美軍基地引燃沖繩獨立辯論
In a decrepit office below a billiard hall in the city of Naha, capital of Okinawa in southern Japan, a small group is dreaming of a new country.
在日本南部沖繩(Okinawa)首府那霸(Naha)一間檯球廳下面的一個破舊辦公室裏，一小羣人正在夢想着建立一個新的國家。
Surrounded by flags showing three stars on two bands of blue, symbolising the Okinawan sea and sky, they represent a revived movement for the RyUKyu Islands, which include Okinawa, to declare independence from Japan.
這些人是主張琉球羣島（包括沖繩）從日本獨立出去的復國運動的代表。四周懸掛的旗幟上是兩條藍色色帶（一深一淡），象徵着沖繩的海洋和天空，色帶上面有三顆星。
“Support for Ryukyu independence is growing,” says Chousuke Yara, a perennial electoral candidate for the movement. “People are coming to understand that Okinawa was originally part of the Ryukyu kingdom, then invaded by Japan and made Japanese by education.”
琉球復國運動的常年選舉候選人屋良朝助(Chousuke Yara)表示：“人們逐漸開始支持琉球獨立運動。人們開始明白，沖繩最初是琉球王國的一部分，後來被日本侵略，通過教育才實現日本化的。”
The movement has a long way to go — a recent poll of islanders put support for independence at just 8 per cent. But another 21 per cent back full devolution and 88 per cent want greater self-determination — a sign of a growing alienation from the rest of Japan that could have profound consequences for regional security.
琉球復國運動還有很長的路要走——最近對島上居民的調查顯示，支持獨立的比例只有8%。但還有21%支持全面分權，88%希望擁有更大的自決權，這是與日本其他地區疏遠加劇的跡象，可能對地區安全具有深遠的後果。
The Ryukyu chain, which stretches in a 1,000km arc from Taiwan to the Japanese mainland, are a natural barrier between China and the Pacific. The island of Okinawa is a cornerstone of the US military presence in Asia, with US bases covering about 20 per cent of its land area.
琉球島鏈(Ryukyu chain)是一條從臺灣延至日本本土的長達1000公里的弧形島鏈，是中國和太平洋之間的天然屏障。沖繩島是美國在亞洲軍事存在的基石，美軍基地大約佔到該島陸地面積的20%。
There is a range of opinions on security in the independence movement, Mr Yara says. But his vision of a nonaligned and pacifist republic would send shivers down the spine of any US military planner.
屋良朝助表示，獨立運動中有許多關於安全的觀點。但他提出的創建一個不結盟的和平主義共和國的願景，將讓美國軍方規劃者不寒而慄。
“The Ryukyus and China have always had a friendly relationship, so there’s no reason to think the current Chinese regime would trouble us,” he says. “For example, if Japan were picking on us, we could have a military alliance with Taiwan or China, or the opposite, we could ally with the US and Japan.”
他說：“琉球和中國始終關係友好，因此沒有理由認爲當前的中國政權會爲難我們。例如，如果日本爲難我們，我們可以與臺灣或中國結成軍事聯盟，反過來，我們也可以與美國和日本結盟。”
Resentment over the US bases has been a running sore in relations between Okinawa and the mainland following incidents such as the rape of a local schoolgirl by US servicemen in 1995 and the crash of a US helicopter in 2004. Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, wants to relocate the controversial helicopter base at Futenma to Henoko Bay in the north of the island, but locals want the base shut or moved off the island altogether.
在1995年美國軍人強姦當地一位女學生和2004年一架美國直升機墜毀等事件發生之後，對美國駐軍的不滿一直是影響琉球和日本本土關係的隱痛。日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)希望將有爭議的普天間(Futenma)直升機基地遷至沖繩島北面的邊野古灣(Henoko Bay)，但當地人希望關閉基地或者將基地徹底搬出沖繩島。
Takeshi Onaga, Okinawa’s popular governor, recently revoked a permit for building a new base at Henoko. Last week Mr Abe took out a court injunction against Mr Onaga and resumed construction. Elderly protesters outside the site at Henoko were dragged away by police after Mr Abe’s decision.
