琉球民族獨立綜合研究學會每年到聯合國來遞交請願書，他們回琉球之前與本刊編者小聚，談到日前中國大陸新任駐日本大使吳江浩和沖繩縣副知事舉行閉門會議，討論將沖繩島的稱謂改回琉球及沖繩知事玉城丹尼今年內要訪問中國，有可能請求中國支持流球群島獨立。學會負責人之一的友知正樹表示，從最近種種看來，琉球獨立的前景頗為樂觀，理由是琉球獨立沒有中國的幫助是不可能的，而中國政府終於一改以往沉默的態度改採正面積極的行動面對琉球問題。獨立研究會今後將積極與中國政府及民間溝通，以達琉球獨立的目標。 

今年在聯合國的訴求，據《琉球新報》記者中村麻理子2023年4月21日報導：

琉球民族獨立綜合研究學會於4月19日在聯合國總部進行的土著原住民常設論壇的討論會上，就琉球邊野古建設新軍事基地問題以及人造化學污染物（PFAS）問題發表了聲明。

琉球民族獨立研究會加州大學 SANTA CLARA分校研究生 Alexis 大城表示： 7成琉球居民投票反對建設邊野古新基地。 她還指出，日本政府及美軍繼續興建邊野古新基地違反了聯合國關於土著原住民權益宣言裡的多項原則。大城提及沖繩本島南部二戰死者遺地的土砂濫用在邊野古新基地的建設，嚴重踐踏聯合國關於土著原住民權益保障宣言的第三條，以及第12條的歸還土著原住民的遺骨。大城痛訴“日本和美軍當局的雙重殖民式統治製造了許多問題給琉球居民，民眾長期擔憂受擾不已。

聯合國常設論壇將爭取安排琉球民族獨立研究會與日本常駐聯合國的代表會晤。並將督促美國國防部公佈美軍建設邊野古新基地污染地下水狀態。共有一千多人參加了這次，第22屆土著原住民常設論壇的討論會。定期舉辦論壇是《世界人權宣言》在75周年時通過的一項保護土著原住民的措施事項。 

琉球民族獨立研究會聲明全文如下：

Alexyss McClellan-Ufugusuku

常設論壇2023

第五項(d)

謝謝主席先生

海地gusuyo chuuganabira

我的名字是Alexyss McClellan-Ufugusuku，我是一名自豪的混血兒Shikkei nu uchinanchu女子。我們琉球人是日本土地上兩個土著民族之一，雖然聯合國和國際社會承認我們是土著民族，但日本政府不承認。

我們在此強調，雖然琉球群島今天被當作一個縣來管理，但我們沒有被當作與日本其他地區平等的民族來對待。日本政府犯下了許多侵犯人權的罪行，並侵犯了《聯合國土著人民權利宣言》所闡述的權利。在本聲明中，我們想集中討論兩個問題，一個是美國在琉球島嶼上的軍事基地，另一個是正在邊野古建設的美國新基地，另一個是目前正在影響沖繩45萬琉球人供水的聚氟烷基物質(PFAS)洩漏。

沖繩島的15%以上被美軍和日本軍事基地佔據，其中僅美軍基地就有32個軍事設施。這些基地中有許多是在1972年歸還日本控制之前建造的，但我們想提請注意的是，FPIC正在受到沖繩Oura灣上建造的新美國基地的破壞。

琉球人不同意再建一個美軍基地。2019年，沖繩縣舉行了正式公投，超過70%的選民對新基地的建設投了反對票。儘管如此，建設仍在繼續，日本政府和美軍在這樣做的過程中違反了UNDRIP的數十條條款，包括第30條，第3條，我們的自決權，以及最近的第12條，關於褻瀆我們的祖先遺骸，因為在2021年發現用於新基地建設的土地上有數千名來自沖繩島南部的祖先遺骸。

我國島嶼上的軍國主義不僅是對我國島嶼和海洋的攻擊，而且由於PFAS污染問題，也影響到居住在沖繩島的琉球人的生計。PFAS已經從多個軍事基地洩漏，目前正在影響沖繩島上的45萬琉球人。除了目前日本和美國軍隊的雙重殖民給我們帶來的許多其他問題外，我們現在還擔心長期暴露於PFAS並在我們體內積累所造成的嚴重的長期健康危害。這尤其影響到琉球婦女和孕婦，因為產前接觸PFAS會對她們的孩子產生影響，包括但不限於出生尺寸、激素平衡破壞、神經系統發育和感染傳染病的風險更高。有關PFAS污染的更多資訊，請參閱我們在2022年5月向有毒物質與人權問題特別報告員提交的報告和報告。

