The uniqueness of Japan in the world is determined by its geographical location, historical and cultural features and economic development. In Japan itself, Okinawa Prefecture stands out as a special region.

Okinawa Prefecture is located in the southern part of the Ryukyu Islands, which stretch between Kyushu and Taiwan. Okinawa is the largest of them (see map). In general, the archipelago consists of 160 islands and islets (of which, according to 2010 data, only 48 are inhabited, and the rest are deserted), stretching for 400 km from north to south. From the capital of Okinawa, Naha, to Tokyo - ^1,550 km, and to Shanghai almost half as much-820 km; to Taiwan - only 630 km1.

This geographical position largely determined the peculiarities of Okinawa, which is often called "non-Japanese" Japan. What are these features?

INFLUENCE GEOGRAPHICAL FACTOR...

Russian scientists note 4 main aspects that determined the development of Okinawa:

- geographical (peripheral location in relation to the center of the country and close proximity to China, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries);

- natural and climatic (subtropics, mild resort climate);

- historical and cultural (features of the history of joining Japan and the identity that differs from it);

- geostrategic (strong US military presence on the islands due to their proximity to potentially dangerous sources of regional conflicts)².

Until 1879, this territory was an independent Ryukyu Kingdom, which was in vassalage to China and stretched from southern Japan to Taiwan. In terms of historical and cultural features and language, the islands that are part of Okinawa Prefecture are significantly different from the rest of Japan, which is called "Hondo", i.e. "main territory". The indigenous inhabitants of the islands are even different in appearance, just as their Namari dialect is significantly different from Japanese. Although today only a small part of the population of Okinawa speaks local dialects - mostly the older generation, and the rest of its inhabitants speak "standard" Japanese, the cultural differences of the region remain. Traditional beliefs are still strong in Okinawa - they differ significantly from Japanese Shintoism3. Buddhism and Christianity became more widespread, especially after World War II.

Many elements of Okinawa's traditional culture are characterized by duality: -

Map of Japan.

In the Ryukyu kingdom, there was a closed world of courtiers and other nobles who maintained close ties with China and adopted many Chinese traditions - in the style of clothing, music, and cooking, while the everyday life of ordinary people preserved its original culture.

Peculiar culinary preferences of the islanders. Okinawa is surrounded by the ocean, but fish dishes are not very common there: in hot climates, fish quickly spoils. The main ingredients of the local table are different-pork, tofu (soy curd) and seaweed, the consumption of which Okinawa excels in the country ⁴.

The traditional element of the local culture - the Ryukyu dance-is unique and famous. In the Ryukyu Kingdom, there was an "Odori-buge" - a special institution for improving dance skills and staging performances for the entertainment of Chinese ambassadors. No less famous is another folk dance - eisa, accompanied by a performance of drummers.

Okinawa is also famous all over the world as the birthplace of karate-the art of self-defense without weapons. It is believed that the traditional martial arts of Okinawa were influenced by Chinese methods of fisticuffs, which resulted in the birth of karate ⁵.

Japanese influence on the traditional culture of Okinawa was most pronounced in the 17th and 19th centuries, when the Ryukyu Kingdom was under the influence of the powerful Satsuma clan. During this period, the kingdom actively imported various Japanese technologies. Painting, calligraphy, fabric making, lacquerware, ceramics, etc. flourished here. ⁶

Immediately after joining Japan in 1879. Okinawa became the target of a deliberate policy of "Japanization" - turning the islands into the southern outpost of the empire. The main industry on the islands at that time was the cultivation of sugar cane. On the main island, a railway was built to transport cane to the port of Naha. The fall in the price of cane on the world market in the 1920s led to a deep crisis in Okinawa. Many residents have left the island for central Japan and abroad.⁷

...AND THE MILITARY-POLITICAL FACTOR

An important stage in the modern history of Okinawa is the period during and after World War II. The southern part of the main island, which was the site of the fiercest battles in 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, has now been turned into a theme park and Peace Museum.

After the war, Okinawa came under the guardianship of the United States. 600 thousand people who lived on the islands at that time, turned into people without citizenship. There was a US dollar in circulation, instead of left-hand traffic on the roads, right-hand traffic was introduced, and a passport and special permit were required to travel to Japan.

