Criticism by mainland Japanese of Okinawa activists dismissed as 'racist'
Japanese mainlanders have abused islanders opposed to increased US military presence
An Okinawan lawyer has branded as racist mainland Japanese who have been railing against efforts by residents of the island prefecture to reduce the US military presence there.
While Okinawans have been calling for a reduction in the scale of the US military footprint in their prefecture for generations, the last few months have seen an ugly backlash from mainland Japanese amid rising tensions with China.
The Okinawan protesters have been branded lackeys of Beijing and traitors to Tokyo. Okinawan demonstrators have been heckled at protest marches and abused in internet chat rooms.
"These people are not really patriots - they're just racists," said Yutaka Kato, an Okinawa-based lawyer who has been involved in a number of legal cases involving military bases in the islands. "These are people who are not satisfied with the state of Japanese politics or are angry with their own situation."
In late January, politicians, union members and residents of Okinawa took part in a peaceful parade through Tokyo to protest against the deployment of MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft in the prefecture.