GHQ occupation and "reversion to Japan": Analysis on Okinawa's support for "reversion to Japan" in 1951 from viewpoint of GHQ occupation policies and its practice.

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24730152
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: International relations
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: UECHI SATOKO 早稲田大学, 国際教養学術院, 助手 (40580171)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: サンフランシスコ講和 / 沖縄帰属問題 / 日本「復帰」支持の論理 / 在ハワイ沖縄移民 / 沖縄人ネットワーク / GHQ占領下の生存権 / 「非日本人」 / 在日沖縄人と在日朝鮮人

Outline of Final Research Achievements

There are two achievements in this project. Firstly, it shed light on the collaboration and gap between Okinawan in Tokyo and in Hawaii in term of Okinawa status issue in San Francisco Peace Conference. Analysis on the “reversion to Japan” arguments in Hawaii revealed that while intensive communication between Tokyo and Honolulu has resumed after the war, the logic of “reversion to Japan” in Hawaii is just as cultural and historical closeness.
Secondly, it points out the oppression of Korean community in GHQ-control Japan as possible factor to explain why “pro-reversion to Japan” emerged as the only option publicized from Okinawan community in Japan as Peace Conference approaches. Okinawans’ frequent mention to Korea as reference to anticipate Okinawa’s future and the brutal treatment of Korean people by authority in GHQ occupation in Japan suggest to understand pro-reversion to Japan opinion from contemporary perspective.

Free Research Field

東アジア戦後政治史／サンフランシスコ講和研究／沖縄近現代政治史