70-465: 35°50′32.08″N 139°48′15.83″E / 35.8422444°N 139.8043972°E / 35.8422444; 139.8043972 The Aguni Islands ( 粟国諸島 , Aguni Shotō ) are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture , Japan . They are about 60 km west of Okinawa Island . They include Okinawa Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture ( Japanese : 沖縄県 , Hepburn : Okinawa-ken )
140-519: A European resident in a protectorate. But the kingdom was not considered as part of any han (fief): up until the formal annexation of the islands and abolition of the kingdom in 1879, the Ryukyus were not truly considered de jure part of Edo Japan. Though technically under the control of Satsuma, Ryukyu was given a great degree of autonomy, to best serve the interests of the Satsuma daimyō and those of
210-554: A major figure in the Beheiren movement (Foundation of Citizens for Peace in Vietnam), believed that the return of Okinawa to Japan would lead to the removal of U.S. forces, ending Japan's involvement in Vietnam. In a speech delivered in 1967, Oda was critical of Prime Minister Eisaku Satō 's unilateral support of America's war in Vietnam, claiming "Realistically we are all guilty of complicity in
280-598: A protest demonstration at sea against scheduled land reclamation work for the relocation of a U.S. military base within Japan's southernmost island prefecture. A protest gathered hundreds of people. Since the early 2000s, Okinawans have opposed the presence of American troops helipads in the Takae zone of the Yanbaru forest near Higashi and Kunigami . This opposition grew in July 2016 after
350-610: A result, the media has drawn renewed interest in the Ryukyu independence movement . Documents declassified in 1997 proved that both tactical and strategic weapons have been maintained in Okinawa. In 1999 and 2002, the Japan Times and the Okinawa Times reported speculation that not all weapons were removed from Okinawa. On October 25, 2005, after a decade of negotiations, the governments of
420-650: A separate nation until 1879, Okinawan language and culture differ in many ways from those of mainland Japan. There remain six Ryukyuan languages which, although related, are incomprehensible to speakers of Japanese . One of the Ryukyuan languages is spoken in Kagoshima Prefecture , rather than in Okinawa Prefecture. These languages are in decline as the younger generation of Okinawans uses Standard Japanese. Mainland Japanese and some Okinawans generally perceive
490-409: A series of crimes involving American troops in Japan, including the rape of a young girl of 14 by a Marine on Okinawa. The U.S. military imposed a temporary 24-hour curfew on military personnel and their families to ease the anger of local residents. Some cited statistics that the crime rate of military personnel is consistently less than that of the general Okinawan population. However, some criticized
560-455: A show of parading the King, officials, and other people of Ryukyu to and through Edo. As the only han to have a king and an entire kingdom as vassals, Satsuma gained significantly from Ryukyu's exoticness, reinforcing that it was an entirely separate kingdom. According to statements by Qing imperial official Li Hongzhang in a meeting with Ulysses S. Grant , China had a special relationship with
630-407: A third of the barrels developed leaks have led Okinawans to ask for environmental investigations, but as of 2012 both Tokyo and Washington refused such action. Jon Mitchell has reported concern that the U.S. used American Marines as chemical-agent guinea pigs. On September 30, 2018, Denny Tamaki was elected as the next governor of Okinawa prefecture, after a campaign focused on sharply reducing
700-502: Is a radio-news program in the language as well. Okinawans have traditionally followed Ryukyuan religious beliefs, generally characterized by ancestor worship and the respecting of relationships between the living, the dead, and the gods and spirits of the natural world. Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a tributary state of imperial Ming China by
770-657: Is rather split. According to a telephone poll conducted by Lim John Chuan-tiong (林泉忠), an associate professor with the University of the Ryukyus , 40.6% of respondents identified as " 沖縄人 (Okinawan)", 21.3% identified as " 日本人 (Japanese)" and 36.5% identified as both. Okinawa prefecture age pyramid as of 1 October 2003 (per thousands of people) Okinawa Prefecture age pyramid, divided by sex, as of 1 October 2003 (per thousands of people) Per Japanese census data, Okinawa prefecture has had continuous positive population growth since 1960. Having been
