the Japanese mainland during the Battleof Okinawa2.

(Photo taken when Oyakawa-san joined
the CEDAW session in NY)- What is the most memorable thing in your student life?
“I was raised close to the Futenma military base, so I got used to loud noise. Since U.S.
military helicopters flew regardless of classes at school, the classes were interrupted
regularly. For instance, in Japanese class when a teacher told me to read one sentence
written in the textbook, the teacher told me to wait for the helicopter to go over the school sothat other students could hear my voice. I heard that the classes delivered near the basewere interrupted by loud noise, which might amount to children losing approximately one
year of their classes in 12 years of their education. It is often said that children in Okinawa
have lower academic attainments, but I think such loud noise impacts children’s academicperformance. When I moved to Nago City in the northern part of Okinawa for university, I
was surprised at how quiet it was without military helicopters. My university life was full ofintercultural communication within Okinawa prefecture. For example, each school I used togo to had air conditioners and double-glazed windows. Also, a swimming pool wasestablished at my elementary school. However, people from other areas of Okinawa did nothave those facilities. Later, I realised that these facilities were from the budget for theimprovement of areas surrounding the base, which put us in a mindset where we cannot see
damage as damage. Furthermore, people from Naha City and the southern part of Okinawa
did not know how loud the military sounds were. So, I was so surprised that they did nothave experiences as did I when I met them. Since these things, such as loud noises, were in
my everyday life, it took me a long time to notice they were not right and werediscrimination.”

12

https://www.pref.okinawa.jp/kyoiku/kodomo/1002657/1002668.html (Accessed on 19 April 2024)
https://www.city.ginowan.lg.jp/shisei/kichi/4/4277.html

The sounds of U.S. military helicopters could not be muted by double-glazed windows andwere heard even during the online interview. Yuko-san told me that these helicopters werecreated to make very loud noise without any mute functions.

- What made you involved in activism?
“In 1995 when I was a sophomore at university, a rape case where a girl was attacked bythree U.S. military men occurred. I was not interested in politics at that time, and I did notdiscuss this issue with my friends though I did consider it not right. In the following month, aprefectural convention happened, in which approximately 85,000 people in Okinawa
gathered. It was the largest protest rally since 1972. When I read the news, I regretted not toparticipate. Until then, I had thought it was inevitable that there would be harm because ofthe presence of the U.S. military base. Yet, the news made me realise that it was okay to beangry. At the same time, it made me intensely aware of the fact that I was unconsciously
giving up. Looking back, the incident was a turning point for me in various ways.”- Have you been involved ever since?
“No, I once stopped involving in issues related to the U.S. military base in Okinawa when amayor accepted relocation of the Futenma base to Nago City. In 1997, a local referendum inNago City resulted in more than half of the citizens refusing the replacement of the U.S.
military base. This attitude was also manifested in the 1996 prefectural referendum, in whichapproximately 90% of Okinawans voted to reduce the base's size. Even though we always
had to make our decisions between economics or military bases, we expressed ourcollective opinions. Yet, a few days after the referendum in Nago City, the mayor declared toaccept the relocation of the base and that he was going to quit. In other words, he prioritised
economic stimulation measures over citizens’ opinions. Our voices were completely ignored.
Then I got sick of such politics and went back to my hometown after graduating fromuniversity. After that, I worked as a sales at a company.”- What made you decide to get involved again?
“It was a workshop on international human rights that a friend of mine asked me to go about
two years after I started to work. There, speakers talked about the rights of indigenouspeoples. And I learned that issues in Okinawa, including military bases, can be accused of at
the UN from perspectives of international human rights law, and that such issues werehuman rights violations of people in Okinawa. Before that, the issues were mostly
considered issues of economic stimulation measures rather than their harmful effect. Aftercoming across these new insights and reflecting on Okinawa's history, I strongly thought that
we had to rethink these issues as human rights issues. I also decided to use an international
human rights framework due to the limitations of domestic laws. In the following workshop, I
was asked to join the UN working group on indigenous populations in 2000. Then I learned
that issues related to Okinawa, which are often considered peculiar in Japan, were universal
issues of indigenous peoples. There, I learned that the problems Okinawa was forced tohave, which feel unique in Japan, are universal problems of indigenous peoples.

- What was the most memorable activity so far?
“I strongly remember the session of the state report of Japan reviewed by the Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2009. Among other things,lobbying Zohra Rasekh, Afghanistan Commissioner, was an unforgettable experience. I told
her about the influence of loud noise on pregnant people, referring to the fact that thepercentage of low birth-weight infants in Okinawa was twice the national average.
Particularly, where the U.S. military base was located had the highest percentage of low birthweight infants even within Okinawa. I also told her that though there might be many causes
for low birth weight infants, the government should have investigated the causal relationshipbetween low birth weight infants and loud noise. Then, Commissioner Rasekh asked theJapanese government about the health risks caused by noise and how national and local
governments responded to it. I found the examination of the treaty implementationinteresting. Also, I realised the importance of making a statement in international society.”
Yuko-san has been researching issues related to Okinawa not only from international humanrights perspectives but also from gender and intersectional perspectives.

