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71-519: One theory holds that the name “Tokara” was derived from “tohara”, or “distant sea area”, as viewed from Okinawa . Another theory states that the name come from the Ainu word tokap , which means “breast”. The southernmost inhabited island in the archipelago, Takarajima , has a mountain, Megamiyama (lit. Goddess Mountain) with such a shape. Mention is made in the Shoku Nihongi under an entry for

142-569: 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

213-593: A number of other northern islands now known as the Satsunan Islands were annexed into Satsuma Domain, and they remain today within Kagoshima Prefecture . Though the king retained considerable powers, he was only permitted to operate within a framework of strict guidelines set down by Satsuma, and was required to pay considerable amounts in tribute to Satsuma on a regular basis. Efforts were also made to obscure Satsuma's domination of Ryukyu from

284-777: A proposal for peace." Kikuin and his diplomatic mission ( Kian was an assistant) left the Ryukyuan royal capital, Shuri at 8am, April 26, and arrived at Kuraha at 12pm. They left Kuraha for Onna by boat. On April 27, they left Onna, and arrived at Nakijin. Kikuin parleyed with Kabayama, who then ordered peace talks at Naha. In the early morning of April 29, the Satsuma fleet and Kikuin left Unten harbor. They arrived at Ōwan, near Yomitanzan at 6pm. The Ryukyuan Mission left immediately, and arrived at Makiminato at 10pm, where they left their boat, and arrived late at night. Kikuin reported Kabayama's order to Shō Nei, and went down to Naha in

355-615: 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

426-632: 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

497-545: 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

568-409: 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

639-407: 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

710-400: Is a far country and Japanese military strategy is unfamiliar to your forces. I exempt you from mobilization of the troops. In exchange, however, you must supply 10 months' rations for 7000 troops." Sho Nei supplied only half of the demanded amount in 1593. Following Hideyoshi's death in 1598, and Tokugawa Ieyasu 's subsequent rise to power, Shō Nei was asked by Satsuma to formally submit to

781-526: 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. Invasion of Ryukyu The invasion of Ryukyu ( 琉球侵攻 , Ryūkyū Shinkō ) by forces of the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma took place from March to May of 1609, and marked

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852-718: 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

923-589: 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

994-758: The Ashikaga shogunate (1336–1573) of Japan as it did to China since 1372. In the final decades of the 16th century, the Shimazu clan, along with Toyotomi Hideyoshi , who ruled Japan from 1582 to 1598, requested or demanded various types of aid or service from the kingdom on a number of occasions. King Shō Nei (r. 1587–1620) met some of these demands. Shō Nei sent a tribute ship, the Aya-Bune , to Satsuma in February or March of 1592, and agreed to provide approximately half of his allocated burden in preparation for

1065-800: 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

1136-897: 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

1207-641: 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

1278-525: The Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa island on April 25 at 18:00. On April 27, some disembarked. They found Nakijin Castle deserted, and set fires in several places. As soon as Shō Nei heard of Satsuma's arrival at Nakijin, he called Kikuin (菊隠 ), the zen master, giving him a royal order: "You had lived in Satsuma for several years, so you know three lords of the Shimazu clan very well. Go and make

1349-537: 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

1420-749: 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

1491-598: 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

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1562-550: 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

1633-564: 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

1704-468: 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

1775-471: 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

1846-611: The Chinese Court, in order to ensure the continuation of trade and diplomacy, since China refused to conduct formal relations or trade with Japan at the time. This framework of guidelines was largely set down by a document sometimes called the Fifteen Injunctions (掟十五ヶ条, Okite jūgo-ka-jō ), which accompanied the oaths signed in Kagoshima in 1611, and which detailed political and economic restrictions placed upon

1917-527: 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

1988-517: The Kingdom. Prohibitions on foreign trade, diplomacy, and travel outside of that officially permitted by Satsuma were among the chief elements of these injunctions. Ryukyu's extensive trade relations with China, Korea, and Southeast Asia were turned to Satsuma's interests, and various laws were put into place forbidding interactions between Japanese and Ryukyuans, and travel between the two island nations. Likewise, travel abroad from Ryukyu in general, and

2059-478: 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

2130-485: 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

2201-582: 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

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2272-454: 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

