Some Notes Relative to China, Japan & Outlaw US Empire

Reordering who's the top science dog and further facts about Japan

First a short note that is indicative of the directions China and the Outlaw US Empire are headed, and they aren’t the same. The major science publication Nature has recently released its “Index Supplement” where its contents were spotted by Xinhua and further published by Global Times: “Chinese cities dominate global science rankings for first time.” The report is short and follows in full:

For the first time, Chinese cities account for more than half of the world’s top ten scientific research hubs, according to the latest Nature Index supplement, with Beijing retaining its position as the leading global science city—a title it has held since 2016.

The newly released “Nature Index 2025 Science Cities” supplement shows that the number of Chinese cities in the global top ten rose from five in 2023 to six in 2024, marking the first time China holds a majority in the rankings.

The supplement draws on the Nature Index database, which tracks research articles published from 2015 to 2024. Its analysis uses “Share”, a fractional count reflecting institutional contribution to publications, as the primary metric, with time-series data adjusted to 2024 levels. Each city’s Share is calculated by summing the contributions of all affiliated institutions located within that city.

According to the Nature Index, the world’s leading science cities overall are: Beijing, Shanghai, New York metropolitan area (U.S.), Boston metropolitan area (U.S.), Nanjing (China), Guangzhou (China), San Francisco Bay Area (U.S.), Wuhan (China), Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area (U.S.), and Hangzhou (China).

Beijing maintained its No. 1 ranking, with its adjusted Share increasing by 9.14 percent between 2023 and 2024. Shanghai’s output rose even more sharply, by 20 percent. Meanwhile, the combined adjusted Share of all U.S. cities in the top ten declined.

“The movements of cities reflect a wider trend in the index of China expanding its lead as the United States loses ground,” the supplement noted.

Further analysis shows that Chinese cities hold a strong advantage in chemistry, physical sciences, and earth and environmental sciences, leading the global rankings in all three fields. Notably, Chinese cities claimed all of the top ten positions in chemistry for the first time. In the other two subject areas, they secured six of the top ten spots, with Beijing ranking first worldwide across all three domains. [My Emphasis]

Unfortunately, the rankings are incomplete as Russia is completely omitted. Why the Outlaw US Empire’s included when its criminal activities far outweigh anything Russia has done or is doing. But enough of that.

The fortification walls and Kankaimon Gate of Shuri Castle, Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa, circa 14th Century

Ryukyu Islands

With the recent surge in realization that the Age of Colonialism has yet to completely come to an end with the advent of Neocolonialism along with vestiges of traditional colonialism that resulted from imperialism, efforts are being made to study the people and places that continue to have their self-determination honored. One of those places and its people are the Ryukyu Islands where an independent people once lived and today struggle to keep their culture, language and dignity while continually fighting to rid their islands of foreign military presence they don’t want and an independence they all crave. Some will know about the Okinawans longtime struggle for their rights. Given the above context and the geopolitical situation within East Asia, China has decided to make “Ryukyu studies” an academic program. This Global Times editorial essay explains “Why researching ‘Ryukyu studies’ is highly necessary” and is an excellent introductory tutorial about yet another global nuance:

Recently, the “Ryukyu studies” academic program, the first of its kind in China and initiated by Fujian Normal University, has been officially approved in China and is now formally launched. It is attracting widespread attention both domestically and internationally. The geopolitical position, strategic choices, and future trajectory of the Ryukyu Islands not only determine their own fate but also profoundly affect the security concerns of neighboring countries and regions.

In recent years, scholarly interest in the Ryukyu (Okinawa) issue has continued to rise both in China and abroad, yielding a steady stream of research achievements. This has gradually evolved into the construction of a full-fledged academic system, making the establishment of “Ryukyu studies” a natural and inevitable development.

The Ryukyu Islands lie between China’s Taiwan island and Kyushu island of Japan, facing Fujian Province of China across the sea. As early as 1372, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) formally established a tributary relationship with the Ryukyu Kingdom: Ryukyu acknowledged Chinese imperial authority and followed the Chinese calendar, while China treated Ryukyu with exceptional generosity under its “give much, ask little” policy.

In 1609, Satsuma forces from Japan invaded and brought Ryukyu under its control. In 1872, the Meiji government unilaterally created the “Ryukyu domain” as the first step toward annexation, yet Ryukyu managed to maintain its tributary relationship with China to certain extent. In 1879, Japan forcibly abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom through military coercion and established Okinawa Prefecture, completing its formal annexation.

After Japan’s defeat in 1945, US forces occupied the Ryukyu Islands, and all official administrative bodies and documents during the occupation period continued to use the name “Ryukyu.” In 1972, the US and Japan transferred administrative rights over Ryukyu through a private bilateral deal. Since then, the islands have remained under Japanese jurisdiction and were redesignated as “Okinawa Prefecture.” From 1879 to the present day, historical and legal disputes over the sovereignty of the Ryukyu Islands have never ceased.

