Okinawa Collection
Welcome to the George Washington University Okinawa Collection
Established in June 2015 with generous support from the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG), the Okinawa Collection is part of the Japan Resource Center in the GW Libraries' Global Resources Center. This rapidly growing collection features scholarly materials on Okinawa from the past to the present from multiple perspectives.
Okinawa Collection Updates
January 26, 2023
Vice Governor Yoshimi Teruya and his delegation from the Okinawa Prefectural Government visited the Okinawa Collection. After viewing exhibits and touring the GRC, they browsed the collection and discussed the scope of the materials.
February 24, 2023
The Okinawa Collection co-hosted a webinar with the Okinawa Prefectural Government DC titled "50 Years After the Reversion: Present Okinawa and Its Future." The webinar included a talk given by Dr. Annmaria Shimabuku (New York University) and moderated discussion with Dr. Steve Rabson (Professor Emeritus, Brown University).
March 9, 2023
The Quincy Institution, Okinawa Prefectural Government DC, and Okinawa Collection co-hosted the Okinawa Symposium 2023 in the National Churchill Leadership Center on March 9, 2023. The symposium featured a keynote speech by Governor Tamaki and a discussion with Dr. Mike Mochizuki (GW) and Dr. Michael Swaine (Quincy Institute). Prior to the start of the symposium, Governor Tamaki and his delegation visited the Okinawa Collection.
March 24, 2023
In collaboration with the Okinawa Prefectural Government DC, the Okinawa Collection hosted a special screening of Jon Mitchell and Shimabukuro Natsuko's Nuchi nu Miji: Okinawa's Water of Life. The documentary covers contamination of Okinawa's water supply with PFAS chemicals from military bases.
March 27, 2023
We welcomed journalist and documentary filmmaker, Jon Mitchell, to the collection for a tour and to browse our materials. It was an honor to meet Jon as he has generously donated invaluable FOIA materials that are open source for all patrons.
Updates from 2022
April 12, 2022
GW East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) hosted a book talk on April 13, 2022 featuring Akemi Johnson, who discussed her book Night in the American Village: Women in Shadow of U.S. Military Bases in Okinawa. The recording can be accessed on the NRC's YouTube channel.
March 4, 2022
Mike Mochizuki, a professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs and one of the advisory board members for the Okinawa Collection, joined a roundtable discussion "Mobilizing the Reversion: A Geo-Political Perspective" hosted by The Humanities Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz. The recording of the discussion can be viewed on YouTube.
February 14, 2022
A new online research guide on Okinawa Diaspora is now open. Please visit the Diaspora guide which is a part of the Okinawa Studies Research Guide.
Updates from 2021
November 2, 2021
The George Washington University's East Asia National Resource Center hosted an online book talk event on "Speak, Okinawa" by Elizabeth Miki Brina. The recording can be viewed on the GWU East Asia National Resource Center YouTube channel.
October 29, 2021
Okinawa Graphic Novels/Picture Books Virtual Pop-up Exhibit is now available on the Manga and Picture Books page of the Okinawa Collection Recent Acquisitions online guide.
September 10 , 2021
New flipbooks on Okinawan folktales created by Okinawa International University students were added to the digital bookshelf of the "Folktales from Okinawa in English." Read more in News & Events.
June 4, 2021
Please visit the Okinawa Collection Research Guide on Okinawa Municipalities. There are 41 cities, towns, and villages in the Okinawa Prefecture, each with detailed descriptions of their history, industry, and culture on their websites.
May 12, 2021
Okinawa's leading musician and artist, Mr. Tatsumi Chibana, has been calling on musicians from all over Okinawa in various fields, and over 200 CDs from many artists, including Mr. Chibana himself, have been donated to the Okinawa Collection. For more details, read in News & Events.
March 20, 2021
This year, we added the publications of the following six Okinawa municipalities to our collection: Kin Town, Nago City, Okinawa City, Taketomi Town, Uruma City, and Yomitan Village. Please visit the Municipality History tab of the Okinawa Collection Recent Acquisitions guide.
