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The or Republic of the Ryukyus (Japanese: , Kyūjitai: , Hepburn: ''Ryūkyū Kyōwakoku'') is a movement for the independence of Okinawa and the surrounding islands (Ryukyu Islands), from Japan. The movement emerged in 1945, after the end of the Pacific War. Some Ryukyuan people felt, as the Allied Occupation began, that the Ryukyus (Okinawa) should eventually become an independent state, instead of being returned to Japan. The majority pushed for unification with the mainland, hoping that this would hasten the end of the Allied occupation there. The islands were returned to Japan on May 15, 1972 as the Okinawa Prefecture. The US-Japan Security Treaty signed in 1952 provides for the continuation of the American military presence in Japan, and the United States continues to maintain a heavy military presence on Okinawa Island after reunification with Japan. This set the stage for renewed political movement for Ryukyuan independence. ==Historical context== Initially, the Ryukyu Kingdom was a tributary state of China in East-Asia. Kings of Ryukyu sent envoys and paid a tribute to China (Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty). This custom began from 1372 during the Ming Dynasty and lasted until a few years before the downfall of the kingdom in 1879. After the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma invaded Ryukyu in 1609, the kingdom was forced to send a tribute to Satsuma. Eventually Ryukyu was annexed by the Empire of Japan and transformed into Okinawa Prefecture in 1879. Some nobles resisted the annexation and a few came to China as refugees. Similarly, there may have been significant movements for Okinawan independence following its annexation, in the period prior to and during World War II. Following the war, the United States Occupation government took over control of Okinawa. The Americans retained control over the Ryukyu Islands until 1972, twenty years after the formal occupation of the rest of Japan had ended. There was pressure in 1945, immediately following the war, for the creation of a fully independent Ryukyuan state, while later in the Occupation period there arose a strong movement not for independence but for a return to Japanese sovereignty. Since 1972, and the return of Okinawa to Japanese control, voices turned once again towards the aim of a fully independent Ryukyuan state. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ryukyu independence movement」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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