 The first contacts occurred with the Ryūkyū Kingdom (modern Okinawa), a vassal of the Japanese fief of Satsuma since 1609.In 1844, a French naval expedition under Captain Fornier-Duplan onboard "Alcmène" visited Okinawa on April 28, 1844.Trade was denied, but Father Forcade was left behind with a Chinese translator, named Auguste Ko.