Chie Mikami

The greatest taboo of the Battle of Okinawa were Guerrilla units composed of boy soldiers. Until now, not even the Japanese people knew the full scope of these secret troops, and survivors have been afraid to share their tragic details. Okinawa became the bulwark to protect the Japanese mainland toward the end of World War II. After the Americans landed, a violent battle ensued resulting in the loss of over 200,000 lives – many of them civilian. This documentary uncovers Japan’s deepest secrets concerning the Battle of Okinawa, and also sounds alarms about modern Japan’s recent steps toward remilitarization.

An elderly woman named Fumiko lived through the battle of Okinawa. Now she is part of the movement protesting the construction of a new American military base in Henoko. This film captures the complex feelings of those who have had to live their lives alongside military bases. It compels us to share in their yearning to bring an end to this battle.

In this film, Chie Mikam looks not at the well-documented controversies surrounding U.S. military bases in Okinawa, but at the quiet expansion of Japan’s own Self-Defense Forces there.

In Okinawa, the people of Takae village are convicted by the Japanese government for obstructing traffic in the struggle against the construction of new helipads. Their story embodies U.S. military strategy dating back to the Vietnam War, the blocking of gates to the Futenma base, and their town’s rage against their state.

Documentary on Okinawan resistance to American and SDF base construction