Preparatory Committee for the Ryukyu Special Autonomous Region of China | |||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 中华民族琉球特别自治区筹备委员会 | ||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 中華民族琉球特別自治區籌備委員會 | ||||||||
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Japanese name | |||||||||
Kanji | 中華民族琉球特別自治区準備委員会 | ||||||||
Kana | ちゅうかみんぞくりゅうきゅうとくべつじちくじゅんびいいんかい |
The Preparatory Committee for the Ryukyu Special Autonomous Region of China is a political organization based in Guangdong Province,People's Republic of China. It claims that the Ryukyu people are one of the ethnic groups of the Chinese nation,supports Ryukyu independence,and asserts that the Okinawa Islands are Chinese territory. [1]
During an interview with Hong Kong's television station Asia Television (ATV), Zhao Dong , a representative of the Preparatory Committee for the Chinese Ryukyu Special Autonomous Region, claimed that "Ryukyu is the territory of the Chinese nation, and the opinions of the people living there are irrelevant." The committee is registered in Hong Kong and has its office in Shenzhen because they have active interactions with mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. [2] [3] On July 31, 2016, Chinese media outlet Bowen Press reported that the Hong Kong-based civil organization had announced preparations to file a lawsuit with an international court regarding ownership of Okinawa. [4]
The committee cited the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Declaration from after World War II in their claim that Japan's territory is limited to Hokkaido, Shikoku, Honshu, and Kyushu, and that the Ryukyu Islands have been occupied for an extended period with the support of the United States and should be returned to China. [5] Furthermore, Japan had returned territories such as Manchuria, Taiwan, and the Pescadores Islands to China in response to those declarations. The Japanese government made it clear in their Instrument of Surrender that they accepted the declarations and pledged to fulfill their terms. [5] However, as stated in the proclamation, the Ryukyu Islands are not under Japan's sovereignty, and they or any other small islands cannot be arbitrarily occupied without the agreement of the three signatory nations: China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. [5]
Zhao Dong, referring to the South China Sea Arbitration, argued that while there have been calls from Japan that China respect the ruling of the arbitration tribunal, Japan itself has violated the Cairo and Potsdam Declaration for years and continues to occupy territory while under U.S. protection though it should be returned to China. He emphasized the need to take the issue to international courts to restore Chinese territory. [6]
Zhao Dong stated, "As a member of the Chinese nation, we have a right and duty to protect national sovereignty. We are passionate about taking concrete action to reclaim Ryukyu." During the height of the Japan-China debate over the Okinawa issue, he said in an interview with a Central News Agency reporter, "The position of the Preparation Committee on the Ryukyu issue is clear. Ryukyu is a part of the Chinese nation". [6]
On April 18, 2016, Zhao Dong announced himself as an investor of Asia Television during the management crisis just before its collapse, and also stated he received funds from his electronics business in Japan. [7]
The Preparatory Committee for the Ryukyu Special Autonomous Region of China has an affiliated corporation called the Ryukyu Group, which includes Shenzhen Ryukyu Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Shengsan Technology, Shenzhen Kenwood Investment Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen Story of Spring Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. The Ryukyu Group operates an online shopping site called Ryukyu Mall, which features mobile phone cases on its homepage and includes a message stating, "The governments of Japan and the United States must strictly adhere to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration". [8]
Zhao Dong has interacted with the Taiwanese gang Bamboo Union, as well as with Chang An-lo of the Chinese Unification Promotion Party, known for its radical political activities in Taiwan. According to an article from Ryūkyū Shimpō dated October 29, 2015, officials from the Chinese Unification Promotion Party visited Okinawa in mid-October to meet with members of the designated organized crime group, Kyokuryū-kai. [9] Furthermore, reports from the Liberty Times indicate that they are collaborating with gangs in Okinawa for their activities. [10]
Onna is a village located in Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
Liuqiu or Lewchew was a realm said to have existed in the East China Sea. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it was referred to as Liukiu in English; and, Lieou-kieou in French. Referenced in various historical Chinese texts such as the Book of Sui, it is variously identified with Taiwan Island, the Penghu Islands, and the Ryukyu Islands.
The Ryukyu independence movement is a political movement advocating for the independence of the Ryukyu Islands from Japan. Some support the restoration of the Ryukyu Kingdom, while others advocate the establishment of a Republic of the Ryukyus.
The Ryukyu Islands, also known as the Nansei Islands or the Ryukyu Arc, are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands and Okinawa Prefecture. The larger ones are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island.