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#1732852069484840-521: Is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan . It has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020 ) and a geographic area of 2,281 km (880 sq mi ). Naha is the capital and largest city, with other major cities including Okinawa , Uruma , and Urasoe . Okinawa Prefecture encompasses two thirds of the Ryukyu Islands , including the Okinawa , Daitō and Sakishima groups, extending 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) southwest from
910-670: The Imperial Academy in Beijing, and formally recognized the authority of the King of Chūzan, allowing the kingdom to trade formally at Ming ports. Ryukyuan ships, often provided by China, traded at ports throughout the region, which included, among others, China, Đại Việt (Vietnam), Japan, Java , Korea , Luzon , Malacca , Pattani , Palembang , Siam , and Sumatra . Japanese products—silver, swords, fans, lacquerware , folding screens —and Chinese products—medicinal herbs, minted coins, glazed ceramics, brocades, textiles—were traded within
980-766: The Imperial Chinese tributary system under the Ming dynasty beginning in the 15th century, which established economic relations between the two nations. In 1609, the Shimazu clan , which controlled the region that is now Kagoshima Prefecture , invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom . The Ryukyu Kingdom was obliged to agree to form a suzerain - vassal relationship with the Satsuma and the Tokugawa shogunate , while maintaining its previous role within
1050-851: The Invasion of Ryukyu in 1609. Okinawa was officially founded in 1879 by the Empire of Japan after seven years as the Ryukyu Domain , the last domain of the Han system . Okinawa was occupied by the United States during the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II and was governed by the Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands from 1945 to 1950 and Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands from 1950 until
1120-628: The Iriomote-Ishigaki , Kerama Shotō , and Yambaru National Parks; Okinawa Kaigan and Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Parks; and Irabu , Kumejima , Tarama , and Tonaki Prefectural Natural Parks. The dugong is an endangered marine mammal related to the manatee . Iriomote is home to one of the world's rarest and most endangered cat species, the Iriomote cat . The region is also home to at least one endemic pit viper , Trimeresurus elegans . The islands of Okinawa are surrounded by some of
1190-575: The National Diet ( 国会 ) which had been established in 1890. On 1 April 1945, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps launched an invasion of Okinawa with 185,000 troops. They were faced with fanatical resistance from the Japanese defenders. A third of Okinawa's civilian population were killed during the ensuing fighting. The dead, of all nationalities, are commemorated at the Cornerstone of Peace . After
1260-716: The Paleolithic era were unearthed from a site in Naha, but the artifact was lost in transportation before it was examined. Japanese Jōmon influences are dominant on the Okinawa Islands , although clay vessels on the Sakishima Islands have a commonality with those in Taiwan. The first mention of the word Ryukyu was written in the Book of Sui . Okinawa was the Japanese word identifying
1330-670: The Ryukyuan monarchy , who unified Okinawa Island to end the Sanzan period , and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands and Sakishima Islands . The Ryukyu Kingdom played a central role in the maritime trade networks of medieval East Asia and Southeast Asia despite its small size. The Ryukyu Kingdom became a vassal state of the Satsuma Domain of Japan after the invasion of Ryukyu in 1609 but retained de jure independence until it
1400-532: The Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture to Taiwan ( Hualien and Yilan Counties ). Okinawa Prefecture's largest island, Okinawa Island , is the home to a majority of Okinawa's population. Okinawa's indigenous ethnic group is the Ryukyuan people , who also live in the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture . Okinawa was ruled by the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1429 and unofficially annexed by Japan after
