Japan made a proposal that the main island of Okinawa be a part of Japanese territory and that both the Yaeyama Islands and Miyako Island be a part of Chinese territory (Bunto revision plan, which literally means a plan to divide islands for a treaty revision) in the negotiation held in Beijing in 1880 with Qing, which had been opposing to what is known as the Ryukyu Annexation by the Meiji Government in 1879.
1879年明治政府のいわゆる琉球処分に際しても、それに反対する清との1880年北京での交渉において日本は沖縄本島を日本領とし八重山諸島と宮古島を中国領とする案(分島改約案)を提示した。