Nanzan (南山), also known as Sannan (山南) before the 18th century, located in the south of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. The political entity was identified as a tiny country, a kingdom, or a principality by modern historians, however the ruler of Nanzan was in fact not "kings" at all, but petty lords with their own retainers owing their direct service, and their own estates.
Eiso was a semi-legendary ruler of Okinawa Island. He was the founding monarch of the Eiso dynasty.
Chang An-lo, also known as the White Wolf, is a Taiwanese Chinese ultranationalist, organized crime figure, entrepreneur, and politician. He is supportive of Chinese unification, having founded the Chinese Unification Promotion Party.
The Ryukyu Domain was a short-lived domain of the Empire of Japan, lasting from 1872 to 1879, before becoming the current Okinawa Prefecture and other islands at the Pacific edge of the East China Sea.
Kiyuna Tsugumasa was a politician of Ryukyuan descent who was active in Taiwan and Okinawa. He spent all his life seeking an independent Ryukyu. He was also known by his Chinese style name, Tsai Chang.
Ryukyuan pottery include earthenware and stoneware items that are traditionally made on the Ryukyu Islands in east Asia.
The Second Shō dynasty was the last dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1469 to 1879, ruled by the Second Shō family under the title of King of Chūzan. This family took the family name from the earlier rulers of the kingdom, the first Shō family, even though the new royal family has no blood relation to the previous one. Until the abolition of Japanese peerage in 1947, the head of the family was given the rank of marquess while several cadet branches held the title of baron.
The First Shō dynasty was a dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom on Okinawa Island in the 15th century, ruled by the First Shō family under the title of King of Chūzan. According to the official history books compiled during the second Shō Dynasty, it lasted from 1406 to 1469. However, the official account is considered unreliable by modern historians because it contradicts contemporary sources.
A number of attempts have been made to create a flag of Ryukyu or Ryukyuan flag to represent the Ryukyuan people, the Ryukyu Islands, or the former Ryukyu Kingdom.
Okinawa (沖縄) is a name with multiple referents. The endonym refers to Okinawa Island in southwestern Japan. Today it can cover some surrounding islands and, more importantly, can refer to Okinawa Prefecture, a much larger administrative division of Japan, although the people from the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands still feel a strong sense of otherness to Okinawa.
The Hyōtō Ryūkyū-koku ki (漂到流球国記) was a book written by Japanese Buddhist monk Keisei in 1244. He interviewed travelers who, during a sea voyage to Song China, drifted to what they believed to be Ryūkyū. It reflects the long-lasting Japanese perception of Ryūkyū as the land of man-eating demons.
Yasuo Higa was an Okinawan photographer, ethnologist and anthropologist. He served ten years as a police officer near a US military base before becoming a photographer, with much of his early work centered on life in postwar Okinawa. Higa is most known for his research on ancient rituals and shamanesses from the Ryukyu Islands, mainland Japan, and Asia, conducted over the span of nearly 40 years. Through his photographs and extensive notes, Higa has preserved critical documentation on maternal rituals that have been effectively rendered extinct in areas such as Kudaka and Miyakojima.
"Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow Taiwan, Day After Tomorrow Okinawa"(Japanese: 今日の香港、明日の台湾、明後日の沖縄, Chinese: 今日香港,明日臺灣,後天沖繩) is a phrase referencing the expansion of China. It reflects concerns regarding the united front strategy employed by the Chinese Communist Party toward Hong Kong and Taiwan, which are believed to also affect Okinawa and key leaders of its independence movement. Taiwanese media interpret this sentiment as "After Hong Kong, China will invade Taiwan, and then it will target Okinawa in Japan."
Tang Chunfeng, (Japanese: 唐淳風) is a Chinese diplomat and researcher affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China. He also served at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Japan from 1999 to 2002. He is recognized for his active support of the Ryukyu independence movement, advocating for the autonomy of the Ryukyu Islands, particularly Okinawa, from Japan, and has contributed to various public discussions on the historical and political relationship between the Ryukyu Islands and China.
Satoru Nakamura is a Japanese journalist and the president of the Okinawa Policy Research Forum. He also serves as a director of the Free Press Association, an organization dedicated to protecting the public's right to know.
Robert Kajiwara is an American activist residing in Hawaii, USA. He supports the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, the Chinese government's policies toward the Uyghurs and Tibetans, and the Ryukyu independence movement. He has spoken out publicly against Hong Kong independence and Taiwanese independence.
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