1470-535: The Southeast Botanical Gardens represent tropical plant species. The island is largely composed of coral , and rainwater filtering through that coral has given the island many caves, which played an important role in the Battle of Okinawa. Gyokusendo is an extensive limestone cave in the southern part of Okinawa's main island. The island experiences temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F) for most of
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#17328520694841540-544: The Three Non-Nuclear Principles reflected this popular opposition. Most of the weapons were alleged to be stored in ammunition bunkers at Kadena Air Base. Between 1954 and 1972, 19 different types of nuclear weapons were deployed in Okinawa, but with fewer than around 1,000 warheads at any one time. In fall 1960, U.S. commandos in Green Light Teams secret training missions carried small nuclear weapons on
1610-463: The "Keystone of the Pacific". This slogan was imprinted on local U.S. military license plates. In 1969, chemicals leaked from the U.S. storage depot at Chibana in central Okinawa, under Operation Red Hat . Evacuations of residents took place over a wide area for two months. Even two years later, government investigators found that Okinawans and the environment near the leak were still suffering because of
1680-467: The 1868 Meiji Restoration , the Japanese government, through military incursions, officially annexed the kingdom and renamed it Ryukyu han . At the time, the Qing dynasty asserted a nominal suzerainty over the islands. Ryukyu han became Okinawa Prefecture of Japan in 1879, even though all other hans had become prefectures of Japan in 1872. In 1912, Okinawans first obtained the right to vote for representatives to
1750-522: The Chinese tributary system; Ryukyuan sovereignty was maintained since complete annexation would have created a conflict with China. The Satsuma clan earned considerable profits from trade with China during a period in which foreign trade was heavily restricted by the shogunate. Although Satsuma maintained strong influence over the islands, the Ryukyu Kingdom maintained a considerable degree of domestic political freedom for over two hundred years. Four years after
1820-469: The Melvin Price Report, by 1955, the military had displaced 250,000 residents. Since 1960, the U.S. and Japan have maintained an agreement that allows the U.S. to secretly bring nuclear weapons into Japanese ports. The Japanese people tended to oppose the introduction of nuclear arms into Japanese territory and the Japanese government's assertion of Japan's non-nuclear policy and a statement of
1890-656: The Ming imperial palace. Emperor Yongle said that the boys who were castrated were innocent and did not deserve castration, and he returned them to Ryukyu, and instructed the kingdom not to send eunuchs again. These three principalities (tribal federations led by major chieftains) battled, and Chūzan emerged victorious. The Chūzan leaders were officially recognized by Ming dynasty China as the rightful kings over those of Nanzan and Hokuzan, thus lending great legitimacy to their claims. The ruler of Chūzan passed his throne to King Hashi; Hashi conquered Hokuzan in 1416 and Nanzan in 1429, uniting
1960-477: The Okinawa Prefecture: (name in brackets) These are the towns and villages in each district : (name in brackets) ( Kunigami ) Yunoon ( Yaeyama ) The indigenous Ryukyuan people make up the majority of Okinawa Prefecture's population and are also the main ethnic group of the Amami Islands to the north. Large Okinawan diaspora communities persist in places such as South America and Hawaii . With
2030-573: The Okinawan population wanted the complete closure of the U.S. bases, 42% wanted reduction, and 11% wanted to maintain status quo. Okinawan feelings about the U.S. military are complex, and some of the resentment towards the U.S. bases is directed towards the government in Tokyo , perceived as being insensitive to Okinawan needs and using Okinawa to house bases not desired elsewhere in Japan. In early 2008, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice apologized after
2100-504: The Qing any reason for military action against Japan, the king was released two years later and the Ryukyu Kingdom regained a degree of autonomy. However, the Satsuma domain seized control over some territory of the Ryukyu Kingdom, notably the Amami-Ōshima island group, which was incorporated into the Satsuma domain and remains a part of Kagoshima Prefecture, not Okinawa Prefecture. The kingdom
2170-432: The Ryukyu Kingdom to aid in his campaign to conquer Korea . If successful, Hideyoshi intended to then move against China. As the Ryukyu Kingdom was a tributary state of the Ming dynasty , the request was refused. The Tokugawa shogunate that emerged following Hideyoshi's fall authorized the Shimazu family — feudal lords of the Satsuma domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture )—to send an expeditionary force to conquer
