Archive:Political status of Ryukyu

The historical and legal disputes regarding the sovereignty of Ryukyu remain unresolved in international academic and political circles.

Ryukyu's prior history

Template:Unreferenced section In 1372, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty dispatched envoy Yang Zai to Ryukyu to announce the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. King Satto, who admired Chinese civilization, immediately sent envoys to pay tribute, formally establishing a tributary relationship with the Ming Dynasty. Subsequently, the Sannan and Hokuzan kings in Ryukyu also came to pay tribute, and Ryukyu gradually moved towards unification, developing under the influence of Chinese civilization. The Ming Dynasty adopted a policy of appeasement towards Ryukyu. More significantly, to help Ryukyu improve its maritime capabilities, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang specifically selected "thirty-six families of Fujianese" to immigrate to Ryukyu, bringing advanced culture and technology. According to Han Xingfang's research, the Ming Dynasty officially recognized Ryukyu 15 times, the last time being during the Chongzhen era.

Ryukyu's wealth attracted the ambitions of Japan. At the end of the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified Japan, coerced Ryukyu to provide military provisions and join his invasion, which was firmly refused by Ryukyu, who then sent an alarm to the Ming Dynasty. Although Japan's initial attempt at aggression failed, the seeds of future trouble were sown. In 1609, the Shimazu clan, lords of the Satsuma Domain, launched a surprise invasion of Ryukyu under the pretext of "pre-paying military funds." Faced with the firearms-equipped Satsuma army, the Ryukyu defenders were routed, and King Shō Nei was captured and taken to Japan. He was forced to sign the "Fifteen Articles of Okinawa," becoming a vassal state of the Satsuma Domain, paying tribute, and making regular visits to the Edo Shogunate.

From then on, Ryukyu was plunged into a difficult situation that lasted for two and a half centuries: its status as an independent kingdom under international law was nominally preserved to maintain its tributary relationship with China—because Japan still needed Ryukyu to obtain Chinese silk, porcelain, and other goods—but in reality, Ryukyu's internal affairs, diplomacy, and economy were tightly controlled by the Satsuma Domain, making it a "puppet" for plundering resources and extracting trade profits.

In the mid-19th century, Japan's national power increased significantly after the Meiji Restoration, and its ambitions for external expansion grew rapidly. With the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Reconciliation between Japan and China in 1871, Japan gained the right to trade directly with China. The value of Ryukyu as a trading hub significantly diminished, and its territory itself became a direct target for Japan. In 1872, Japan unilaterally declared the Ryukyu Kingdom the "Ryukyu Domain" and bestowed upon King Shō Tai the title of "King of the Domain." In 1875, Japan further abruptly ordered Ryukyu to sever all tributary and investiture relations with the Qing Dynasty and adopt the Japanese era name.

Upon hearing this news, the entire nation of Ryukyu was shocked. King Shō Tai, tried desperately to delay, and repeatedly appealed to the Qing government for urgent assistance, lamenting that "if Japan prevents our tribute, the nation will be in grave danger." However, aid never arrived.

Japanese seizure of Ryukyu

In March 1879, Matsuda Michiyuki, the Japanese-claimed "Administrator for Ryukyu", led hundreds of armed soldiers and police ashore, stormed the Shuri Royal Palace, and forced King Shō Tai to relinquish power. After violently suppressing protests by Ryukyu officials, the Japanese forcibly confiscated all documents symbolizing their rule. On April 4 of the same year, Japan formally abolished the Ryukyu Domain and established Okinawa Prefecture. The Ryukyu Kingdom, which had existed for over 500 years, was thus violently ended.

For nearly a century afterward, due to changes in the international situation, the question of Ryukyu's ownership and status became increasingly complex. In November 1943, at the Cairo Conference, US President F.D.Roosevelt proposed that Ryukyu be placed under Chinese trusteeship after the war, but no resolution was reached. The Potsdam Declaration of 1945 explicitly stated that Japanese territory is limited to Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido and associated islands, and Ryukyu is not mentioned. After the war, the Treaty of San Francisco, led by the United States but not recognized by People's Republic of China and Eastern Bloc, stipulated that Ryukyu would be administered by the United States. In 1972, based on the international situation and considerations of the Cold War bloc, the United States transferred administrative control of Ryukyu to Japan, but did not address the issue of sovereignty. Subsequently, Japan re-established Ryukyu as Okinawa Prefecture and part of Kagoshima Prefecture.

The disappearance of the Ryukyu Kingdom left behind a complex historical legacy and identity dilemmas.