The public is invited to the following lecture. A 1,000 yen donation from non-members would be appreciated, but is not required.
Place: Plaza for International Cooperation (1st floor), No. 32 Kowa International Building, located near Exit 3 of the Hibiya line at Hiro-o Station.
Information: TEL (03)5766-1783
The tragic rape of an Okinawa schoolgirl in September 1995 touched off the current "Okinawa problem" and shook the bilateral relationship. It also had the effect of highlighting the need to understand the complicated history of Okinawa in the postwar U.S.-Japan relationship and exposed the weaknesses in existing scholarship on Okinawa to date. In the Peace Treaty with Japan, Okinawa was not returned to Japanese control. Okinawa continued to be occupied for twenty years after the peace treaty came into effect. Traditionally, the view is that Okinawa was "sacrificed" at the Peace Treaty. In fact, the Japanese government made strong efforts to be allowed to keep sovereignty and administrative rights over Okinawa. The paper to be presented is based on extensive use of Japanese Foreign Ministry documents, personal papers, diaries, and U.S. diplomatic documents and will shed light on a story that has never been examined before (in the English language).
Dr. Robert Eldridge received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Kobe University Graduate School of Law. In 1999 he won the top prize of the Yomiuri Rondan Shinjinsho.
Edited from material submitted by Dr. Terry Wilson.
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