#Japan annexed the #Ryuku Kingdom in 1879, and renamed the Indigenous archipeligo "Okinawa." It arches from Kyūshū, the southwesternmost of Japan's main islands, towards Taiwan.
The small islands' proximity to China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan make them strategically enticing to military powers. Last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported that 70% of US military bases in Japan are in #Okinawa.
Japan does not recognize the Ryuku people as #Indigenous.