2　琉球／沖縄差別の根底にあるものは何か　憲法の視点を交えて

抄録

Since the “return” of Okinawa (Ryukyu) to Japan in 1972, the U.S. military has maintained its bases in Okinawa with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces also deployed. Thus, Okinawa has continued to be militarized even under the pacifism of the Japanese Constitution. The uneven distribution of U.S. military bases in Japan under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which is supported by the Japanese majority, has resulted in the concentration of assaults around the bases, also known as the “Okinawa Problem.” However, the damages are difficult to perceive in mainland Japan. The root of the “discrimination,” as the Japanese Government and mainland residents continue to push the problems arising from the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty to Okinawa, is based on colonialism.

In connection with the discrimination against Okinawa, is based on colonialism. In connection with the discrimination against Okinawa, this paper describes the “structural discrimination toward Okinawa” as an accumulation of contradictions between the Constitution of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty system. The paper indicates that the deployment and strengthening of the Self-Defense Forces in the Ryukyu Islands to the south of Amami constitute the new Suteishi Sakusen (“Sacrifice Operation”).

Additionally, this paper examines the discrimination against Okinawa within the following forms: discrimination against Okinawa based on colonialism, hatred against Okinawa, the non-application of the Constitution toward Okinawa, the non-application of the Constitution toward the colonies under the Meiji Constitution, and the problem of colonial awareness inherent in the people of Okinawa.

This paper focuses on colonialism that underlies the discrimination through a multifaceted examination of the discrimination against Okinawa. The author believes that understanding the current situation in Okinawa and thinking about colonialism will lead to Japan recognizing and liquidating colonialism and becoming independent.