Okinawa and Nixon
Okinawa Prefecture is one of the most special autonomous bodies in Japan.
It is situated in the most southern and western part of the Japanese Archipelago. It consists of tens or more of islands situated between the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea. It takes the position between Taiwan and Kyusyu, one of the major islands of Japan.
Okinawa was once an independent kingdom, though Okinawa residents are undoubtedly of the Japanese race. Okinawa was so far away from Nara, the center of ancient Japan, and Kyoto, the imperial capital of Japan since the 8th century. Accordingly, until the 17th century, Okinawa was independent from political power in Japan proper, consisting of four major islands. Rather, as it was close to the Chinese Continent, the Okinawa (Ryukyu) kingdom was nominally subject to imperial courts of China, though this ambiguous situation was ended when the Empire of Japan was established in the late 19th century. Okinawa became a prefecture of the Empire.
During WWII, Okinawa became the only battleground within the inherent Japanese territory.
The Battle of Okinawa continued from March 26 to June 20 of 1945. The Imperial Army and Navy deployed 116,400 soldiers against 548,000 American soldiers coming on ships to land on the mainland of Okinawa and other peripheral islands. The Imperial military headquarters in Tokyo sent 1,900 military planes for kamikaze missions around Okinawa Island.
The US lost 12,520 soldiers and the Empire of Japan lost 94,136 soldiers and 94,000 civilians in this Battle of Okinawa.
After the end of WWII in 1945, the US continued to occupy Okinawa to run the administration. Okinawa citizens were separated from mainland Japan. The Japanese Constitution and laws did not apply in Okinawa.
So, after WWII it became a big political issue for Tokyo to take back Okinawa. However, as the US lost so many soldiers in the Battle of Okinawa, the American military was against the idea of returning Okinawa to Japan, though Japan and the US became very friendly with each other after WWII.
However, On May 15, 1972, the administration right over Okinawa was returned to Japan without any costs (except some secret agreements on defense issues). It was one of the major and last transactions to settle territorial disputes in the world after WWII.
And, it was then regarded as great diplomatic success for the then prime minister of Japan Eisaku Sato. Sato later even received the Nobel Peace Prize.
But it was his old brother Nobuskuke Kishi who paved the way for this diplomatic success by Sato. Kishi was prime minister of Japan between 1957 and 1960, though his younger brother Sato assumed the PM office between 1964 and 1972.
When Kishi was PM of Japan, he visited the US to meet President Dwight Eisenhower. Kishi consolidated a diplomatic tie with the Eisenhower Administration. And the Vice President for Eisenhower was Richard Nixon.
When Nixon later lost a presidential election against John F. Kennedy and failed in an election for the governor of California, Kishi supported Nixon. Kishi invited Nixon to Japan and asked some top business leaders of Japan to financially support the unlucky American politician. And, eventually, Nixon won the presidential election in 1968.
Then, former Japanese prime minister Kishi traveled to the White House to meet Nixon and asked the president to treat his younger brother Sato, the then PM of Japan, with favor especially in terms of the Okinawa issue.
Eventually, negotiations between Tokyo and Washington over the reversion of Okinawa to Japan went well to the advantage of Japan. Prime Minister Eisaku Sato could take back Okinawa under the Japanese sovereignty in 1972 with help from President Richard Nixon.
So, a personal relationship between a US president and Japanese prime ministers made the difficult achievement possible. Okinawa returned to Japan as Nixon was familiar with some Japanese elites in politics and business.
Nonetheless, it is interesting that one of Nixon's aids, Mr. Henry Kissinger, does not look like being pro-Japanese at all, even today.
In addition the Senkaku Islands are duly part of Okinawa Prefecture, which the US Government admits, tough China and Taiwan claim their right on Senkaku so groundlessly.
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Luk 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Luk 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.