RYUKYU PEOPLE — NEWMAN AND ENG 395 



tenant farmers, and small shop, restaurant, and hotel keepers. In 

 addition, when sugar prices were high, a small group of nouveau 

 riche sugar producers sprang up to occupy top positions in the upper 

 middle class until the market turned downward. 



Associations. — Occasionally cutting across the growing class lines, 

 but mostly operating within the class level were the characteristically 

 Japanese associations, designed to align those people interested in ac- 

 complishing specific things. Some of these were government spon- 

 sored and controlled, especially the patriotic, reservist, and youth or- 

 ganizations. Others were more spontaneous and developed from spe- 

 cific economic needs. Of these, farmers' buying and selling coopera- 

 tives were the most numerous. As Japan tightened its economic belt 

 for war, the government took over many of these spontaneous associa- 

 tions to achieve higher production. Other minor associations were 

 concerned with civic, cultural, and wholly social affairs. AM associa- 

 tions were checked by the police, but sometimes this was only 

 perfunctory. 



Formal government. — In the Japanese administration, the prefec- 

 ture stands immediately below the Imperial Government and usually 

 deals with the local units directly. The Northern Ryukyus were ad- 

 ministered as part of Kagoshima prefecture; the Central and South 

 Ryukyus, comprising the whole of Okinawa prefecture, were admin- 

 istered as a unit. Prefectural governors were appointed by the Prime 

 Minister, and operated with a secretariat and four departments — 

 General Aifairs, Education, Economic Affairs, and Police. An elec- 

 tive assembly served the governor in a largely advisory capacity and 

 had virtually no power. In addition representatives of the various 

 Imperial Ministries were assigned their specific duties in the Ryukyus. 

 Except for the governor, his advisors, and an occasional high official, 

 most of the administrative posts were held by Ryukyuans. 



Within the prefectural governments in the Ryukyus, branch offices 

 were established on the more remote islands to facilitate their admin- 

 istration. Two such offices were present in the North, two more in 

 the South Ryukyus. The Central islands were themselves the seat 

 of the Okinawa prefectural government and needed no branch offices. 



The seats of the local administrative units were the cities, towns, or 

 in rural areas, townships. In all cases the mayor or headman and 

 their staffs were elected by the local assembly, which in turn was 

 chosen by popular vote of all male residents over 25 years old. These 

 city, town, and township administrations could operate autonomously 

 in purely local issues, subject of course to a veto from higher up. On 

 policy matters, however, their courses of action were dictated to them. 

 In rural areas the village heads were appointed by the township head- 

 man and served without salary, but had local prestige well worth the 

 troubles of office. 



