Devastated by the Battle of Okinawa in the final phase of World War II, Okinawa was placed under U.S. occupation after the war. But the prefecture, which marks the 50th anniversary of its reversion to Japan on May 15, has developed ever since through the efforts of its people.
The town of Chatan has become a symbol of Okinawa’s growth, with the development of the American Village commercial and entertainment complex on its west coast.
The site where the complex now stands used to host U.S. military facilities, including the Hamby Airfield. At the time of the reversion, Chatan — then a village — made a “village development plan” that became a vision for community development, based on the reclamation of public waterfront after the return of some land used by the U.S. military.
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