Okinawa or Ryukyu? The prefecture on the front line of China-Japan ties
- Okinawan governor Denny Tamaki – who has long opposed US military bases – is expected to visit China from Monday
- Okinawan leadership may be seeking to increase bargaining power with Tokyo by conducting dialogues with Beijing, says analyst
When Chinese President Xi Jinping referred to Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa last month, he did more than highlight his country’s historical ties with the region.
Xi referred to the area as Ryukyu, the name of a kingdom that was a Chinese tributary state for more than 500 years until it was annexed by Japan in 1879.
The reference set off a flurry of commentary in Japanese media, with some taking umbrage, especially as various Chinese scholars have long advocated for autonomy for Okinawa.
He will visit with a delegation from the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT), a group dedicated to developing business with China headed by former House speaker and one-time Japanese foreign minister Yohei Kono.
It is not yet known which Chinese officials they will meet, especially as the visit comes soon after Japan’s sanction on China’s semiconductor industry takes effect on Saturday. But during some of their previous trips, Kono and JAPIT have been received by senior leaders, such as China’s premier and foreign minister.
This time, eyes will also be on Tamaki to see whether he meets Xi, given his Ryukyu reference.
The comment was made during an inspection of a national history archive in early June and Xi was shown a book from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) recording a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Ryukyu.
According to People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, Xi spoke of exchanges between the former tributary state to China and the province of Fujian, where he used to be governor.
“When I was working in Fuzhou, I was aware of the Ryukyu-kan [diplomats’ house] and the Ryukyu cemetery there, and that Fujian had a deep connection with Ryukyu,” he said.
“There were 36 clans from Fujian [that] moved and settled in Ryukyu,” he said, referring to a mass migration event in the 14th century.
A few days later, Tamaki told the media he interpreted the remarks as Xi having “very deep insight into history and culture”.
“I take [Xi’s statement] as an indication of his willingness to develop future exchanges,” he said.
However, Japanese media outlets expressed concern about Xi’s Ryukyu reference, saying it indicated China might play up the Okinawa issue, with some Chinese academics suggesting China support the autonomy, or even independence movement, of Ryukyu.
He flagged the idea again in June with a co-authored article called “The Feasibility of Strategically Proposing the Ryukyu Reconsideration”, suggesting that an independent state of Ryukyu would be “extremely important to China’s maritime strategy”.
01:56
Diaoyu-Senkaku islands spat deepens as Japan warns China over coastguard ships in East China Sea
Zhang argued that Japan’s annexation of Ryukyu in 1879 was illegal, and that the World War II allies’ declarations did not recognise Japan’s sovereignty over Ryukyu.
Under the post-war San Francisco Peace Treaty, Ryukyu came under the rule of the United States. The US handed over the authority to Japan in 1972, but “still did not resolve the question of the sovereign status of the Ryukyu Islands under international law”, according to Zhang’s article last month.
“In view of the unrest in East Asia and the Pacific, the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and the fact that Japan and South Korea are closely following the United States, at present there is a real need to formally raise the issue of reconsidering the status of Ryukyu from a strategic perspective,” he wrote.
With a strategic location in the first island chain, Ryukyu was an important trade hub between ancient China and Japan.
Okinawa now hosts more than 70 per cent of US military forces in Japan. Its affiliated island is just 110km (68 miles) from Taiwan. Japan claims the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands through administration of the prefecture.
In December, as tension with China continued to rise, the Japanese cabinet passed a national security strategy to further strengthen security ties with the US and enhance military deployment on the southwest islands, including Okinawa.
Does Taiwan official’s Japan visit reflect ‘new reality’ of Tokyo-Taipei ties?
“[The defence build-up in Okinawa] and the memories of the fierce ground battle has triggered great concern among the residents and peaceful diplomacy through dialogue is being demanded,” Tamaki said in the document.
Zhang Jifeng, a specialist in Japanese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Okinawans might not necessarily still feel a close link to China or truly seek independence, but the governor could be seeking to increase his bargaining power with Tokyo by having dialogue with Beijing.
“The Okinawan people are clear that strengthening military deployment in Okinawa and the southwest islands is to make these islands the very first ground of battle if a war broke out. It reminded them of the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa [in which] the residents died as cannon fodder,” he said.
01:58
US, Japan and Philippines hold first joint coastguard exercise in the South China Sea
In the lead-up to his trip to China, Tamaki told the media he would like to convey to the Chinese side “that we trust each other and want to continue our mutually beneficial relationship”.
“Rather than watching the tension rising in anxiety I would continue to connect with various countries,” Tamaki said.
Liu Jiangyong, professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, said the main security concern for Tamaki and Okinawa was war in the Taiwan Strait, in which Japan and the US might stage armed interventions and drag Okinawa in.
US to sprinkle missile-armed marines across Japanese islands to deter China
“In this sense, it is positive and constructive for mainland China to cooperate with Okinawa to maintain regional stability and prosperity and to oppose Japan’s military expansion and preparation for war,” he said.
After meeting Chinese leaders and economic officials in Beijing, Tamaki will head to Okinawa’s “twin province” Fujian in southeastern China to discuss economic and people exchanges with local officials, according to Japanese media.
