The is a Japanese newspaper published in

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

. It was founded in 1893 by Shō Jun, a former prince of the

Ryūkyū Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom was a kingdom in the Ryukyu Islands from 1429 to 1879. It was ruled as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of Ming dynasty, imperial Ming China by the King of Ryukyu, Ryukyuan monarchy, who unified Okinawa Island t ...

, and was the first newspaper to be published in the prefecture."Ryūkyū Shimpō." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia")
Ryukyu Shimpo
(琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 6 September 2009. Historian George H. Kerr says of the newspaper, upon its founding, that it "strengthened leadership and promoted the development of informed opinion on matters of public concern". It has also been described as speaking for the former ruling class of the kingdom. Editor-in-chief

Ōta Chōfu was a prominent Ryukyuan people, Ryukyuan journalist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, famous for his involvement in the Kōdō-kai Movement, advocating the maintenance of hereditary rule of Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa under the heirs t ...

, along with others from the newspaper, played a role in the Kōdō-kai Movement, arguing for leadership of the prefecture to remain hereditary within the Shō family, and opposing the

Freedom and People's Rights Movement The Freedom and People's Rights Movement (自由民権運動, ''Jiyū Minken Undō'') was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy during the Meiji era, Meiji period. It pursued the formation of an elected legislature, revision of the ...

led in Okinawa by, among others, Jahana Noboru.Shinzato, Keiji, et al. ''Okinawa-ken no rekishi'' (沖縄県の歴史, "History of Okinawa Prefecture"). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p192. The Ryūkyū Shimpō company involved itself in development and modernization efforts in the island prefecture, spurring agricultural production and innovation by hosting competitions and exhibitions, and arranged in 1915 for the first demonstration of an airplane in Okinawa.Kerr. pp430-432 Originally published every other day, it became a daily newspaper in 1906."Ryūkyū Shimpō.
Kotobank.jp
2008. Accessed 6 September 2009. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, as the result of the national government's Newspaper Unification Policy, the paper was combined with the ''Okinawa Asahi'' and Okinawa Daily News (''Okinawa Nippō'') into the ''Okinawa Shimpō'', and did not resume publication under the name "Ryūkyū Shimpō" until after the end of the war. Today, it has the largest print-run of newspapers in Okinawa with both morning and evening editions, and the newspaper company is connected to a number of other businesses, including Ryūkyū Shimpō Shipping, Ryūkyū Shimpō Development, and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryukyu Shimpo 1893 establishments in Japan Newspapers established in 1893 Daily newspapers published in Japan Japanese-language newspapers Mass media in Okinawa Prefecture Companies based in Okinawa Prefecture