Okinawa-ron: Representations of Okinawa in Essay Literature

Okinawa-ron: Representations of Okinawa in Essay Literature was recorded on 24th February 2021 with speaker Prof Ina Hein (University of Vienna). Find out more at: https://www.soas.ac.uk/jrc/events/seminar-and-events/24feb2021-okinawa-ron-representations-of-okinawa-in-essay-literature.html

Even though Okinawa has been a part of Japan for over a century by now, the prefecture is constantly being discussed and constructed as an ‘internal other’ within the wider framework of ‘Japan’. Sometimes this ‘Okinawan difference’ is explained by using the notion of a ‘temporal lag’. In this line of argument, Okinawa is being equated with a past Japan: elements of Japanese culture which allegedly were lost in the process of hyper-modernization are supposedly still alive in Okinawa. On the other hand, however, it is often argued that the difference between Okinawa and Japan is a fundamental one, Okinawa having its own history (as Ryukyu Kingdom), culture, religious traditions and language. The respective motivations for taking each of these positions are always politically charged: On the one hand, Japanese claims of sameness between Okinawa and Japan tend to support the point of view that it is only natural for Okinawa to have become a part of Japan in the 1870s, and that it has rightfully been handed back to Japan in 1972 after 27 years of American occupation. On the other hand, Okinawans advancing the ‘sameness argument’ have aimed at establishing equal rights between Japanese mainlanders and Okinawans. By doing so, the situation of Okinawans who, as they felt, have been treated as second-class citizens by the government in Tokyo, would improve. A third approach, predominantly followed by Okinawan authors who refer to Okinawa’s past as a prosperous Kingdom in its own right, fosters the idea that Okinawa can and should become independent – or at least gain a much higher grade of autonomy within Japan.

This ongoing debate becomes manifest across many different kinds of media. My lecture will focus on examples of non-fiction writings discussing various aspects of Okinawa and its relation to Japan, which can be subsumed under the term “Okinawa-ron”. Some of these texts are overtly political and adopt a highly critical stance towards Japan’s role in the annexation and subsequent (quasi-)colonization of the Ryukyu Kingdom in the late 19th century. In raising a critical voice, the authors of these texts question the necessity and rightfulness of the ‘reversion’ of Okinawa to Japan in 1972, while others discuss the question of Okinawa’s ‘identity’ by highlighting aspects of its history and culture. However, even these texts are not free from a political agenda, albeit in a less direct manner. In this lecture, I will discuss some examples from this vast corpus of “Okinawa-ron” in greater detail and explore major topics and lines of argument. My analysis will show how the authors describe Okinawa and its culture as well as the relationship between Okinawa and Japan. Against this backdrop, I will then conclude what position the respective authors take and what implications their arguments might have regarding the question of Okinawa’s (not) belonging to Japan.