In Okinawa in the 1950's, the base expansion reached a peak of activity , a symbol of the rising tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Around the time the Treaty of San Francisco was concluded and the leased land contracts for the military bases advanced as well. Before that the land expropriated for military bases was used free of charge, but starting in 1946, the land ownership projects re-established land ownership and there were demands from the landowners for compensation.
With the conclusion of the treaty, the basis for the use of land without payments no longer applied and the establishment of leases became a necessity for the U.S. military. The U.S. Civil Administration promised to pay rent dated back to 1950. However, the rates were so low the resistance to them was extreme.
USCAR's expectations to conclude the leasing agreements were not met so it issued land acquisition procedures in April of 1953. Residents who refused to vacate expropriated land were forcibly evicted at bayonet point and the houses were bulldozed over.
This was how the large U.S. military bases appeared in Okinawa. The people who had lost their land were employed on the bases, but the industrial base was weak and the economy became distorted and consumption oriented.