My grandfather saved a kid from drowning in Sasebo harbor during the occupation. The next day a Japanese man came and gave him a officers sword and thanked my grandfather for saving his son's life. I have the sword today. It is a sword from the Russo-Japanese War period.
The Americans actually really prized war spoils like weapons & relics. They even looted nazi war camps. It was forbidden to take stahlhelm. So some of them hid it to be taken home when the war ends.
Heather Larson you really dont know what you’re talking about. We help the Japanese military by having this base, and we give lots of Japanese people here jobs. Plus, we got like at least 3 ships here all the time, 5 if you’re including the Japanese ships.
@Heather Larson idiot war games idiot!! china is a treat idiot!! china claim all south east asian waters idiot!! your not blind right? china is a treat idiot!
@@kyomademon453 Yes this is true. I live in Canada which has a population of 37m people and I would consider 500,000 a medium city and anything under 400,000 fairly small
@@kyomademon453 Makes sense. In Slovenia there is just over 2 m people so a city with 250000 is 1/8 of population which is big compared to the rest of cities in the country
@@compmojster i live in a 50m country and live in a little over 500k city, we are medium size but the metropolitan area rounds up around 1m, so we're between medium size and big, but relatively small if compared to other areas that round from 6 to 10m
I lived in yokota airbase, we had festivals with the japanese. I even took japanese classes on base, was mandatory. Lived in Japan for a few years, it helped bring some Japanese insight back to the states.
Was there from Aug. '64 to Jul. '69 when dad was in. I was at Sasebo from Sept. '88 to Nov. '91 at the Branch Medical Clinic. Had a blast. Wonder if I should ask my Sasebo born Japanese wife if she has any problems with having a base there..🤔. All we had was a small amphib assault sqdrn. at the time. FYI ( everyone), there's are big Japanese defense forces facilities all over Sasebo. On weekends when the JMDF (Japanese Navy) would come in, the harbor would be packed with all types of ships.
Thank you for the video. I am a US Army medical officer heading to Camp Zama next month. My wife and I are looking forward to experiencing the culture and being respectful as we do so. I cannot speak for all military, but I know a lot of us want to be mindful of our presence and thankful to the Japanese people for allowing us to spend time in their country. Please keep up these videos!
That's generally a universal problem - most people just want to be polite and nice and not cause waves but there's always one douchebag who makes everyone looks bad and ruins everything. Like, 25% of people on Earth are Muslims, and some asshole with a beard calling himself a Muslim got some assholes to crash planes into buildings in the USA and now Islam as a whole has a "terrorist" reputation because of these guys. If you're Japanese and your kid gets run over by a total fuckup from the US military base who got drunk, you don't care that 99.9% of the rest of the US military personnel at that base were respectful and think the drunk driver is a douche and deserves his punishment because your kid got run over and it's (understandably) affecting your judgement.
You should do more of these small town interviews! I think the opinions of those in Tokyo rarely reflect the rest of Japan. As someone who currently lives in countryside Fukui, I also feel like honne and tatemae is way less of a thing here.
This is so true! Outside of Tokyo in the countryside, a lot less pressure to put on the honne+tatemae face, and just simply be themselves. I found that the further away from Tokyo, the nicer and kinder people were. I lived in Iwakuni for 2 years and the locals in Iwakuni were some of the nicest people I have ever met in Japan.
I'd be interested in you doing a similar thing in Iwakuni. The base more than doubled in size very recently, and I wonder if the feelings of the locals have changed.
As someone who's talked to many Japanese bar owners in the area, they would like more business that the Americans used to bring in the 80s and 90s. Nowadays they say that everyone just goes to Hiroshima. Iwakuni is practically a ghost town nowadays.
Indeed, when I was stationed there a few years ago there was still the curfew, and there was a mix of groups that would stay in Iwakuni and go out further to Hiroshima or Osaka on the weekends. But I'm also interested to see how the locals feel about the new expansion. I miss that place, so much great food. I need some spicy ramen in my life.
Lived in Yokosuka, back in the 1970's. Used to get organized protests at the gate about once a month. That aside, I never had any real trouble with the local folks. I look fondly back on my years there.
wow I live near from Yokosuka and sometimes go to there,but I have never seen any protest at Yokosuka in 2010s. Before 21th century there are many anti-capitalism communist terrorists in Japan,so I guess its one of them.
Yuta-san, thank you for posting this. I was stationed there in the mid-late '80s on an old diesel-electric submarine. My wife of 30 years (wow!) is from Sasebo. Then, some negative feelings could pop up here and there - but it was definitely rare. My wife (girlfriend then) went to a family restaurant and there were 3 old Japanese ladies sitting at a nearby table.... They were looking at us one one said something that translated to, 'Too many gaijin in Sasebo!' Eh, another time a friend of my girlfriend's came across us while we were driving around in Sasebo - he told her (she translated later) 'Abunai' - Be careful. Fair, and reasonable warning. NEVER was offended by the Japanese people of Sasebo - so kind, patient, understanding, and many very welcoming. An amazing opportunity for a 20-something year old from the mountains of Washington (most guys I went to high school with became loggers). My only regret? Being lazy and not learning Japanese. Truly shameful. I have a great, supportive brother-in-law there that I can barely converse with. Open to your mentioning of you have good, conversational Japanese educational material available? Thanks again!
I live on a US base in Japan. I don’t think it’s an issue that man said that he works on base as long as his work isn’t classified or anything. Also, Yuta, if you want, you’re welcome to come check out the base. I’d be happy to bring you on and show you around. 🙂
It is obviously an issue dude. If the U.S wants to have a base in Japan then Japan has every right to build it's own military base in Miami, Florida. The U.S will obviously reject that, hence why Japan shouldn't have any U.S bases.
@@Name-jw4sj he said it's not an issue that the Japanese guy said he works on the American base... you're bringing other things up that have nothing to do with the conversation.
Hey Yuta! I was a sailor who was stationed in Sasebo. I really enjoyed my time there. I was a big fan of Japanese culture and always wanted to go to Japan. When I joined the military and gots orders to there I was excited. Also you are right when you speak of the potential tension between Japanese nationals and military personnel. I liked Sasebo due to it being smaller and our personnel not causing a lot of problems compared to other areas where there are more personnel to manage. The one thing they would always tell us is that we were ambassadors of America and be respectful. Like the one guy who said with more people you potential have more problems. Having to manage different personalities can be difficult. Take care Yuta and I always tell people if I could go back to Japan and live there, I would.
Thank you for your service, and for representing your country well overseas. All kinds of people are in the military, in my experience mostly good folks, but it only takes a couple of scumbags to give your country a black eye...
I lived in Yokosuka and Okinawa. The locals in Okinawa complain that Futenma is dangerously too close to neighborhoods but they forget that the base was there first when nothing else around. Then people built their homes right up against the fence
I was stationed in Yokosuka for 2 years and I never experienced any hostility towards me because I was in the US Navy. The only protest I saw was about the carrier being nuclear powered so there was concern about it. But they do safety checks on it all the time; a small boat goes around it to measure the radioactivity levels to see if something's leaking or whatever the case. I was on a destroyer so I didn't have to worry about radiation. Although there are many Japanese people who don't want Americans being stationed in Japan, there are some positive things about them being there. For one, businesses around base do extremely well when the ships are in port, most notably the carrier since it has the most people. During times of alcohol curtailment and/or base lock down or when the carrier goes out to sea, businesses suffer from it. For me personally, I never would have been able to visit Japan were it not for getting orders out there. I've always wanted to visit, but I didn't have the money and I don't have a degree so I could only stay for less than 90 days. At the end of the day, the military is made of people, and while there are some bad people who unfairly give the rest of us a bad name, there are mostly good people who are just living their lives. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to live in Japan thanks to being stationed in Yokosuka! And thanks to the GI Bill, I'm saving up to study abroad in Tokyo next year!
Yuta, I am a foreign student living in Okinawa. I think it would be interesting for you to come here and interview foreigners other than USA soldiers, as well as of course local people.
Very nice video, thank you for posting. I lived in Misawa, Japan for two years when I was in the air force. I really liked living in Japan and I enjoyed traveling around the country and learning about the culture. It seemed to me that the relationship between local people and U.S. military people was pretty good in the town of Misawa. At least there were no protests or bad incidents when I was there. A lot of the U.S. military members there had families, sometimes with a Japanese spouse, and they said it was a great place to raise their kids.
I’m moving to Sasebo soon, and it would be interesting to know how the locals feel now after Covid, cause I heard that there was some public outrage against Marines in the area.
My great-grandfather was an officer in the Chinese theater of the war. He admitted to the crimes against humanity that Imperial Japan committed and he relived those nightmares. He decided to commit seppuku as his way for atonement to the Chinese people although he was just witness.
Former US Army Combat Engineer here. I don’t believe the US military should have bases all over the world. Too much collateral damage and team America world police isn’t helping US fiscally. I was shocked to hear peoples attitudes in Tokyo last time I was there. I just didn’t know how hog wild the marines can get (and deadly a navy hit and run happened while I was there).
