Ryūkyū Province (琉球国 Ryūkyū-no kuni) was a short-lived province of Japan in the area of the Okinawa Prefecture and other islands at the Pacific edge of the East China Sea. The history of the province only extends from 1872 through 1879.[1]
Contents |
The Province occupied the same area as the former Ryūkyū Kingdom, comprising a chain of islands south of Kyushu which extends from Tanegashima to Hateruma which lies close to the 24th parallel of north latitude.[2] It encompassed the Ryūkyū Islands, including the Amami Islands, the Okinawa Islands, the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyama Islands.
In 1872, the Ryūkyū Kingdom was reconfigured as the Ryūkyū Province.[3] The Ryūkyū kingdom was annexed to Japan as Ryūkyū han.[4] The former king and Ryūkyūan aristocrats were granted lands and stipends of support in this period.[5] The administration of the Ryūkyū Province (Ryūkyū han) was established under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry.[4]
After the Taiwan Expedition of 1874, Japan's role as the protector of the Ryūkyūan people was acknowledged; but the sovereignty of the Ryūkyū islands remained indeterminate. The fiction of independence was maintained for diplomatic reasons.[6]
In 1875, administrative jurisdiction over the Ryūkyūs was transferred from the Foreign Ministry to the Home Ministry.[4]
After 1879, the Ryūkyū Islands became an integral part of Japan.[7] The administration of the archipelago was reorganized as Okinawa-ken.[8]
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||