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2240-425: The Ryukyu Kingdom would thrive as a key player in maritime trade with Southeast and East Asia. Central to the kingdom's maritime activities was the continuation of the tributary relationship with Ming dynasty China, begun by Chūzan in 1372, and enjoyed by the three Okinawan kingdoms which followed it. China provided ships for Ryukyu's maritime trade activities, allowed a limited number of Ryukyuans to study at
2310-454: The Ryukyuan languages as "dialects". Standard Japanese is almost always used in formal situations. In informal situations, de facto everyday language among Okinawans under age 60 is Okinawa-accented mainland Japanese (" Okinawan Japanese "), which is often mistaken by non-Okinawans as the Okinawan language proper. The actual traditional Okinawan language is still used in traditional cultural activities, such as folk music and folk dance . There
2380-506: The Ryukyus. The subsequent invasion took place in 1609, but Satsuma still allowed the Ryukyu Kingdom to find itself in a period of "dual subordination" to Japan and China, wherein Ryukyuan tributary relations were maintained with both the Tokugawa shogunate and the Chinese court. Occupation occurred fairly quickly, with some fierce fighting, and King Shō Nei was taken prisoner to Kagoshima and later to Edo (modern-day Tokyo). To avoid giving
2450-561: The Satsuma daimyō , and the shogunate—to make Ryukyu seem as much a distinctive and foreign country as possible. Japanese were prohibited from visiting Ryukyu without shogunal permission, and the Ryukyuans were forbidden from adopting Japanese names, clothes, or customs. They were even forbidden from divulging their knowledge of the Japanese language during their trips to Edo; the Shimazu family, daimyōs of Satsuma, gained great prestige by putting on
2520-481: The Satsuma domain, with the blessing of the Tokugawa shogunate, used the trade relations of the kingdom to continue to maintain trade relations with China. Considering that Japan had previously severed ties with most European countries except the Dutch , such trade relations proved especially crucial to both the Tokugawa shogunate and Satsuma domain, which would use its power and influence, gained in this way, to help overthrow
2590-656: The U.S. and Japan officially agreed to move Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from its location in the densely populated city of Ginowan to the more northerly and remote Camp Schwab in Nago by building a heliport with a shorter runway, partly on Camp Schwab land and partly running into the sea. The move is partly an attempt to relieve tensions between the people of Okinawa and the Marine Corps. Despite Okinawa prefecture constituting only 0.6% of Japan's land surface, in 2006 75% of all USFJ bases were located on Okinawa, occupying 18% of
2660-517: The U.S. forces relocation plan but in April 2010 indicated their interest in resolving the issue by proposing a modified plan. A study done in 2010 found that the prolonged exposure to aircraft noise around the Kadena Air Base and other military bases cause health issues such as a disrupted sleep pattern, high blood pressure, weakening of the immune system in children, and a loss of hearing. In 2011, it
2730-459: The U.S. military bases, earlier viewed as paternal post war protection, were increasingly seen as aggressive. The Vietnam War highlighted the differences between United States and Okinawa but showed a commonality between the islands and mainland Japan. As controversy grew regarding the alleged placement of nuclear weapons on Okinawa, fears intensified over the escalation of the Vietnam War. Okinawa
2800-641: The U.S. military presence on the island. In 2006, some 8,000 U.S. Marines were removed from the island and relocated to Guam . The move to Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz is expected to be completed in 2023. Japan paid for a majority of the cost to construct the new base. The U.S. still maintains Air Force, Marine, Navy, and Army military installations on the islands. These bases include Kadena Air Base , Camp Foster , Marine Corps Air Station Futenma , Camp Hansen , Camp Schwab , Torii Station , Camp Kinser , and Camp Gonsalves . The area of 14 U.S. bases are 233 square kilometres (90 sq mi), occupying 18% of