What made you interested in gender issues?
“I got interested in women’s issues when the media featured Domestic Violence (DV) for theenactment of the Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection Victims. This
made me curious about what DV was or what gender issues were. At that time, I was asked
to become a part-time staff to support gender equality administration in Chatan Town which
had Kadena Air Base. This work experience also got me more curious about gender issues.”- How did you get involved in research on intersecting forms of discrimination?
“When I was working at gender equality administration in Chatan Town, a rape incident
committed by the U.S. army happened again there. I thought ‘It occurred again’. Yet, it waslocal women who got furious and started protesting before anyone else. Seeing this, I feltthat the promotion of gender equality administration alone could not fully cover issues inOkinawa, especially sexual violence by the U.S. armies. Due to criminal law and theagreement between the U.S. and Japan3, the police do not start investigations before
allegations are filed and they cannot arrest suspects who are army without any permission
from the U.S. military. In other words, women in Okinawa were doubly and triply
disadvantaged by domestic laws and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. I was encouraged tosee local women strongly outraged by these issues and take the initiative to speak out. ThenI had an opportunity to participate in a study group on intersecting forms of discrimination
held in Tokyo. When I heard the intersecting forms of discrimination for the first time, I felt
certain that this would become a crucial keyword for women in Okinawa. Even though wesay minority women in a word, there are both similarities and differences. So, interacting withthem gave me new insights.”

3Agreement Under Article VI of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between Japan andthe United States of America Regarding Dacilities and Areas and the Status of United States Armed
Forces in Japan. https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/usa/sfa/pdfs/fulltext.pdf

Yuko-san is currently doing her PhD.
- What is your current research about?
“I am currently researching international welfare and the ‘international welfare counselling
centre’ established under the U.S. occupation of Okinawa in the 1950s. For instance, theformer nationality law did not allow mothers to pass on their nationality to their children
before its revision in 1985. So, if fathers have U.S. nationality, they cannot gain Japanesenationality. Also, women who dated or got married to the U.S. armies were exposed toprejudice since the U.S. was considered a strong state. It was said that since wives of theU.S. armies could access its rich resources, they became targets of discrimination orjealousy. Such attitudes alienated and marginalised gender issues which I think areperceived as issues on intersecting forms of discrimination.”- Do you think such prejudice still exists?
“I think such stereotyped prejudice towards women who got married or had a child with theU.S. military remains till now. These prejudices are reflected in the lack of counsellingbodies. Japan, including Okinawa, does not have adequate counselling mechanisms on
privacy issues such as divorce, DV, and child-rearing expenses. This, I feel, alienates andmarginalises these issues, marking them as ‘their issues’ that are different from ours. Of
course, the U.S.-Japan Security Agreement put the U.S. military in a unique position, whichmakes it difficult to address the issues related to privacy, such as marriage or divorce.
However, that does not justify that people working on gender issues alienate and marginalise
the situations based on prejudice. I must confront these prejudices with self-reflection as a
researcher of intersectionality and intersecting forms of discrimination.

- Do you notice any changes between when you started and now?
“Yes, I did. In terms of international human rights, the Okinawan mayor made a statement at
the Human Rights Council (HRC)4. And, using the international human rights framework is
attracting more attention in Okinawa. I strongly feel these changes. At the same time,concerning gender, I feel women are extremely empowered. When I embarked on myjourney of social movements, people committing to gender issues were considered overly
conscious. But I think the older generation is gradually changing as the younger generation
gets involved. Particularly in Okinawa, I strongly realise the power of the women who havebeen working continuously till now behind these changes. Especially women who organised
the Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence (OWAAMV)5 have been leading themovements on sexual violence and gender issues in Okinawa. Thanks to their efforts, therape myth, which is all about the ‘victim’s fault’ argument, was overturned. The perceptionthat ‘you are not to be blamed, it is the perpetrators who are at fault’ is spreading. Given thatthe 2017 amendment to the Penal Code was an extension of these various women’sactivities, and this April 2024 saw the enactment of the New Act on Support for Women (Act4Governor Onaga in 2015 and Governor Denny Tamaki in 2023 read statements at the HRC
on Okinawa's right to self-determination.
5
OWAAMV’s HP: https://space-yui.com/ (in Japanese)

on Support for Women with Difficult Problems)6, I am keenly aware of the importance ofvoicing up.”

- How can people who have not been to or lived in Okinawa get involved?
“I think being interested is important among other things. I also think that making one’s
hometown better leads to supporting Okinawa since it is the government composed ofmembers of parliament that makes decisions as a nation in the end. It is easier said thandone, but I believe that we can bring about changes to problems related to Okinawa bychanging the politics of our neighbourhood such as local parliaments and mayoral elections.
That is why I truly and strongly think it is salient to pay attention and not ignore issues that
where you live have.”

6

https://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/document?lawid=504AC0100000052