Abstract
The purpose of this study was to measure the acceptance attitude of Okinawan residents toward Okinawan immigrants, clarify the actual situation, and examine the factors that determine the acceptance attitude. The results of a web-based survey of 724 Okinawan residents revealed two factors, namely “positive acceptance” and “embarrassment”, and the scores for each factor indicated that Okinawan residents’ acceptance of Okinawan immigrants was relatively positive. A structural equation modeling analysis of the determinants of acceptance attitude toward Okinawan immigrants revealed that Okinawan identity and knowledge of Okinawan immigrants had a relatively strong effect on attitude toward these immigrants, regardless of whether Okinawan residents were from within or outside Okinawa.
