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Template:Infobox Prefecture Japan

Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県, Japanese: Okinawa-ken, Okinawan: Uchinaa-ken) is the southernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long. The Ryukyos extend southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. The Okinawa Prefecture encompases the southern two thirds of that chain. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island. The Senkaku Islands are administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture.

History

The oldest evidence of human existence in the Ryukyu islands was discovered in Naha and Yaese. Some human bone fragments from the Paleolithic era were unearthed, but there is no clear evidence of Paleolithic remains. Japanese Jōmon influences are dominant in the Okinawa Islands, although clay vessels in the Sakishima Islands have a commonality with those in Taiwan.

The first mention of the word Ryukyu was written in the Book of Sui. Okinawa was the Japanese word identifying the islands, first seen in the biography of Jianzhen, written in 779. Agricultural societies begun in the 8th century slowly developed until the 12th century. Since the islands are located at the eastern perimeter of the East China Sea relatively close to Japan, China and South-East Asia, the Ryūkyū Kingdom became a prosperous trading nation. Also during this period, many Gusukus, similar to castles, were constructed. The Ryūkyū Kingdom had a tributary relationship with the Chinese Empire beginning in the 15th century.

In 1609, the Shimazu clan, which controlled the region that is now Kagoshima Prefecture, conquered the Ryūkyū Kingdom. The Ryūkyū Kingdom was obliged to agree to form a tributary relationship with the Satsuma and the Tokugawa shogunate, while maintaining its previous tributary relationship with China; Ryukyuan sovereignty was maintained since complete annexation would have created a conflict with China. The Satsuma clan earned considerable profits from trade with China during a period in which foreign trade was heavily restricted by the shogunate.

Although Satsuma maintained strong influence over the islands, the Ryūkyū Kingdom maintained a considerable degree of domestic political freedom for over two hundred years. Four years after the 1868 Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government, through military incursions, officially annexed the kingdom and renamed it Ryukyu han. At the time, the Qing Dynasty of China asserted sovereignty over the islands of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, since the Ryūkyū Kingdom was also a tributary nation of China. Ryukyu han became Okinawa Prefecture of Japan in 1879, even though all other hans had become prefectures of Japan in 1872. In 1912, Okinawans first obtained the right to vote for representatives to the national Diet which had been established in 1890.

A quarter of the civilian population died during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. The dead, of all nationalities, are commemorated at the Cornerstone of Peace. After the end of World War II in 1945, Okinawa was under United States administration for 27 years. During trusteeship rule the United States established numerous military bases on the Ryukyu islands. During the Korean War, B-29 Superfortresses flew bombing missions from Kadena AFB, on Okinawa, over Korea.

In 1972, the U.S. government returned the islands to Japanese administration. Under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, the United States Forces Japan (USFJ) have maintained a large military presence. 27,000 personnel, including 15,000 Marines, contingents from the Navy, Army and Air Force, and their 22,000 family members are stationed in Okinawa. Since 1960, the U.S. and Japan have maintained an agreement that allows the U.S. to secretly bring nuclear weapons into Japanese ports, and there is speculation (see below) that some nuclear weapons may be located in Okinawa. Both tactical and strategic weapons have been maintained in Okinawa. U.S. military bases occupy 18% of the main island, while 75% of all USFJ bases are located in Okinawa prefecture.

Reports by the local media of accidents and crimes committed by U.S. servicemen have reduced the local population's support for the U.S. military bases. A strong emotional response has emerged from certain incidents. As a result, the media has drawn renewed interest in the Ryukyu independence movement which developed after 1945. The rape of a 12-year-old girl by U.S. servicemen in 1995 triggered large protests in Okinawa. US Servicemen in Japan have an overall low rate of criminality, lower then the general population within Okinawa. Partially as a result, but also to deploy USFJ more efficiently, the U.S. and Japanese governments agreed in 2006 to the relocation of the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and other minor bases. A new Japanese government that came to power in 2009 froze the relocation plan, but in April 2010 indicated their interest in resolving the issue by proposing a modified plan. Okinawan feelings about the US military are complex, and some of the resentment towards the US bases is directed towards the government in Tokyo, perceived as being insensitive to Okinawan needs and using Okinawa to house bases not desired elsewhere in Japan. Okinawa is the poorest prefecture within Japan, and the issue of US bases has become tangled with the sense of colonialist / imperialist treatment of Okinawa by Tokyo.

