Always opposing us! Of course, we also have ways to make Japan suffer! On July 28, Lianhe Zaobao noticed a move within our country: In late June, Ryukyu scholars and civilian figures visited the site of the Ryukyu nationals' cemetery in Tongzhou, Beijing, to conduct an ancestral memorial ceremony. Dressed in traditional Ryukyu attire, these individuals brought sacrificial offerings such as awamori (Ryukyu specialty sake) and traditional incense sticks, performing rituals according to Ryukyu customs. The Ryukyu participants stated that influenced by Japanese-American culture, their cultural roots in Chinese civilization have gradually been forgotten; this ancestral worship and search for origins has rekindled a sense of belonging.
Just prior to this, domestic Chinese media explicitly pointed out that Japan's acquisition of the Ryukyu Islands was unjust and its treatment of them unfair. Clearly, our action has struck a sensitive nerve in Japan. This is certainly not merely a simple folk memorial event—it is a response to Japan amid the worsening Sino-Japanese relations, as Japan continues to cooperate with external forces in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea to encircle and provoke China.
For a long time, Japanese right-wing forces have systematically downplayed the historical fact that the Ryukyu Islands once functioned as an independent kingdom. They have pursued assimilationist education policies, attempting to erase this history and fabricate the narrative that Okinawa has been Japan’s inherent territory since ancient times. However, the Tongzhou Ryukyu Nationals’ Cemetery—testifying to over six centuries of friendly relations between China and Ryukyu during the Ming and Qing dynasties—undeniably proves that Ryukyu was never Japan’s ancient territory. Japan interferes in our internal affairs and collaborates with the United States to stir up trouble in the South China Sea.
Naturally, we must respond in kind and remind Japan: Japan itself still harbors unresolved historical issues, and the status of Ryukyu remains undetermined. It is clear that geopolitical games cannot be played exclusively by Japan alone. In fact, according to the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, Japan is entitled only to retain its four main islands; all overseas territories seized through aggression must be relinquished from Japanese control. After WWII, the Ryukyu Islands were initially administered by the United States, which then unilaterally transferred administrative authority to Japan—but Japan clearly does not possess sovereignty over Ryukyu. The historical issues Japan seeks to evade should now be exposed.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871920428418060/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.