2343-698: The Satsunan islands south of 30th Latitude, including the Tokara Islands, were placed under United States military administration as part of the Provisional Government of Northern Ryukyu Islands. However, the three northern inhabited islands in the archipelago, Iōjima , Kuroshima and Takeshima , remained under the control of Japan, and were placed under the administration of the village of Mishima . The remaining Tokara Islands reverted to Japan on 10 February 1952 and are now administered as

2414-534: The Tokara Islands.) During the 15th and 16th centuries, the islands came under the control of the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Domain and the Ryukyu Kingdom . Ryukyu ceded its territory in the Tokara Islands to Satsuma in 1611, which was confirmed by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1624. In 1908, the islands were administratively organized into Jitto Village, literally “Ten islands”, of which seven were inhabited. After World War II , from 2 February 1946 all of

2485-666: 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

2556-528: 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

2627-465: 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

2698-641: 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

2769-608: 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

2840-493: The beginning of the Ryukyu Kingdom 's status as a vassal state under the Satsuma domain. The invasion force was met with stiff resistance from the Ryukyuan military on all but one island during the campaign. Ryukyu would remain a vassal state under Satsuma, alongside its already long-established tributary relationship with China, until it was formally annexed by Japan in 1879 as the Okinawa Prefecture . The war

2911-475: The castle, and started making an inventory of treasures they found there. On May 17, Shō Nei departed Unten harbor for Satsuma along with roughly one hundred of his officials. In August, 1610, he met with the retired Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu in Sunpu Castle . He was then taken to Edo , for a formal audience with Shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada on August 28. On December 24, he arrived at Kagoshima , where he

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2982-627: The chief of Yakiuchi, supplied the Satsuma army. On April 10, Shō Nei was informed of Satsuma's landing on Amami, and he sent Ibun (天龍寺以文長老), the priest of Tenryu temple, to Amami in order to surrender, but Ibun missed the Satsuma army for unknown reasons. On April 16, 13 Satsuma ships then left for Tokunoshima in advance, and the others left Amami at 6am on April 20. On April 17, 13 ships arrived at Tokunoshima and dispersed. Two ships arrived at Kanaguma, but nothing happened. Eight ships arrived at Wanya . The ships were besieged all night by 1,000 people. On April 18, Satsuma troops disembarked, fired into

3053-464: 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

3124-586: The crowds, and killed 50 people. Three ships arrived at Akitoku , and were attacked at the water's edge by the Akitoku people. However, troops quickly fought back and killed 20–30 people. The Satsuma fleet also arrived at Akitoku at 4pm, April 20. On April 21, Kabayama left for Okierabu Island with 10 ships in advance. Others left Tokunoshima at 10am, April 24, and arrived at Okierabu at sunset. They met Kabayama and his ships there, and quickly departed for Okinawa Island . The Satsuma fleet arrived at Unten harbor on

3195-449: 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

3266-461: The early morning. At Ōwan, Kabayama sent some of his officers to Naha in order to fulfill his promise, while he disembarked his other men, because he heard that there was a chain at the entrance of Naha harbor. "If there is a chain, no ship can enter the harbor." Kabayama and his army then landed at Ōwan, and marched to Shuri. At 2 PM, May 1, the Satsuma ships entered Naha harbor, and immediately held peace talks at Oyamise (親見世). At that time, there

3337-404: 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,

3408-705: 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

3479-455: 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

3550-559: The invasion of Korea in 1593. However, Shō Nei also ignored many communications from Shimazu and Hideyoshi, which spurred the Shimazu, with the permission of the newly established Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1867), to invade Ryukyu in 1609, claiming it to be a punitive mission. One of the chief events which spurred Satsuma to aggression occurred when Hideyoshi launched the first of two invasions of Korea . In 1591, Shimazu Yoshihisa said that "Hideyoshi ordered Ryukyu and Satsuma to contribute 15000 troops in order to invade China; however, Ryukyu

3621-463: 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

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3692-529: 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

3763-416: The islands. Following the king's return to Shuri and the resumption of governance under the royal establishment, some Ryukyuan officials went to Kagoshima as hostages. The surrender documents signed at Kagoshima in 1611 were accompanied by a series of oaths. The king and his councilors were made to swear that "the islands of Riu Kiu have from ancient times been a feudal dependency of Satsuma", and that there

