Japan: Violation of human rights of indigenous peoples of Ryukyus in Okinawa This is a report from the Japanese NGO IMADR to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination It discusses Japanese colonisation of Okinawa and argues that "the Japanese government has never accepted Ryukyuans as indigenous peoples, but been holding the view that they are Japanese in contradiction to the opinions of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance."
Okinawa is a Japanese Colony An essay about Okinawa by Dr. Yasukatsu Matsushima, Professor of Ryukoku University and the representative of civil group “Yuimarle Ryukyu no Jichi (autonomy of Ryukyu).”
Okinawa dialects are taking on new sounds While the original 900 dialects of the Okinawa islands are gradually fading, songs are one opportunity for regional tongues of the past to be remembered. This article looks at how Ryukyuan languages are changing and becoming less widely used, as well as at folk music in Okinawa. Japan Times, July 18, 2000.
Okinawans push to preserve unique language Uchinaguchi, spoken in the southern half of the main island of Okinawa, is for the most part completely unintelligible to most Japanese. Even Okinawans who grew up speaking standard Japanese consider Uchnaguchi just a dialect, something subordinate to Japanese, and some people expect the language to be extinct in a few decades. Japan Times, 19 May 2012.
Language Loss and Revitalization in the Ryukyu Islands By Patrick Heinrich. Ryukyuan languages are seriously endangered today and conscious efforts of language revitalization are necessary to ensure their future use. This article is an account of how the Ryukyuan languages came to be endangered and of current efforts for their revitalization. Japan Focus, November 10, 2005.
The Ryukyus and the New, But Endangered, Languages of Japan A long article by Fija Bairon, Matthias Brenzinger and Patrick Heinrich "UNESCO recognizes six languages of the Luchu Islands [Ryukyu Islands] of which two are severely endangered, Yaeyama and Yonaguni, and four are classified as definitely endangered, Amami, Kunigami, Uchinaa [Okinawa] and Miyako". This article looks at languages in the Ryukyuan islands, their use, and issues and language rights and whether there is still palace for these languages. The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, 9 May 2009.
“Wanne Uchinanchu – I am Okinawan.” Japan, the US and Okinawa’s Endangered Languages Patrick Heinrich interviews Fija Bairon on Okinawa’s endangered languages and culture, and efforts to restore them. "In this article Okinawan language and cultural activist Fija Bairon speaks on the discovery of his Okinawan identity and on his attempts to maintain and revitalize Uchinaguchi, one of five Ryukyuan languages. An introduction addresses issues of Ryukyuan language endangerment and the local attempts of language revitalisation." The Asia-Pacific Journal Japan Focus, 22 Nov, 2007.
Young People Relocate Ryukyu Folk House by Themselves Young Okinawans and non-Okinawans in their early 20s are relocating an 80 year-old folk house. Okinawa Clip, 10 Oct 2013.
World Youth Uchinanchu Association (WYUA) USA is an organization promoting activities, connection, leadership, and self-identity for young Okinawans across the USA and the world. See also Activities for the 2nd Worldwide Youth Uchinanchu Festival have begun Ryukyu Shimpo, 24 Dec 2012, The 1st World Youth Uchinanchu Festival in Brazil・2012, The 3rd Worldwide Youth Uchinanchu Festival Germany 2014
Ryukyuans (Okinawans) A short overview looking at the history and lingusitic distinctiveness of the Ryukyu islands, and current issues facing Ryukyuan people, from the Minority Rights Group. No date.
Profile: Japan's Okinawa This article looks at the history of Okinawa/the Ryukyu islands, especially relations with Japan, and at the current issue of US bases in Okinawa. BBC News, 13 November 2009.
A Brief History of the Uchinanchu (Okinawans): Okinawa is a State of Mind By Ryan Masaaki Yokota, member, Okinawa Peace Network - Los Angeles. Looks at the history of Okinawa , as well as at current issues facing Okinawa such as land ownership, environmental problems, the sex trade and the US military presence, and at the issue of Okinawan nationalism.
Website of the Okinawa Peace Network - Los Angeles: to provide updates on Okinawans around the world, the anti-military movement in Okinawa, the stuggles of indigenous Uchinanchu (Okinawans), and to link the stuggle of Uchinanchu with anti-imperialist struggles around the world. Includes Links about Okinawan politics, society, history, culture and language.
From Assimilation to Bases: NGOs lament Okinawans' plight Three Japanese nongovernmental organizations have submitted a report to the United Nations detailing human rights abuses by the Japanese government and U.S. military forces against the people of Okinawa....they say Okinawans have been "subjected to policies of colonialism and forced assimilation, which have resulted in various forms of ethnic discrimination" since the Ryukyu Kingdom, an independent nation, was forcibly annexed by Japan in 1879. Japan Times, Feb. 3, 2001.
Okinawans decry discrimination by mainland Japanese Haruka Higa shares a growing sense of frustration among Okinawans that mainland Japanese are discriminating against them. She says she realized Okinawans are not considered equal when she listened to politicians in Tokyo calling for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa Prefecture. Asahi Shimbun, 11 May, 2012.
Okinawans push to preserve unique language Uchinaguchi, spoken in the southern half of the main island of Okinawa, is for the most part completely unintelligible to most Japanese. Even Okinawans who grew up speaking standard Japanese consider Uchnaguchi just a dialect, something subordinate to Japanese, and some people expect the language to be extinct in a few decades. Japan Times, 19 May 2012.
The Ryukyus and the New, But Endangered, Languages of Japan A long article by Fija Bairon, Matthias Brenzinger and Patrick Heinrich "UNESCO recognizes six languages of the Luchu Islands [Ryukyu Islands] of which two are severely endangered, Yaeyama and Yonaguni, and four are classified as definitely endangered, Amami, Kunigami, Uchinaa [Okinawa] and Miyako". This article looks at languages in the Ryukyuan islands, their use, and issues and language rights and whether there is still place for these languages. The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, 9 May 2009.
Being Okinawan in Japan: The Diaspora Experience This article by Steve Rabson is based on his book, The Okinawan Diaspora in Japan: Crossing the Borders Within, and discusses the history of Okinawan people in mainland Japan, their current situation and attitudes to them, and questions of their identity as Okinawans within Japan. The Asia-Paciifc Journal: Japan Focus, 19 March 2012.
Uchinaa Pop: Place and Identity in Contemporary Okinawan Popular Music by James E. Roberson, Critical Asian Studies, 2001. This is an academic article that looks at images of Okinawan pop music that stress the colourful ethnic appeal of this music and other views of it as a hybrid mixture of Okinanwan and Western influences that emphasise that Okinawa is itself a hybrid, mixed place.
Going with the Okiflow: How Okinawan Youth Compile Ethnicity Amid Dehumanizing Work and Rehumanizing Leisure (沖流に乗って――仕事とレジャーの間で民族性を再編する沖縄の若者たち) by Hiroshi Aoyagi, no date. This longer article looks at how youth in Okinawa use Okinawan pop culture in their "ethnic identification and solidarity building vis-à- vis Japan’s mainstream culture that emphasizes hard work, conformity, and interpersonal rivalry. By utilizing Okiflow, my Okinawan informants [people he interviewed] tried to boost the image of their culture as easy- going and life-reverencing. For these informants, leisure activities that revolved around Okiflow became effective components in their construction of social ties and local prides."