On May 15, Japan will mark the 45th anniversary of the return of Okinawa.
The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia, by Mamoru Akamine, Translated by Lina Terrell.200 pagesUNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESS, Nonfiction.
For 27 years prior, the U.S. administered the islands, a continuous period of occupation that began after the Battle of Okinawa in June 1945. This makes the new translation of Mamoru Akamine's "The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia" both welcome and timely. Many Okinawans today still feel like the put-upon runt of Japan's prefectural litter.