Koza riot
| Part of the Cold War | |
A U.S. military serviceman stands near a burned Volkswagen Karmann Ghia in Koza, hours after the riot. | |
| Date | December 20, 1970 |
|---|---|
| Location | Koza, Okinawa |
| Cause | Vehicular accidents involving pedestrians, resulting in chain reaction escalation; tensions & discontent over US military presence |
| Participants | Okinawan people; American servicemen |
| Outcome | 56–60 American servicemembers and 27 Okinawans injured; 82 people arrested |
The Koza riot (Japanese: コザ暴動, Hepburn: Koza bōdō) was a violent and spontaneous protest against the US military presence in Japan on the night of December 20, 1970 and into the morning of the following day in Koza, now part of the city of Okinawa. Roughly 5,000 Okinawans clashed with roughly 700 US military police officers in an event which has been regarded as symbolic of Okinawan anger against 25 years of US military administration. The immediate trigger was a US serviceman hitting an Okinawan man while drunk driving. In the riot, approximately 60 Americans and 27 Okinawans were injured, 80 cars were burned, US military police used tear gas, and several buildings on Kadena Air Base were destroyed or heavily damaged.