我們請常設論壇安排一次委員會和日本常駐代表團之間的會議，以便討論目前在琉球的軍國主義問題。此外，我們要求美國國防部向公眾公佈在沖繩美軍基地進行的地下水測試資料，並要求美國和日本政府聽取人權和有毒物質問題特別報告員關於有毒物質和土著人民影響的報告的建議D)，制定一項權宜之計的清理計畫，並立即向受影響的45萬琉球人提供清潔飲用水。我們還呼籲美國立即停止向世界各地的美國基地分發和使用含有PFAS的阻燃劑。最後，日本政府絕不能繼續將福島核電站的100多萬噸受輻射水排放到太平洋的計畫。

takara, Miji du nuchi。水是寶，水是命。

我愛我的家園。

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
ACSILs Statement 
Alexyss McClellan-Ufugusuku
UNPFII 2023
Item 5(d)
Thank you Mr. President/ chair
Haitai gusuyo chuuganabira

My name is Alexyss McClellan-Ufugusuku, I am a proud mixed race Shikkei nu Uchinaanchu woman. We Ryukyuans are one of two Indigenous peoples in the nation-state of Japan, and although the United Nations and the international community recognize us as such, the government of Japan does not.[1] 

We are here to emphasize that, while the Ryukyu islands are today governed as a prefecture, we are not treated as a people equal to the rest of Japan. The Japanese government perpetrates a number of human rights violations and violations against the rights articulated by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights on Indigenous Peoples. In this statement we would like to focus on two issues that stem from the U.S. military bases in our islands, the ongoing construction of yet another new U.S. base in Henoko, and the leak of per and polyfluoryl alykyl substances, or PFAS, that is currently affecting the water supply of 450,000 Ryukyuans in Okinawa.

More than fifteen percent of Okinawa Island is occupied by U.S. and Japanese military bases, of which the U.S. bases alone amount to 32 military installations. Many of these bases were built prior to reversion to Japanese control in 1972, but we would like to draw attention to the fact that FPIC is being undermined in regards to the new U.S. base being built on top of Oura Bay in Okinawa.

The Ryukyuan people have not agreed to the construction of another U.S. base. In 2019 an official referendum was held in Okinawa prefecture, in which over 70% of voters voted “No” against the construction of the new base. Despite this, construction has persisted, and in doing so the Japanese government and U.S. military are violating dozens of articles of the UNDRIP including article thirty, as well as article three, our right to self-determination, and most recently article 12 in regards to desecrating our ancestral remains since it was discovered in 2021 that the land being used for the new base construction contains thousands of ancestor remains from the southern part of Okinawa island.

Militarism in our islands is not only an assault on our islands and ocean, but also affects the livelihood of Ryukyuans living on the island of Okinawa due to the issue of PFAS contamination. PFAS has leaked from multiple military bases, and is currently affecting 450 thousand Ryukyuans on the island of Okinawa. In addition to the many other problems we have as a result of our current dual colonization by Japan and the U.S. military, we now also worry about serious long term health hazards as a result of decades long exposure to and accumulation of PFAS in our peoples’ bodies. This in particular affects Ryukyuan women and pregnant people because of the effects that prenatal exposure to PFAS can have on their children, including but not limited to birth size, the disruption of hormone balance, nervous system development, and a higher risk of contracting infectious diseases.[2] More information about PFAS contamination can be found in the presentation and report we gave to the Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights in May 2022.

We ask that the Permanent Forum arrange a meeting between ACSILs and the Permanent Mission of Japan in order to discuss ongoing issues of militarism in the Ryukyus. Additionally, we demand that the U.S. Department of Defense release to the public data from the groundwater tests conducted on U.S. bases in Okinawa, and that the U.S. and Japanese governments heed recommendation D) from the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Toxic’s report on the impacts of toxics and indigenous peoples, to create an expedient clean up plan and immediately provide access to clean drinking water to the 450,000 Ryukyuans affected. We also call on the  U.S. to immediately cease distribution and use of flame repellents containing PFAS to U.S. bases around the world. Finally, the government of Japan MUST NOT continue with its plan to discharge more than a million tons of irradiated water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.
Miji du takara, miji du nuchi.
Water is a treasure, water is life.
Ippee nifee deebitan