2870-603: The Vietnam War". The Beheiren became a more visible anti-war movement on Okinawa as the American involvement in Vietnam intensified. The movement employed tactics ranging from demonstrations to handing leaflets to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines directly, warning of the implications for a third World War. The U.S. military bases on Okinawa became a focal point for anti-Vietnam War sentiment. By 1969, over 50,000 American military personnel were stationed on Okinawa. United States Department of Defense began referring to Okinawa as
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2940-531: The accompanying preferential treatment of the Ming Court towards Ryukyu, allowed the kingdom to flourish and prosper for roughly 150 years. In the late 16th century, however, the kingdom's commercial prosperity fell into decline. The rise of the wokou threat among other factors led to the gradual loss of Chinese preferential treatment; the kingdom also suffered from increased maritime competition from Portuguese traders . Around 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked
3010-464: The construction of six new helipads. The islands comprising the prefecture are the southern two thirds of the archipelago of the Ryūkyū Islands ( 琉球諸島 , Ryūkyū-shotō ) . Okinawa's inhabited islands are typically divided into three geographical archipelagos. From northeast to southwest: Approximately 36% percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks , namely
3080-449: The depot. On May 15, 1972, the U.S. government handed over the islands to Japanese administration. The 1995 kidnaping, beating, and rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen triggered large protests in Okinawa. Reports by the local media of accidents and crimes committed by U.S. servicemen have reduced the local population's support for the U.S. military bases. A strong emotional response has emerged from certain incidents. As
3150-404: The east coast of Okinawa Island. Between 1965 and 1972, Okinawa was a key staging point for United States in its military operations directed towards North Vietnam. Along with Guam, it presented a geographically strategic launch pad for covert bombing missions over Cambodia and Laos. Anti- Vietnam War sentiment became linked politically to the movement for reversion of Okinawa to Japan. In 1965,
3220-682: The end of World War II, the United States set up the United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands administration, which ruled Okinawa for 27 years. During this "trusteeship rule", the United States established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands. The Ryukyu independence movement was an Okinawan movement that clamored against U.S. rule. During the Korean War , B-29 Superfortresses flew bombing missions over Korea from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. The military buildup on
3290-530: The end of the 15th century, and by 1571 the Amami Ōshima Islands, to the north near Kyūshū , were incorporated into the kingdom as well. While the kingdom's political system was adopted and the authority of Shuri recognized, in the Amami Ōshima Islands, the kingdom's authority over the Sakishima Islands to the south remained for centuries at the level of a tributary - suzerain relationship. For nearly two hundred years,
3360-455: The introduction of American military bases, there are an increasing number of half-American children in Okinawa, including prefecture governor Denny Tamaki . The prefecture also has a sizable minority of Yamato people from mainland Japan; exact population numbers are difficult to establish, as the Japanese government does not officially recognise Ryukyuans as a distinct ethnic group from Yamatos. The overall ethnic identity of Okinawa residents
3430-404: The island and the Ryukyu had paid tribute to China for hundreds of years, and the Chinese reserved certain trade rights for them in an amicable and beneficial relationship. Japan ordered tributary relations to end in 1875 after the tribute mission of 1874 was perceived as a show of submission to China. In 1872, Emperor Meiji unilaterally declared that the kingdom was then Ryukyu Domain . At
3500-458: The island during the Cold War increased a division between local inhabitants and the American military. Under the 1952 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan , United States Forces Japan (USFJ) have maintained a large military presence. During the mid-1950s, the U.S. seized land from Okinawans to build new bases or expand currently existing ones. According to