人氣極高的沖繩縣知事翁長雄志(Takeshi Onaga)最近撤銷了在邊野古新建一處美軍基地的許可。上週，安倍對翁長雄志申請了法庭禁令，重啓新基地的建設。在安倍做出決定之後，邊野古法庭外的老年抗議者被警方拖走。
“I can’t restrain my furious resentment,” says Mr Onaga, elected last year on a mandate to oppose relocation of the Futenma base to Henoko. “The coercion continues.”
去年以反對普天間基地遷至邊野古爲競選平臺當選的翁長雄志表示：“我無法剋制自己的滿腔怒火。高壓政治在繼續。”
Masaaki Gabe, a professor at the University of the Ryukyus, agrees that Okinawans feel distant from the government in Tokyo. “People feel Japanese but they also have feelings of discrimination by the Tokyo government,” he says.
琉球大學(University of the Ryukyus)教授沃步正明(Masaaki Gabe)也認爲，琉球人對東京政府感覺疏遠，“人們認爲自己是日本人，但他們也有一種被東京政府歧視的感覺”，他表示。
Another incident like the rape or the helicopter crash could change feelings towards independence, he adds. “If there was a big event, and it wasn’t handled to the satisfaction of the Okinawan people, then it could have serious effects.”
他補充稱，再發生一起強姦或者直升機墜毀之類的事件可能改變人們對獨立的態度。“如果發生一起重大事件，處理結果又沒有讓沖繩人滿意，那麼就可能造成嚴重影響”。
The dispute over the US bases is the most significant issue between Okinawa and the mainland but the island is diverging from Japan in other ways. With Japan’s highest birth rate, its population is ageing more slowly. And unlike on the industrial mainland, the island economy is growing fast.
圍繞美軍基地的爭執是沖繩和日本本土之間最重大的問題，但該島與日本也存在其他差異。這裏的生育率是日本最高的，其人口的老齡化較爲緩慢。而且，與早已工業化的日本本土不同，沖繩經濟正在迅速發展。
Asian tourists are drawn by Okinawa’s blend of subtropical beauty and urban culture: visitor numbers rose 10 per cent last year to more than 7m, with the number of Chinese tourists more than doubling.
亞洲遊客被兼具亞熱帶美景和都市文化的沖繩吸引：去年遊客數量增長10%，至700多萬人，其中中國遊客數量增長一倍多。
Okinawa is also trying to promote its strategic location to business as a potential logistics hub. The economy’s dependence on the military bases is down to about 5 per cent. “We’ve gone from being an economy that relies on bases to the bases holding us back,” said Masaki Tomochi, an economics professor at Okinawa International University and a leading light in the independence movement.
沖繩也在努力向企業推介其作爲潛在物流樞紐的戰略位置。該島經濟對美軍基地的依賴已降至5%左右。沖繩國際大學(Okinawa International University)經濟學教授、獨立運動核心人物友知正木(Masaki Tomochi)表示：“我們的經濟過去依賴美軍基地，現在則是這些基地阻礙了我們的發展。”
Mr Tomochi, who can see the Futenma base from his office, went to Scotland last year to support its campaign for independence from the UK and came back inspired. Okinawa was invaded by the Satsuma samurai in 1609, six years after King James I united the thrones of England and Scotland.
從友知正木的辦公室可以看到普天間基地。去年他曾前往蘇格蘭支持其脫離英國的獨立運動，回來後深受鼓舞。在詹姆斯一世統一英格蘭和蘇格蘭6年後的1609年，沖繩遭到薩摩武士的入侵。
“Discrimination is not just in the past, it’s today — we’re still being discriminated against,” he says. “First we need everyone to know the history of the Ryukyus. Then we can think about the future.”
他說：“歧視不只發生在過去，還發生在今天——我們仍在遭受歧視。首先我們需要每個人都知道琉球的歷史，然後我們纔可以考慮未來。”