This is about geopolitics. A containment of China, which is, even keeping aside their political system, a political rival for the US. Closing these bases around the PRC would undermine America‘s allies‘ trust in the US capability to defend them. It’s about the message delivered. The failure in the Middle East undermined America‘s plans under Obama to focus more on Asia, and the failure in a region that was considered under American protection already undermined this trust.
It's group mentality. If you are part of a big group of men somewhere, you'll feel invulnerable. If if you're young and from a generally socially 'free' society, then often you start acting out. It's the same with football hooligans.
Well, i rather have US military in Japan and keep China from taking a good stroll to get Japan. China needs expansion and they are Socialist under that Capitalism, so..
@@Pspisripoff How about no foreign military in Japan? You act like if the US isn't there it needs to be replaced by someone else. Also, China is not looking to conquer Japan, and the US has been the most imperialist country of the western world since the Germans in WWII. Also, you don't understand socialism. It's not the same as communism and China, even though it's a communist country, it's clearly changing and has build a lot of capitalist constructs into their economy, which have become bigger and bigger over time.
Hey, I was born there. My dad (actually step-dad) met my mom there. He was serving on the U.S.S. White Plains. I was allowed aboard for a short visit. i think I was given some grape soda. We never thought about it either. As someone said, "it's just there." When we went back to visit years later, we were considered dependents of a retired senior NCO so we figured we could go into the Exchange on base (we still had our military dependent IDs, since I was still a minor) to buy gifts for our families in Japan instead of lugging over a ton of stuff on the plane. Unfortunately, they did NOT let us on base. So we ended up pouring coins into the vending machine in the reception area to get American candy (think stuff like Milky Way and M&Ms - nothing even remotely fancy) and gave those to our relatives. 🤪
Never made it out to Sasebo. I hope no incident ever changes the way locals think about the base and living in an area where American sailors are stationed. Glad to see your videos even though I'm back in America!
@@redx1106 I mean, I've been here for almost three years (and studied Japanese in college prior to enlisting) my goal was to come to Japan which was accomplished. I did date one or two girls being here so far but never fell in love. Still were great friends! I teach them spanish and they help me practice Japanese
You should ask around Yokosuka. I'm sure you'd get a wide range of answers there. I was stationed there for 3 years. I don't know how others felt, but being that I'm Asian American, I could sense that the people felt at ease around me. It also helped that I learned a conversational level of Japanese.
I live in Okinawa and the locals don't really have a major problem with the bases. They provide jobs for older Okinawans and benefits for those who works on base. Heck, even some young Japanese people are getting into environmental and engineering jobs with the bases. The Jets can be annoying at times but Kadena is the only air Base on the whole island and that's in a heavily populated area so it's really easy to escape the noise. There are protestors every Fridays but they're few and suspicion of Chinese interference isn't unlikely as they hate our operations in Japan.
Most locals are not gonna be extremely vocal to some random foreigner to their face that they dislike the bases. I respect that you live there but if you can't ask people in Japanese or Okinawan what their opinion on the bases are, then you can't get an accurate portrayal of their opinion because they'll definitely just tell you some tatemae about how they want to "live in harmony with the Americans". The jobs thing is very important - yes, the bases do provide economic and educational opportunities for the locals. But don't think that they're not, at the very least, sick of Camp Kinser in their beachfront, Futenma and Kadena taking up their living space, the sound of jets roaring by daily, the reports of military members committing crimes in Japan not be tried by Japanese courts, and so on.
@@masterp443 ok so I think you have a pretty big misunderstanding of the situation over here. I'll start with the crime: 1. It's basically the Marines and 2. It happens so infrequently that nobody on the island really thinks about it enough to hate the bases. Those who do are older folks which are more judgmental in almost every other society so there's no helping that. I did mention that the jets are annoying at times but it a 20 min drive will put you far away enough from the noise, it's not like it's screaming overhead 24/7. Previously I came from an area with a lot of air force traffic so I may be more used to it than most. Second, nobody currently alive on the island has had their land taken by the US. We liberated the island during WWII and established bases. Ever since then we've been giving some land back to the Japanese government which they use the preexisting structures that the US built and paid for. The biggest problem, imo, is the spillage and waste problems that come with air force bases. Don't get the wrong idea though, were not destroying the corral or farm lands, we have very talented people that make sure that doesn't happen.
@@skoolwifi3835 that's definitely not true. You're deluded if you think that the us operations are not having a significant negative effect on the environment there. The water in the area around Futenma tests positive for higher than normal amounts of chemicals (something with chlorine and fluoride, can't remember the exact name) and the US military refuses to allow private investigation on the base to test the water. Last year had a record-high number of noise complaints for Futenma to the point where it's affecting people's health. US officials call it "the most dangerous base in the world". Okinawans don't want you there. They don't want you in Henoko either, but Tokyo and DC ignore the will of the people. Referendums show 70% of Okinawa wants Futenma returned and all building progress in Henoko halted. The area around Henoko is home to the dugong, which is teetering on the edge of endangered species status, but they want to build the base anyway. It's gonna take at least a decade according to finish the Henoko base so that means Okinawa has to suffer yet another decade of Futenma (even when it was promised to be returned years ago) while more of their land gets fucked by the US.
@@masterp443 Your ignorances speaks volume. You know that the red water runoff that was killing the coral reefs was the Okinawan farms? The heavy rains would flood their farms and the chemicals ran off into the ocean. I'm sure our operations have negative effects but so do the Okinawans, it happens with populated areas and industries. Not that I think it's not important or not threatening to the ocean life but you're blinded by us and not looking at the big picture. You have to be here and live here to be able to engage in any conversation. I live out in Onna which is far from all the bases and all our neighbors are Japanese, with the exception of the family right next door being American too. They're always happy to see us and we exchange greetings when we pass, they love our dog and always come to let him on the beach if they recognize him. If people were truly spiteful of us being on the island we wouldn't have such interactions. On top of that we bring a lot of jobs and pay a lot of money to be there, also we spend a lot of money just being Americans so they love the business. We follow their rules and have to maintain our vehicles to their standards. Those of us who live off base pay Japanese housing companies, there are more than you think. I think you really don't know what you're talking about so I'm done explaining it. You're welcome to visit and ask the locals yourself
@@skoolwifi3835 like I said, people won't yell at you to your face saying "go home foreigner", but they talk with their vote, and their vote says "leave Okinawa". I'm glad you have nice neighbors; I wouldn't wish for them to be rude to you, especially if you're a good neighbor yourself. If you were just immigrants from America, they wouldn't have any issues with you paying for housing and stimulating the economy. Okinawa is treated as a vacation destination anyway - just look at how excited people are to be stationed there. Military affiliated websites always show how beautiful it is and all the fun stuff to do there. But it's not just that, and you know it. You're a foreign military occupying their land and regardless of the cries of the people, the Tokyo government and Washington, DC won't let you leave; there's no getting around that no matter how nice you are or how much money you spend there or how many friends you've made, etc. Funny how you didn't address the noise complaints because you know it's a big problem. You live in Onna so you don't get it. Futenma is a major NIMBY and it's causing problems with its noise. I don't live next to an airport for a reason. And I definitely wouldn't want to live near a base because of the noise pollution. But hey, enjoy Okinawa, man. It's still a beautiful place, even with all the bases there. I hope it stays beautiful for a long time.
This video does not represent the views of those living in Okinawa. They feel like they were getting the short end of the stick with Japanese national policy, and the US presence is the cherry on top.
Over 100? Damn! I knew we had a large presence in Japan but that seems overkill. We could probably stand to shut a few of those down, especially if Japan does decide to amend their constitution so they can once again have a standard military. I feel like there's more to be gained from the US and Japan working as equals. And as an American, it genuinely distresses me to hear stories about our soldiers causing harm to locals where ever they are stationed. Especially with such a close and valued ally as Japan.
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That will never happen in my humble opinion. A military base outside your own country is very strategic. More so with tensions between US & Allies and North Korea, China & Russia, mainly now regarding trade and the South China Sea.
There are 85 facilities. Msot of them are rather small (eg communications installatioms) and the bulk of US forces is concentrated in a few main areas. Sasebo has 9 of the facilities, and outside of Okinawa there are only 4 cities with noteworthy US personel.
@@Spaghetter813 seeing Japan getting their military built up and more organized would be amazing. Just think if they put a lot if focus towards the military tech.... Their navy could possibly rival China's navy one day! And they could possibly be the most advanced military in the world.
Could you maybe do a video about the Okinawa situation with the bases? It doesn't need to be an interview, maybe one where you'd sit down and explain shortly like you have done before?
As an American I absolutely love Japan it certainly in my top five list of places I would live other than here maybe necessarily our current administration but Japan if anything happens we will absolutely be there for you
Yuta-San. I don't know if you still read comments on older videos, but if you do, can you please do this same video in Yokosuka? I am living here in Yokosuka, and I've always wondered what the local population honestly thinks about American Sailors here.
I currently live in Sasebo. I know exactly where that interview took place. In my experiences here in Sasebo, I have not seen that locals have a problem with the navy base. It creates a lot of jobs for the locals and helps their economy. There are some small incidents with sailors in public at the bars etc but not really a huge deal. Sasebo is a pretty quiet place. I think most locals are just used to it being there so they don't really pay much attention to it or the foreigners living here.
