Vice World News reporter Hanako Montgomery went to Okinawa to find out how the pandemic has affected the island, which heavily relies on tourism. Okinawa is the poorest prefecture in all of Japan, with the lowest hourly wages in Japan. It also has a divorce rate of 45%, and has the highest rate of single mothers. The average annual income for single-mother households is about $14,000.
Montgomery interviewed a university professor who says Okinawa has a culture that frowns on hard work and encourages alcohol drinking. (Deaths from liver disease are twice as high in Okinawa compared to the rest of the country).
Montgomery was invited to attend an outdoor drinking party in Okinawa. She didn't know it was a party for right-wing nationalists, who toast the emperor and celebrate Okinawa's liberation from U.S. occupation since 1972, but she still had a good time at the party. She then spends time with a single mother who works in a hostess bar, which is a common occupation for women like her.
