A few days ago, Okinawa Governor Danny Tamaki expressed his so-called "congratulations" on the election in China's Taiwan region, and at the same time, he also made irresponsible remarks about the regular patrols of Chinese official ships around the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands, calling them "frequent violations of Japan's territorial waters and territory." The Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka made a tough response to this.
The Chinese side stresses that the elections in the Taiwan region are China's internal affair, expresses strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this, and urges the relevant parties to correct their mistakes, abide by the "one-China" principle, and refrain from interfering with peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and China-Japan relations.
Danny Tamaki
No matter how Japanese politicians try to confuse right and wrong in black and white, they will not change the relevant facts, but considering Danny Tamaki's "special status," his extension of his hand to the Taiwan issue and the Diaoyu Dao issue is indeed surprising and will also make some Chinese who have a good view of him lose their favor.
First of all, Danny Tamaki's "special status" is special because he is not only a nominal Japanese politician, but also a serious Ryukyu politician, and at the same time, in terms of political stance, Danny Takaki also has a huge gap with the Japanese government, the latter is obedient to the US government, but the former opposes the plan of the Futenma base of the US military stationed in Japan to move to Henoko.
U.S. military base in Japan
Relying on his opposition to the relocation plan of the US military base in Japan, Danny Tamaki became a hot political figure in the Ryukyu region, and then was elected "Governor of Okinawa" in October 2018 and won re-election in September 2022, based on which many Chinese have an inexplicable liking for him, and even have the opinion that if the Ryukyu restoration movement resumes, Danny Tamaki may become the backbone.
In July 2023, Danny Tamaki once again won the favor of many Chinese, when he led dignitaries of the Ryukyu region to visit China, during which he unexpectedly rushed to the site of the Ryukyu National Cemetery in Tongzhou, Beijing, for which he was fiercely criticized by Japanese right-wing politicians, but some Chinese believe that Danny Tamaki's move may become the starting point for promoting "Ryukyu independence".
Danny Tamaki goes to the ruins of the Ryukyu National Cemetery to pay respects
However, it is a pity that the development of events to this day has not been as some people imagined, but Danny Tamaki has also become a "mouthpiece" for Japan to interfere in China's Taiwan affairs and attempt to seize China's inherent territory, which will inevitably disappoint or dissatisfaction the Chinese who have a favorable impression of him.
However, from a practical point of view, Danny Tamaki's fantasies about promoting "Ryukyu independence" are in themselves politically naïve; imagine that a descendant of US troops stationed in Japan would really do something that would harm US interests? Moreover, under the so-called "democratic election" system in the West, slogans are one of the means of canvassing votes, and there is no direct relationship between shouting loudly and whether or not they can be implemented.
Ryukyu independence movement
Even if the above issues are not taken into account, will Danny Tamaki promote "Ryukyu independence"? Don't forget that the Ryukyu Islands and its surroundings under Danny Tamaki are all garrisoned by US troops, and if they go too far, they will inevitably be "checked for water." Danny Tamaki, as an old fritter in political circles, knows very well that it is unlikely that he will commit this taboo.
What is more, the United States has always had a complete set of "educational methods" for dealing with disobedient people, ranging from the recent investigation of several major factions within Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party by the Tokyo District Prosecutor's Office in the name of "anti-corruption," or to the death or serious injury on the streets, as was the case with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the largest opposition party in South Korea.
Shinzo Abe
As for visiting China to pay respects to the ruins of the Ryukyu State Cemetery, perhaps it is just a political performance by Danny Tamaki, after all, since it is a visit to China, then it is necessary to ask for China, so it is not strange to follow the original "anti-American" character and build a character that Chinese like to "not forget the Ryukyu Kingdom", which is also a necessary skill for politicians under the Western "democratic system".
To put it bluntly, under the current situation, "Ryukyu independence" can only be a false proposition, no one or force can push it, but the situation is changing rapidly, if Chinese mainland is forced to adopt non-peaceful means for reunification, and the United States and Japan insist on armed intervention, perhaps this is the time for Ryukyu to usher in a real opportunity for independence.