[Editorial]Treaties show that Japan’s annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom was an unjustified act

[JSCh]

Ryukyu Shimpo – Okinawa, Japanese newspaper, local news » [Editorial]Treaties show that Japan’s annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom was an unjustified act

[Editorial]Treaties show that Japan’s annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom was an unjustified act
July 12, 2014 Ryukyu shimpo

Three treaties, which were signed between the Ryukyu Kingdom and other countries about 160 years ago have provided a new perspective on the current state of Okinawa, its modern history and the hardships experienced by Okinawan people.

These treaties will serve as a great stepping-stone to the future when the Okinawan people will assert the right to self-determination.

In 1854, a Treaty of Amity between the Ryukyu Kingdom and the United States was concluded, which was followed by the conclusion of a Treaty of Amity between the Ryukyu Kingdom and France in 1855, and Holland in 1859. Some international law scholars suggest, based on these treaties, that Japan’s annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which is called “Ryukyu Shobun” or disposal of the Ryukyu Kingdom, in 1879, was an unjustified act according to customary international law at the time. They allege that the Okinawan people could press the Japanese government to reconsider the unwarranted act in the context of international law of today. Article 51 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that: “The expression by a State of consent to be bound by a treaty which has been procured by the coercion of the representative of that State through acts or threats directed against him shall be without any legal effect.”

Regarding the issue　the scholars pointed out, an official of the Foreign Ministry avoided a direct answer to the Ryukyu Shimpo　reporter, saying that it is difficult to comment definitely on it. We would like to investigate further the facts of the Japanese government’s violation of the sovereignty of Okinawa by force, in terms of the Ryukyu shobun. Okinawan public opinion on pursuing restoration of sovereignty will grow in the future.

After the Ryukyu Shobun, the government also carried out Japanization or imperialization policies in Okinawa. As a consequence of it, the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa occurred. After the war, Okinawan people have been suffered from human rights violations and abuses under the U.S. military occupation. We have also continued to be oppressed by the heavy burden of the military bases after Okinawa’s reversion to Japanese sovereignty. When considering the status and history of Okinawa like this, we realize that all problems come from the Ryukyu Shobun. There have been many points of views on this subject among scholars and journalists through history. Fuyu Iha, the founder of modern Okinawan studies, is known for describing the Ryukyu Shobun as an emancipation of slaves. He viewed Japan’s annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom as an evolution in Okinawa’s history.

However, the government has messed with the Okinawan people, who have lost their right to self-determination by the Ryukyu Shobun. Chofu Ota, a journalist who had preached to the people that they become Japanese nationals, lamented that Okinawa had become a“sponger” like a colonized country. We have been faced with an absurd situation that stems from the Ryukyu Shobun.

Hideaki Uemura, a professor at Keisen University, suggests the Ryukyu Shobun has no legitimacy in international law. He has pointed out that colonialism has been continuing in Okinawa, where the Japanese government has disregarded the people’s decisions on the U.S. military issue.

The Okinawa Defense Bureau has started construction of an alternative base for the U.S. Marine Air Station Futenma despite objections from the local people. So we think Uemura’s suggestion is correct. Since the Ryukyu disposal in 1879, the government has trampled on the right to self-determination of Okinawa. It is evident that the government has taken an unfair attitude toward Okinawa. The Japanese government confiscated the documents of the three treaties between the Ryukyu Kingdom and other countries. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds the documents. They declined to comment on the documents for the reason that they do not know exactly how they got them. It is regrettable that they avoid accountability. There is no reason why the government should continue to hold the documents. We would like the government to return the documents to the Okinawan people. These documents will help prove that Okinawa was an independent sovereign state and will serve as the basic materials to seek the right to self-determination.

(English translation by T&CT)

 

[dlclong]

The United States has turned a blind eye.
World War II period, Japan forced 500,000 Okinawans jumping suicide.
However, after the war the United States again Ryukyu to Japanese government hosting.
Japan's Ryukyu demise step by step, the United States where, free Ryukyu

 

[xunzi]

These are the legacies of past imperialism.

 

[xesy]

I really don't get it. Why Chinese mems here support Japanese seperation movement, while they feel offended when other mems support the independance movement of Uyghur? It's clearly Japan internal business.

 

[dlclong]

I really don't get it. Why Chinese mems here support Japanese seperation movement, while they feel offended when other mems support the independance movement of Uyghur? It's clearly Japan internal business.

Because foreigners provoked first in China, they do not know, "Do unto othersnot do to others." You should distinguish successively
In addition, the Ryukyu was once China's vassal state, you should know

 

[xesy]

Because foreigners provoked first in China, they do not know, "Do unto othersnot do to others." You should distinguish successively
In addition, the Ryukyu was once China's vassal state, you should know

Yup, I did some research myself. But Korea, VN were also China vassal states. Didn't all the vassal states business between China and other countries come to an end when Imperial China collapsed?

