Amid rising tensions, Japanese protesters demand that the US be removed from Japan.

Thousands of Japanese protesters gathered near Kadena Air Base in Okinawa to protest the US occupation of the island on Saturday, the 51st anniversary of its return to Japanese control. The demonstrators demanded the closure of the US’s Okinawa bases, as they are weary of the pollution and crimes committed by American servicemembers. Governor Denny Tamaki has urged the Japanese and US governments to reduce the Pentagon’s footprint on the island, which hosts 70% of all US military facilities in Japan. The protests come as an increasingly militarized Japan becomes a focal point in the great-power rivalry between the US and China. The US recently fast-tracked a $500 million defense package to Taiwan, prompting warnings and military maneuvers from Beijing.

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force held its first-ever large-scale maritime drill with US troops stationed in Okinawa last year. NATO is reportedly planning to open a liaison office in Tokyo, as the bloc last year discarded the pretense of limiting itself to the 'North Atlantic' part of North Atlantic Treaty Organization. If war breaks out between the two countries, the US would use its Japanese bases to stage operations, making Japan a likely target of Chinese retaliation. Japan approved its largest defense budget ever last year and plans to double defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027. This represents a significant strategic shift away from the solely defensive posture Tokyo has been legally required to maintain since the end of World War II.