Why did Japanese forces offer little resistance at the Okinawa beaches?

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U.S. Marines on Okinawa — Battle of Okinawa U.S. Marines battling for control of a ridge near Naha, Okinawa, May 1945.

Japanese forces offered little resistance at the Okinawa beaches during the amphibious landing on April 1, 1945, because the Japanese commander, Lieutenant General Ushijima Mitsuru, deliberately chose to meet the invading forces farther inland.1

By positioning his troops away from the coast, Ushijima aimed to draw the Americans out of the range of their powerful naval gunfire, which provided critical support to the landing forces. This tactical decision allowed the Japanese to concentrate their defenses in the southern part of the island, where they utilized prepared positions, caves, and rugged terrain to wage a much more intense and costly battle once the U.S. forces advanced from the beaches.12