As Typhoon Haikui looms over Taiwan, Ryukyu (Okinawa) anti-war activists traveled to Taiwan on September 2nd to join a rally. They spoke out against the aggressive military preparations by the US and Japanese Self-Defense Forces in the region, warning of the potential for dragging both Ryukyu and Taiwan into conflict. The activists also urged that mainland China should not be viewed as the enemy and stressed the importance of maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwan Labor Rights Association, in conjunction with the Labor Party’s International Department, organized the event titled “Listen! Voices from Ryukyu: Advocacy for Peace in East Asia.” They invited representatives from the Ryukyuan group “Miyako Island Residents Against Missile Bases” and Takamatsu Gushiken, a researcher from Okinawa University and a volunteer for war remains collection from Ryukyu, to echo the message of peace. Other attendees included anti-war activists from New York, Tokyo, and the Yonaguni Islands.
Shimizu Hayako, one of the representatives, presented numerous visual aids highlighting Japan’s military expansion on Miyako Island. This included the construction of missile bases and armories, disregarding local safety and terrain concerns. She shared that residents of Miyako Island have protested for over 2,000 days, blocking access to Chiyoda base and chanting slogans against armament.
Addressing recent speculations about potential “incidents” in the Taiwan Strait, Hayako claimed that such “incidents,” which suggest warfare in the Japanese context, are part of the U.S. strategy to “manufacture war” in areas like Korea, Ryukyu, and Taiwan. She emphasized that, given history, the people of Ryukyu distrust the military.
Takamatsu Gushiken, another speaker, shared his perspective on the situation. With four decades of experience in collecting the remains of war victims from World War II in Okinawa, he discussed the brutal realities of war and stressed the significance of peace. Commenting on the “Taiwan incident,” Gushiken expressed skepticism over Japanese media’s portrayal, noting that if war were to break out in the Taiwan Strait, retaliation from China would be inevitable, which would place Ryukyu residents in harm’s way.
Eigo Akita, representing the “All-Asia Anti-US-Japan Aggression and Control Movement,” noted that Japan has started preparations to intervene in the Taiwan Strait. He mentioned that last year the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force conducted a massive military drill involving 400,000 personnel and has already set up numerous military bases in the Ryukyu Islands. Akita argued that it’s not China, but US-Japan militaristic imperialism that is the real threat.
Wrapping up the event, Wu Rongyuan, chairman of the Taiwan Labor Party, emphasized that the problems of Taiwan are for the Chinese on both sides of the strait to decide. He highlighted that the issue with the U.S. is not just a regional geopolitical concern but a global issue of opposing hegemony and warfare. Wu called on the people of East Asia and Taiwan to come together to safeguard peace and development in the region.
