Repatriated People from Micronesia in the Postwar Okinawa Society

This paper aims to argue about repatriated people from Micronesia (former administrated islands by Japan in the pacific sea) in the postwar Okinawa society, especially focusing on a group made up to request of re-emigration to Micronesia. A Group, called NANYO GUNTO KIKANSYA KAI (Returners society' from Micronesia) , organized by repatriated people in Okinawa 1949. It set up its purpose to re-emigrate to Micronesia and exploit resources of it by Okinawa people including themselves, thereby solving the population problem in Okinawa. This group, however, has changed its main activity from urging re-emigration to memorial activity for war victim. The reasons of this change are main issue of this paper. The first issue is the reason why repatriated' people strongly wished re-emigration. This paper approached it by analysis on a survey report by Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare about living condition of repatriated people. It showed that they are not in poorer state of the economy than the other Okinawa People, so economic poorness can not be regarded as persuasive reason necessarily. Rather, re-emigration request came from conflict with the US military base. Their residence districts were the area that many military bases -located, so they were suffered from some anxieties about, for example, condemnation of land etc. Re-emigration was an efficient idea to solve that sort of problems at one time for them. The re-emigration project was, however, not achieved finally because of US Military strategy about Micronesia. The Aging of first generation, who were leading people of previous emigrants and also ardent advocates of re-emigration, encouraged this trend. Additionally, Okinawa's reversion to Japanese administration let them lose motivation. In this way, commit of memorial activity for war victim became main issue for KIKANSYAKAI conducted by new generations instead of re-emigration request