Japan and the US share the various basic values including freedoms and capitalism. We need to cooperate with each other in defense to counter the growing threat of China.
I lived in Sasebo about 3 months back in... maybe 1995. I was a Mormon missionary at the time and had been living in Japan about 18 months. Enough to be conversationally fluent and having had a lot of intense social interactions with Japanese people you don’t get as a tourist. I was pretty good at reading nonverbal cues at that point. Mormon missionaries have a pretty distinctive look - easily recognized. White shirt, tie, slacks on an 18 to 20 year old guy, etc. so everyone knew who we were because we were always around in public like that doing our job. In short - we looked a lot different from the Americans at the naval base. One day a week we had a day off to spend on ourselves and a lot of missionaries liked to ditch the standard missionary uniform and put on normal street clothes while relaxing a bit. I did too. Until I lived in Sasebo. I noticed after a few weeks that I was getting a VERY different reaction from the locals on my days off than on my work days. I was even refused service at a watch store where they pretended they didn’t do watch repairs (when I knew for a fact that they did). I also got a lot of more chilly and hostile looks. Stuff ordinary Americans or tourists wouldn’t recognize in the Japanese face. I didn’t like the reaction. So I started wearing my missionary uniform even on my days off, and the negativity vanished instantly. I believe this period in the 90s was soon after some nasty publicized business in Okinawa where a Japanese school girl got raped by some off-duty Marines. So feelings were probably raw at the time. But it amazed me how much difference being a missionary instead of a potential military American made. I always assumed Japanese were kind of nervous of Mormon missionaries and our “creepy American religion” and our reputation for aggressive proselyting tactics. But apparently we ranked higher in Japanese esteem in the mid 90s than American military personnel.
Well, that was very short video but yeah, small bases are cool. The problem comes when you let loose a bunch 21-24 year olds who don't understand alcohol into town without better curfews. Americans drink just to get drunk, Japanese drink to be social. The minute I see young Americans come into my local bar, I just leave. There are plenty of Japanese bars with more mature crowds to be found.
In all honesty, I only watched this video because I just moved away from Sasebo a few months ago and although I only lived on the base for a year, I'm feeling very homesick.
Still feel that, and I left in 1989. But, my wife of 30 years is from there, so I'm surviving. :-) Sasebo truly grows on you, though.... takes your heart. Went back 2 years ago for a couple of weeks - tough to get on that train back to Fukuoka to fly out.
Okinawa has been colonized by the Japanese for a century. It's like how Hawaii was once a kingdom but then colonized by the US. The people are different, and racism (national oppression) exist towards Okinawans (and Hawaiians). So, when the US requests for more troops/bases in Japan, mainland Japan just puts it in Okinawa. Literally 90 percent of Okinawan people want US bases removed from there island.
I was stationed in Sasebo back in 1995 -1999. I spend a lot of time with the local people there. I even worked with local Japanese shipyard while staying in the boathouse there. There are friendly people and the sailors there do not cause trouble so everyone gets along.
Yuta san, I think your video was very well done. I have found that most people in Japan accept the US bases as part of normal life. Most people don't have strong opinions one way or another. However, as you mentioned, in Okinawa the situation is different. Okinawa is a small place and the number of bases is quite overwhelming. Everyone, including the US Military, agree that the US Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma is dangerous in such a populated area. Plans have been in place to move it for almost 30 years. The plans have been delayed time after time by political infighting. The real controversy is not about Futenma. It is about the relocation site in Henoko, Nago-shi. If you came to Okinawa and asked the same questions as on your video, I think you would get the same answers. The crime rate due to US Military personnel and families is actually incredibly low. Actually, it is much lower than the local population based on police statistics. However, any crime or controversial incident is unacceptable and the US should work hard on prevention. The news media in Okinawa is quite biased against the US Military. So much so that the many acts of community service, lives saved, and kindness performed by US Military personnel are almost never reported. I am not a military person, just an American with a long association with Okinawa.
amazing that you're pretty clueless for this kind of stuff, even Japanese people are still hated in Korea and China up till this day, and you don't know why Japanese people hate your people?
The first time I visited Japan was in 2008 - I was in the US Navy and my ship (USS Nimitz, CVN 68) stopped in Sasebo for a few days. It's a great city, and this visit sparked my interest in Japanese culture and society. On behalf of アメリカ人, thank you for being so hospitable and kind.
I was blessed to be stationed there for 4+ years back in the late '80s - went back 2 years ago for 2 weeks with my wife of 30 years (from Sasebo). Great city, wonderful people.
I was stationed there during that time as well. I remember it very well and if I could move to anyplace in the world other than the US it would be Japan. I truly miss being there, and miss my Japanese friends as well.
I really enjoyed visiting Sasebo in 2009 while on deployment. I thought it was a beautiful town. We were treated well while we were there. I'd love to visit Sasebo, and Japan in general again one day. Hopefully!
I used to live in Okinawa before I moved, I’m part Japanese and American and it was still hard to interact with locals, and most of the marines made trouble with the locals a lot leading to lots of restrictions for the military
Japan is only a modern verson of the western colony. Since Yukio Mishima died in 1970, there is no patriot in Japan anymore. No one dares to stand up and say "F the colonists" anymore more.
I am in college now but I used to live on an Air Base in the Kanto region close to Tachikowa station. And while living there there were ofcourse protesters at our base (because of loud frivking C-17 and other jets flying their wings off). But after the incident in Okinawa, (where two marines committed a hit and run while driving drunk behind the wheel causing the meaningless death of a local), the protester number swelled and was frequent to the point that us living on base could not go off at a certain time. But yeah they were still very peaceful and respectful protesters. Van's would drive as close to the gate during the night playing their music, it was to me actually peaceful.
My thoughts: Soldiers overseas are guests. Obey the house rules. If you don’t you’ll face justice there and when you’ve served your time then you get dishonorably discharged. As for the bases. I can see downsizing or leaving. If Japan thinks it can take care of itself then we should take their word for it. Doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.
Please make a video bout this? Should Japanese cinemas stop dubbing and replaced it with subs in order to increase English proficiency? I heard South Korean cinemas & TVs use subtitles no wonder many South Koreans can speak English
Evan Pangaribuan why would they want to increase English proficiency? Stop trying to force other people to learn English. It's their choice. Why don't people learn Japanese instead?
@@rangxelodinamito4319 no dude i think dubbing is disrespectful & rude for replacing casts' voices with somebody else's voices. Look at South Korea. Dubbing isnt popular in there no wonder so many South Korean kids speak English better than older South Koreans
@@epg96 South Korean language is easier to read though. If you don't know a Kanji you'll be screwed with Japanese subs. Korean language is just like western language on the contrary: it's an "alphabet" and you can read every word if you know the alphabet
Yes. I think dubbing should be scrapped. Subtitles are better. Japanese movies are awesome. Fake voice acting cannot replace the real emotion in the acting.
I used to live in Sasebo. There were times in old shops with old owners they would call you baka when thanking you for coming in. They assumed the Sailors were too stupid to know they were calling you stupid. That was in the 90s. I didn't mind. I am sure I would be upset too if it were the other way around. I would just say thank you, give them a look and move on. I loved living there and everyone I ran into was always nice to me no matter where I was. I call Sasebo my home now and look forward to going back this fall.
@@electronresonator8882 It's different because many people in Okinawa don't like americans. Whilst people in Europe don't really think negatively of Chinese people in general. Look at all the fucked up shit US soldiers based in Okinawa did in the past. A lot of rape and some murder incidents.
@Chadwicked B Typical American idiot. All the allies stormed the beaches of Normandy... Canadians, French, and the British. The US failed hard on Omaha beach, and were nearly defeated. Normandy was a huge failure. D-Day was only a success only because the Canadians took Juno beach. The US didn't even want to join the war, but eventually did ONLY because the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, they were forced into. The US didn't want to help the rest of the world, they only joined because of selfish reasons. US citizens need to be educated properly, goofs always think they're war heroes.
@2:21 "until now" implies a problem has occurred recently, but I don't get that feeling from the rest of the interviews? If it's a translation issue, "so far" might have conveyed the meaning more appropriately. Unless something did happen?
Wow! You read my mind ゆたーさん! I wondered if it bothered people that the military is what seems to be pretty much "Occupying Japanese territories" I'm not even IN 沖縄 and it scares the hell out of ME!! Thank you for bringing excellent content to us, your fans as always! Chow-Chow!! 💐🐝🌹🏵️🐞🌷🌼🦋
I lived in various places around southern Japan for a few years! Sasebo was interesting with the small military presence. Definitely a lot more mixed race Japanese people than most of the other places I've lived! It seemed most people really didn't mind the military that I talked to.
Most of the Marines I served with didn't necessarily want to go to Japan. Most that did had positive things to say once their year was up. I deployed on a Navy Ship to avoid a year in Okinawa. Looking back, I wish I could have done both.
I think it is weird how pissed the people are about those americans. As a german i maybe hate the fakt that the drones in the middle east get controlled from our land, but in the end I think having american forces here is a good thing, because if germany should get attacked they would defend us as far as i know. In case of Japan i see China infront of your door and they're still pissed about Nanking and since they dont show any respect when it comes to their self made islands and the 9dash line i really wonder how they would think about "payback" without US bases in Japan.
