Changes

[[Military conscription]] began in Okinawa in [[1898]], a few decades after it was implemented in mainland Japan; by 1945, Okinawans were trusted enough as Japanese subjects to serve loyally in the military right alongside Japanese soldiers, but Okinawan civilians were still treated quite differently from Japanese by the military. These problems of second-class status manifested perhaps most boldly in the Battle of Okinawa, as Okinawans, taught by Japanese propaganda to fear rape and torture by the Allied forces, fled south along with the Japanese military, expecting that their own country's forces would protect them. Instead, they were pressured to sacrifice themselves for the glory of the Empire, with a great many dying in caves, or throwing themselves off cliffs, rather than being protected by their own government's military. Speaking more broadly, many people today characterize the battle as a "sacrificing" of Okinawa as a whole, to benefit & protect Japan; Okinawa was considered Japanese enough to be subject to assimilation policies, expectations that the Okinawans would behave as loyal Japanese, and so forth, but was not considered integral enough to the Japanese state that it should be protected, defended, as well.

[[Military conscription]] began in Okinawa in [[1898]], a few decades after it was implemented in mainland Japan; by 1945, Okinawans were trusted enough as Japanese subjects to serve loyally in the military right alongside Japanese soldiers, but Okinawan civilians were still treated quite differently from Japanese by the military. These problems of second-class status manifested perhaps most boldly in the Battle of Okinawa, as Okinawans, taught by Japanese propaganda to fear rape and torture by the Allied forces, fled south along with the Japanese military, expecting that their own country's forces would protect them. Instead, they were pressured to sacrifice themselves for the glory of the Empire, with a great many dying in caves, or throwing themselves off cliffs, rather than being protected by their own government's military. Speaking more broadly, many people today characterize the battle as a "sacrificing" of Okinawa as a whole, to benefit & protect Japan; Okinawa was considered Japanese enough to be subject to assimilation policies, expectations that the Okinawans would behave as loyal Japanese, and so forth, but was not considered integral enough to the Japanese state that it should be protected, defended, as well.

The Battle of Okinawa saw the destruction of much of the central and southern parts of the island, the decimation of homes, villages, towns, and nearly 100,000 civilian lives, roughly a quarter of the total Okinawan population. Countless priceless artifacts and documents were lost along with most of the island's significant cultural, religious, and historical sites.

The Imperial Japanese military established a headquarters beneath Shuri castle, and fortified much of Okinawa Island into a major base of military strength, leading it to become an important target for Allied forces to address as they pressed their way towards Japan proper in the final stages of World War II. Much of Naha was destroyed in a major bombing raid on 10 October 1944, typically known simply as the "10-10 Bombing Raid." Allied forces first made landfall on Okinawa on 1 April 1945, declaring on that same day, in what has come to be known as the Nimitz Proclamation, the end of “All Executive Powers of the Japanese Empire” in Okinawa.<ref name=mabuni>Gallery labels, Okinawa Peace Memorial Museum, Itoman, Okinawa.</ref> The ensuing Battle of Okinawa would last several months, with fighting continuing until late June 1945.

 

Allied forces made efforts to get Okinawan civilians out of the way of the fighting, taking them into refugee camps. Meanwhile, Japanese sources told Okinawans not to allow themselves to be captured, as the Americans would do horrible things to them. A great many Okinawans sought protection from the Japanese military, fleeing to places where there were more Japanese soldiers or fortifications; however, in practice, the Japanese military did little to protect the Okinawan civilians, in many cases telling them they should seek to die gloriously for the country, and for the Emperor. A great many Okinawans hid out in natural caves, called ''gama'', seeking to escape the fighting; many of these caves were fed by natural springs, providing fresh water to those sheltering there. But, while many who hid in the ''gama'' survived, the ''gama'' also became the scenes of countless tragic tales, as many were killed, or were pressured or forced to kill themselves. Stories include individuals being pressured by soldiers, or deciding on their own, to destroy themselves (and all those around them) with hand grenades rather than be captured by the Americans; people who threw themselves off cliffs; caves burned out with flamethrowers by American soldiers seeking to eliminate any Japanese soldiers hiding in the cave; and crying babies who were killed for fear that their screams would alert the soldiers to the presence of people in that cave. Still, some number of people surrendered themselves to the Americans, and were taken into refugee camps; though most Okinawans were taught to be distrustful of the Americans, some American units were accompanied by Japanese-American or Okinawan-American members of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), who were able to speak to people in the caves in Japanese, or even in [[Okinawan language]], to encourage them that it was safe.<ref>Suzuki Jun'ichi (dir.), ''MIS: Human Secret Weapon'', documentary film, 2012.</ref>

 

The Battle of Okinawa, often known in Okinawa as the "Typhoon of Steel" (鉄の暴風, ''tetsu no bôfû''), was to be one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war. One of the largest naval fleets in history bombarded the island with shells, and by the time the fighting was over, much of the central and southern parts of the island were decimated. Some 100,000 Okinawans died during the Battle, representing roughly a quarter to a third of the total Okinawan population. Countless priceless artifacts and documents were lost as well, along with most of the island's significant cultural, religious, and historical sites.

===Occupation===

===Occupation===