Ryukyu Islands - Demographics

Demographics

The residents of the island chain are Japanese citizens. Labeling them as Japanese poses no problem with regard to the Ōsumi and Tokara Islands in the north, but there are problems about the ethnicity of the residents of the central and southern groups of the island chain.

Scholars who recognize shared heritage among the native population of the Amami, Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama Islands label them as Ryukyuans (琉球人, Ryūkyūjin?). It should be noted that the label is given by outsiders and is not a self-designation. They do not identify themselves as such although they share the notion that they are somewhat different from mainland Japanese, whom they call "Yamato". They usually express self-identity as the native of a particular community, which is called shima (シマ?) in various dialects. Their identity can extend to an island and then to Japan as a whole, but rarely to intermediate regions.

For example, the people of Okinawa Island refer to themselves as Uchinaanchu (ウチナーンチュ?, people of Okinawa) and the people of Okinoerabujima in the Amami Islands call themselves the Erabunchu (エラブンチュ?, people of Erabu), while referring to the Okinawans as Uchinaanchu or Naafanchu (ナーファンチュ?, people of Naha), as they consider themselves distinct from the Okinawans. Other terms used include Amaminchu (アマミンチュ?) and Shimanchu (シマンチュ?) in the Amami Islands, Yeeyamabitu (イェーヤマビトゥ?) in the Yaeyama Islands, Yunnunchu (ユンヌンチュ?) on Yoronjima, and Myaakunchuu (ミャークンチュー?) in the Miyako Islands.