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When was Okinawa returned to Japanese administration?
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Battle of Okinawa
U.S. Marines battling for control of a ridge near Naha, Okinawa, May 1945.
Okinawa was returned to Japanese administration on May 15, 1972.12
Following the conclusion of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the United States occupied the island for nearly 27 years. Although the island was returned to Japan in 1972, the United States maintained extensive military installations there, which have remained a subject of local opposition into the 21st century.12