The governor of the Japanese island of Okinawa intensified calls for the removal of a United States military base from his island on May 20. As local residents expanded demonstrations against the U.S. base, the governor said he will travel to Washington this week to demand the removal of the base from Okinawa.

Many Okinawans have long resented their role as host to tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers and American military installations. The U.S. presence covers almost one fifth of the island’s area, and has led to some violent crimes committed by soldiers against the locals.

Takeshi Onaga became Okinawa’s governor last year, based largely on his hardline stance against the American presence. While others debate where to move the base within Okinawa, Onaga calls for its complete removal from the island.

At a news conference in Tokyo, he said the Okinawans’ land was “forcibly taken” from them in the aftermath of World War ii. He added that Okinawans watched their homes turn into U.S. military bases “under the threat of bayonets and bulldozers.”

Onaga will travel to Washington next week where he plans to tell U.S. authorities that ignoring the wishes of the Okinawan people will harm the reputation of both nations. This harm, he said, will be particularly significant in the eyes of China, which views the historic U.S.-Japan alliance as a counter to rising Chinese power.

“If this issue is dragged out a lot more, it’ll affect Japan’s dignity,” he said. A shadow will fall upon “a country that wants to be a leader of Asia, a leader of the world,” Onaga said. He explained that if Japan’s leaders are seen as unable to “protect human rights, equality and democracy for their own people” then their capacity to lead in general will be questioned.

But while Okinawans overwhelmingly support Onaga’s stance, the nation as a whole is divided on the issue of where in Japan the U.S. military should be located. A survey conducted this month shows 43 percent of the population supporting leaving the base in Okinawa, while 42 percent oppose. Many say the U.S. military should no longer be in Japan at all.

To understand the significance of these strains on the U.S.-Japan security alliance, read “Why the Trumpet Monitors Japan’s March Away From Pacifism Toward Militarism.”