In essence, “Ryukyu studies” is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary field that examines the geography, politics, culture of the Ryukyu Islands as well as China-Ryukyu history and Ryukyu’s place in East Asian relations. It stands on equal footing with Sinology, Korean studies, and Japanese studies rather than being merely a subsidiary branch. Its core research revolves around multiple dimensions: Ryukyuan history, culture, and external relations. Historically, this includes the origins of Ryukyu, its tributary relationship with Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and the process of Japanese annexation. Culturally, it encompasses the Ryukyuan language, clothing, architecture, music, and religious beliefs. In terms of external exchanges, it covers economic interactions, tribute trade, and relations with neighboring countries. Moreover, the study of modern and contemporary “Ryukyu issues” holds particular significance within “Ryukyu studies.” Discussions surrounding a wide range of pressing real-world concerns--such as Ryukyu’s status, its current social conditions, US military bases, and many others—all require the academic backing and support that this discipline provides.

“Ryukyu studies” is an academic endeavor that both “deconstructs” and “constructs.” On the constructive side, it systematically reconstructs the historical reality of the China-Ryukyu tributary relationship, supplementing and improving research on traditional East Asian diplomatic systems.

On the deconstructive side, it dismantles Japan’s one-sided, self-serving narrative of its annexation history. For instance, Japan has aggressively promoted the myth of “common ancestry” between Japanese and Ryukyuans, refused to acknowledge the armed annexation of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and denied the Ryukyu Kingdom’s historical status as an independent state.

Furthermore, the Japanese government has persistently pursued policies of discrimination and forced assimilation, attempting to institutionalize and legitimize the sacrifices Ryukyu has been forced to make for Japan’s sake. These distorted narratives form the very logical foundation of Japan’s assimilation policy toward Ryukyu.

Currently, Japan and the US are accelerating the transformation of the Ryukyu Islands into a “military fortress.” This trend has exacerbated deep local anxieties about a new “Battle of Okinawa,” with the public generally worried that their homeland will once again become a “shield” for Japan. Therefore, in-depth research into “Ryukyu studies” is of even greater practical significance.

In recent years, both China and Japan have produced a number of important research findings on the Ryukyu issue. Future research on Ryukyu is expected to expand spatially to East Asia and even globally, and temporally to the post-war period and the present.

Systematically promoting the coordinated development of the “Ryukyu studies” discipline, academic system, and discourse system will also inject new connotations into building a harmonious, inclusive, and open East Asian regional culture.

The inclusion of “Ryukyu studies” in the national-level “endangered disciplines” support plan signifies that Chinese academia is participating in the reshaping of East Asian historical narratives with academic rationality. Chinese “Ryukyu studies” will move beyond its previous fragmented and disjointed state, and its future development will exhibit trends of systematization, integration, and internationalization. The value of this field of study is by no means confined to the level of academic gap-filling or disciplinary expansion, but also about the enduring maintenance of regional peace, the upholding of historical justice, and the construction of China’s discourse system within a complex geopolitical landscape. Only by delving into the historical context can we find a more inclusive and sustainable path to coexistence in the future. [My Emphasis]

The Collective Western Empire to which Japan belongs has long hypocritically beaten the human rights drum in an attempt to weaponize the issue. With the advent of the internet, the Western Empire has seen its Media Megaphone Monopoly erode away as people learn they’ve been lied to for generations withe the West historically being the main deviants when it comes to human rights via its ethno-religios wars that have lasted for a thousand years and the five hundred plus years of colonial domination and its many genocides. As science has shown, there’s only one race of humans—the Human Race—although racism still reigns amongst the ignorant urged on by political opportunists like Donald Trump and elites keen to use divide and rule to stay atop. The Ryukyuan people rebuilt many of their historical buildings after Okinawa was devastated by the battle between US and Japanese forces in 1945, many predating Japanese annexation. The Japanese also have a very disgusting history of visiting genocide on the Ainu people of Hokkaido who were present prior to the arrival of the Yamato or Wajin peoples who are now the dominant ethnic group of Japan. Of course, all East Asian island dwellers were initially from the mainland and all likely share a common ancestry from what at first may seem an unlikely source—Southeast Asia. IMO, it’s a shame ethnic/anthropological studies are often relegated to the realm of so-called higher education when it’s clear that there’s a need for some basics to be taught at much lower grades. Some will scream—Multiculturalism—as if that’s a bad thing to learn and understand. If people were to actually examine their underlying genealogy, they’d discover they’re mutts, nowhere near being purebreds of any type.

As China’s now demonstrating, there are no “divined” exceptional national groups that were endowed with some innate superiority and the only place such concepts exist is within mythology—something the Zionists will eventually learn the hard way. Hopefully at some point in the future, humans will finally admit that wisdom is more important than wealth, and wealth cannot purchase wisdom. Perhaps in several thousand years humanity will consist of one global community instead of disparate nations acting in what they perceive to be their own interests and the overall interests of Humanity will prevail.

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