The Ryukyu Islands were returned to Japan by the United States, and the U.S. occupation government was abolished.

The Ryukyu Islands , also known as the Nansei Islands or the Ryukyu Arc , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands and Okinawa Prefecture. The larger ones are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island.

The United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands abbr. USCAR was the civil administration government in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, replacing the United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands in 1950, and functioned until the islands were returned to Japan in 1972. It oversaw the native Ryukyuan Government. It could overrule all the decisions made by the native government.