3570-439: The island of Okinawa for the first time, and founded the first Shō dynasty. Hashi was granted the surname "Shō" (Chinese: 尚 ; pinyin: Shàng ) by the Ming emperor in 1421, becoming known as Shō Hashi (Chinese: 尚巴志 ; pinyin: Shàng Bāzhì ). Shō Hashi adopted the Chinese hierarchical court system, built Shuri Castle and the town as his capital, and constructed Naha harbor. When in 1469 King Shō Toku , who
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#17328520694843640-522: The islands, first seen in the biography of Jianzhen , written in 779. Agricultural societies begun in the 8th century slowly developed until the 12th century. Since the islands are located at the eastern perimeter of the East China Sea relatively close to Japan, China and Southeast Asia , the Ryukyu Kingdom became a prosperous trading nation. Also during this period, many Gusukus , similar to castles, were constructed. The Ryukyu Kingdom entered into
3710-672: The kingdom for Southeast Asian sappanwood , rhino horn, tin , sugar, iron, ambergris , Indian ivory , and Arabian frankincense . Altogether, 150 voyages between the kingdom and Southeast Asia on Ryukyuan ships were recorded in the Rekidai Hōan , an official record of diplomatic documents compiled by the kingdom, as having taken place between 1424 and the 1630s, with 61 of them bound for Siam, 10 for Malacca, 10 for Pattani, and 8 for Java, among others. The Chinese policy of haijin ( 海禁 , "sea bans"), limiting trade with China to tributary states and those with formal authorization, along with
3780-563: The kingdom in 1392, during the Hongwu emperor 's reign. Many Ryukyuan officials were descended from these Chinese immigrants, being born in China or having Chinese grandfathers. They assisted the Ryukyuans in advancing their technology and diplomatic relations. On 30 January 1406, the Yongle Emperor expressed horror when the Ryukyuans castrated some of their own children to become eunuchs to serve in
3850-569: The main island. According to a 2007 Okinawa Times poll, 85% of Okinawans opposed the presence of the U.S. military, because of noise pollution from military drills, the risk of aircraft accidents, environmental degradation , and crowding from the number of personnel there, although 73% of Japanese citizens appreciated the mutual security treaty with the U.S. and the presence of the USFJ. In another poll conducted by The Asahi Shimbun in May 2010, 43% of
3920-482: The main island. Okinawa hosts about two-thirds of the 50,000 American forces in Japan although the islands account for less than one percent of total lands in Japan. Suburbs have grown towards and now surround two historic major bases, Futenma and Kadena. A sizeable portion of the land used by the U.S. military is Camp Gonsalves in the north of the island. On December 21, 2016, 10,000 acres of Camp Gonsalves were returned to Japan. On June 25, 2018, Okinawa residents held
3990-428: The most abundant coral reefs found in the world. The world's largest colony of rare blue coral is found off Ishigaki Island . The sea turtles return yearly to the southern islands of Okinawa to lay their eggs. The summer months carry warnings to swimmers regarding venomous jellyfish and other dangerous sea creatures. Okinawa is a major producer of sugar cane , pineapple , papaya , and other tropical fruit, and
4060-551: The prefecture was returned to Japan in 1972. Okinawa comprises just 0.6 percent of Japan's total land mass, but about 26,000 (75%) of United States Forces Japan personnel are assigned to the prefecture; the continued U.S. military presence in Okinawa is controversial. The oldest evidence of human existence on the Ryukyu Islands is from the Stone Age and was discovered in Naha and Yaeyama . Some human bone fragments thought to be from
4130-465: The same time, the appearance of independence was maintained for diplomatic reasons with Qing China until the Meiji government abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom when the islands were incorporated as Okinawa Prefecture on 27 March 1879. The Amami-Ōshima island group which had been integrated into Satsuma Domain became a part of Kagoshima Prefecture . The last king of Ryukyu was forced to relocate to Tokyo , and
4200-488: The shogunate in the 1860s. Ryukyuan missions to Edo for Tokugawa Shōgun . The Ryukyuan king was a vassal of the Satsuma daimyō , after Shimazu's Ryukyu invasion in 1609, the Satsuma Clan established a governmental office's branch known as Zaibankaiya (在番仮屋) or Ufukaiya (大仮屋) at Shuri in 1628, and became the base of Ryukyu domination for 250 years, until 1872. The Satsuma Domain's residents can be roughly compared to
