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Night in the American village : women in the shadow of the U.S. military bases in Okinawa

by Johnson, Akemi,

Format: Print Book 2019
Availability: Available at 1 Library 1 of 1 copy

Available (1)
Location Collection Call #
CLP - Main Library Mezzanine - Non-fiction DS894.99.O3785 J64 2019
Location  CLP - Main Library
 
Collection  Mezzanine - Non-fiction
 
Call Number  DS894.99.O3785 J64 2019
 
 

Summary
At the southern end of the Japanese archipelago lies Okinawa, host to a vast complex of U.S. military bases. A legacy of World War II, these bases have been a fraught issue in Japan for decades. In Night of the American Village, journalist Akemi Johnson takes readers deep into the 'border towns' surrounding the bases. Focusing on the women there, she follows the complex fallout of the brutal rape and murder of a Japanese woman by a U.S. serviceman in 2016, speaking to protestors, women who date and marry American men, and Okinawans whose family members survived World War II.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "In the aftermath of WWII, the U.S. military developed a massive presence on the Japanese island of Okinawa. While its numerous bases have provided pan-Pacific security, it has also created an often confusing and conflicted relationship between island residents and American personnel. Perhaps no incidents have been as volatile as those surrounding the rape and murder of girls and young women who have lived and worked in the towns neighboring the bases. These crimes rarely are adjudicated, given the protections afforded to members of the military and to private contractors. Tensions that already exist because of cultural, language, and political differences are exacerbated when Okinawan lives are summarily devalued, and the island's historical and economic connections with both the Japanese and American governments cannot be extricated from contemporary circumstances. Of Japanese American heritage, journalist Johnson has written extensively about this bicultural conundrum for numerous publications. With this book, she takes a deep dive into the intricacies of the lives of those who are dependent upon, yet in danger from, their involvement with the U.S. military.--Carol Haggas Copyright 2019 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "In a searing and stylish debut, journalist Johnson delves into the consequences of America's military presence in Japan's southernmost prefecture, revealing a complicated web of sexual and racial politics. Two post-WWII treaties designed to prevent Japan from remilitarizing prompted the U.S. to establish a larger overseas military presence in Okinawa than anywhere else outside of the U.S. Johnson, who is Japanese-American, frames her investigation around the tale of the 2016 rape and murder of 20-year-old Rina Shimabukuro by a former U.S. Marine working on Kadena Air Base. Over the course of 10 chapters, each focusing on a memorable woman she met in Okinawa, Johnson uses Shimabukuro's death as a metaphor for the long-standing tensions between the Americans and Okinawans. The chapter on Sachiko Miyagi, who was a teenager put to work in a field hospital during the ferocious U.S. invasion of Okinawa, is chilling and heartbreaking; the story of Suzuyo Takazato, who cofounded Okinawa Women Against Military Violence in 1995, is interwoven with the history of rape by American servicemen in Okinawa. An accomplished storyteller, Johnson paints a nuanced portrait of Okinawa's women as "players in the larger geopolitical game, influencing, challenging, and smoothing the way for the U.S.-Japan security alliance" who sometimes tell "truths others don't want to hear." This is a must-read look at the impact of the U.S.'s overseas military presence on the people who live near it, cultural collisions, and gendered violence. Agent: Ayesha Pande, Ayesha Pande Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects Military bases, American -- Social aspects -- Japan -- Okinawa-ken.
Women and the military -- Japan -- Okinawa-shi.
Soldiers -- Sexual behavior -- United States.
Women -- Japan -- Okinawa-shi -- Social conditions.
Women -- Japan -- Okinawa-shi -- Interviews.
Prostitution -- Japan -- Okinawa-shi.
Sex crimes -- Japan -- Okinawa-shi -- Anecdotes.
Publisher New York, NY :The New Press,2019
Language English
Description 321 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm
Bibliography Notes Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-321).
ISBN 9781620973318
1620973316
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