How has this small island has come to host some of America’s largest and strategically important military facilities? The use of Okinawa by the US began before the end of the Asia Pacific war, when the US military expropriated Japanese Imperial Army bases on the island. Okinawa remained under the control of the US until 1972 despite US occupation of mainland Japan ending in 1951. The island was returned to Japanese administration, but the US continues to use the island as a military base today. However, the long history of military occupation has not been entirely smooth sailing.