The sovereignty of Ryukyu Islands are still unsettled between China and Japan.

Geography

Major islands

The islands comprising the prefecture are the southern two thirds of the archipelago of the Ryūkyū Islands (琉球諸島, Ryūkyū-shotō). Okinawa's inhabited islands are typically divided into three geographical archipelagos. From northeast to southwest:

• Okinawa Islands (沖縄諸島, Okinawa Shotō)
  • Ie-jima
  • Kume
  • Okinawa Island
  • Kerama Islands

• Miyako Islands
  • Miyako-jima

• Yaeyama Islands
  • Iriomote
  • Ishigaki
  • Yonaguni

Cities

Okinawa Prefecture includes eleven cities. Okinawan names are in parentheses.

• Ginowan (Jinoon)
• Ishigaki (Ishigachi)
• Itoman (Ichuman)
• Miyakojima (Naaku)
• Nago (Nagu)
• Naha (Naafa) (capital)
• Nanjō (Nanjoo)
• Okinawa (Uchinaa) (formerly Koza)
• Tomigusuku (Timigushiku)
• Urasoe (Urashii)
• Uruma (Uruma)

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district.

Mergers

Natural Parks

As of March 31, 2008, 19% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park; Okinawa Kaigan and Okinawa Senseki Quasi-National Parks; and Irabu, Kumejima, and Tonaki Prefectural Natural Parks.

Fauna

Iriomote is home to one of the world's rarest and most endangered cat species, the Iriomote Cat. The region is also home to at least one endemic pit viper, Trimeresurus elegans. Coral reefs found in this region of Japan provide an environment for a diverse marine fauna. The sea turtles return yearly to the southern islands of Okinawa to lay their eggs. The summer months carry warnings to swimmers regarding poisonous jellyfish and other dangerous sea creatures.

Flora

Okinawa is a major producer of sugar cane, pineapple, papaya, and other tropical fruit, and the Southeast Botanical Gardens represent tropical plant species.

Geology

The island is largely composed of coral, and rainwater filtering through that coral has given the island many caves, which played an important role in the Battle of Okinawa. Gyokusendo is an extensive limestone cave in the southern part of Okinawa's main island.

Climate

The island experiences temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F) for most of the year. Okinawa and the many islands that make up the prefecture contains some of the most abundant coral reefs found in the world. Rare blue corals are found off of Ishigaki and Miyako islands as are numerous species throughout the chain.

Demography

Okinawa prefecture age pyramid as of October 1, 2003
(per thousands of people)

Age	People
0–4	84
5–9	85
10–14	87
15–19	94
20–24	91
25–29	97
30–34	99
35–39	87
40–44	91
45–49	96
50–54	100
55–59	64
60–64	65
65–69	66
70–74	53
75–79	37
80 +	55

Okinawa Prefecture age pyramid, divided by sex, as of October 1, 2003
(per thousands of people)

Males	Age	Females
43	0–4	41
44	5–9	41
45	10–14	42
48	15–19	46
46	20–24	45
49	25–29	48
49	30–34	50
43	35–39	44
46	40–44	45
49	45–49	47
52	50–54	48
32	55–59	32
32	60–64	33
32	65–69	34
24	70–74	29
14	75–79	23
17	80 +	38

Language and culture

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Having historically been a separate nation until 1879, Okinawan language and culture differ in many ways from that of mainland Japan.