 

[dlclong]

Yup, I did some research myself. But Korea, VN were also China vassal states. Didn't all the vassal states business between China and other countries come to an end when Imperial China collapsed?

yes, u are independent, andKorea, but Japan occupation of Ryukyu, the implementation of genocide. Before World War II, 500,000ORyukyuren were forced to commit suicide jumping

 

[JSCh]

FYI, the editorial is from Ryukyu shimpo. One of the largest newspaper in Okinawa.

This is another article from the newspaper,

Ryukyu Shimpo – Okinawa, Japanese newspaper, local news » Government has responsibility to face up to tragedies of that battle
Government has responsibility to face up to tragedies of that battle

Former president of Okinawa Christian Junior College Mr Shigeaki Kinjo

The experiences of Shigeaki Kinjo – as told to students at Okinawa Christian University

“It felt like a living hell, it was a nightmare,” says 85 year old Shigeaki Kinjo of his wartime experiences on Tokashiki island, Okinawa. As the 69th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa approaches, Kinjo is still haunted by what he did as a youngster, when his island was transformed into a grueling battlefield.

The only ground battle of World War II fought on Japanese soil, the Battle of Okinawa raged for almost three months. Over 200 000 people died, including both Japanese and American soldiers but overwhelmingly the victims were Okinawan civilians.

One of the most gruesome tragedies of that battle happened in March 1945 on the Kerama islands – about 30 km off the coast of Naha. On the 26th, some 300 people died in a group suicide on Zamami island. The following day, another 300 perished in similar fashion on neighboring Tokashiki island.

16 year old Kinjo and his family were among those who were gathered together by the Japanese army on Tokashiki Island on March 27th. They had been ordered to assemble in the village of Nishiyama Previously, Kinjo’s life had been a happy one but the war turned people into killers, and it would turn him into a killer too.

Grenades were handed out to those gathered in Nishiyama and the village mayor said Banzai (Long live the Emperor) three times. He says, this was interpreted to mean something like, “you should die.” In those days people had been taught in school that suicide “is much better than being killed by the American army.” They instinctively believed that, “Many Japanese soldiers have died for our country so we should die with them. We should kill ourselves before the Americans kill us.”

So the people prepared to commit suicide using the grenades. However, many of the grenades they’d been given were faulty and failed to detonate. So only a few were killed by the explosives. Those who survived immediately turned on their own families, using knives, sickles or stones to kill them. One man stabbed his wife and children with a broken branch. The air was punctuated with the sound of screaming and groaning. It was, he says, like a scene from the inferno.

Kinjo too, along with his older brother, attacked his mother, younger brother and sister with stones. He says, “I don’t remember the moment I and my brother killed them. I was of unsound mind.” More than half of the population of Tokashiki island died that day.

After they’d killed their loved ones, Kinjo and his brother made up their minds to take their own lives. As they were planning to do so, a boy of about the same age came out of nowhere and suggested they attack the US soldiers instead. Believing they would be killed in the process, he reasoned that at least they wouldn’t have to kill themselves.

However, fate intervened and before Kinjo had a chance to encounter any Americans he came across some Japanese troops. He was shocked to see that they were still alive. He thought the Japanese soldiers would also have killed themselves for their Emperor. He recognized at once the double standard – one rule for the civilians and another for the troops – and was left with a strong sense of betrayal. There and then, he changed his mind and decided against killing himself. Much later, after the war, he realized that mass suicides like those in the Keramas had only happened in places where the Japanese army was present.

Ultimately Kinjo was caught by the US soldiers and taken prisoner. He wasn’t harmed or mistreated by the Americans who distinguished between those who were “Okinawan” and those who were “Japanese.”

At the end of the war Kinjo was racked with guilt. He bitterly regretted that he had killed his family but couldn’t manage to take his own life. Then a chance encounter with a Christian, a Mr Tanahara, led to him to discover the bible. He came across words like, “eternal life” and “forgiveness” and became a Christian himself, coming to believe in the preciousness of human life. Kinjo later help establish Okinawa Christian Junior College.

It was during a recent visit back to this same College, where we are now students, that he told us about these awful events. He says he continues to talk about his experiences, even in old age, in an effort to prevent further bloodshed. “I will never forget what I saw and what I did in the war and so I tell my horrible story.” He adds that the Japanese government also has a responsibility to face up to what the country did more than half a century ago. And in the future, he says, they should make a more concerted effort to get along, not only with America, but also with China and Japan’s other neighbors.

(This contributed article is written by the students of the Investigative Reporting Class, Okinawa Christian University and edited by Michael Bradley)

 

[JSCh]

I think the story of the Okinawan people need to be told.

Here is another article that hopefully with make others more sympathetic with their plight.

Ryukyu Shimpo – Okinawa, Japanese newspaper, local news » Okinawa detects Agent Orange ingredients in barrels found on land returned by U.S. military

Okinawa detects Agent Orange ingredients in barrels found on land returned by U.S. military

In the morning of July 24, in a meeting held in the city government office involving the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the Okinawa Prefectural Government and the Okinawa City Government the bureau said it detected levels of dioxin and other harmful ingredients exceeding the Environmental Quality Standard.