The Americans did not deal with the economy or social problems of the archipelago. It had a purely military-applied significance for them and was actively used during the wars in Korea (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1957-1975). Formally, the United States returned these islands to Japan in 1972, and in reality - ^{in 1975.8}

Okinawa became the 47th prefecture of Japan. But even now, a large number of US military bases are located here, and the development of the prefecture is largely determined by relations with the Americans.

The bases occupy about 19% of the main island's territory, but only 1.6% of the population works on them. In some cities, such as Ginoza and Kin, more than 35% of income is related to bases: they are formed at the expense of taxes from land rent and employment of the local population.⁹

The presence of US military forces on the island is causing protests among Japanese residents, which are intensifying after incidents involving the US military. So, mass protests broke out in 1995 after the rape of a 12-year - old schoolgirl by American soldiers, and in 2004 after the crash of an American helicopter on the territory of Okinawa International University.

In the summer of 2004, the United States decided on a large-scale reorganization of its armed forces stationed abroad.¹⁰ It provides for a reduction in the military presence in Okinawa. But residents of the island are seeking a complete withdrawal of American bases.

OKINAWA REGIONAL POLICY

According to the American researcher G. McCormack, the development of Okinawa Prefecture depends on four main factors: the policy of the Japanese government, the existence of US military bases, the presence of tourists, and the actions of local authorities.¹¹

For historical reasons, the population of the prefecture has always been distinguished by a special local identity and a stronger protest level compared to other regions of Japan. Some Okinawans consider colonial not only the policy of the Americans on the islands, but also the policy of the Japanese, starting from the Meiji era (1868-1912). Therefore, the Japanese government after the annexation of Okinawa had to carry out any reforms very delicately.

Among all the prefectures of Japan, there are two that the authorities take special measures to develop: Hokkaido, in the north of the country, and Okinawa. At the same time, Okinawa is the only region mentioned not only in the regional section of the national development plan of Japan "Grand Design of the XXI century"¹², but also in the chapter "Special goals and their achievement".

We are talking about the need to reduce the number of US military bases and the area occupied by them, as well as the strategic position of Okinawa in the Asia-Pacific region, and its possible role in the development of Japan's international relations with the countries of Southeast Asia. The plan notes the unique natural and cultural riches of the islands, provides for the development of Okinawa as a center of tourism and recreation, trade-through the creation of a free economic zone, R & D and innovation in the field of health, food industry, IT technologies, telecommunications.

Within the Ministry of Land Resources, Infrastructure and Transport, there are special departments for regional development. The Okinawa Development Authority was established in 1972 following the adoption of the Okinawa Special Measures Act on December 31, 1971.

At that time, complex tasks were set: to improve the quality and standard of living of the population, improve the state of infrastructure (roads, energy and water supply), develop industry and agriculture in the region, and protect the environment. A separate task is to improve transport accessibility and infrastructure on small islands far from the main island. Okinawa.

Based on the aforementioned law, 5 ten-year development plans for Okinawa have already been adopted. In implementing the first one (1972-1981), the main focus was on eliminating the distortions that arose during the years of American domination in the economic and social spheres. The second decade was spent on the formation of a balanced structure for the development of the islands. The third plan coincided with a prolonged recession, the way out of which the country was looking for ways to liberalize economic relations and provide greater freedoms to local self-government bodies.¹³

These ideas were developed and deepened both in the 4th Okinawa Development Plan (2002-2011) and in the current national plan "Vision of Okinawa for the 21st Century"¹⁴. The latter differs from all previous ones in that it was developed independently by the Okinawa Government on the basis of a concept proposed by the Japanese Government back in 1997 (during the celebration 25th anniversary of the return of Okinawa).

Since then, the goals and objectives of the plan have undergone a number of changes, as the situation in the global economy has changed significantly over the years, as well as in the economies of Southeast and East Asian countries: competition in both industry and services has increased.¹⁵

The main economic sector in Okinawa is tourism. Its development is fraught with a number of problems. First, despite attempts by the authorities in recent years to increase the number of foreign tourists visiting the prefecture, about 95% of them are still Japanese. ¹⁶ Second, most hotel owners, as well as some employees in this field, are residents of other Japanese prefectures. A significant proportion of souvenir items also come from other regions of Japan. This indicates that the development of tourism requires the necessary additional measures.