4270-461: The shogunate, in trading with China. Ryukyu was a tributary state of China, and since Japan had no formal diplomatic relations with China, it was essential that China not realize that Ryukyu was controlled by Japan. Thus, Satsuma—and the shogunate—was obliged to be mostly hands-off in terms of not visibly or forcibly occupying Ryukyu or controlling the policies and laws there. The situation benefited all three parties involved—the Ryukyu royal government,
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#17328520694844340-435: The statistics as unreliable, since violence against women is under-reported. Between 1972 and 2009, U.S. servicemen committed 5,634 criminal offenses, including 25 murders, 385 burglaries, 25 arsons, 127 rapes, 306 assaults and 2,827 thefts. Yet, per Marine Corps Installations Pacific data, U.S. service members are convicted of far fewer crimes than local Okinawans. In 2009, a new Japanese government came to power and froze
4410-473: The year. The climate of the islands ranges from humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) in the north, such as Okinawa Island , to tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af ) in the south such as Iriomote Island . Snowfall is unheard of at sea level. However, on January 24, 2016, sleet was reported in Nago for the first time on record. Eleven cities are located within
4480-484: Was transformed into the Ryukyu Domain by the Empire of Japan in 1872. The Ryukyu Kingdom was formally annexed and dissolved by Japan in 1879 to form Okinawa Prefecture , and the Ryukyuan monarchy was integrated into the new Japanese nobility . In the 14th century, small domains scattered on Okinawa Island were unified into three principalities: Hokuzan ( 北山 , Northern Mountain) , Chūzan ( 中山 , Central Mountain) , and Nanzan ( 南山 , Southern Mountain) . This
4550-470: Was a grandson of Shō Hashi, died without a male heir, a palatine servant declared he was Toku's adopted son and gained Chinese investiture. This pretender, Shō En , began the Second Shō dynasty. Ryukyu's golden age occurred during the reign of Shō Shin , the second king of that dynasty, who reigned from 1478 to 1526. The kingdom extended its authority over the southernmost islands in the Ryukyu archipelago by
4620-565: Was adjacent to the major port of Naha , and Kume-mura, the center of traditional Chinese education. These sites and Chūzan as a whole would continue to form the center of the Ryukyu Kingdom until its abolition. Many Chinese people moved to Ryukyu to serve the government or to engage in business during this period . At the request of the Ryukyuan King, the Ming Chinese sent thirty-six Chinese families from Fujian to manage oceanic dealings in
4690-428: Was described by Hayashi Shihei in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu , which was published in 1785. In 1655, tribute relations between Ryukyu and Qing dynasty (the China's dynasty that followed Ming after 1644) were formally approved by the shogunate. This was seen to be justified, in part, because of the desire to avoid giving Qing any reason for military action against Japan. Since Ming China prohibited trade with Japan,
4760-425: Was known as the Three Kingdoms, or Sanzan ( 三山 , Three Mountains) period. Hokuzan, which constituted much of the northern half of the island, was the largest in terms of land area and military strength but was economically the weakest of the three. Nanzan constituted the southern portion of the island. Chūzan lay in the center of the island and was economically the strongest. Its political capital at Shuri , Nanzan
4830-431: Was perceived by some inside Japan as a potential target for China, should the communist government feel threatened by United States. American military secrecy blocked any local reporting on what was actually occurring at bases such as Kadena Air Base. As information leaked out, and images of air strikes were published, the local population began to fear the potential for retaliation. Political leaders such as Makoto Oda ,
4900-441: Was reported that the U.S. military—contrary to repeated denials by The Pentagon —had kept tens of thousands of barrels of Agent Orange on the island. The Japanese and American governments have angered some U.S. veterans, who believe they were poisoned by Agent Orange while serving on the island, by characterizing their statements regarding Agent Orange as "dubious", and ignoring their requests for compensation. Reports that more than
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