From Minako Oyakawa’s regular column Shima To Iu Mado which focuses on Okinawa issues, published in the September 2017 issue of Sekai. After Guam was “discovered” in the course of Magellan’s voyage around the world in 1521, the island’s original inhabitants, the Chamorro people, were ruled by the Spanish for 333 years. Missionaries from Spain banned […]

From Minako Oyakawa’s regular column Shima To Iu Mado which focuses on Okinawa issues, published in the September 2017 issue of Sekai.

After Guam was “discovered” in the course of Magellan’s voyage around the world in 1521, the island’s original inhabitants, the Chamorro people, were ruled by the Spanish for 333 years. Missionaries from Spain banned ancestor worship and those who resisted were cruelly punished by having their villages burned to the ground. The original population of 100,000 was reduced to below 5,000. In 1898、 the Spanish-American War broke out and the island became an American territory. From then on, the island was used as supply base for the American Navy. In 1941、 the island was occupied by Japan, and during the occupation, inhabitants were massacred by Japanese soldiers for whom “comfort stations” were also established. The American Navy landed on the island in 1944 and returned it to American control. By the Guam Organic Act of 1950, the island officially became an “unincorporated territory” of the United States. Guam is also on the United Nations List of Non-Self-Governing Territories, indicating that decolonization is still necessary.

“Unincorporated territory” means that Guam is simultaneously part and not part of the United States. While having the rights of US citizens, they do not have the right to vote for president, and although they may send one person to the House of Representatives, this representative doesn’t have the power to vote for anything. Citizens do have the right to enter the military, however.　During the Vietnam War, soldiers from Guam died at two and a half times the rate of those from other parts of the US. Despite decreasing enlistment rates in other parts of the US during the “war on terror”, these numbers are increasing in Guam. Guam is excluded from decision making processes and suffers from economic insecurity, yet has become a favored source of soldiers.

Until World War II, the Chamorro people made up around 90% of Guam’s population. Today, that number has decreased to around 30%, and a third of the island is claimed by the military. From the 1970s, a movement of Chamorro people claiming the right to self-determination has developed, as well as movement to preserve their language and culture that are at the brink of extinction. The Guam Decolonization Commission, part of Guam’s government, has also re-ignited its efforts. Its last chairman, Edward Alvarez, has toured high schools telling students, “Guam is both part and not part of the United States. Guam has the highest rates of military enlistment in the country, and a third of the island is covered by military bases. 70% of Guam’s economy is in the tourism industry. But in regards to both the military and the tourism industry, we have no decision making power.” Okinawa also has a decolonization commission, and there are many comparisons that can made between our history and circumstances as Uchinaanchu and the people of Guam.

When Ed came to Okinawa a few days ago, he said, “When the Japanese military came, the native language was banned and the islands became a battlefield between Japan and the US. Many people were ran out of their homes or died in the carnage. After the war, American military bases remained. The similarities between Guam and Okinawa are uncanny.” He also added, “In both countries voices are rising against further militarization of the islands and efforts are being made to revitalize our endangered languages.” His words not only helped confirm the dangers of colonialism, but also made me feel the mutual empowerment of camaraderie. However, I also felt painful feeling which compelled me to say, “Until recently this included myself, but there are still many people in Okinawa and Japan who don’t know about these similarities between Guam and Okinawa. There are still many who, if I say, ‘Move the bases to Japan’ will respond, ‘That’s inhumane’, but then will calmly get away with saying that the bases should be moved to Guam.”

Since Guam was made an American territory, Japan seems to have thought that since Guam is now the victor’s territory, it’s unnecessary to conduct war reparations, and to this day they never have. Although the Japanese have built many magnificent monuments for their war dead, they have not built any to memorialize the Chamorro people massacred or made into comfort women. Although the majority of tourists to Guam are Japanese, Japanese people are unaware of the fact that Japan once occupied the island. While Japanese enjoy Guam as “the America that’s closest to Japan”, the Japanese government is raising tax funds to have Okinawa’s bases moved to Guam.

I lamented, “Why must Guam clean up after the mistakes made by the US-Japan Security Treaty? If the bases are really necessary, I think they should be moved to Japan, not Guam.” Ed responded, “Certainly. That’s why the perspective of decolonization is so important. We need to teach and discuss the history of both Guam and Okinawa to give young people the chance to know the truth that the islands are not for the colonists but for us. This is something we ourselves must understand first.” The Decolonization Commission has three task forces: one for independence, one for free association, and one for promoting Guam to a state. The commission communicates this vision to citizens and promotes discussion. Due to things like a high school debate aired on television last year, interest in self-determination and decolonization is growing. Perhaps these things can also happen in Okinawa. How will it look to Japanese when Okinawans too claim their right to self-determination?