Editing Okinawa Prefecture (section)

=== Postwar disposition disputes ===
During World War II, the [[Allies of World War II|Allied powers]] engaged in multiple rounds of discussions regarding the postwar status of the Ryukyu Islands. At the [[Cairo Conference]] in 1943, U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] proactively raised the issue of Ryukyu’s sovereignty, suggesting that China might administer the islands after the war. However, Chinese leader [[Chiang Kai-shek]] responded only cautiously, proposing instead a joint occupation and international trusteeship. As a result, the [[1943 Cairo Declaration|Cairo Declaration]] made no explicit reference to the Ryukyus, instead stating that territories such as [[Taiwan]] and the [[Pescadores]]—seized by Japan—should be returned to China. Historians believe Chiang hesitated because he was unsure whether Roosevelt’s offer was sincere or a diplomatic probe, and because the wartime [[Nationalist government]] relied heavily on American support and wished to avoid a territorial dispute.

As the Pacific War progressed, the U.S. military increasingly emphasized the strategic importance of the Ryukyus. In 1944, some U.S. officials proposed exclusive control of the islands to serve as a bulwark against Soviet expansion and threats from the Asian mainland. Roosevelt reportedly expressed to [[Joseph Stalin]] his support for returning the Ryukyus to China, but no formal agreements emerged from the Cairo, [[Yalta Conference|Yalta]], or [[Potsdam Conference|Potsdam]] meetings. The [[Potsdam Declaration]] stated only that Japanese sovereignty would be limited to the islands of [[Honshu]], [[Kyushu]], [[Shikoku]], and [[Hokkaido]], while other territories—including the Ryukyus—would be subject to future decisions by the Allied powers.<ref name="houyi">{{cite journal|last=Hou|first=Yi|title=The Post-WWII Disposition of the Ryukyu Issue and the Origin of the Diaoyu Islands Dispute|journal=China's Borderland History and Geography Studies|volume=25|issue=4|date=December 2015|pages=124–132|publisher=Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences|language=zh}}</ref><ref name="anchengri">{{cite journal|last1=An|first1=Chengri|last2=Li|first2=Jinbo|title=On the Formation of U.S. Trusteeship Policy Over Okinawa After WWII (Part 1)|journal=Journal of Beihua University (Social Science Edition)|volume=12|issue=6|date=December 2011|pages=61–66|publisher=Beihua University|language=zh}}</ref>

After the war, the Nationalist government of China recognized the strategic value of the Ryukyu Islands and proposed a joint trusteeship with the United States for a period of five to ten years. Later proposals included allowing the U.S. to establish bases on some islands, indicating a willingness to compromise and an understanding that the U.S. would not readily transfer sovereignty to China. Chinese domestic opinion was divided: some called for an independent Ryukyuan state, others demanded the full incorporation of the Ryukyus into Chinese territory. Most emphasized the islands’ strategic importance as a buffer zone and argued they should not fall into the hands of another power.<ref name="houyi"/>

In 1946, the [[United States Department of State]] advocated for the return of the Ryukyus to Japan, citing anti-expansion principles and concerns over economic burdens. In contrast, the U.S. military proposed that the islands be designated as a "strategic trust territory," with Okinawa Island declared a "strategic area." Military leaders argued that the high cost of American lives during the [[Battle of Okinawa]] justified permanent military governance as compensation for their sacrifice. After internal debate, the plan was formalized in SWNCC 59/1, which proposed placing Okinawa under U.S. military administration rather than returning it to Japan, using trusteeship arrangements to sidestep sovereignty issues. The directives [[SCAPIN-677]] and [[SCAPIN-841]] established the legal and administrative basis for U.S. jurisdiction south of the 29th parallel north, forming the framework for postwar American control.<ref name="anchengri"/>