Curious regarding something with Okinawa and Japan

7 comments

1. I’m Okinawan and I call myself part Okinawan or part Japanese. I usually start out with saying Japanese, but they bring up my tan. Then I feel obligated to bring up my family is from Okinawa.

   We look slightly different than mainland Japanese people, but no one in my family finds it insulting to be called Japanese.

2. My elderly friends refer to the main island as Japan😆, but I don’t think they’re insulted to be called Japanese. They just grew up with a different culture and want that recognized.

3. Depends on who you talk to. I think most people these days do identify with being Japanese but for those with strong Okinawan identities – they say they are Japanese citizens (via their passport) but Okinawan (Uchinānchu or other Ryukyuan identity of another island) ethnically.

   When I talk about my ethnicity to others, I say Okinawan and I personally don’t like being considered Japanese in that regard.

4. Okinawa used to be the Ryukyu Kingdom, and had a distinct culture and language separate from Japan. They were sovereign until 1609, when the Satsuma invaded and conquered Okinawa, but were allowed to keep operating as they had, just as a vassal state of Japan. It wasn’t until the Meiji Reformation that they abolished the Ryukyuan government and caste system, and started forcing them to integrate into Japanese culture and language. Add to that the lies the Japanese government told the Okinawans about Allied Forces in WW2 that led to mass suicides, and yeah, there’s some tension there. I know that younger generations are less likely to feel strongly about it, but a lot of older folks are proudly Okinawan, and although they might not say anything, they don’t particularly like being called Japanese.

5. Most refer to themselves as “both Okinawan and Japanese”:

   https://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/entry-1724072.html

6. It’s a complex issue, but if you read up on history of the Ryukyu archipelago, it will help understand why the relationship to Japanese national construction can be a little complex.
   Some examples of important events / dates:

   — late 14th century tributary relationships with China
   — early 15th century unification of the fiefdoms into a small kingdom, 1609 invasion by the Satsuma han (actual Kagoshima, Kyushu) and kingdom becomes a vassal of Satsuma, while retaining nominal independence and continuing tributary missions to China

   As a side-note, at the end of Edo / Bakumatsu, there was a political drive to create an independent country out of Satsuma han and the Ryukyu islands, and there was actually an independent Satsuma-Ryukyu pavillion at the Paris Universal expo, distinct from the “Japanese” one (Japan was not yet united as a nation-state)

   — 1872 – Ryukyu Kingdom reclassified as the Ryukyu Domain by newly established Japanese National State
   — 1879 – Japan annexes the Ryukyu Kingdom, creating Okinawa Prefecture; King is deposed
   — 1920s–30s – Increasing suppression of Ryukyuan identity, Ryukyuan language, and customs under Japanese imperial nationalism
   — WW2, Japanese imperial army presence exorts pressure on local population

   — 1945 Battle of Okinawa, massive toll on civilian population
   — 1945–1972 – Okinawa Prefecture remains under U.S. military occupation, unlike the rest of Japan which regained sovereignty in 1952. (the northern part of the Ryukyu, now divided between Okinawa and Kyushu prefectures, is reversed to Japan earlier)
   — May 15, 1972 – Reversion of Okinawa prefecture to Japan, but with U.S. bases largely remaining

   As you can see it’s a complex history, to which you can add a distinct language from Japanese (Ryukyuan, the only other branch in the Japonic family tree, does not derive from Japanese, unlike other Japanese dialects – Okinawan is a Rykyuan dialect, like Miyako etc, not a Japanese dialect), a distinct culture and facts like the central Japanese government having not invested much in the area (it is still the poorest prefecture in the country), which can explain feelings of alienation and/or having a specific identity.

   Another example — though different in many ways because of the context and political history — would be Ainu populations of Ezo/Hokkaido

   cheers

7. japan coloniser mentality, colonised Ryukyu and renamed it Okinawa, and demanded people to stop speaking their native language and speak Japanese and change their names to Japanese names. Anyone who disobeyed were essentially killed. Then before you know it WW2 happened and the USA and Japan used Okinawa as bases and battlefield for war and a huge massacre (i believe the worst of all of Japan) of native Okinawans occurred.

   So it makes sense that Okinawans, at least the natives, dont have a soft spot for Japan. Just like South Korea.

   Also, my personal take is to acknowledge that Okinawa is separate from Japan, despite it being a declared prefecture.