US existence is deescalating things or rather escalating things since the states don't get along with North Korea. The media reports are biased in the west too. I've read some research book that said that North Korea is not as irrational as it is presented in western media. Same bias can be found regarding Japan "never apologized for WW 2",when in fact, they did on several occasions. Western media just refuses to report about it, holding up the image of they are "evil" and such. So yeah, is it really as bad as it is shown on TV or are we just being fooled...? The US were (military) involved in that region even before WW 2 and that was because they had some interest in those regions themselves and not to protect anyone from some evil force....and trust me china wont attack japan there economy will be toast by UN they cant afford that
@@billyb501stlegion5 Woah, Japan has never really apologized for their actions in WW2, because for all intents and purposes, the same leaders that controlled them during the war, and before, kept control after with America's help. These far right Japanese nationalism leaders hated communism just as much as America did, so the CIA funneled tons of money into Japan to make sure these far right groups stayed in charge. These groups became the LDP and stopped any left wing ideas or parties from gaining power in Japan. This is why many of the social changes that happened in Germany after ww2 didn't happen in Japan. America did change alot in Japan for good during their occupation, such as installing a new constitution that was alot more democratic, but the U.S ironically destroyed the chances for a more liberal, or democratic governemnt to exist in Japan because they were afraid of the spread of communism. There is a good book called Japan and the Chains Of The Past that talks about alot of this.
@@matthewponton5632 you might be right but what US is doing now isnt helping things at all like why do you need so many bases in japan china cant afford and will not attack there economy will be toast its taking extra advantages of the crimes of ww2
@@billyb501stlegion5 lol I'm so sorry it sounded like I was disagreeing with you, but I really wasn't. I agree about the bases. I was just trying to highlight how America and LDP created a not so good political system in which these bases have pretty much become permanent for Japan.
In my town here in germany some nato forces are stationed, and i am generally happy that they are here, because of the political situation with russia behaving quite aggressively. I would have thought since japan is so close to north korea, china and russia, Japanese would be overall be happy about their allies being commited like that in Japan? Maybe that would be an interesting topic for a video? does that factor into peoples consideration, do they feel more save because of the US there, or less safe, as that one interviewee seemed to suggest?
To be honest we in Nato are the aggressors with the media blaming it on Russia for another war as an American this is true the media lies about Russia being the "aggressor" just for another war by our evil currupt politicians.
@Dante619lovesMG36 Bitte vergleiche er die Anzahl der US Militäbasen mit den der Russischen im Ausland. Weiter möchte ich Ihnen die Ergebnisse und Vereinbarungen der 2+4 Gespräche ins Gedächtnis rufen. Dort wurde vereinbart, das keine ausländischen Soldaten oder Waffensysteme in den Ländern des ehemaligen Ostblocks stationiert werden und diese auch nicht Mitglied der NATO werden. Das war 1990. Wenn man jetzt sieht, wer alles in die NATO aufgenommen wurde und wo dort jetzt NATO Truppen stationiert wurden sind. Hier hat die NATO ihr Wort gebrochen.
Well obviously I'm not Japanese, but personally I'm against these U.S. military bases, all of them, and not just in Japan but all over the world, the U.S. shouldn't have military bases in other countries, it's imperialism and I'm against it 100%. This is part of the reason why I left the U.S. for Canada.
@@mime3761 Well in democracy he is allowed to think that, even if it is factually wrong. Let's just let him try to justify American imperialism with weak arguments and just fix what we can.
Isn't Canada part of NATO? Doesn't Canada participate in various kinds of military ventures worldwide? If Japan wants the US out they can ask us to leave. They haven't. Why not?
I don't know how convenient it would be for you to so, but I would be much more curious of the feelings of the local people in Yokosuka where the biggest naval base is in Japan.
I rather got many western military base in my country if my exact neighbour is developing nuclear bomb and creating man-made islands to extend territory illegaly.
Love your videos Yuta-san. I was stationed in Okinawa, and in Iwakuni, that's how I found your channel. I just wanted to say that the gentleman who was unsure about saying he works on base is no issue. I had never been to Sasebo but I've heard it's a nice place. I hope I can return to Japan one day, but as a visitor, not military. Keep the great content and informative videos rolling.
My grandfather saved a kid from drowning in Sasebo harbor during the occupation. The next day a Japanese man came and gave him a officers sword and thanked my grandfather for saving his son's life. I have the sword today. It is a sword from the Russo-Japanese War period.
That's so cool
U believe that shit?
@@bhjyuwj3498 it’s true 100%
The Americans actually really prized war spoils like weapons & relics. They even looted nazi war camps. It was forbidden to take stahlhelm. So some of them hid it to be taken home when the war ends.
@@motorola9956 war spoils? Lol. I’m a southerner, we all know to well about carpetbaggers and scalawags after the American civil war.
"am I allow to say that I work in the base?
Oh shit"
OPSEC OPSEC OPSEC reeeee haha
There’s nothing wrong with saying you work on base lol
@Heather Larson Mutual assured destruction. I am pretty sure every major city on earth is zeroed in on by multiple ICBMs from different countries.
Heather Larson you really dont know what you’re talking about. We help the Japanese military by having this base, and we give lots of Japanese people here jobs. Plus, we got like at least 3 ships here all the time, 5 if you’re including the Japanese ships.
@Heather Larson idiot war games idiot!! china is a treat idiot!! china claim all south east asian waters idiot!! your not blind right? china is a treat idiot!
That last man was boutta reveal some top secret information over here 😂😂😂
I bet he was thinking like "If I say anything more I will have to kill you"
🤣🤣
Nah, there's nothing wrong with him saying he works on base.
He could work in the nex or sum. There’s many Japanese civilians working here
He could work in the nex or sum. There’s many Japanese civilians working here
Sasebo: 240.000 people
The japanese concept of a small city is pretty interesting
Biggest city in my country of Slovenia has a similar number of people
Id say countries with 40+ m in population consider cities with less than 500k small
@@kyomademon453 Yes this is true. I live in Canada which has a population of 37m people and I would consider 500,000 a medium city and anything under 400,000 fairly small
@@kyomademon453 Makes sense. In Slovenia there is just over 2 m people so a city with 250000 is 1/8 of population which is big compared to the rest of cities in the country
@@compmojster i live in a 50m country and live in a little over 500k city, we are medium size but the metropolitan area rounds up around 1m, so we're between medium size and big, but relatively small if compared to other areas that round from 6 to 10m
This guy need to fix his roof, he aways falls of it.
Actually Yuta is training to be a real life spiderman
I was thinking the same thing, so this post made me giggle... lol
He is a ninja 😎
lol true hahaha 🤣🤣🤣
@@Kr4zYm0f0 i thought he's training to be a ninja 😅
Yuta always falls from the sky at the beginning of his videos
Who knows,he might be a ninja that's why :D
Thanks!
Usually it's Okinawa that's the focus of discussions online, so it's great to hear people's opinions on bases in other parts of the country.
I lived in yokota airbase, we had festivals with the japanese. I even took japanese classes on base, was mandatory.
Lived in Japan for a few years, it helped bring some Japanese insight back to the states.
I eventually want to be stationed there. I’ve heard great things about the area and working on the base from my coworkers that were stationed there.
Was there from Aug. '64 to Jul. '69 when dad was in. I was at Sasebo from Sept. '88 to Nov. '91 at the Branch Medical Clinic. Had a blast. Wonder if I should ask my Sasebo born Japanese wife if she has any problems with having a base there..🤔. All we had was a small amphib assault sqdrn. at the time. FYI ( everyone), there's are big Japanese defense forces facilities all over Sasebo. On weekends when the JMDF (Japanese Navy) would come in, the harbor would be packed with all types of ships.
Videos like this is something I enjoyed to see from the view points of the Japan people
I like Sasebo when my ship pulled in from San Diego. Also loved Fukuoka and Nagasaki. I really want go back to Japan, awesome culture.
And what happened to the old Nagasaki
It’s nice for like 6 months then it gets boring. I’d rather be stationed in Yokosuka where everything is at.
Me too
No sugar No cream nothing that wasn’t deserved
Stationed there for 4 years in the '80s on an diesel-electric boat. Best duty station anywhere....
Thank you for the video. I am a US Army medical officer heading to Camp Zama next month. My wife and I are looking forward to experiencing the culture and being respectful as we do so. I cannot speak for all military, but I know a lot of us want to be mindful of our presence and thankful to the Japanese people for allowing us to spend time in their country. Please keep up these videos!
KeKo Camp Zama is a hidden jewel in the Army.
The only thing I don't like about the US military bases is that they try to mix with the Japanese women lol.
That's generally a universal problem - most people just want to be polite and nice and not cause waves but there's always one douchebag who makes everyone looks bad and ruins everything.
Like, 25% of people on Earth are Muslims, and some asshole with a beard calling himself a Muslim got some assholes to crash planes into buildings in the USA and now Islam as a whole has a "terrorist" reputation because of these guys.
If you're Japanese and your kid gets run over by a total fuckup from the US military base who got drunk, you don't care that 99.9% of the rest of the US military personnel at that base were respectful and think the drunk driver is a douche and deserves his punishment because your kid got run over and it's (understandably) affecting your judgement.
