'Resort or Battlefield?' — Okinawa With 1,850 Tons of Unexploded Bombs Buried

Okinawa -- a representative Japan resort loved even by Koreans. This island loved for its blue sea, fine sand, and leisurely tropical atmosphere is a popular travel destination that hundreds of thousands of Korean tourists visit every year. But beneath that beautiful scenery, approximately 1,850 tons of unexploded ordnance dropped by US forces during World War II still lies buried in the ground. According to Japan Ministry of Defense announcement, at the current processing rate, complete removal would take approximately 100 years. The Battle of Okinawa context: from April to June 1945, the Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest Pacific War battles -- approximately 12,000 US military deaths, 110,000 Japanese military deaths, and an estimated 94,000-150,000 Okinawan civilians killed (approximately one-quarter of the population); extensive US naval and aerial bombardment created the massive unexploded ordnance problem still persisting 80 years later. The ongoing safety implications: construction projects regularly unearth unexploded shells, requiring evacuation and bomb disposal; the tourism paradox -- Okinawa markets heavily to domestic and international tourists while the infrastructure beneath their feet literally contains live munitions; the "resort or battlefield" tension is also political, as Okinawa continues to host the majority of US military bases in Japan, which locals have contested for decades.