Tamanoi Yoshirō's “Okinawa Experience” and His Vision for Regionalism

This article explores the regionalism theories of Japanese economist Tamanoi Yoshirō (1918-1985), with a particular focus on his time in Okinawa from 1978 to 1985. Tamanoi, a professor at the University of Tokyo from 1951 to 1978, initially specialized in economic theory and the history of economic thought. Around the early 1970s, however, his research shifted towards non-market economies and ecological regionalism. This article highlights how Tamanoi developed his visions for “bottom-up” regionalism after moving to Okinawa International University in 1978, in the unique socio-spatial context of post-reversion Okinawa. His regionalism theories, on the one hand, aimed to critique Japan's centralized, developmentalist growth model during the high economic growth period. On the other hand, his experiences in Okinawa had a significant impact on developing his regionalism theories, as they were connected to intellectual and social discussions concerning economic development and the pursuit of local autonomy after Okinawa‘s reversion to Japan in 1972. By analyzing the significance and limitations of the “Charter for the Autonomy of Okinawa Based on Survival and Peace (Draft),” a document on which Tamanoi worked until shortly before his death in 1985, this article reveals the tensions between his regionalism theories and Okinawan intellectuals’ visions for local autonomy.