The pull factors of the self-active movement of Yaeyama women to Colonial Taiwan in the around 1930 : The colonial modernity and the expansion of occupational fields for women in Taiwan

Although there have been few studies on Yaeyama local's migration during the pre Asia-Pacific period, a significant number of people went from there to colonial Taiwan, in particular during the around 1930. Above all, it could be noticed that the percentage of women was significantly high. This article has explored the pull factors that Yaeyama women' migration to colonial Taiwan came to be popular during the around 1930 by analyzing former migrants' narratives in autobiographies and my own interview research, and statistical data on the labor and population related to Okinawa, Yaeyama and Colonial Taiwan.In previous research, the increase of Okinawan migration was mainly explained by the economic analysis of depression during the 1920s and 1930s (Kinjyo, 1974; Ishikawa, 1974: 387). Resent studies point out that Yaeyama locals' migration can not be simply understood in terms of financial profit (Mizuta, 1998, 2003; Matsuda, 2006).Yet these recent works have been hardly investigated the pull factors in colonial Taiwan that spur Yaeyama women into migration. It is necessary to explore the pull factors on the time context of colonial Taiwan during the transitional period in analyzing what Yaeyama women acquired through work experience in colonial Taiwan, and how impact on the modernization of Yaeyama. This article demonstrates that the pull factors that made a significant number ofYaeyama women went to colonial Taiwan during the around 1930 mainly as follows: First, there were abundant in opportunities even for lower class laborers to receive education, such as in evening schools and technical schools in colonial Taiwan. Second, with the expansion of the job or occupational fields for women and the change of the labor structure in colonial Taiwan, the labor market abundant in mobility were formed, in addition to mobility particular to immigrant society. These factors of colonial modernity in Taiwan provided more opportunities for them to achieve social promotion through occupation in the context of Japanese empire. It also means colonial Taiwan in the around 1930 that emerging the labor market abundant in mobility was the place to be able to construct the social identity for Yaeyama women.Eriksson (1973) says that occupation has a great importance in the process of forming personal identity. Needless to say, not all Yaeyama migrants achieved success in Taiwan. Although Yaeyama women in Taiwan sometimes suffered ethnic discrimination from Japanese proper, nevertheless, they were hoping to find a better life in Taiwan. It also implies that Yaeyama women took active role as one of the main actors in colonial modernity in Taiwan. Most Yaeyama women to migrate to colonial Taiwan went back to home island with the salvage by the end of the World War II. Many of them acquired not only Japanese main island life style and standard Japanese language, but also acquired career spirits through the expansion of women's labor market and their work experience in colonial Taiwan. These spirits and culture led to contribute modernization and reconstruction of Yaeyama local community in the early postwar era