EXPLAINER: Why frustration lingers in Okinawa 50 years later

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Okinawa on Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan on May 15, 1972, ending 27 years of U.S. rule after one of the bloodiest World War II ground battles was fought on the southern Japanese island. Despite reaching the milestone, there is more bitterness and frustration than joy and festivity in Okinawa, which is still burdened with a heavy U.S. military presence and is now seeing Japanese troops increasingly deployed amid rising China tensions. The Associated Press explains why.