Nowadays, the dispute of Diaoyu island is white-hot, that attracted us to want to know Okinawa. I first know the island from a series of TV that called The Pacific. The terrible battle happened in Okinawa, a quarter of the civilian population died during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. Unfortunately, United States did not attack Japan 'mainland ' because of Japan’s surrender after two atomic bombed.

Today most of people will think Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan, but if we are back to the history about Okinawa, actually, the word of Okinawa is from a Japanese, but the first name of this island was not called Okinawa, but Ryukyu. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a state that had a tributary relationship with the Chinese Empire beginning in the 15th century, and continued to 1890s. Their culture and customs were maintaining Chinese Han culture. We won’t say that was a part of Chinese civilization, but that was influenced by Chinese civilization.

Things happened in the First Sino-Japan War ( Jiawu War). Firstly,  a Japanese fish boat disappeared in Ryukyu, then Japan invaded this island ( more likely the Lugou Bridge Attack), but they failed, however the Japan authority asked Qing Court a compensation for their fail. They accomplished because of the corruption of Qing Court. Some people thought that event was a fuse of the First Sino-Japan War. In 1894, Japan invaded Korea than attacked Chinese Navy ( that had been claimed the first Navy in Asia ), Unfortunately, Chinese Navy collapsed, no-one sheep could be existed. So Japan took the authority in Taiwan and Ryukyu.   

In 1945, United States attacked Okinawa, The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall).

The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Japan lost over 100,000 soldiers, who were either killed, captured or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds. Simultaneously, tens of thousands of local civilians were killed, wounded, or committed suicide. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused Japan to surrender just weeks after the end of the fighting at Okinawa. United States took the power in the island (just like Guahan belongs to United States )

In 1972, the U.S. government returned the islands to Japanese administration. The strategy is that United States needs Japan against China. Now we call that for the first island chain for controlling Chinese Navy cannot go out the Pacific freely.

We need to allege the Ryukyu independence movement which developed after 1945. Many Ryukyuan people see themselves as a separate Ryukyuan people, ethnically different, with a unique and separate cultural heritage. They see a great difference between themselves and the "mainland" Japanese, and many feel a strong connection to Ryukyuan traditional culture and the pre-1609 history of independence. The origination was struggling against the occupancy of United States, since 1972, and the return of Okinawa to Japanese control, voices turned once again towards the aim of a fully independent Ryukyuan state. In 2005, British-Chinese Lim John Chuan-tiong, the associate professor of the University of the Ryukyus, conducted a telephone poll of Okinawans over 18. He obtained useful replies from 1029 people. Asked whether they considered themselved Okinawan, Japanese, or both, the answers were 40.6%, 21.3%, and 36.5% respectively.

We welcome an independent Ryukyu country, we recommend an independent referendum in Ryukyu, this Beautiful island belongs to Ryukyuan.

(Some are form Wikipedia)