Language

There remain numerous Ryukyuan languages which are more or less incomprehensible to Japanese speakers. These languages are in decline as Standard Japanese is being used by the younger generation. Many linguists classify Ryukyuan into Japonic languages, while they are generally perceived as "dialects" by mainland Japanese and Okinawans themselves. Standard Japanese is almost always used in formal situations. In informal situations, de facto everyday language among Okinawans under age 60 is Okinawa-accented mainland Japanese ("Okinawan Japanese"), which is often misunderstood as Okinawan language proper. The actual traditional Okinawan language is still used in traditional cultural activities, such as folk music, or folk dance. There is a radio news program in the language as well.

Religion

Okinawans have traditionally followed Ryukyuan religious beliefs, generally characterized by ancestor worship and the respecting of relationships between the living, the dead, and the gods and spirits of the natural world.

Cultural influences

Okinawan culture bears traces of its various trading partners. One can find Chinese, Thai and Austronesian influences in the island's customs. Perhaps Okinawa's most famous cultural export is karate, probably a product of the close ties with and influence of China on Okinawan culture. Karate is thought to be a synthesis of Chinese kung fu with traditional Okinawan martial arts. A ban on weapons in Okinawa for two long periods after the invasion and forced annexation by Japan during the Meiji Restoration period also very likely contributed to its development.

Another traditional Okinawan product that owes its existence to Okinawa's trading history is awamori—an Okinawan distilled spirit made from indica rice imported from Thailand.

Other cultural characteristics

Other prominent examples of Okinawan culture include the sanshin—a three-stringed Okinawan instrument, closely related to the Chinese sanxian, and ancestor of the Japanese shamisen, somewhat similar to a banjo. Its body is often bound with snakeskin (from pythons, imported from elsewhere in Asia, rather than from Okinawa's venomous Trimeresurus flavoviridis, which are too small for this purpose). Okinawan culture also features the eisa dance, a traditional drumming dance. A traditional craft, the fabric named bingata, is made in workshops on the main island and elsewhere.

The Okinawan diet consist of low-fat, low-salt foods, such as fish, tofu, and seaweed. Okinawans are known for their longevity. Individuals live longer on this Japanese island than anywhere else in the world. Five times as many Okinawans live to be 100 as in the rest of Japan, and the Japanese are the longest-lived nationality in the world. There are 34.7 centenarians for every 100,000 inhabitants, being the highest ratio in the world. The possible explanations to this fact is the diet, low-stress lifestyle, caring community, activity, and spirituality of the inhabitants of the island.

In recent years, Okinawan literature has been appreciated outside of the Ryūkyū archipelago. Two Okinawan writers have received the Akutagawa Prize: Matayoshi Eiki in 1995 for The Pig's Retribution (豚の報い, Buta no mukui) and Medoruma Shun in 1997 for A Drop of Water (Suiteki). The prize was also won by Okinawans in 1967 by Tatsuhiro Oshiro for Cocktail Party (Kakuteru Pāti) and in 1971 by Mineo Higashi for Okinawan Boy (Okinawa no Shōnen).

Karate

Karate originated in Okinawa. Over time, it developed into several styles and sub-styles. On Okinawa, the three main styles are considered to be Shorin-Ryu, Goju-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu. Internationally, the various styles and sub-styles include Wado Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Uechi Ryu, Goju Ryu, Isshin Ryu, Shotokan, Isshin-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, Shorinjiryu Kenkokan, Shorinjiryu Koshinkai, Shorinji Ryu, Shuri-ryū, and Pangai-noon.

Architecture

Despite widespread destruction during the war, there are many remains of a unique type of castle or fortress known as gusuku; the most significant are now inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu). In addition, twenty-one Ryukyuan architectural complexes and thirty-six historic sites have been designated for protection by the national government.

