Since former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, some politicians in Japan have frequently hyped up the so-called "something happens in Taiwan that something happens in Japan." Even after Abe's death, the rhetoric still has widespread influence in Japan's political circles and continues to ferment.
In mid-July this year, Japan's right-wing think tank "Japan Strategic Studies Forum" held the fourth "Taiwan Strait Crisis Wargame Exercise" in Tokyo, the theme of which revolved around the situation in the Taiwan Strait, and proposed that Japan should immediately establish a coordination mechanism with the United States and Taiwan to strengthen the defense of the island chain;
In August this year, former Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishigo visited Taiwan one after another, and both of them without exception expressed the attitude that they could not "unilaterally change the status quo"; In addition, many of the contents of the draft 2024 version of the "Defense White Paper" adopted by the Japan Cabinet meeting directly point to "operations in the Taiwan Strait", exposing Japan's tendency to provoke trouble in the Taiwan Strait. Naturally, the Chinese side could not sit idly by and decided to use the "Ryukyu card" to counteract.
Earlier this month, Dalian Maritime University held a preparatory meeting for the Ryukyu Research Center and a seminar on the "Ryukyu Issue", inviting more than 20 experts from many universities in China, including Peking University, to participate. This marks the imminent establishment of the country's first "Ryukyu Research Center", which is widely believed to symbolize Chinese mainland's official "undetermined status of the Ryukyus" on the table.
This statement is not unfounded. In May, Hua Chunying, then assistant foreign minister, posted a special tweet on social media platforms, with no text, only a large picture, which mentioned that the supplementary provision of Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation clearly stated that Japan's sovereignty should be limited to Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and other small islands determined by the allies. The Ryukyu Islands are not included in this scope.
Hua Chunying released part of the Potsdam Proclamation
In other words, the sovereignty of the Ryukyu Islands, as one of the territories invaded by Japan during its foreign expansion, should have been returned to the indigenous people after the war. However, after the end of World War II, the Ryukyu Islands were nominally "temporarily" entrusted to the United Nations, but in fact United States administered them.
Immediately after the advent of the Cold War, in order to contain China and the Soviet Union, United States transferred control of the Ryukyu Islands to Japan without the permission of the United Nations in 1972, and expanded the scope of application of the Japan-US Security Treaty to the Ryukyu Islands, where the US military continued to station military bases. Therefore, the reason why the Ryukyu Islands are in the hands of Japan today is entirely the result of the private gifts and acceptance of the United States and Japan, which is itself illegal.
Now that China has established the Ryukyu Research Center and officially put the "Ryukyu card" on the table, it is to warn Japan that the Taiwan issue is China's internal affair and brooks no interference by external forces, and if Japan repeatedly provokes China's red lines, we will not mind talking to Japan about the ownership of the Ryukyu Islands.
Danny Tamaki worships
It is worth noting that it is not only China that is re-examining the Ryukyu issue, but also the people of the Ryukyus.
In July last year, Ryukyu Governor Danny Tamaki visited China and paid homage to the Ryukyuan cemetery in the manner of the Ryukyuan people. Here is a detail that the Ryukyu governor did not use Japan incense, but used a Ryukyu incense that was brought to Ryukyu from China in ancient times.
Earlier, Ryukyu Vice Governor Yoshimi Teruya took the initiative to visit the Chinese ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, and the two had a secret conversation behind closed doors, and Teruya Yoshimi informed the Chinese ambassador that a "regional diplomatic office" would be set up to promote peace and regional exchanges around the Ryukyus. The meaning of these actions is self-evident.
However, although the "Ryukyu card" has great potential, it is not easy to play well. First of all, the Ryukyu issue is a long time ago, and there are no clear statistics on the level of popular support for independence. Second, from the perspective of international law, the sovereignty of the Ryukyus is indeed disputed, but the international community generally accepts the status quo that the Ryukyus belong to Japan. Moreover, Japan has the strong support of the United States, which has the right to speak in public opinion, making it much more difficult to change the status quo.
The Ryukyuan people have always called for independence
Therefore, when China revisits the issue of sovereignty in the Ryukyus, it will inevitably face fierce contradictions between China and the United States and between China and Japan, and China must act cautiously. But when China establishes the Ryukyu Research Center and convenes experts for high-level discussions, it may mean that China is ready to respond to a counterattack from the United States and Japan.
The establishment of the Ryukyu Research Center is not only an academic discussion, but also paves the way for possible diplomatic games in the future. This move indicates that China has a clearer direction and plan for its strategy toward Japan.
China's attitude is very clear: if Japan is honest and does not repeatedly jump sideways on China's red line, it can naturally have discussions, but if it insists on going its own way, China will not be soft. The revival of the Ryukyu issue is not only a warning to Japan, but also a serious reminder to the international community that historical issues have not yet been resolved and justice still needs to be maintained.