In addition, the development of tourism is hindered by the lack of water and problems with sewerage. The problem of lack of fresh water can only be solved by constructing expensive seawater desalination plants ¹⁷.

The Okinawa Vision for the 21st Century plan is drawn up for the period up to 2030. It is based on the following goals::

- ensuring the preservation of the nature and traditional culture of Okinawa, the safety of its inhabitants, the development of industry and human potential, and the involvement of citizens in the life of their region;

- solving the most serious problems

problems related to unemployment, U.S. military bases, remote islands, transportation, education, and rural depopulation;

- Contribution to sustainable development and international relations in Japan.

Special attention should be paid to small remote islands.

A distinctive feature of this plan was that surveys of the local population were conducted to create it. The implementation of the plan is checked annually and adjusted according to the PDCA cycle principle (Plan Do Check Act Plan - Do - Check - Act). The development of Okinawa is estimated on 247 indicators, one of the key ones is the involvement of citizens, public and tourist organizations in the life of the prefecture.

During the author's meeting in March 2014 with representatives of the prefecture, they reported that, despite the success of recent years (the creation of a free trade zone, Japan's largest call centers* and digital information storage centers, a steady increase in the number of tourists), there are still a number of problems in the development of the region. First of all, it is the lack of financial independence: about 80% of the prefectural budget is received from the Japanese government; insufficient development of industry**; the presence of American military bases; the absence of a railway. Okinawa is the only prefecture where there is no railway, so far it is only planned to continue the only one on the island. Okinawa monorail line that covers only Naha and connects it to the airport. The line is about 13 km long and has 15 stations.

Professor of Okinawa International University H. Maedomari, an expert on regional development in Okinawa, mentioned several other promising projects in the region. So, since 2012, ANA Airlines has been implementing a project to create a cargo transportation hub at Naha Airport. In 2013, the airport's cargo turnover was about 70 thousand tons, which is 7 times higher than in 2009. Through this airport, 9 ANA aircraft carry out cargo transportation throughout the Asian region18.

As for tourism, Okinawa, in addition to Japanese tourists, focuses on Chinese-from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong. Since 2013, charter flights from Vladivostok and Khabarovsk have been launched, and an advertising campaign for Okinawa has been launched there to attract Russian tourists to Okinawa.

In recent years, the proposal of the Governor of Okinawa, H. Nakaima, to create a gambling zone in the prefecture has been actively discussed. Its positive effect on the regional economy and the development of the tourism industry is obvious, as it will attract investors and tourists, including from abroad, and will contribute to the creation of new jobs. However, the local population does not support this idea due to the threat of increased crime and serious social problems due to the spread of gambling addiction.

OKINAWA URBAN DEVELOPMENT

For Okinawa's development, not only the prefectural, but also the local level of planning and implementation of regional policies is important. In recent years, Japanese politicians and researchers have paid special attention to the grassroots level. The formation of active local communities that influence regional politics has received a special name - "machizukuri", if we are talking about a city, or "murazukuri" - about a village (literally - "creating a city/village").¹⁹.

In March 2014, the author conducted field research and meetings in the city administrations of three major cities of the Russian Federation. Okinawa Naha, Okinawa and Nago, which provided information on the local level of regional planning, key projects for these cities, and the most pressing problems and ways to solve them.

Naha is the capital of the prefecture, with a population of more than 310,000 ²⁰. The basic master plan*** of Naha, which has been in effect for 10 years since 2012, identifies the areas adjacent to the sea, the old and new centers. A separate plan is drawn up for each of the districts.

Key projects for the city include the construction of a tunnel between the airport and the city center; improving the tsunami protection system; developing the economy through information technology and communications (call centers, large database servers, etc.). Their implementation will create many new jobs and attract new investments. Local residents are actively involved in urban planning through annual workshops. Unfortunately, as experts noted, such seminars are mainly attended by older people who have free time.

