OKINAWA HISTORY

The islands that now make up Okinawa Prefecture were formerly not part of Japan, but part of an independent nation called the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Okinawa's location in the East China Sea, and relatively close proximity to Japan, Korea, China and South East Asia allowed the Ryūkyū Kingdom to become a prosperous trading nation. The many castle ruins that dot the island date from this period. However, in 1609 the Japanese Satsuma clan, who controlled the region that is now Kagoshima Prefecture, invaded. Following this invasion, although the Ryūkyū Kingdom remained nominally independent, it was effectively under the control of the Satsuma. In 1879, following the Meiji restoration, the Ryūkyū Kingdom was abolished and became Okinawa Prefecture.

Following the end of World War II and the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, for 27 years Okinawa was under US administration. During this time, Okinawa's currency was the US dollar, and the US military established numerous bases on Okinawa Honto and elsewhere.

On 15 May 1972, Okinawa once again became part of Japan, although to this day the US maintains a large military presence there: more than 40,000 US military personnel and dependents, including 17,600 Marines, are still based there. While they provide a source of revenue for the island's 1.3 million residents they are also a source of considerable tension.

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Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License)