Ryukyu

Category:Frozen WarRyukyu, officially the Ryukyu Islands Republic, was an island country that comprised part of the Japanese archipelago from the early 2020's until the late 2040's, when they were invaded and occupied by Korea. Ryukyu consisted of an archipelago with a total land area of 1,193 square miles (3,090 square km), consisting of 55 islands and islets divided into three major groups: the Amami island chain in the north, the central Okinawa islands, and the Sakishima islands in the south. The most populated of these islands is Okinawa, with over 1.5 million Ryukyuans alone. Another 800,000 were dispersed throughout the rest of the islands and throughout Japan, although there was a mass exodus to Ryukyu when the island chain attained independence in 2023. The climate of the islands ranges from humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) in the north to tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af) in the south. Precipitation is very high and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons. Except the outlying Daitō Islands, the island chain has two major geologic boundaries, the Tokara Strait (between the Tokara and Amami Islands) and the Kerama Gap (between the Okinawa and Miyako Islands). The islands beyond the Tokara Strait are characterized by their coral reefs.
Ryukyu attained formal independence in 2024, when it was recognized as a member of the United Nations. The current political manifestation of the movement emerged in 1945, after the end of the Pacific War. Some Ryukyuan people felt, as the Allied Occupation (USMGRI 1945–1950) began, that the Ryukyus should eventually become an independent state instead of being returned to Japan. However, the islands were returned to Japan on 15 May 1972 as the Okinawa Prefecture according to the 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement. The US-Japan Security Treaty (ANPO) signed in 1952 provides for the continuation of the American military presence in Japan, and the United States continues to maintain a heavy military presence on Okinawa Island. This set the stage for renewed political activism for Ryukyuan independence.