One of the most dynamically developing areas of the city -

* Call center - a call processing center. Okinawa is home to more than 80% of such centers in Japan. They are located mainly in Naha, Nago, Okinawa, Ginoza (approx. author's note).

** The share of the secondary sector of the economy in the prefecture is no more than 14% of the gross regional product. The food industry and the production of building materials predominate - https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest/region/okinawa/ (note author's note).

*** Master plan - basic in relation to other city development plans, is drawn up for the longest period and implies setting conceptual goals and objectives (author's note).

Shintoshin ("New Center"). It is located north of the central part of the city. Its population is more than 20 thousand inhabitants. The new district was created in 1987 on the site of a former US military base. Large shopping centers and housing complexes were built here. Since 1990, real estate prices in this part of the city have increased 3-fold ²¹. Many Japanese and Chinese people who do not live permanently in Okinawa buy real estate here for the purpose of investing money.

Infrastructure projects - modernization of the port and continuation of the construction of the monorail-are very important for Naha.

The city of Okinawa (Okinawa-si), the second largest city with about 140,000 inhabitants, located in the center of the island, has completely different problems. It was formed in 1974 as a result of the merger of two cities - Koza and Misato ²². The largest and most significant was the city of Kodza. Even today, Okinawashi is often called by this name.

The city is home to six U.S. military installations, including major ones such as Cadet Air Base and Naval Base Camp Foster.

Due to the proximity of military bases, a kind of Koza culture emerged, which largely determines the image of the city even now: on the central streets there were bars where special music was played-a mixture of jazz, rock and roll and Okinawan folk motifs "ace".

Now the center of Okinawa-si is the most problematic area of the city. Located far from the sea and beaches, it is not interesting for most tourists, most of the bars and shops are empty. Only a small museum with a selection of photographs and objects from the "American" period in Okinawa's history reminds of the history of Koza.

A big problem for the city was also the Korinda shopping complex built near the center: its location was so bad that all the shops of the complex were closed, and the building was taken over by the city government. It is planned to open a library here soon.

Okinawa-si is the music capital of the region. The city authorities plan to develop it primarily by strengthening its cultural role: promoting Koza culture among tourists and local residents, holding the annual children's and youth music festivals "eisa", etc.²³ The city has offices of several radio stations broadcasting to the entire region, and concerts are held in the music center every weekend. Only Okinawa-si has introduced free bus travel and almost universal free Internet access.

However, Okinawa-si has a number of problems regarding its economy and infrastructure. It is this city that suffers most acutely from a lack of fresh water. There is a large outflow of its population: Until 10 years ago, Okinawa-shih was the "youngest" in Japan, but today many young people go to Naha, where there are more opportunities to find a good job.

The tourist capital of the Okinawa region is the city of Nago. It has about 60 thousand inhabitants and occupies a very large area - more than 210 ^km2. Nago was formed in 1970 as a result of the merger of a number of small towns and villages. The city's territory includes beaches, a port area, forests, and virtually uninhabited areas. It is visited by more than 3 million visitors annually. tourists ²⁴.

In the western part of Nago, there is an active development of coastal areas. Much attention is paid to the creation of green areas and the widespread construction of bicycle paths. There is a project to close the recreational coastal area for cars: a bicycle can be an alternative to them.

As in Okinawa, the center of Nago is now experiencing an outflow of population and capital. The same problem applies to a port that occupies too large an area. This area is planned to be rebuilt and used for mass events and festivals.

Every year, Nago hosts a film festival in February and a bike race in November. In 2000, the summit was held here

The Big Eight. The city is famous for its pineapple factory, as well as the Orion Brewery, which produces its signature Okinawan beer.

* * *

Being the most unusual region of Japan, Okinawa strives to emphasize this originality in every possible way and use it as an impetus for development. However, many of the circumstances that shape this identity are also sources of problems for Okinawa: the remoteness of the prefecture (especially some small islands) from the rest of Japan; the historical underdevelopment of industry and infrastructure; lack of fresh water; and the presence of American military bases.

