RAPE OF AN INNOCENT, DISHONOR IN THE RANKS

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The U.S. retained control of the island until 1972, when it was returned to Tokyo. But the islanders believe that Tokyo sees Okinawa, one of the poorest prefectures in Japan and the only one with a distinctive, non-Japanese culture, as a second-rate part of the country. One measure of that disrespect, say Okinawans, is the heavy presence of U.S. bases. Nearly two-thirds of all American service members in Japan are stationed on Okinawa, yet the island accounts for less than 1% of the nation's territory. Says Ota: "There is no denying that the security treaty with the U.S. is important, but why isn't the burden spread more evenly around Japan? Why does Okinawa have to pay the price all by itself?"

Okinawans are convinced that part of the "price" is a high crime rate, although official statistics suggest that U.S. service members are on average no less law-abiding than Okinawans. But it is inevitable that some citizens would resent the hulking, alien troops, who live on large compounds with apartment towers, golf driving ranges, low-price commissaries and Burger Kings. The bases once accounted for half the island's economy, but the figure is now only 5%.

Many people believe that the installations stand in the way of a better future. The huge areas reserved for U.S. troops, as well as related restrictions on airspace and sea-lanes, limit possible locations for new tourist resorts, the mainstay of an economy that has twice the unemployment of central Japan. The rape of a 12-year-old girl, outrageous in itself, has crystallized Okinawans' sense of grievance against the powers in Washington and Tokyo that control the island's destiny.

--Reported by Irene M. Kunii/Okinawa