Whereas most homes in Japan are made with wood and allow free-flow of air to combat humidity, typical modern homes in Okinawa are made from concrete with barred windows (protection from flying plant matter) to deal with regular typhoons. Roofs are also designed with strong winds in mind, with each tile cemented on and not merely layered as seen with many homes elsewhere in Japan.

Many roofs also display a statue resembling a lion or dragon, called a shisa, which is said to protect the home from danger. Roofs are typically red in color and are inspired by Chinese design.

Okinawa during the Vietnam War

Between 1965 and 1972, Okinawa was a key staging point for the United States, in its military operations directed towards North Vietnam. Okinawa, along with Guam, also presented the United States military a geographically strategic launch pad for covert bombing missions over Cambodia and Laos. Anti-Vietnam War sentiment became linked politically to the movement for reversion of Okinawa to Japan. Political leaders such as Oda Makoto, a major figure in the Beheiren movement (Foundation of Citizens for Peace in Vietnam), believed that the return of Okinawa to Japan would lead to the removal of U.S forces ending Japan's involvement in Vietnam. In a speech delivered in 1967 Oda was critical of Prime Minister Sato’s unilateral support of America’s War in Vietnam claiming "Realistically we are all guilty of complicity in the Vietnam War".

In 1965, the United States military bases, earlier viewed as paternal post war protection, were increasingly seen as aggressive. The military build up on the island during the Cold War increased a division between local inhabitants and the American military. The Vietnam War highlighted the differences between the United States and Okinawa, but showed a commonality between the islands and mainland Japan.

The United States military bases on Okinawa became a focal point for anti-Vietnam War sentiment. By 1969, over 50,000 American military personnel were stationed on Okinawa, accustomed to privileges and laws not shared by the indigenous population. The United States Department of Defense began referring to Okinawa as "The Keystone of the Pacific". This slogan was imprinted on local U.S military license plates.

As controversy grew regarding the alleged placement of nuclear weapons on Okinawa, fears intensified on the possible escalation of the Vietnam War. Okinawa was then perceived, by some inside Japan, as a potential target for China, should the communist government feel threatened by the United States. American military secrecy blocked any local reporting on what was actually occurring at such bases as Kadena Air Base. But as information leaked out, and images of air strikes were published, the local population began to fear the potential for retaliation.

The Beheiren became a more visible protest movement on Okinawa as the American involvement in Vietnam intensified. The anti-war movement employed tactics ranging from demonstrations, to handing leaflets to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines directly, warning of the implications for a third World War. The Vietnam War forced many Okinawans to address their own recent history, in particular the destruction wrought by the battle of Okinawa in World War II. Images of devastation in Vietnam, by planes based and armed in Okinawa, led many to see parallels in the two wars. This sympathy for a fellow Asian nation increased public outrage, and calls for a return to what Okinawans called "Absolute Pacifism".

U.S. military controversy

The United States maintains Air Force, Marine, Navy, and Army military installations on the islands. These bases include Kadena Air Base, Camp Foster, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Camp Hansen, Camp Schwab, Torii Station, and Camp Kinser. The area of 14 U.S. bases are 233 square kilometres (90 sq mi), occupying 18% of the main island. Okinawa hosts about two-thirds of the 40,000 American forces in Japan. The islands account for less than one percent of total lands in Japan. Suburbs have grown towards and now surround two historic major bases, Futenma and Kadena. One third (9,852 acres (39.87 km)) of the land used by the U.S. military is the Marine Corps Northern Training Area in the north of the island.

A 2012 book, Resistant Islands: Okinawa Confronts Japan and the United States, argues that the US presence on Okinawa, which has provoked strong opposition and resistance among the island's inhabitants, is not geared towards defending Japan, but rather to serve as part of an American forward deployment strategy aimed at Southeast Asia and China, the stability of which is not important to Japanese commercial or defense interests.

