Okinawa Reversion Agreement

The Okinawa Reversion Agreement (Japanese: 沖縄返還協定^?, Hepburn: Okinawahenkan kyōtei) is an agreement between the Japan and the United States in which the United States relinquished in favor of Japan all rights and interests under Article III of the Treaty of San Francisco obtained as a result of the Pacific War, thus returning Okinawa Prefecture to Japanese sovereignty. The document was signed simultaneously in Washington, D.C and Tokyo on June 17, 1971, by William P. Rogers on behalf of President Richard Nixon and Kiichi Aichi on behalf of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato. The document was not ratified in Japan until November 24, 1971, by the National Diet.

The agreement is split up into nine major articles that specify the details of this agreement. America returned control of the Ryukyu Islands and the Daitō Islands (also known as the Okinawa Prefecture) to Japan, if the United States Armed Forces could occupy Okinawa as well have access to its facilities. The United States maintained a large military presence in Okinawa because its strategic location and intense fighting made it known as the "Keystone Of The Pacific" during World War II. Under this agreement, the Ryukyu and Daitō islands would become subject to all existing and future treaties agreed upon between America and Japan. The United States would help repair damages done to land seized by United States administrations. It also states that Japan would recognize actions taken by the United States administration in these areas, and that the administrators during this time period would not be held liable for criminal activity for their actions in administration. The Government of Japan also agreed upon a payment to the United States Government $320,000,000 over the next five years. The goal of this agreement for the United States was to transfer sovereignty while still ensuring that the United States could help bring up a democratic government, and ensure the Japan would not be able to become a menace of peace.

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