January 18, 2021
Interview Series - Professor Akiko Mori, a member of the Global Studies Institute at Doshisha University in Kyoto. Read the full interview on News & Events.
January 7, 2021
The new page "Spotlight on Scholars" is now available. This page features rising scholars in the US and around the world who are researching a variety of Okinawa-related topics.
January 6, 2021
Three new online research guides were added to the Okinawa Studies Research Guide: Folktales, Gender/Women's Rights and Municipalities.
Updates from 2020
December 21, 2020
Our Okinawa Folktales Project with the Okinawa International University, Department of Japanese Language and Culture, now offers digital bookshelves that are open to the public. Please read more on our News and Events page.
July 30, 2020
Professor Akiko Mori (Office of Graduate School of Global Studies, Doshisha University) generously donated her publications 複数の旋律を聞く/Hearing the Voices in Polyphony: The lives of Okinawans who lived in South Sea Mandates from the 1920s to 1945 (2016) and はじまりの光景/Beginnings: The traces of Okinawans who migrated to South Sea Mandates in the 1930s (2017).
June 20, 2020
Interview Series - Professor Natsu Onoda Power, Professor of Theater & Performing Studies, Department of Performing Arts, Georgetown University. Her next stage play is set on Okinawa. Read the full interview on News & Events.
March 5, 2020
The third Annual Okinawa Culture Day was held at Dance Studio, District House at GW, generously sponsored by the Okinawa Kai of Washington, D.C., and the GW Japanese Program. A karate demonstration was performed by Master Nestor Folta and Mr. Koichi Folta, along with the traditional Okinawan dance 'Eisaa' by Ms. Michie Beckford and Ms. Kyoko Denard.
March 4, 2020
Professor Keikichi Takahashi (Osaka University) visited the Okinawa Collection and graciously donated his new publication "米国と戦後東アジア秩序 - 中国大国化構想の挫折." He was a visiting scholar at the Elliott School of International Affairs from September 2019 to August 2020.
March 2, 2020
The Okinawa Collection welcomed former Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama and his executive secretary, Mr. Daisuke Haga. Read more on News & Events.
February 28, 2020
Three new categories - Films, Public Health, and Shuri Castle - were added to the Okinawa Collection Recent Acquisitions guide.
Updates from 2019
October 24, 2019
A screening of the film "Cocktail Party"--based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Tatsuhiro Oshiro--was hosted by the GW Global Resources Center in partnership with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, the East Asia National Resource Center, the Japan~U.S. Friendship Commission and the Organization of Asian Studies. A discussion with the film's director Theodore Regge Life moderated by Dr. Steve Rabson, Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies at Brown University, followed the screening.
September 17, 2019
The Global Resources Center received a generous donation from Dr. Edward J. Drea, a scholar of the Imperial Japanese Army. GW Libraries already houses two of Dr. Drea's books: MacArthur's ULTRA: Codebreaking and the War against Japan, 1942-1945 and In the Service of the Emperor: Essays on the Imperial Japanese Army. We are thankful to Dr. Drea in helping us to expand our collection.
September 11, 2019
Professor Mike Mochizuki, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs donated over 700 books to our collection. A scholar of Japanese politics, Prof. Mochizuki's donations add to our collection's resources on political parties in Japan. Many thanks to Prof. Mochizuki for supporting the GRC.
April 28, 2019
The Okinawa Essay Contest winners were featured on Ryukyu Shimpo (English edition).
April 1, 2019
The Okinawa Essay Contest winner, Ms. Nina Udagawa talked about her essay and her view on Okinawa. Read more at News & Events.
March 24, 2019
A documentary film 海の彼方 ('Umi no kanata')/After Spring, The Tamaki Family... is coming to Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. The film screening is sponsored by the Global Taiwan Institute. Mr. Takao Aharen, Deputy Director of the Okinawa Prefectural Government Washington, D.C., Office will be a moderator at the film discussion session after the showing.