July 25, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Construction workers unearthed dozens of barrels marked with the logo of the Dow Chemical Company at a soccer ground on land returned by the U.S. military in Okinawa City. The Okinawa Defense Bureau said on July 24 that it detected dioxin and other harmful ingredients in the fouling material inside the barrels and in water near the location. The levels found exceeded the Environmental Quality Standard set by the Japanese government. During the Vietnam War, the United States based chemical manufacturer produced Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant containing dioxin.

The bureau detected dioxin in fouling material at a level 1.1 times the normal standard for soil, and in the water it was 28 times the standard for groundwater. Experts insist that this is a variety of dioxin related to the defoliant.

The bureau reported the results of their investigation in a meeting held in the city government office on the morning of July 24. The meeting involved representatives of the bureau, the Okinawa Prefectural Government and Okinawa City Government. Afterwards, Okinawa City Mayor Mitsuko Tomon announced that a full-scale investigation will be carried out at the soccer ground. The three parties plan to deal with the issue after the city government releases the investigation results at the end of this month.

The bureau detected dioxin in all the 22 analytes from the barrels. Two exceeded the standard and the highest value was 1,100 picograms TEQ per gram. The others ranged from 62 to 1,000 picograms. TEQ stands for Toxicity Equivalence Quantity, which indicates the toxicity of dioxins.

The dioxin in the water around the soil was 28 picograms TEQ per liter.
The bureau found the key ingredient of Agent Orange – 2, 4, 5-T, trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, in 13 of the analytes from the barrels. They did not detect the other key ingredient of the defoliant – 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic. The bureau said they cannot say for sure that Agent Orange was in the containers.
They explained that the U.S. military used 2, 4, 5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid in many herbicides during the Vietnam War. A bureau representative said, “It is possible the barrels contained Agent Orange.”

At the site, the bureau found a large quantity of 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo, an ingredient unique to the defoliant. Katsuhisa Honda, a professor at Ehime University, who studies dioxin and techniques for its analysis, focuses on this fact.
Honda asserted, “I am sure the barrels contained dioxin related to Agent Orange because the ingredient accounted for 70 percent of the chemical.” He emphasized the need to clean the contaminated soil.

The bureau did not detect polychlorinated biphenyls in the barrels or around the soil. They found 140 picograms of dioxin TEQ per gram, which is lower than the standard, in the soil. Levels of arsenicum and fluorine found were slightly lower than the standard.

(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)

 

[xesy]

yes, u are independent, andKorea, but Japan occupation of Ryukyu, the implementation of genocide. Before World War II, 500,000ORyukyuren were forced to commit suicide jumping

Wasn't genocide common among Axis countries? Why blame Japan now?

The Okinawan people want to be independent now, after more than 150 years? I smell a conspiracy.

 

[dlclong]

Wasn't genocide common among Axis countries? Why blame Japan now?

The Okinawan people want to be independent now, after more than 150 years? I smell a conspiracy.

Oh, it is so double standard.
150 years, you smell a conspiracy?
So that part of China's history in Vietnam in 1000 years, and as a Chinese vassal state in 1000years, why you do not return to China?
Why China with double standards?
I see you just kneel Tim Japan, every Chinese must be reversed.
Xinjiang, the Han dynasty in the history of belonging to most China still toTang Dynasty, Qing Dynasty xinjiang from 1759 belonging to China again, you still behind the attacks, This is not a conspiracy?

 

[xesy]

Oh, it is so double standard.
150 years, you smell a conspiracy?
So that part of China's history in Vietnam in 1000 years, and as a Chinese vassal state in 1000years, why you do not return to China?
Why China with double standards?
I see you just kneel Tim Japan, every Chinese must be reversed.
Xinjiang, the Han dynasty in the history of belonging to most China still toTang Dynasty, Qing Dynasty xinjiang from 1759 belonging to China again, you still behind the attacks, This is not a conspiracy?

Oh why aggressive all of sudden. I thought we can have a conversation here. Why it's certainly China behind Ryuku, while the US might be the master of all conspiracy? As Japan and S.Korea rises and tries to shake off US presence on its lands, US might as well set up a new puppet in East Asia.

VNese don't talk about the 1000 years being China vassal state without thinking China as the invader, so don't bring it up or our conversation can quickly become a mindless cat fight.

 

[dlclong]

Oh why aggressive all of sudden. I thought we can have a conversation here. Why it's certainly China behind Ryuku, while the US might be the master of all conspiracy? As Japan and S.Korea rises and tries to shake off US presence on its lands, US might as well set up a new puppet in East Asia.

VNese don't talk about the 1000 years being China vassal state without thinking China as the invader, so don't bring it up or our conversation can quickly become a mindless cat fight.

All of a sudden attack? You mean since 2008 foreign toChinese suddenly attack?

 

[xesy]

All of a sudden attack? You mean since 2008 foreign toChinese suddenly attack?

What attack? I thought that year China held the Olympics?

P/s: you are too jumpy. It's not like I am always against China. VNese also don't always hate China, well except during the rig incident.

 

[Aepsilons]

LOL! What an incredible thread. Btw, most Okinawans are even more Japanese than Japanese people form mainland.

Separatists ? O man, talk about making a mountain out of a molehill.