@@sErgEantaEgis129/11 was an inside job but ur point does stand 👌
You should do more of these small town interviews! I think the opinions of those in Tokyo rarely reflect the rest of Japan. As someone who currently lives in countryside Fukui, I also feel like honne and tatemae is way less of a thing here.
This is so true! Outside of Tokyo in the countryside, a lot less pressure to put on the honne+tatemae face, and just simply be themselves. I found that the further away from Tokyo, the nicer and kinder people were. I lived in Iwakuni for 2 years and the locals in Iwakuni were some of the nicest people I have ever met in Japan.
this channel, black japan experience and abroad in japan are amazing
I'd be interested in you doing a similar thing in Iwakuni. The base more than doubled in size very recently, and I wonder if the feelings of the locals have changed.
As someone who's talked to many Japanese bar owners in the area, they would like more business that the Americans used to bring in the 80s and 90s. Nowadays they say that everyone just goes to Hiroshima. Iwakuni is practically a ghost town nowadays.
There's a new club on base and there is a curfew for the Marines. Due to that, not many Marines party in Hiroshima.
Indeed, when I was stationed there a few years ago there was still the curfew, and there was a mix of groups that would stay in Iwakuni and go out further to Hiroshima or Osaka on the weekends.
But I'm also interested to see how the locals feel about the new expansion. I miss that place, so much great food. I need some spicy ramen in my life.
Lived in Yokosuka, back in the 1970's. Used to get organized protests at the gate about once a month. That aside, I never had any real trouble with the local folks. I look fondly back on my years there.
wow I live near from Yokosuka and sometimes go to there,but I have never seen any protest at Yokosuka in 2010s.
Before 21th century there are many anti-capitalism communist terrorists in Japan,so I guess its one of them.
@caezii Grow up.
Yuta with that shade at Japanese politcal indifference 😂
Justin Jeffries Good Point! Didn’t catch that 🤣
Or people in America have too much free time.
What do you mean?
Yuta-san, thank you for posting this. I was stationed there in the mid-late '80s on an old diesel-electric submarine. My wife of 30 years (wow!) is from Sasebo. Then, some negative feelings could pop up here and there - but it was definitely rare. My wife (girlfriend then) went to a family restaurant and there were 3 old Japanese ladies sitting at a nearby table.... They were looking at us one one said something that translated to, 'Too many gaijin in Sasebo!' Eh, another time a friend of my girlfriend's came across us while we were driving around in Sasebo - he told her (she translated later) 'Abunai' - Be careful. Fair, and reasonable warning. NEVER was offended by the Japanese people of Sasebo - so kind, patient, understanding, and many very welcoming. An amazing opportunity for a 20-something year old from the mountains of Washington (most guys I went to high school with became loggers).
My only regret? Being lazy and not learning Japanese. Truly shameful. I have a great, supportive brother-in-law there that I can barely converse with. Open to your mentioning of you have good, conversational Japanese educational material available?
Thanks again!
I live on a US base in Japan. I don’t think it’s an issue that man said that he works on base as long as his work isn’t classified or anything.
Also, Yuta, if you want, you’re welcome to come check out the base. I’d be happy to bring you on and show you around. 🙂
do it! that would be awesome
I just moved away from Sasebo a few months ago
@@smdiys8395 Same. Were you there because of the military base?
It is obviously an issue dude. If the U.S wants to have a base in Japan then Japan has every right to build it's own military base in Miami, Florida. The U.S will obviously reject that, hence why Japan shouldn't have any U.S bases.
@@Name-jw4sj he said it's not an issue that the Japanese guy said he works on the American base... you're bringing other things up that have nothing to do with the conversation.
Hey Yuta! I was a sailor who was stationed in Sasebo. I really enjoyed my time there. I was a big fan of Japanese culture and always wanted to go to Japan. When I joined the military and gots orders to there I was excited. Also you are right when you speak of the potential tension between Japanese nationals and military personnel. I liked Sasebo due to it being smaller and our personnel not causing a lot of problems compared to other areas where there are more personnel to manage. The one thing they would always tell us is that we were ambassadors of America and be respectful. Like the one guy who said with more people you potential have more problems. Having to manage different personalities can be difficult. Take care Yuta and I always tell people if I could go back to Japan and live there, I would.
Thank you for your service, and for representing your country well overseas. All kinds of people are in the military, in my experience mostly good folks, but it only takes a couple of scumbags to give your country a black eye...
Yeah tell your soldier stop raping in iraq,afghanistan,syiria,philipinine and japan 🖕🖕🖕🖕 fuck america immoral soldier
I lived in Yokosuka and Okinawa. The locals in Okinawa complain that Futenma is dangerously too close to neighborhoods but they forget that the base was there first when nothing else around. Then people built their homes right up against the fence
I was stationed in Yokosuka for 2 years and I never experienced any hostility towards me because I was in the US Navy. The only protest I saw was about the carrier being nuclear powered so there was concern about it. But they do safety checks on it all the time; a small boat goes around it to measure the radioactivity levels to see if something's leaking or whatever the case. I was on a destroyer so I didn't have to worry about radiation. Although there are many Japanese people who don't want Americans being stationed in Japan, there are some positive things about them being there. For one, businesses around base do extremely well when the ships are in port, most notably the carrier since it has the most people. During times of alcohol curtailment and/or base lock down or when the carrier goes out to sea, businesses suffer from it. For me personally, I never would have been able to visit Japan were it not for getting orders out there. I've always wanted to visit, but I didn't have the money and I don't have a degree so I could only stay for less than 90 days. At the end of the day, the military is made of people, and while there are some bad people who unfairly give the rest of us a bad name, there are mostly good people who are just living their lives. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to live in Japan thanks to being stationed in Yokosuka! And thanks to the GI Bill, I'm saving up to study abroad in Tokyo next year!
I was in Atsugi for 3 years and I want to go back and live in Japan as well
@antone rich - That might be something I'd look into once I get my degree! Thanks so much!
@@Euphoryaaa - My friend JTsuits was stationed in Atsugi around the same time I was!
TheAndySan yea I’ve been to Yokosuka a few times. You all have everything right outside your base 😂
@@Euphoryaaa - It's pretty nice, not gonna lie! At Atsugi, it's out in the sticks pretty much lol!
Yuta, I am a foreign student living in Okinawa. I think it would be interesting for you to come here and interview foreigners other than USA soldiers, as well as of course local people.
If anyone hates getting bullied don't go to sasebo, this is a warning for people who don't like getting bullied
Very nice video, thank you for posting. I lived in Misawa, Japan for two years when I was in the air force. I really liked living in Japan and I enjoyed traveling around the country and learning about the culture. It seemed to me that the relationship between local people and U.S. military people was pretty good in the town of Misawa. At least there were no protests or bad incidents when I was there. A lot of the U.S. military members there had families, sometimes with a Japanese spouse, and they said it was a great place to raise their kids.
3:51 this is the coolest guy ever
I love Sasebo, such a beautiful place!!! We lived out in town for three years, and we would go back in a heartbeat!!! Sending love from Florida.
I’m moving to Sasebo soon, and it would be interesting to know how the locals feel now after Covid, cause I heard that there was some public outrage against Marines in the area.
Thank you for going to Sasebo. I'll be moving there soon so it's nice to get a perspective of the locals.
@Howard Del Abate yes, I'm here now 🙂
My great-grandfather was an officer in the Chinese theater of the war. He admitted to the crimes against humanity that Imperial Japan committed and he relived those nightmares. He decided to commit seppuku as his way for atonement to the Chinese people although he was just witness.
I’m four years late to this video, but I have made respect for the way you approach these tough topics.
Former US Army Combat Engineer here. I don’t believe the US military should have bases all over the world. Too much collateral damage and team America world police isn’t helping US fiscally. I was shocked to hear peoples attitudes in Tokyo last time I was there. I just didn’t know how hog wild the marines can get (and deadly a navy hit and run happened while I was there).
There are bad apples everywhere yes even in militaries dont worry i know your a good person and wouldnt harm those poor japanese people
This is about geopolitics. A containment of China, which is, even keeping aside their political system, a political rival for the US. Closing these bases around the PRC would undermine America‘s allies‘ trust in the US capability to defend them. It’s about the message delivered. The failure in the Middle East undermined America‘s plans under Obama to focus more on Asia, and the failure in a region that was considered under American protection already undermined this trust.
It's group mentality. If you are part of a big group of men somewhere, you'll feel invulnerable. If if you're young and from a generally socially 'free' society, then often you start acting out. It's the same with football hooligans.
Well, i rather have US military in Japan and keep China from taking a good stroll to get Japan. China needs expansion and they are Socialist under that Capitalism, so..
@@Pspisripoff How about no foreign military in Japan? You act like if the US isn't there it needs to be replaced by someone else. Also, China is not looking to conquer Japan, and the US has been the most imperialist country of the western world since the Germans in WWII.
Also, you don't understand socialism. It's not the same as communism and China, even though it's a communist country, it's clearly changing and has build a lot of capitalist constructs into their economy, which have become bigger and bigger over time.
Hey, I was born there. My dad (actually step-dad) met my mom there. He was serving on the U.S.S. White Plains. I was allowed aboard for a short visit. i think I was given some grape soda. We never thought about it either. As someone said, "it's just there."