March 15, 2019
Winners of the 1st Okinawa Essay Contest were announced! One of the winners is Ms. Nina Udagawa, a sophomore majoring in International Affairs at GW. See the Essay Contest Results page.
February 28, 2019
President and Vice President of the Okinawa Kai of Washington, D.C., visited the Okinawa Collection. Read more at News & Events.
February 28, 2019
The 2nd Okinawa Culture Day was held at District House's dance studio. The event was sponsored by the Sigur Center, Japanese Program and the Okinawa Collection.
January 7, 2019
Three new categories - Music, Diaspora, and Gender Issues - were added to the Okinawa Collection Recent Acquisitions guide.
Updates from 2018
December 2, 2018
A special U.S. East Coast premiere of Jimami Tofu - an award-winning film set in Okinawa - was shown at Cinema Arts Theatre, Fairfax, Virginia. The beautiful red carpet event was hosted by the Okinawa Kai of Washington, D.C.
October 9, 2018
Alan Gratz is an acclaimed author who reimagines historical events for young readers. His latest work Grenade was just published by Scholastic and is on the New York Times bestseller list. It's an emotional story about the Battle of Okinawa. Read more on News & Events.
October 7, 2018
Prof. Mike Mochizuki was interviewed by Ryukyu Shimpo after the gubernatorial election.
October 1, 2018
Two new categories - Okinawa in Photos and Environment - were added to the Okinawa Collection Recent Acquisitions guide.
August 15, 2018
The Okinawa Essay Contest application process has started, sponsored by The Okinawa Prefectural Government and the George Washington University Okinawa Collection. Read more on News & Events.
February 22, 2018
The 1st Okinawa Culture Day was held as part of the Beginning Japanese course. The students enjoyed a karate demonstration by Master Nestor Folta and Master Koichi Folta and a traditional Okinawan dance, Eisaa, by three Eisaa instructors, Mrs. Michie Beckford, Mrs. Kyoko Dennard and Master Koichi Folta.
January 6, 2018
Japanese Americans' Care Fund Maryland Library and Mrs. Mieko Maeshiro, a former President of Okinawa Kai of Washington, D.C. made a generous donation.
Updates from 2017
November 15, 2017
Mrs. Teiko Tursi, a karate instructor, dance choreographer and former President of the Okinawan American Association of New York, visited the Advanced Japanese course taught by Professor Shoko Hamano.
September 17, 2017
The Okinawa Collection librarian visited the Beginning Japanese class taught by Professor Kyoko Kobayashi Hillman. The topics covered: the history of Ryukyu Kingdom, the Battle of Okinawa and US-Japan military base issues.
May 17, 2017
Mr. Daiichi Hirata, Chairman of Okinawa Prefectural Foundation for Cultural Promotion, generously donated a box set of 17 CDs, “Okinawa Miyako Yaeyama Minyo Daizenshu I Utakata,” to the GW Okinawa Collection.
April 19, 2017
Bui Phoebe, a Senior at the Elliott School of International Affairs, presented a paper on Japanese junior high history textbook content and its relationship to its readers' perceptions of historical events, including the Battle of Okinawa, at the Elliott School Undergraduates Scholars Research Symposium.
February 3, 2017
The GW Okinawa Collection Workshop was held at the National Churchill Library and Center in Gelman Library. Read more at News & Events.
February 2, 2017
The Honorable Takeshi Onaga, Governor, Okinawa Prefecture and Dr. Moritake Tomikawa, Policy Advisor, Okinawa Prefecture, gave speeches at The Elliott School of International Affairs. Read more at News & Events.
February 2, 2017
Members of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly and All Okinawa visited the Okinawa Collection. Read more at News & Events.
January 10, 2017
Miriam B. Grinberg, Program Associate at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs just earned her PhD from University of Warwick. Her dissertation The US-Japan alliance and the relocation of Futenma : sites of discursive exchange in the reproduction of security alliances is available online. Congratulations, Miriam!
Recent Acquisitions
Stay up-to-date on our newest additions to the Okinawa Collection on our Recent Acquisitions Guide.
