There was a time, in the 1960s and early '70s, when the people of Japan were not apathetic about what was being done on their soil. The opposition here to the U.S. invasion of Vietnam and Japan's support of it was large scale and vocal. Mass demonstrations were frequently held across the nation, participated in by people of all ages and from all walks of life.
The Japanese government, hosting U.S. forces at bases from Okinawa in the south to Aomori Prefecture in the north, knew how critical their support was to the American war effort. In 1965, Adm. Grant Sharp, Commander of U.S. Pacific Forces, said: "Without Okinawa, we could not have continued the combat in Vietnam."
The same could be said for the Marine Corps Air Station at Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. That base played a major role in support, supply and maintenance. Bombing sorties were flown from there to Vietnam in an attempt to break the will of the Vietnamese enemy.