Marines learn Okinawa culture, post-war history

Public Affairs Office

To help educate U. S. service members on Okinawan culture and history, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Okinawa Office presented an insightful lecture to more than 100 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at the unit’s Lance Corporal Seminar on Camp Foster Feb. 8.

The visit resulted from an idea by the Cooperative Working Team for the Prevention of Incidents and Accidents by U.S. Military Personnel and Constituents, a council comprised of officials representing the U. S., Japanese and Okinawa governments as well as the U.S. military services on Okinawa. The council’s goal for the brief was to help Marines understand the fragile and sensitive nature of their presence in Okinawa.

It was the third time this year the brief had been presented to U.S. service members. In January it was given to the 4th Marine Regiment at Camp Schwab and to the Army’s 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Kadena Air Base.

Two Okinawan guest speakers, Hatsumi Kinjo, Okinawa’s leading court interpreter, and Kazuhiko Nakamoto, an archivist with the Archival Department of the Okinawa Prefectural Foundation for Culture, spoke on topics covering indigenous culture, customs and post-World War II history of the U. S.-Okinawa relationship.

Additionally, Takashi Ariyoshi, principal deputy director, Status of Forces Agreement Division, MOFA, gave an overview of the bilateral agreement. Ariyoshi was visiting Okinawa from Tokyo and took advantage of the opportunity to talk to the Marines.

Based on his own experiences living in the U. S. for 12 years as a field representative of the Okinawa Prefectural Archives and attending the University of Maryland, Nakamoto lectured on the importance of learning the local history to understand how people think and behave and overcoming cultural obstacles.

"I don't think living in the States alone helped me understand American society," Nakamato said. "But knowing more about the country’s history certainly helped me understand why American people act certain ways in certain situations."

Having attended Japanese criminal prosecutions as an interpreter for U. S. service members, Kinjo, who spoke about culture and SOFA, said that knowing simple facts about local customs could have helped service members avoid some of the incidents they were involved. “I hope this brief will raise their understanding of local customs so as to benefit both them and Okinawans,” she said.

Judging by the response of Lance Cpl. Alre Palms, the class was successful. Palms said he learned a lot about Okinawa history and customs that he never knew before the class and feels every Marine on island should attend.

“The class was very informative,” Palms said “The simple fact is that it gives you a better understanding of the people here, and it helps you build a better relationship with them.”

Pfc. Desiree Marquez said after the class that every service member should take it upon themselves to watch their own actions as well as the actions of their peers. “Everyone needs to respect the island and the customs of the people living here,” she said.

Hideaki Kuramitsu, Deputy Chief of the MOFA Okinawa Office, said he looks forward to working with military officials to offer the class to other units. “Ideally,” he said, “we will be able to give the class to all servicemembers.”