When we went back to visit years later, we were considered dependents of a retired senior NCO so we figured we could go into the Exchange on base (we still had our military dependent IDs, since I was still a minor) to buy gifts for our families in Japan instead of lugging over a ton of stuff on the plane. Unfortunately, they did NOT let us on base. So we ended up pouring coins into the vending machine in the reception area to get American candy (think stuff like Milky Way and M&Ms - nothing even remotely fancy) and gave those to our relatives. 🤪
Never made it out to Sasebo. I hope no incident ever changes the way locals think about the base and living in an area where American sailors are stationed. Glad to see your videos even though I'm back in America!
Yeah tell your soldier stop raping in iraq,afghanistan,syiria,philipinine and japan 🖕🖕🖕🖕 fuck america immoral soldier
Yuta finessed with the play on words to advertise his classes. I love it.
I'm stationed in the Futenma base. I try my best to respect the people of Japan!
It's fine he can say that. Lol
If you respect Japan, let the Japanese decide their future. They don’t need to depend on foreign powers that are thinking just in themselves. 撤退せよ！
I hope you do respect japan and remember you guys are there to do a job not date local women okay
@@redx1106 I mean, I've been here for almost three years (and studied Japanese in college prior to enlisting) my goal was to come to Japan which was accomplished. I did date one or two girls being here so far but never fell in love. Still were great friends! I teach them spanish and they help me practice Japanese
What’s it like being stationed in Japan, it’s my dream to be stationed there
You should ask around Yokosuka. I'm sure you'd get a wide range of answers there. I was stationed there for 3 years. I don't know how others felt, but being that I'm Asian American, I could sense that the people felt at ease around me. It also helped that I learned a conversational level of Japanese.
Learning Japanese is H U G E !!! Good job.
Generally, the US bases on Okinawa are the ones that understandably catch the most flak for existing.
I've been stationed here for 2 years and they have all been really nice
But what about the droid attack on the wookies?
It’s critical we send an attack group there immediately
Thank you Yuta ~ Always great content :)
I live in Okinawa and the locals don't really have a major problem with the bases. They provide jobs for older Okinawans and benefits for those who works on base. Heck, even some young Japanese people are getting into environmental and engineering jobs with the bases. The Jets can be annoying at times but Kadena is the only air Base on the whole island and that's in a heavily populated area so it's really easy to escape the noise. There are protestors every Fridays but they're few and suspicion of Chinese interference isn't unlikely as they hate our operations in Japan.
Most locals are not gonna be extremely vocal to some random foreigner to their face that they dislike the bases. I respect that you live there but if you can't ask people in Japanese or Okinawan what their opinion on the bases are, then you can't get an accurate portrayal of their opinion because they'll definitely just tell you some tatemae about how they want to "live in harmony with the Americans". The jobs thing is very important - yes, the bases do provide economic and educational opportunities for the locals. But don't think that they're not, at the very least, sick of Camp Kinser in their beachfront, Futenma and Kadena taking up their living space, the sound of jets roaring by daily, the reports of military members committing crimes in Japan not be tried by Japanese courts, and so on.
@@masterp443 ok so I think you have a pretty big misunderstanding of the situation over here. I'll start with the crime: 1. It's basically the Marines and 2. It happens so infrequently that nobody on the island really thinks about it enough to hate the bases. Those who do are older folks which are more judgmental in almost every other society so there's no helping that. I did mention that the jets are annoying at times but it a 20 min drive will put you far away enough from the noise, it's not like it's screaming overhead 24/7. Previously I came from an area with a lot of air force traffic so I may be more used to it than most. Second, nobody currently alive on the island has had their land taken by the US. We liberated the island during WWII and established bases. Ever since then we've been giving some land back to the Japanese government which they use the preexisting structures that the US built and paid for. The biggest problem, imo, is the spillage and waste problems that come with air force bases. Don't get the wrong idea though, were not destroying the corral or farm lands, we have very talented people that make sure that doesn't happen.
@@skoolwifi3835 that's definitely not true. You're deluded if you think that the us operations are not having a significant negative effect on the environment there. The water in the area around Futenma tests positive for higher than normal amounts of chemicals (something with chlorine and fluoride, can't remember the exact name) and the US military refuses to allow private investigation on the base to test the water. Last year had a record-high number of noise complaints for Futenma to the point where it's affecting people's health. US officials call it "the most dangerous base in the world". Okinawans don't want you there. They don't want you in Henoko either, but Tokyo and DC ignore the will of the people. Referendums show 70% of Okinawa wants Futenma returned and all building progress in Henoko halted. The area around Henoko is home to the dugong, which is teetering on the edge of endangered species status, but they want to build the base anyway. It's gonna take at least a decade according to finish the Henoko base so that means Okinawa has to suffer yet another decade of Futenma (even when it was promised to be returned years ago) while more of their land gets fucked by the US.
@@masterp443 Your ignorances speaks volume. You know that the red water runoff that was killing the coral reefs was the Okinawan farms? The heavy rains would flood their farms and the chemicals ran off into the ocean. I'm sure our operations have negative effects but so do the Okinawans, it happens with populated areas and industries. Not that I think it's not important or not threatening to the ocean life but you're blinded by us and not looking at the big picture. You have to be here and live here to be able to engage in any conversation. I live out in Onna which is far from all the bases and all our neighbors are Japanese, with the exception of the family right next door being American too. They're always happy to see us and we exchange greetings when we pass, they love our dog and always come to let him on the beach if they recognize him. If people were truly spiteful of us being on the island we wouldn't have such interactions. On top of that we bring a lot of jobs and pay a lot of money to be there, also we spend a lot of money just being Americans so they love the business. We follow their rules and have to maintain our vehicles to their standards. Those of us who live off base pay Japanese housing companies, there are more than you think. I think you really don't know what you're talking about so I'm done explaining it. You're welcome to visit and ask the locals yourself
@@skoolwifi3835 like I said, people won't yell at you to your face saying "go home foreigner", but they talk with their vote, and their vote says "leave Okinawa". I'm glad you have nice neighbors; I wouldn't wish for them to be rude to you, especially if you're a good neighbor yourself. If you were just immigrants from America, they wouldn't have any issues with you paying for housing and stimulating the economy. Okinawa is treated as a vacation destination anyway - just look at how excited people are to be stationed there. Military affiliated websites always show how beautiful it is and all the fun stuff to do there. But it's not just that, and you know it. You're a foreign military occupying their land and regardless of the cries of the people, the Tokyo government and Washington, DC won't let you leave; there's no getting around that no matter how nice you are or how much money you spend there or how many friends you've made, etc.
Funny how you didn't address the noise complaints because you know it's a big problem. You live in Onna so you don't get it. Futenma is a major NIMBY and it's causing problems with its noise. I don't live next to an airport for a reason. And I definitely wouldn't want to live near a base because of the noise pollution.
But hey, enjoy Okinawa, man. It's still a beautiful place, even with all the bases there. I hope it stays beautiful for a long time.
Thank you for this video! I'm going to be going to Okinawa later this year so this really helped!
The interviews here are NOT representative of how Japanese people feel about the bases in Okinawa. Be warned. And be on your best behavior.
This video does not represent the views of those living in Okinawa. They feel like they were getting the short end of the stick with Japanese national policy, and the US presence is the cherry on top.
Yeah tell your soldier stop raping in iraq,afghanistan,syiria,philipinine and japan 🖕🖕🖕🖕 fuck america immoral soldier
Thanks to Metal Gear solid peace walker I know most of these facts and information
I was just thinking about that and the military base in Yakuza 6
@@hazardousjazzgasm129 right on dude video games need more recognition because even the people who make them say they are just a product
@Tri-Shake-Atops Also Japan doesn't have an active army it's the only country I know in the UN without an army
samuel kibunda Metal Gear is excellent in its portrayal of the real world.
Yuta. you keep doing you. you were some of the best in regards to us Japanese relations. I miss you in natural realtions.
Over 100? Damn! I knew we had a large presence in Japan but that seems overkill. We could probably stand to shut a few of those down, especially if Japan does decide to amend their constitution so they can once again have a standard military. I feel like there's more to be gained from the US and Japan working as equals. And as an American, it genuinely distresses me to hear stories about our soldiers causing harm to locals where ever they are stationed. Especially with such a close and valued ally as Japan.
That will never happen in my humble opinion. A military base outside your own country is very strategic. More so with tensions between US & Allies and North Korea, China & Russia, mainly now regarding trade and the South China Sea.
There are 85 facilities. Msot of them are rather small (eg communications installatioms) and the bulk of US forces is concentrated in a few main areas. Sasebo has 9 of the facilities, and outside of Okinawa there are only 4 cities with noteworthy US personel.
@billy khan a cornerstone US foreign policy towards Japan since 1949 has literaly been to try to militarize Japan
@@Spaghetter813 seeing Japan getting their military built up and more organized would be amazing.
Just think if they put a lot if focus towards the military tech.... Their navy could possibly rival China's navy one day!
And they could possibly be the most advanced military in the world.
