Speech #860060157

Formosa. and the Pacific Islands. This decision by the Allied Powers has been proven unwise. but it does not help solve the present problem. Prior to the wax. population stabilization was accomplished in the islands by an ambitious overseas emigration program sponsored by the Japanese Government. By 1938. about 74.000 Ryukyuans had emigrated to countries outside the Japanese Empire. in addition to those resettled within the Empire and forced to return home following the wars end. Of the some 74.000 emigrants. about 30.000 went to South America and have become welcome additions to the population in Argentina. Brazil. and Bolivia. Many have become extensive landowners while others entered business and the professions. They have intermarried and become well integrated into the community. Since the end of the war. an additional 8.170 had emigrated to South America by July 1. 1958. and about 250 additional emigrants went to the Okinawa colony in Bolivia since that time. While resettlement to other less populous islands in the Ryukyus has had some success. the basic problem confronting the United States is to stabilize the population by various methods. including emigration to other areas. Areas considered have been. of course. South America. the Pacific Islands. New Guinea. and the United States. South America will be treated later. but suffice to say that emigration to the Pacific Islands is not feasible because the islands under U.S. administration are gradually developing an overpopulation problem of their own. The proposal for emigration: to New Guinea was not acceptable to the Government of the Ryukyus Islands. Insofar as emigration to the United States is concerned. it is perhaps surprising to know that Ryukyuans have no quota for entry into the United States. and. must tehnically apply under the Japanese quota. which is always oversubscribed. No other area outside the Iron Curtain appears to be discriminated against in such a fashion. However. it is interesting to know that the State Department has recently issued instructions that effective from May 15. 1959. q.Ryukyuan applicants for emigration to the United States will be removed from the Japanese list and listed under the separate quota list for the Asian Pacific Triangle. This quota appears to offer some hope for a living adult Ryukyuan emigrating to the United States legally as a Ryukyuan. The Okinawan colony in Bolivia was established in 1954. and now numbers in excess of 1.200 people. Following some initial reverses. caused by a poor location for the first site. a strange disease which still eludes identification. and land titles. these have been solved by moving the colony to a new and more favorable site where the strange disease has not appeared. and the official transfer of land titles by the Government of Bolivia in January of 1957. An additional area of some 49.000 acres is reported to be available for the expansion of the colony. The colony had a successful rice crop last year and sold 1.500 tons of iice on the market. An additional 244 emigrants are presently on the high seas en route to join the. colony and to settle in the new grant of land. Of the 8.170 emigrants since the wars end. over 5.000 emigrated on their own resources. about 1.600 were aided by the Government of Japan. and 1.200 borrowed from the Ryukyuan Emigration Bank. GARIOA funds provided $160.000 for the transportation of the first group of 394 emigrants in 1954. and about $180.000 in Bolivian counterpart funds were used at the colony site for clearing the jungle. building roads. purchasing farm equipment and seeds. and other basic expenses. A4559 The Ryukyuans who have emigrated to Hawaii now number a vigorous prosperous group which always appears as a challenge to Ryukyuans passing through Hawaii. exemplifying to the visitor from the native land the freedom and benefits that accrue to American citizens. of whatever nationality they may be. The Americans of Okinawan ancestry in Hawaii are a distinct and valuable addition to our citizenry. and I am proud of every one of them. My colleague. the gentleman from Minnesota. WALTER JUDD. added a clause to the Mutual Security Act of 1954 providing that from funds available under the act. not to exceed $800.000 could be used to facilitate the migration to the other American Republic of persons resident in that portion of the Ryukyu Island Archipelago under United States control. Of this continuing authority. only $180.000 has been made available. and that was for the initial colony in Bolivia. The relocation of the original colony. the strange disease. and other internal problems prevented any further use of the funds under this authority until 1958 when the Department of the Army. acting as executive agency for the Ryukyu Islands. developed a plan for a further expansion of the emigration program to Bolivia. as well as adult agricultural emigrants to Brazil. Additional information is being sought in Bolivia to support this plan because that country offers the best opportunity for emigration of families and will afford assistance to Bolivia in its campaign to become more selfsufficient in providing the food it requires. The prewar population problems of the Ryukyus were solved by emigration. and Japanese propaganda made much of the domestic need for living space. The population has been thoroughly indoctrinated with the idea that emigration was both a necessity and a right. Ironically. this Japanese policy mayl have been one of the contributing causes of the late war in the Pacific. While the policy has been discredited. the psychological residue remains and generates strong pressures for emigration. Unless minimum outlets for these pressures can be found. they could build up to an explosion point. With both Japan and the government of the Ryukyu Islands supporting migration. any serious inadequacies in the program will be attributed to the lack of U.S. support. A comparison of emigration programs in overpopulated areas. which have been supported wholly or in part by U.S. funds. indicates quite clearly that the per capita cost for emigrants from the Ryukyus to South America compares most fdvorably with more expensive programs. The Ryukyuan government and the individual emigree are contributing almost 45 percent of the total cost from their own resources. Those programs. which took almost 7.000 Ryukyuans to South America. other than Bolivia. since the end of the war. have been financed almost entirely from local sources.