In Okinawa, an independence movement finds an unlikely ally

At first glance, the vibe at Cannon, an upstairs dive bar in one of Okinawa’s busy nightlife districts, doesn’t suggest a night to remember.

But the mood shifts once the lights come down and 73-year-old Eiichi Miyanaga — better known as Chibi — takes the stage with his band, Koza BC. 

Wearing a cowboy hat and black jeans, Chibi belts out a mix of ’70s rock hits and his own songs, sending a message he’s been championing for decades: 

“We’re not Japanese. We have our own kingdom.”

Chibi refers to the Ryukyu Kingdom, a once-independent maritime state that governed these South Pacific islands for centuries before Japan annexed it in the late 19th century. 

For a small but vocal group of mostly older activists, including Chibi, reclaiming this history and pushing for Okinawa’s independence from Japan is a deeply personal mission.

In recent years, however, independence activists like Chibi have found an increasingly vocal, if not unusual ally: China.

A history of struggle

For centuries, the Ryukyu Kingdom thrived as a center of trade, maintaining a tributary relationship with China while preserving its autonomy. 

That changed in 1879, when Japan annexed the kingdom, suppressing the Ryukyuan language and culture as part of a larger effort to assimilate the islands into Japanese society.

World War II brought even greater devastation to the island. The Battle of Okinawa in 1945, one of the war’s bloodiest, claimed the lives of nearly a third of the civilian population. 

After the war, the US occupied Okinawa, converting large swathes of land into military bases. Although the islands were returned to Japan in 1972, the US presence remains significant, with 32 military installations still in operation.

For many Okinawans, this complex history has fueled a sense of cultural and political distinctiveness from mainland Japan.

Beijing’s subtle support

In recent years, China has shown increasing interest in Okinawa’s independence movement. 

For Robert D. Eldridge, an American historian and senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, Beijing sees the movement as an opportunity to destabilize Japan and weaken its alliance with the United States.

“China is seeking multiple ways to drive a wedge between Okinawa and the Japanese central government, and between Japan and the United States,” he explained.

This influence often manifests in subtle ways. 

In June 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested that the status of Okinawa was “unresolved,” hinting at potential historical territorial claims. 

In October, an investigation from Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia uncovered around 200 inauthentic social media accounts — some of which had millions of engagements — targeting Chinese-speaking audiences to ramp up support for Okinawan independence from the Japanese mainland. 

Still, overall support for independence within Okinawa today is limited, with polls showing only about 10% of residents in favor.

Younger Okinawans in particular often approach the issue with nuance, weighing the complexities of independence against economic realities.

“We need to see both sides,” said 22-year-old Miyu Yonashiro, a student at the University of the Ryukyus. “Not just the bad points, but also the good ones.”

For Yonashiro, economic dependence on the Japanese government and concerns about regional security make independence a daunting prospect. 

She also sees the US military in Okinawa as a safeguard, particularly as tensions between China and Taiwan escalate.

For older activists like Chibi, however, the US military’s presence evokes a painful history. 

Chibi’s father was an American soldier stationed in Okinawa in the 1950s, but he left before Chibi was born. Decades later, Chibi recalls his first encounters with US soldiers in the 1960s and ’70s, describing a sense of entitlement and lack of respect for locals.

Recent controversies, including high-profile sexual assault cases involving US personnel, have only deepened resentment among Okinawans.

When asked about Beijing’s involvement in his independence movement, however, Chibi dismissed the suggestion outright.

“We’re not China, we’re not America, we’re not any other country,” he declared. “We are Ryukyu.”