Yeah tell your soldier stop raping in iraq,afghanistan,syiria,philipinine and japan 🖕🖕🖕🖕 fuck america immoral soldier
Could you maybe do a video about the Okinawa situation with the bases? It doesn't need to be an interview, maybe one where you'd sit down and explain shortly like you have done before?
Yuta don't like Okinawans, He don't consider Okinawans as japanese.
As an American I absolutely love Japan it certainly in my top five list of places I would live other than here maybe necessarily our current administration but Japan if anything happens we will absolutely be there for you
Yuta-San. I don't know if you still read comments on older videos, but if you do, can you please do this same video in Yokosuka? I am living here in Yokosuka, and I've always wondered what the local population honestly thinks about American Sailors here.
I was wondering if Americans are willing to accept a foreign military base like Japan or South Korea? And why?
America legit has Chinese police stations on its soil quit your virtue signalling.
I ADORED my time in Sasebo. I was only there for a few days but Sasebo was by far one of my best experiences visiting all over Japan! 11/10!
I currently live in Sasebo. I know exactly where that interview took place. In my experiences here in Sasebo, I have not seen that locals have a problem with the navy base. It creates a lot of jobs for the locals and helps their economy. There are some small incidents with sailors in public at the bars etc but not really a huge deal. Sasebo is a pretty quiet place. I think most locals are just used to it being there so they don't really pay much attention to it or the foreigners living here.
They hate the us sailor's and u know it
I wasn't aware of the base when I was in that area, but it would explain why the English being spoken by the local Japanese population was so good.
I was in Sasebo in US Navy 2003-2006, best experience of my life. We ALWAYS gave respect to Japanese people and culture.
Sure you did.
I lived in Sasebo for 4 years. Absolutely loved it and I respected our neighbors.
Japan and the US share the various basic values including freedoms and capitalism. We need to cooperate with each other in defense to counter the growing threat of China.
More true now than ever
Are you Japanese?
Yes, because capitalism gives you freedom to work long unpaid hours and live in the bottom of the wealth hierarchy as a wage-slave
Blaming China seems to be a common thing to justify US military bases even though they have not invaded or attacked anyone like the US has.
I lived in Sasebo about 3 months back in... maybe 1995. I was a Mormon missionary at the time and had been living in Japan about 18 months. Enough to be conversationally fluent and having had a lot of intense social interactions with Japanese people you don’t get as a tourist. I was pretty good at reading nonverbal cues at that point.
Mormon missionaries have a pretty distinctive look - easily recognized. White shirt, tie, slacks on an 18 to 20 year old guy, etc. so everyone knew who we were because we were always around in public like that doing our job. In short - we looked a lot different from the Americans at the naval base.
One day a week we had a day off to spend on ourselves and a lot of missionaries liked to ditch the standard missionary uniform and put on normal street clothes while relaxing a bit. I did too. Until I lived in Sasebo.
I noticed after a few weeks that I was getting a VERY different reaction from the locals on my days off than on my work days. I was even refused service at a watch store where they pretended they didn’t do watch repairs (when I knew for a fact that they did). I also got a lot of more chilly and hostile looks. Stuff ordinary Americans or tourists wouldn’t recognize in the Japanese face.
I didn’t like the reaction. So I started wearing my missionary uniform even on my days off, and the negativity vanished instantly.
I believe this period in the 90s was soon after some nasty publicized business in Okinawa where a Japanese school girl got raped by some off-duty Marines. So feelings were probably raw at the time.
But it amazed me how much difference being a missionary instead of a potential military American made. I always assumed Japanese were kind of nervous of Mormon missionaries and our “creepy American religion” and our reputation for aggressive proselyting tactics.
But apparently we ranked higher in Japanese esteem in the mid 90s than American military personnel.
Well, that was very short video but yeah, small bases are cool. The problem comes when you let loose a bunch 21-24 year olds who don't understand alcohol into town without better curfews. Americans drink just to get drunk, Japanese drink to be social. The minute I see young Americans come into my local bar, I just leave. There are plenty of Japanese bars with more mature crowds to be found.
In all honesty, I only watched this video because I just moved away from Sasebo a few months ago and although I only lived on the base for a year, I'm feeling very homesick.
Still feel that, and I left in 1989. But, my wife of 30 years is from there, so I'm surviving. :-)
Sasebo truly grows on you, though.... takes your heart. Went back 2 years ago for a couple of weeks - tough to get on that train back to Fukuoka to fly out.
Should have got the opinion of Nobita, I'm sure he'd have something colourful to say.
Nobita is based
@@johnathons1789 Nobita just needs to get laid.. his world view would calm down a bit once he gets a nice piece of ass.
Okinawa has been colonized by the Japanese for a century. It's like how Hawaii was once a kingdom but then colonized by the US. The people are different, and racism (national oppression) exist towards Okinawans (and Hawaiians). So, when the US requests for more troops/bases in Japan, mainland Japan just puts it in Okinawa. Literally 90 percent of Okinawan people want US bases removed from there island.
ok
Love japan
They r so nice
🇵🇭🇯🇵👍
I was stationed in Sasebo back in 1995 -1999. I spend a lot of time with the local people there. I even worked with local Japanese shipyard while staying in the boathouse there. There are friendly people and the sailors there do not cause trouble so everyone gets along.
Yuta san, I think your video was very well done. I have found that most people in Japan accept the US bases as part of normal life. Most people don't have strong opinions one way or another. However, as you mentioned, in Okinawa the situation is different. Okinawa is a small place and the number of bases is quite overwhelming. Everyone, including the US Military, agree that the US Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma is dangerous in such a populated area. Plans have been in place to move it for almost 30 years. The plans have been delayed time after time by political infighting. The real controversy is not about Futenma. It is about the relocation site in Henoko, Nago-shi. If you came to Okinawa and asked the same questions as on your video, I think you would get the same answers. The crime rate due to US Military personnel and families is actually incredibly low. Actually, it is much lower than the local population based on police statistics. However, any crime or controversial incident is unacceptable and the US should work hard on prevention. The news media in Okinawa is quite biased against the US Military. So much so that the many acts of community service, lives saved, and kindness performed by US Military personnel are almost never reported. I am not a military person, just an American with a long association with Okinawa.
amazing that you're pretty clueless for this kind of stuff, even Japanese people are still hated in Korea and China up till this day, and you don't know why Japanese people hate your people?
Great video yuta.
Being stationed at the Sasebo Naval Base a couple years back. I met some good people there and also met my first GF there
I was surprised to see we have so many bases in Japan.
The first time I visited Japan was in 2008 - I was in the US Navy and my ship (USS Nimitz, CVN 68) stopped in Sasebo for a few days. It's a great city, and this visit sparked my interest in Japanese culture and society. On behalf of アメリカ人, thank you for being so hospitable and kind.
I was blessed to be stationed there for 4+ years back in the late '80s - went back 2 years ago for 2 weeks with my wife of 30 years (from Sasebo). Great city, wonderful people.
I was stationed there during that time as well. I remember it very well and if I could move to anyplace in the world other than the US it would be Japan. I truly miss being there, and miss my Japanese friends as well.
I really enjoyed visiting Sasebo in 2009 while on deployment. I thought it was a beautiful town. We were treated well while we were there. I'd love to visit Sasebo, and Japan in general again one day. Hopefully!
I lived in Sasebo for many years while in the Navy. I really loved it there.
Yeah tell your soldier stop raping in iraq,afghanistan,syiria,philipinine and japan 🖕🖕🖕🖕 fuck america immoral soldier
This is insightful.
Considering China and North Korea Is a threat I think I would feel a lot more safe with the us around
North Korea isn't even a threat they haven't done shit for 70 years
I used to live in Okinawa before I moved, I’m part Japanese and American and it was still hard to interact with locals, and most of the marines made trouble with the locals a lot leading to lots of restrictions for the military
Japan is only a modern verson of the western colony. Since Yukio Mishima died in 1970, there is no patriot in Japan anymore. No one dares to stand up and say "F the colonists" anymore more.
Which is really sad.
We're the once colonizing? Japan tried to colonize all of east Asia.
I am in college now but I used to live on an Air Base in the Kanto region close to Tachikowa station. And while living there there were ofcourse protesters at our base (because of loud frivking C-17 and other jets flying their wings off). But after the incident in Okinawa, (where two marines committed a hit and run while driving drunk behind the wheel causing the meaningless death of a local), the protester number swelled and was frequent to the point that us living on base could not go off at a certain time. But yeah they were still very peaceful and respectful protesters. Van's would drive as close to the gate during the night playing their music, it was to me actually peaceful.
My thoughts:
Soldiers overseas are guests. Obey the house rules. If you don’t you’ll face justice there and when you’ve served your time then you get dishonorably discharged.
As for the bases. I can see downsizing or leaving. If Japan thinks it can take care of itself then we should take their word for it. Doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.
It would be an honor experiencing what the Japanese culture has to offer
Please make a video bout this?
Should Japanese cinemas stop dubbing and replaced it with subs in order to increase English proficiency? I heard South Korean cinemas & TVs use subtitles no wonder many South Koreans can speak English
Evan Pangaribuan why would they want to increase English proficiency? Stop trying to force other people to learn English. It's their choice. Why don't people learn Japanese instead?