In 1969, 13,000 tons of poison gas, including sulfur mustard, sarin, and VX, leaked from the chemical weapons storage depot at Chibana in central Okinawa. Evacuations of residents took place over a wide area for two months. Even two years later, a report by government investigators found that Okinawans and the environment near the leak were still suffering because of the depot. In 2011, it was reported that the US military—contrary to repeated denials by the Pentagon—had kept tens of thousands of barrels of Agent Orange on the island. The Japanese and American governments have angered some US veterans, who believe they were poisoned by Agent Orange while serving on the island, by characterizing their statements regarding Agent Orange as "dubious", and ignoring their requests for compensation. Reports that more than a third of the barrels developed leaks have led Okinawans to ask for environmental investigations, but both Tokyo and Washington continue to refuse such action. Jon Mitchell has reported concern that the US used American Marines as chemical-agent guinea pigs.

Between 1972 and 2009, there were 5,634 criminal offenses committed by US servicemen, including 25 murders, 385 burglaries, 25 arsons, 127 rapes, 306 assaults and 2,827 thefts. In early 2008, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice apologized after a series of crimes involving American troops in Japan, including the rape of a young girl of 14 by a Marine on Okinawa. The U.S. military also imposed a temporary 24-hour curfew on military personnel and their families to ease the anger of local residents. Some cited statistics that the crime rate of military personnel is consistently less than that of the general Okinawan population. However, some criticized the statistics as unreliable since Japanese violence against Japanese women is especially under-reported.

According to a 2007 Okinawa Times poll, 85% of Okinawans opposed the presence of the U.S. military, due to noise pollution from military drills, the risk of aircraft accidents, environmental degradation, and extra crowding from the number of personnel there, although 73.4% of Japanese citizens appreciated the mutual security treaty with the U.S. and the presence of the USFJ. In another poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun in May 2010, 43% of the Okinawan population wanted the complete closure of the U.S. bases, 42% wanted reduction and 11% wanted the maintenance of the status quo.

U.S. nuclear arms base

The Japanese tended to oppose the introduction of nuclear arms into Japanese territory by the government's assertion of non-nuclear policy and a statement of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. Most of the weapons were alleged to be stored in ammunition bunkers at Kadena Air Base. Between 1954 and 1972, 19 different types of nuclear weapons were deployed in Okinawa, but with less than around 1,000 warheads at any one time.

In 1999 and 2002, The Japan Times and the Okinawa Times reported speculation that not all the supposed weapons were removed from Okinawa. In an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun in 1981, Edwin O. Reischauer, former U.S. ambassador to Japan, said that U.S. naval ships armed with nukes stopped at Japanese ports on a routine duty and this was approved by the Japanese government.

MCAS Futenma relocation

The governments of the United States and Japan agreed on October 26, 2005 to move Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from its location in the densely populated city of Ginowan to the more northerly and remote Camp Schwab. Under the plan, thousands of Marines will relocate. The move is partly an attempt to relieve tensions between the people of Okinawa and the Marine Corps. Protests from environmental groups and residents over the construction of part of a runway at Camp Schwab, and from businessmen and politicians around Futenma and Henoko, have occurred.

The legality of the proposed heliport relocation has been questioned as being a violation of International Law, including the World Heritage Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Proposed solutions

As of 2006, some 8,000 U.S. Marines were being removed from the island and being relocated to Guam. In November 2008, U.S. Pacific Command Commander Admiral Timothy Keating stated that the move to Guam would probably not be completed before 2015.

Japan's former foreign minister Katsuya Okada stated that he wanted to review the deployment of U.S. troops in Japan to ease the burden on the people of Okinawa, where many U.S. bases are located, the Associated Press reported October 7, 2009. 5,000 Marines of 9,000 Marines will be deployed at Guam and the rest will be deployed at Hawaii and Australia. Japan will pay $3.1 billion cash for the moving and for developing joint training ranges on Guam and on Tinian and Pagan in the U.S.-controlled Northern Mariana Islands.

