“Okinawa Hondo Fukki no Yoki Zenrei (An Important Precedent for the Return of Okinawa: The Amami Reversion and U.S.-Japan Relations)”
Mainichi Shimbun, Sunday, September 21, 2003
By Kishi Toshimitsu
This book was published in connection with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the return of the Amami Islands to Japan.
Okinawa was not the only territory to be separated from Japan immediately after the end of World War II. On December 25, 1953, Amami was returned to Japan by the United States as a Christmas Present, nearly 8 years after their being separated from Japan.
Nevertheless, this chapter in the history of U.S.-Japan relations has for a long time remain unwritten.
“This probably had to do with the fact the so-called Okinawa problem was so large, and Amami’s story was hidden by that larger shadow. Moreover, because there were no U.S. bases on the islands, there has been a perception that the islands were just not important,”said Robert D. Eldridge, the author, in a recent interview.
The U.S. government began examining what to do with Japan’s territory early on, during the war. Because Amami was not as vital as Okinawa strategically, there was a tendency to permit Amami’s retention by Japan. However, due to the strong demands of the U.S. military for the need to secure the peace and security of the Pacific, the islands were placed under U.S. administration. The State Department opposed these plans.
In the beginning of the book, a scene in which there is a clash between U.S. and Japanese representatives over the boundaries of the Nansei Islands is eloquently introduced. Amami and Okinawa—their fates are in a complicated way closely intertwined. Okinawa would not be returned for another 20 years in 1972.
“There is a tendency to link the reversion of Ogasawara in 1968 with that of Okinawa later, but it was Amami’s peaceful return that in fact created this very important precedent. It was a necessary step in the creation of a healthier relationship between Japan and the United States.”
In this book, three main actors appear—the U.S. and Japanese governments, and the Amami reversion movement. Of them, the author gives a great deal of attention to the power of the local movement. The expression, “We are Japanese to the bone”(used by leaders in the movement explaining their position to their American counterparts), reflects their strong sense of Japanese identity.
“This was, I believe, the first truly successful socio-political movement in postwar Japan. I say this because the U.S. government could not ignore the movement’s power.”
In order document this influence, the author introduces an impressive collection of declassified documents that were housed in the U.S. National Archives and other places. In particular, the documents on the negotiations over the reversion agreement appear to have never been touched before, and can be said to be quite new. The author recently donated these materials to the municipal library in Amami.
The author heard about Okinawa when growing up from his father, who served there during World War II. Several years after coming to Japan in 1990, he began studying under the diplomatic historian, Iokibe Makoto.
“In retrospect, the separation of the islands from the mainland was completely unnecessary. However, what I am proud about is the fact that the United States lived up to its principles in realizing the return of the islands.”
Text and photo by Kishimoto Toshimitsu.
Amami Henkan to Nichibei Kankei (Nanpo Shinsha, 3600 yen)