3834-525: The king and his officers to return home and to remain in power. Finally, the councilors were forced to swear their allegiance to the Shimazu over their king. Tei Dō , a royal councilor and commander of the kingdom's defense against the invasion, refused to sign the oaths, and was subsequently beheaded. The Ryukyus remained nominally independent, an "exotic realm" (異国, ikoku ) to the Japanese. The kingdom's royal governmental structures also remained intact, along with its royal lineage. However, Amami Ōshima and

3905-576: 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

3976-482: 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

4047-428: 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

4118-512: The new shogunate, a request which was ignored. In 1603, some Ryukyu sailors were cast ashore on the coast of the Sendai domain, and Tokugawa Ieyasu sent them back to Ryukyu. The Shimazu asked Ryukyu to thank Ieyasu again, but Ryukyu ignored the request. The Shimazu then requested to launch a punitive mission against Ryukyu. Approximately 100 ships carrying roughly 3,000 soldiers concentrated at Yamakawa harbor on March 1, 1609. Ichirai Magobee, who

4189-560: 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

4260-435: 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

4331-401: The village of Toshima . The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of Japanese wood pigeons , Ryukyu green pigeons , Ijima's leaf-warblers , Izu thrushes and Ryukyu robins . Download coordinates as: Okinawa Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture ( Japanese : 沖縄県 , Hepburn : Okinawa-ken )

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4402-497: The year 699 of an island called “Tokan”, which is usually identified with Tokara, together with the islands of Tane , Yaku and Amami , although “Tokan” is also sometimes identified with Tokunoshima , an island approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) away. (While an entry in the earlier Nihon Shoki for the year 654 mentions a "Tokara Country", Tokara no kuni , it is a reference to the Tokhara region of Central Asia, rather than

4473-477: 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

4544-492: Was a fire in Shuri, and Kabayama's force reacted and surged forward. Some Satsuma officers ran up to Shuri from Naha, and calmed down troops. Because Shō Nei gave Kabayama his own brother Shō Ko (尚宏 ), and all three of his ministers as hostage, Kabayama ordered his men to return to Naha from Shuri, and all of the Satsuma army were there by 4pm, May 1. On May 4, Shō Nei left Shuri Castle , and on May 5, some Satsuma officers entered

4615-413: Was a long-standing tradition of sending tribute and congratulatory missions on the succession of the Satsuma lords, though these were clearly not true. The oaths also included stipulations that the kingdom admit its culpability in ignoring and rejecting numerous requests for materials and for manpower, that the invasion was justified and deserved, and that the lord of Satsuma was merciful and kind in allowing

4686-699: Was called the Disturbance of Kiyū ( 己酉ノ乱 , Kiyū no ran ) , with 1609 being a kiyū year in the sexagenary cycle . It was also called the Japanese Disturbance of Kiyū ( 己酉倭乱 , Kiyū Wa ran ) by the Ryukyu Kingdom . In Japan, the war was called the Ryukyu Expansion ( 琉球征伐 , Ryūkyū Seibatsu ) or the Entry into Ryukyu ( 琉球入り , Ryūkyū iri ) during the Edo period , and

4757-416: Was called the Okinawa Expansion Campaign ( 征縄の役 , Sei Nawa no Eki ) by many Japanese scholars before WWII. Satsuma's invasion of Ryukyu was the climax of a long tradition of relations between the kingdom and the Shimazu clan of Satsuma. The two regions had been engaged in trade for at least several centuries and possibly for far longer than that; in addition, Ryukyu at times had paid tribute to

4828-481: Was forced to formally surrender and to declare a number of oaths to the Shimazu clan. In 1611, two years after the invasion, the king returned to his castle at Shuri . In the king's absence, Kabayama Hisataka and his deputy Honda Chikamasa governed the islands on behalf of their lord Shimazu Tadatsune . 14 samurai officials from Satsuma, along with 163 of their staff, examined the kingdom's political structures and economic productivity, and conducted land surveys of all

4899-433: Was one of them, would write a diary documenting the expedition. The fleet left harbor on March 4, under the command of Kabayama Hisataka and Hirata Masumune. The Satsuma fleet arrived at Amami Ōshima on April 7, where the Amamian people did not resist, but assisted the Satsuma army. Tameten (笠利首里大屋子為転), the chief of Kasari, was a subject of Kabayama, and called on the Amamian people to surrender. Shigetedaru (焼内首里大屋子茂手樽),

4970-431: 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 ,

5041-441: 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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