Education

The public schools in Okinawa are overseen by the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education. The agency directly operates several public high schools. The U.S. Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) operates 13 schools total in Okinawa. Seven of these schools are located on Kadena Air Base.

Okinawa has many types of private schools. Some of them are cram schools, also known as juku. Others, such as Nova, solely teach language. People also attend small language schools. Japanese language schools for foreigners are also becoming popular in Okinawa.

There are 10 colleges/universities in Okinawa including the Asian Division of University of Maryland University College (UMUC). Starting in September 2012, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology – which also conducts all research and education in English and has a faculty and student body which is over half non-Japanese – will offer a PhD program in cross-disciplinary science.

Sports

Association football

• F.C. Ryūkyū (Naha)

Basketball

• Ryukyu Golden Kings (Naha)

Handball

• Ryukyu Corazon (Naha)

In addition, various baseball teams hold training during the winter in the prefecture as it is the warmest prefecture of Japan with no snow and higher temperatures than other prefectures.

• Softbank Hawks
• Yokohama BayStars
• Chunichi Dragons
• Yakult Swallows

There are numerous golf courses in the prefecture, and there was formerly a professional tournament called the Okinawa Open.

Transportation

Air transportation

• Aguni Airport
• Hateruma Airport
• Iejima Airport
• New Ishigaki Airport
• Kerama Airport
• Kita Daito Airport
• Kumejima Airport
• Minami-Daito Airport
• Miyako Airport
• Naha Airport
• Shimojijima Airport
• Tarama Airport
• Yonaguni Airport

Highways

• Okinawa Expressway
• Naha Airport Expressway
• Route 58
• Route 329
• Route 330
• Route 331
• Route 332
• Route 390
• Route 449
• Route 505
• Route 506
• Route 507

Rail

• Okinawa Monorail

Ports

The major ports of Okinawa include:

• Naha Port
• Port of Unten
• Port of Kinwan
• Nakagusukuwan Port
• Hirara Port
• Port of Ishigaki

Economy

The United States has a number of bases on Okinawa which are financially supported by the U.S. and Japan. They provide jobs for Okinawans, both directly and indirectly. However they account for 4 or 5% of the economy nowadays. In 2012, the US military employed 4,000 Japanese workers directly. It contributed $1.9 billion to the local economy.

United States military installations

• United States Marine Corps
  • Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler
  • Camp Foster
  • Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
  • Camp Kinser
  • Camp Courtney
  • Camp McTureous
  • Camp Hansen
  • Camp Schwab
  • Camp Gonsalves (Jungle Warfare Training Center)
• United States Air Force
  • Kadena Air Base
• United States Navy
  • Camp Lester (Camp Kuwae)
  • Camp Shields
  • Naval Facility White Beach
• United States Army
  • Torii Station
  • Fort Buckner
  • Naha Military Port

The Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau is exploring the possibility of using facilities on the military bases for large-scale Meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions events.

Notables

• Chōjun Miyagi founder of Gōjū-ryū, "hard/soft" style of famous Okinawan Karate.
• Uechi Kanbun was the founder of Uechi-ryū, one of the primary karate styles of Okinawa.
• Mitsuru Ushijima was the Japanese general at the Battle of Okinawa, during the final stages of World War II.
• Isamu Chō was an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army known for his support of ultranationalist politics and involvement in a number of attempted military and right-wing coup d'etats in pre-World War II Japan.
• Ota Minoru was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and the final commander of the Japanese naval forces defending the Oroku Peninsula during the Battle of Okinawa.
• Sato Eisaku was a Japanese politician and the 61st, 62nd and 63rd Prime Minister of Japan. While he was premier in 1972, Okinawa was returned to Japan.
• Yabu Kentsu was a prominent teacher of Shōrin-ryū karate in Okinawa from the 1910s until the 1930s, and was among the first people to demonstrate karate in Hawaii.
• Takamine Tokumei He successfully performed surgery for the grandson of King Sho Tei, Sho Eki under general anesthesia.
• Takuji Iwasaki was a meteorologist, biologist, ethnologist historian.
• Rino Nakasone Razalan professional dancer and choreographer.
• Yukie Nakama singer, musician and actress
• Namie Amuro Japanese R&B, hip hop and pop singer
• Daichi Miura Japanese pop singer, dancer and choreographer.
• Matayoshi Eiki Okinawan novel writer, winner of Akutagawa prize
• Gackt Japanese pop singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor
• Robert Griffin III American football quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner
• Dave Roberts, Major League Baseball player
• BENI Japanese pop and R&B singer

