Us Army's Port "Naha" (Naha)

 military, seaport

Naha Port is located in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is home to the 835th Transportation Battalion. Naha, the principal port of Okinawa, is located on the southwestern coast of the island. The Director for Terminal Operations, US Army, is responsible for the operation of facilities and services in the military terminal complex of the port, while the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency (JMSA) controls the commercial complex.

American interest in Okinawa first developed over 130 years ago when President Millard Fillmore directed Commodore Perry to “secure one or more ports of refuge of easy access for American shipping and whaling vessels in the Western Pacific.” Naha was one of the ports selected by the Commodore. On 11 July 1854, Perry signed the Compact between the United States and the Kingdom of Loo Choo. The Compact provided for trading rights, and the provision of pilotage, wood, and water for American vessels. Of local historical interest was the founding of the International Cemetery concurrent with the negotiation of the Compact. Three members of Commodore Perry’s crew are buried in the cemetery located near Tomari Port, two miles north of Naha Port.

Although American interest in Naha Port diminished soon after Perry’s visit, its importance to local trade increased. The configuration of the present port complex was developed in 1880 when the width of the channel was increased to 73 meters, thereby permitting the berthing of vessels up to 1500 tons. During the period 1921-1925, a 145-meter wharf was constructed and the channel depth increased to 7.5 meters. The Port was bombarded into ruins during WWII and was rebuilt under US control.

After WWII, only a few structures on Okinawa remained intact. The Japanese Naval Underground Headquarters, honeycombed beneath the hill above Naha, was one structure that stood solid during constant US bombardment.

Naha Port is the second largest military port on Okinawa. White Beach Area in Katsuren town is the largest. During the Vietnam War before Okinawa's reversion, there were many port calls made to this port by various warships and nuclear submarines. However, after the reversion, the port was no longer visited by nuclear vessels and is being used less and less. With a land area of 567,000m^2c, there are a total of 993 land owners paid a yearly rental fee of 1.748 billion yen. In the May 1995, the US -Japan Joint Committee approved the recommendation from the Naha Port Special Working Group to completely return the port on the condition that a replacement facility (approx. 35.3 ha) be built at the Urasoe Pier Area.