China's Latest Okinawa Propaganda Meant to Pressure Takaichi on Taiwan

An official newspaper of the dictatorial Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has begun spreading propaganda to cast doubt on Japan’s historical ownership of the Ryukyu Islands. However, there is no doubt that Okinawa Prefecture is a part of Japan. The CCP must immediately stop its propaganda assertions.

China's Global Times is a tabloid affiliated with The People's Daily, the official organ of the CCP. On November 19, it published a slanted editorial stating that "a historical and legal debate has always existed regarding the attribution of sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands."

In an article entitled "Why Is Research in Ryukyu Studies Necessary?" the author argued that the Chinese empire had long treated the Ryukyu Kingdom with great consideration. Meanwhile, it criticized Meiji Japan for "forcing the abolition of the Ryukyu Kingdom through military threats, establishing Okinawa Prefecture, and making it part of Japan." 

The author concluded by arguing that the issue of Okinawa's sovereignty needs to be debated.

Chinese Government-affiliated Media Join In

On the same day, November 21, Global Times published another article expressing doubts about the legitimacy of "Okinawa Prefecture." 

Then, a social media account affiliated with The Beijing Daily, the official newspaper of the Beijing Municipal Communist Party Committee, joined the chorus. It went so far as to claim that, "Never since ancient times have the Ryukyus been part of Japanese territory."

China.com, a news website run by the China Foreign Languages Press, which handles overseas propaganda, also weighed in. It reported that "if Japan continues to play with fire regarding the Taiwan issue, the issue of the Ryukyus will be put on the negotiating table once again."

Behind all of this is the CCP, which controls the Chinese government. It is raising a non-existent "sovereignty issue" as part of its attempt to force Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to retract her remarks regarding a Taiwan emergency.

The Real Okinawa History

This is what the history of Okinawa actually shows. 

The Ryukyu Kingdom was established in 1429. However, in 1609, it was conquered by the Satsuma fief (now Kagoshima Prefecture). In other words, it had been under Japanese control for centuries before the modern era. 

After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the Ryukyu king's rank was that of a feudal lord, and he became a member of the Japanese nobility. Subsequently, Okinawa Prefecture was officially created in 1879, and, with that, the Ryukyu Kingdom officially ceased to exist. 

During the horrendous Battle of Okinawa in the later days of the Pacific War, many young Japanese, including members of kamikaze squads, died defending Okinawa. After the war, the United States exercised administrative authority over Okinawa. However, the 1952 San Francisco Treaty, which officially ended the war and the occupation of Japan proper, recognized that Japan retained "residual sovereignty" over Okinawa.

A prefectural-wide movement calling for the return of Okinawa to the homeland followed. And, on May 15, 1972, administrative rights were restored to Japan. 

Furthermore, when diplomatic relations between Japan and China were normalized in September 1972, China did not raise any issue about Okinawa's sovereignty.

No 'Mutual Respect' from China

The Chinese Communist Party's propaganda is unjustified. It clearly ignores Okinawa's actual history. Moreover, it contradicts the Japan-China Joint Communiqué, which proclaims "mutual respect for territorial integrity."

The Takaichi administration and Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki must reject the CCP's unreasonable, divisive tactics, which have revealed their designs on Okinawa.

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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun