Government of the Ryukyu Islands
Encyclopedia
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- This article is about the U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Occupation government in Okinawa; for the earlier, native royal government, see Ryūkyū KingdomRyukyu KingdomThe Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...
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- This article is about the U.S.
The (USCAR) was the government in Okinawa, Japan after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
until 1972.
Outline
After the Battle of OkinawaBattle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
in World War II, the armed forces of the United States
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
occupied Okinawa and set up a local government. In 1952, Japan signed the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
and admitted the control of Okinawa by the U.S. government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
.
USCAR, which was a subordinate organization of the forces of the United States, surveilled the Ryukyuan Government and could overrule all the decisions made by the Ryukyuan Government. Technically speaking, USCAR was thus a civil affairs administration of the United States Military Government (USMG).
Peace treaty specifications
Two important articles of the post-war peace treaty of April 28, 1952 are the following.Article 3: Japan will concur in any proposal of the United States to the United Nations to place under its trusteeship system, with the United States as the sole administering authority, Nansei Shoto south of 29 degrees north
29th parallel north
The 29th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 29 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean....
latitude (including the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
and the Daito Islands
Daito Islands
Daitō Islands are three islands that lie about east of Okinawa. From north to south, the islands are:* Data from 2004 Nov 20, 08:55 version of Japanese Wikipedia...
), Nanpo Shoto south of Sofu Gan (including the Bonin Islands, Rosario Island and the Volcano Islands
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
) and Parece Vela and Marcus Island. Pending the making of such a proposal and affirmative action thereon, the United States will have the right to exercise all and any powers of administration, legislation and jurisdiction over the territory and inhabitants of these islands, including their territorial waters.
Article 4b: Japan recognizes the validity of dispositions of property of Japan and Japanese nationals made by or pursuant to directives of the United States Military Government in any of the areas referred to in Articles 2 and 3.
After a referendum, on May 15, 1972, control of Okinawa was given back to Japan, and USCAR was abolished. This completed the disposition of this Japanese property by USMG.
Government system
The post of Governor of the Ryukyu Islands was created in 1945 and replaced in 1957 by the High Commissioner and the Civil Administrator of the Ryukyu Islands until 1972.The government was headed by a Chief Executive, who for the first time was elected by the Ryukyuan people on the same day as elections to the Legislature in November 1968. Previously the Chief Executive was elected by members of the Legislature.
Governor
- General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
1945–1951 - General Matthew RidgwayMatthew RidgwayMatthew Bunker Ridgway was a United States Army General. He held several major commands and was most famous for resurrecting the United Nations war effort during the Korean War. Several historians have credited Ridgway for turning around the war in favor of the UN side...
1951–1952 - General Mark Wayne ClarkMark Wayne ClarkMark Wayne Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general in the U.S. Army...
1952–1953 - General John E. HullJohn E. HullGeneral John Edwin Hull was a U.S. Army general, former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, commanded Far East Command from 1953–1955 and the U.S. Army, Pacific from 1948-1949. He served in both world wars and was a contemporary of General George Marshall and General Omar Bradley...
1953-1955
Deputy Governors
- Lieutenant General Thomas F. Hickey
- Major General Samuel T. WilliamsSamuel Tankersley WilliamsSamuel Tankersley Williams was a United States Army Lieutenant General. Williams became prominent in Army history for being reduced in rank from brigadier general to colonel, and then resuscitating his career to again advance to general officer rank...
- Major General Armistead D. Mead
- Lieutenant General Thomas F. Hickey
- Major General Edward J. McGaw
- Lieutenant General James Edward Moore
High Commissioners
- Lieutenant General James E. Moore Jukly 4, 1957 – April 30, 1958
- Lieutenant General Donald P. BoothDonald Prentice BoothDonald Prentice Booth was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army. During World War II he was the US Army's youngest theater commander. After World War II he was known for his commands of the 28th Infantry Division, the 9th Infantry Division and the Fourth United States Army...
May 1, 1958 – February 12, 1961 - Lieutenant General Paul Wyatt Caraway February 16, 1961 – July 31, 1964
- Lieutenant General Albert Watson II August 1, 1964 – October 31, 1966
- Lieutenant General Ferdinand Thomas Unger November 2, 1966 – January 28, 1968
- Lieutenant General James B. Lampert January 28, 1968 – May 14, 1972
Civil Administrators
- Vonna F. Burger 1956 ? - 1959
- John G. Ondrick June 1959 – May 1962
- Shannon McCune July 18, 1962 – February 8, 1964
- Gerald Warner February 11, 1964 – July 10, 1967
- Robert A. Fearey August 21, 1968 – May 12, 1972
Chief Executives
- Shuhei Higa April 1, 1951 – October 25, 1956
- Jugo Toma October 25, – November 10, 1959
- Seisaku Ota November 10, 1959 – October 31, 1964
- Seiho Matsuoka October 31, 1964 – December 1, 1968
- Chobyo Yara December 1, 1968 – May 14, 1972
Deputy Speaker of the Legislature
- Tokuishi Igei
The government consisted of the legislature, the administrative body, and the courts. The members of legislature were elected. The legislature often had conflicts with USCAR. The head of the administrative body was assigned by USCAR (1952–60), assigned the leader of the dominant party of the legislature (1960–66), elected in the legislature (1966–68), and elected by the citizens (1968–72). The legislature made its own laws.
The official currency was the B yen
B yen
was a colloquial term used to refer to a form of military scrip used in post-war US-Occupied Okinawa from July 1948 to September 1958. Officially, it was called .-Currency:The B yen bills were of a blue or green color, and came in eight different denominations....
from 1945–1958, when the B yen was abolished and the US dollar was brought into use. The government printed Ryukyuan postage stamps and passports. Cars drove on the right in contrast to the main islands of Japan. The island switched to driving on the left in 1978
730 (transport)
The was the day July 30, 1978, when Okinawa Prefecture of Japan switched back from driving on the right-hand side of the road to the left.-Overview:Originally, Okinawa drove on the left-hand side of the road, the same as the rest of Japan...
to bring it in line with the rest of Japan.
Flag
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
The protesters against the Ryukyu government flew Hinomaru, the flag of Japan
Flag of Japan
The national flag of Japan is a white rectangular flag with a large red disk in the center. This flag is officially called in Japanese, but is more commonly known as ....
.
Civil ships of Ryukyu flew an ensign derived from International maritime signal flag
International maritime signal flags
The system of international maritime signal flags is one system of flag signals representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships...
"D" instead of Japanese or American ensigns. The D ensign was not well known internationally, so the Ryukyuan ships were sometimes seized. The ensign changed to "Hinomaru below a triangular flag labeled Ryukyu" in 1967
See also
- Josef R. SheetzJosef R. SheetzMajor General Josef Robert Sheetz was an American military commander during World War II, who served as Assistant Chief of Staff of the War Department in 1941-42...
, US military governor of Okinawa from 1949–1950 - Ryukyuan peopleRyukyuansThe are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...
- Ryukyu independence movementRyukyu independence movementThe or Republic of the Ryūkyūs is a movement for the independence of Okinawa and the surrounding islands , from Japan. The movement emerged in 1945, after the end of the Pacific War...