@@rangxelodinamito4319 no dude i think dubbing is disrespectful & rude for replacing casts' voices with somebody else's voices. Look at South Korea. Dubbing isnt popular in there no wonder so many South Korean kids speak English better than older South Koreans
@@epg96 South Korean language is easier to read though. If you don't know a Kanji you'll be screwed with Japanese subs. Korean language is just like western language on the contrary: it's an "alphabet" and you can read every word if you know the alphabet
@@epg96 how about you stop getting trigger for actors/voice actors who dont care about dubs?
Yes. I think dubbing should be scrapped. Subtitles are better. Japanese movies are awesome. Fake voice acting cannot replace the real emotion in the acting.
I used to live in Sasebo. There were times in old shops with old owners they would call you baka when thanking you for coming in. They assumed the Sailors were too stupid to know they were calling you stupid. That was in the 90s. I didn't mind. I am sure I would be upset too if it were the other way around. I would just say thank you, give them a look and move on. I loved living there and everyone I ran into was always nice to me no matter where I was. I call Sasebo my home now and look forward to going back this fall.
As an European when I was visiting Okinawa, the locals kept assuming I was American... I did NOT like that
...a European
then how about a Japanese visit Europe, the locals kept assuming the person was Chinese....do they like that?
@@electronresonator8882 It's different because many people in Okinawa don't like americans. Whilst people in Europe don't really think negatively of Chinese people in general. Look at all the fucked up shit US soldiers based in Okinawa did in the past. A lot of rape and some murder incidents.
Nevermore 5,000 hit n runs involved americans soilders how can that be?
@Chadwicked B Typical American idiot. All the allies stormed the beaches of Normandy... Canadians, French, and the British. The US failed hard on Omaha beach, and were nearly defeated. Normandy was a huge failure. D-Day was only a success only because the Canadians took Juno beach. The US didn't even want to join the war, but eventually did ONLY because the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, they were forced into. The US didn't want to help the rest of the world, they only joined because of selfish reasons. US citizens need to be educated properly, goofs always think they're war heroes.
@2:21 "until now" implies a problem has occurred recently, but I don't get that feeling from the rest of the interviews? If it's a translation issue, "so far" might have conveyed the meaning more appropriately. Unless something did happen?
Wow! You read my mind
ゆたーさん! I wondered if it bothered people that the military is what seems to be pretty much "Occupying Japanese territories" I'm not even IN 沖縄 and it scares the hell out of ME!! Thank you for bringing excellent content to us, your fans as always! Chow-Chow!! 💐🐝🌹🏵️🐞🌷🌼🦋
That’s what happens when you lose a war. Duh…
@@jblauh01 war is stupid duh... 🦧
@@AMadd3RHatt3R Ok? Don't be mad when someone else starts a war and then gets mad when the one attacked finishes it.
I lived in various places around southern Japan for a few years! Sasebo was interesting with the small military presence. Definitely a lot more mixed race Japanese people than most of the other places I've lived! It seemed most people really didn't mind the military that I talked to.
There's an alarming amount of ignorance in the comments section
Eh, not too alarming.... rather typical.
I saw you when you were doing one of you off camera interview but I didnt think anything of it until i saw this video
No self respecting nation would allow foreign troops to occupy their soil.
Shame japan
Majority of the world is under the occupation or influence of outside forces so you can't really be talking.
Most of the Marines I served with didn't necessarily want to go to Japan. Most that did had positive things to say once their year was up. I deployed on a Navy Ship to avoid a year in Okinawa. Looking back, I wish I could have done both.
I think it is weird how pissed the people are about those americans. As a german i maybe hate the fakt that the drones in the middle east get controlled from our land, but in the end I think having american forces here is a good thing, because if germany should get attacked they would defend us as far as i know. In case of Japan i see China infront of your door and they're still pissed about Nanking and since they dont show any respect when it comes to their self made islands and the 9dash line i really wonder how they would think about "payback" without US bases in Japan.
US existence is deescalating things or rather escalating things since the states don't get along with North Korea. The media reports are biased in the west too. I've read some research book that said that North Korea is not as irrational as it is presented in western media. Same bias can be found regarding Japan "never apologized for WW 2",when in fact, they did on several occasions. Western media just refuses to report about it, holding up the image of they are "evil" and such.
So yeah, is it really as bad as it is shown on TV or are we just being fooled...? The US were (military) involved in that region even before WW 2 and that was because they had some interest in those regions themselves and not to protect anyone from some evil force....and trust me china wont attack japan there economy will be toast by UN they cant afford that
@@billyb501stlegion5 Woah, Japan has never really apologized for their actions in WW2, because for all intents and purposes, the same leaders that controlled them during the war, and before, kept control after with America's help. These far right Japanese nationalism leaders hated communism just as much as America did, so the CIA funneled tons of money into Japan to make sure these far right groups stayed in charge. These groups became the LDP and stopped any left wing ideas or parties from gaining power in Japan. This is why many of the social changes that happened in Germany after ww2 didn't happen in Japan. America did change alot in Japan for good during their occupation, such as installing a new constitution that was alot more democratic, but the U.S ironically destroyed the chances for a more liberal, or democratic governemnt to exist in Japan because they were afraid of the spread of communism. There is a good book called Japan and the Chains Of The Past that talks about alot of this.
@@matthewponton5632 you might be right but what US is doing now isnt helping things at all like why do you need so many bases in japan china cant afford and will not attack there economy will be toast its taking extra advantages of the crimes of ww2
@@billyb501stlegion5 lol I'm so sorry it sounded like I was disagreeing with you, but I really wasn't. I agree about the bases. I was just trying to highlight how America and LDP created a not so good political system in which these bases have pretty much become permanent for Japan.
@@matthewponton5632 did a google search on that book, didn´t find any. are u sure that´s the right title?
I used to live there. It was beautiful.
In my town here in germany some nato forces are stationed, and i am generally happy that they are here, because of the political situation with russia behaving quite aggressively. I would have thought since japan is so close to north korea, china and russia, Japanese would be overall be happy about their allies being commited like that in Japan? Maybe that would be an interesting topic for a video? does that factor into peoples consideration, do they feel more save because of the US there, or less safe, as that one interviewee seemed to suggest?
To be honest we in Nato are the aggressors with the media blaming it on Russia for another war as an American this is true the media lies about Russia being the "aggressor" just for another war by our evil currupt politicians.
I‘m against NATO and foreign military bases in general. Most Germans I know are against the Military Base in Ramstein.
LOL what do you expect when you put missiles on Russia's door step...
The Japanese that live on the mainland are fine because they're not affected by it. The Okinawans are mainly the ones with a problem.
@Dante619lovesMG36 Bitte vergleiche er die Anzahl der US Militäbasen mit den der Russischen im Ausland. Weiter möchte ich Ihnen die Ergebnisse und Vereinbarungen der 2+4 Gespräche ins Gedächtnis rufen. Dort wurde vereinbart, das keine ausländischen Soldaten oder Waffensysteme in den Ländern des ehemaligen Ostblocks stationiert werden und diese auch nicht Mitglied der NATO werden. Das war 1990. Wenn man jetzt sieht, wer alles in die NATO aufgenommen wurde und wo dort jetzt NATO Truppen stationiert wurden sind. Hier hat die NATO ihr Wort gebrochen.
Is it just me or does this interview and the people in it seem calmer than previous cities?
日本被淪𤔡美帝的殖民地是無可否認的事實。
Black soldiers are sent to Japan to breed with Japanese women and dump mixed babies 😂😂😂
There’s MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Iwakuni on the Japanese mainland too.
Nah, get rid of the bases imo. It's not necessary.
China: its free Realestate.
There’s actually 2 bases in Sasebo but I think your referring to the main base there is also 1 that is only for housing which is where I live
Well obviously I'm not Japanese, but personally I'm against these U.S. military bases, all of them, and not just in Japan but all over the world, the U.S. shouldn't have military bases in other countries, it's imperialism and I'm against it 100%. This is part of the reason why I left the U.S. for Canada.
Chinese dictatorship loves people like you they wish there was more.
@@pete25901 They love me because I oppose imperialism?
@@pete25901 "Chinese dictatorship", Russia... Always a boogeyman to justify your dirty terrorist policy. Your tricks are getting old.
@@mime3761 Well in democracy he is allowed to think that, even if it is factually wrong. Let's just let him try to justify American imperialism with weak arguments and just fix what we can.
Isn't Canada part of NATO? Doesn't Canada participate in various kinds of military ventures worldwide? If Japan wants the US out they can ask us to leave. They haven't. Why not?
I don't know how convenient it would be for you to so, but I would be much more curious of the feelings of the local people in Yokosuka where the biggest naval base is in Japan.
China is stirring. It would not be wise for Japan to close the bases until they resolve all issues with China.
3:18 that guy in the background is running away because his parents found out about his low grades in school..
I rather got many western military base in my country if my exact neighbour is developing nuclear bomb and creating man-made islands to extend territory illegaly.
Love your videos Yuta-san. I was stationed in Okinawa, and in Iwakuni, that's how I found your channel. I just wanted to say that the gentleman who was unsure about saying he works on base is no issue.
I had never been to Sasebo but I've heard it's a nice place. I hope I can return to Japan one day, but as a visitor, not military.
Keep the great content and informative videos rolling.