The Geopolitical Configuration of Okinawa in Post-War Japan: Focusing on Tatsuhiro Ōshiro’s The Cocktail Party

• Main Author: Woo, Yeonhee
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2024
• Subjects: geopolitics; Okinawa; post-war Japan; Tatsuhiro Ōshiro; The Cocktail Party
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/kk/vol1/iss44/11; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/kk/article/1010/viewcontent/4_20KK44_20Yeonhee_20Woo.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Okinawa, located at the southernmost tip of Japan, has greater proximity to Taiwan than its home country, Japan, as well as a unique historical character. After being forcibly incorporated into Japan in 1879, the island was devastated by the Battle of Okinawa which was waged against Japan by the United States in 1945. After Japan was defeated in the Pacific War, Okinawa was separated from the mainland and held under the occupation of the US military. In particular, the 1960s was a time when the “return to the mainland” movement, which advocated a return to Japan after escaping from the rule of the US military government, was strengthening. This complex modern and post-modern history of Okinawa is reflected in Okinawan literature. This paper explores the complex and multi-layered history of Okinawa through character relationships and narrative structure in Tatsuhiro Ōshiro’s novella, The Cocktail Party (1967). This literary work communicates the intricate situation of Okinawa, which was subject to a tug-of-war between Japan and the US military government, through a cultural entanglement of characters from Okinawa, mainland, China, and the United States. Examining the relationships among the characters within the microcosm of the US military base, a space where movement is allowed/restricted, contributes to understanding the multiplex geopolitical composition of Okinawa from a literary perspective.