What next for Okinawa’s anti-base alliance after Japan election loss?

The broad anti-base alliance that has shaped Okinawa’s politics for nearly a decade is reeling after a bruising election defeat, raising questions about the future of organised resistance to the US military presence on Japan’s southernmost islands. All Okinawa – a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups that backs Governor Denny Tamaki and campaigns to curb the US military footprint in the prefecture – failed to win a single one of Okinawa’s four single-seat constituencies in the... AdvertisementJapanThis Week in AsiaPoliticsWhat next for Okinawa’s anti-base alliance after Japan election loss?Analysts point to a shift in priorities among younger Okinawans as a possible factor in the alliance’s bruising defeat in the electionReading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJulian RyallPublished: 9:30am, 17 Feb 2026The broad anti-base alliance that has shaped Okinawa’s politics for nearly a decade is reeling after a bruising election defeat, raising questions about the future of organised resistance to the US military presence on Japan’s southernmost islands.All Okinawa – a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups that backs Governor Denny Tamaki and campaigns to curb the US military footprint in the prefecture – failed to win a single one of Okinawa’s four single-seat constituencies in the February 8 lower house election.Instead, all four seats went to candidates from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Ruing the movement’s defeat at a press conference the following day, Tamaki blamed the outcome on “the sudden gust of the Takaichi whirlwind”.AdvertisementAll Okinawa brings together a broad spectrum of opposition forces, including the local branches of the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Okinawa Social Mass Party.The groups are united by a pledge to halt construction of a new US military facility in the coastal district of Henoko – planned as a replacement for the US Marine Corps’ Futenma air station – and to reduce the burden placed on the prefecture by the heavy concentration of American forces.AdvertisementAhead of the vote, members of the alliance – known locally as “Okinawa zenken” – had voiced cautious optimism. The scale of the subsequent setback has since prompted debate over whether the movement is losing its hold on voters, and why.AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x