There are large disparities in the development of various areas in Okinawa, its western and eastern coasts, tourist areas and old urban centers that are gradually "dying" due to the outflow of population and the departure of businesses. The region remains financially dependent on government subsidies and revenue from U.S. military bases.

On the other hand, in Okinawa, many projects are being implemented at the prefectural and local levels - in industry, finance, social sphere, culture, tourism; local patriotism, civic activity of residents, and their interest in the development of their region are clearly felt.

The coordinated actions of the state, prefecture, local authorities and the population are gradually yielding results: new urban areas are being built, such as Shinto Shin in Naha and the coastal zone in Nago, a monorail is being built, information technology is being developed, a number of cultural initiatives are being implemented, such as music and dance festivals, theme parks and museums are being created.

All this only emphasizes the uniqueness of the image of Okinawa Prefecture in the general unique appearance of the Land of the rising Sun.

^{Tikhotskaya I. S., Sarkisov K. O.} 1 47th Prefecture of Japan: a country study portrait of Okinawa. Series 5. Geography. 2005. N 6, с. 54-59. (Tikhotskaya I.S., Sarkisov K. O. 47 prefektura Yaponii: stranovedcheskiy portret Okinavy // Vestnik MGU. Seria 5. Geoaraphiya. 2005, N 6) (in Russian)

^{Tikhotskaya I. S., Sarkisov K. O.} 2 Geographical factor in the socio-economic development of Okinawa // Questions of economic and political geography of foreign countries. 2006. С. 254. (Tikhotskaya I.S., Sarkisov K.O. Geographicheskiy factor v sotsialno-ekonomicheskom razvitii Okinavy // Voprosy ekonomicheskoi i politicheskoi geographii zarubezhnykh stran. 2006.) (in Russian)

"Neyaponskaya" Yaponiya: Okinawa v nachale 21 veka // Yaponskiy kaleidoskop. 2006. p. 247. (in Russian)

⁴ Ibid., p. 252.

⁵ Okinawa: the island of smiles / / Okinawa. Convention and Guest Services Committee. 2010. p. 6.

^{Tikhotskaya I. S., Anin K.} 6 Decree. soch., p. 253.

^{Bhowmik D.L.} 7 Writing Okinawa: Narrative Acts of Identity and Resistance. NY, Routledge, 2008, p. 48.

^{Tikhotskaya I. S., Anin K.} 8 Decree. soch., pp. 254-255.

⁹ Ibid., p. 90.

¹⁰ Ibid., p. 258.

^{McCormack G.} 11 Okinawa and the structure of dependence // Japan and Okinawa: structure and subjectivity. New York, Routledge, 2003, p. 93.

¹² Ministry of Land, Infrastrucutre and Transport. The 5th Comprehensive National Development Plan "Grand Design for the 21st Century" - http://www.mlit.go.jp/kokudokeikaku/zs5-e/

^{Tikhotskaya I. S., Anin K.} 13 Edict op., p. 261.

¹⁴ Okinawa prefecture government - http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/21vision/htmlver2/about21.html

¹⁵ Okinawa: the challenges ahead thriving locally in a globalized economy. ODPC Report. Okinawa, 2013, p. 52.

¹⁶ Ibid., p. 56.

^{McCormack G.} 17 Op. cit., p. 101.

¹⁸ ANA: Embracing a new business model - http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/aboutana/corporate/ir/pdf/annual/08/08_09.pdf

¹⁹ For more information, see: Merkusheva O. A. Novye tendentsii v regionalnoi [New trends in the regional Policy of Japan], Materials of the International Youth Scientific Forum "Lomonosov-2014", ed. by A. I. Andreev, A.V. Andriyanov, E. A. Antipov, and M. V. Chistyakova, MAKS Press, 2014. politike Yaponii / / Materialy Mezhdunarodnogo molodezhnogo nauchnogo foruma "Lomonosov-2014". M., MAKS Press, 2014) (in Russian)

²⁰ City of Naha - http://www.city.naha.okinawa.jp

²¹ Okinawa: the challenges.., p. 90.

²² http://www.city.okinawa.okinawa.jp/site/view/index.jsp

²³ City of Okinawa - http://www.city.okinawa.okinawa.jp

²⁴ City of Nago - http://nagocity.com

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