See also

• History of Ryukyu Islands
• Okinawa Island
• Okinawan language
• Okinawan name
• Okinawa Prefectural Assembly
• Operation Red Hat
• People from Okinawa Prefecture
• Okinawan Americans
• Ryukyu independence movement
• Ryukyu Islands
• Ryukyu (Okinawan) Samurai
• Ryukyuan people
• Ryukyuan religion

References

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29. Mori, Kyozo, Two Ends of a Telescope Japanese and American Views of Okinawa, Japan Quarterly, 15:1 (1968:Jan./Mar.) p.17
30. ROBERT TRUMBULL, "ASIA CRISIS SLOWS OKINAWAN DRIVE :War Peril Quiets Campaign for Return to Japan." New York Times, March 10, 1965 http://0-www.proquest.com.mercury.concordia.ca/ (Retrieved September 27, 2009)
31. Havens, T. R. H. (1987) Fire Across the Sea: The Vietnam War and Japan, 1965–1975. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Pg 123
32. Tanji, Miyume., Myth, Protest and Struggle in Okinawa (Taylor & Francis, 2006),Pg 94
33. McCormack, Gavan; Norimatsu, Satoko Oka (2012). Resistant Islands: Okinawa Confronts Japan and the United States. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-442-21562-3. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
34. Steve Rabson, "Okinawa's Henoko was a 'Storage Location' for Nuclear Weapons: Published Accounts", The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, Vol 11, Issue 1, No. 6, January 14, 2012.
35. Jon Mitchell, "Agent Orange on Okinawa – The Smoking Gun: U.S. army report, photographs show 25,000 barrels on island in early '70s", The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, Vol 11, Issue 1, No. 6, January 14, 2012.
36. Jon Mitchell, "Were U.S marines used as guinea pigs on Okinawa?" The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, Vol 10, Issue 51, No. 2, December 17, 2012.
37. Justin McCurry (February 28, 2008). "Rice says sorry for US troop behaviour on Okinawa as crimes shake alliance with Japan". The Guardian. UK.
38. MICHAEL HASSETT (February 26, 2008). "U.S. military crime: SOFA so good?The stats offer some surprises in wake of the latest Okinawa rape claim". The Japan Times.
39. "Okinawa: Effects of long-term US Military presence" (PDF).
40. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930160334/http://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/edi/20070513.html
41. one in 1959 killed 17 people
42. Impact on the Lives of the Okinawan People (Incidents, Accidents and Environmental Issues), Okinawa Prefectural Government
43. 沖縄・米兵による女性への性犯罪(Rapes and murders by the U.S. military personnel 1945–2000)Template:Ja icon, 基地・軍隊を許さない行動する女たちの会
44. 自衛隊・防衛問題に関する世論調査, The Cabinet Office of Japan
45. http://www.asahi.com/politics/update/0513/SEB201005130037.html
46. Norris, Robert S.; Arkin, William M.; Burr, William (1999). "Where They Were". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 55 (6): 26–35. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
47. "News". The Japan Times. May 15, 2002.
48. 疑惑が晴れるのはいつかTemplate:Ja icon, Okinawa Times, May 16, 1999
49. "No home where the dugong roam". The Economist. October 27, 2005.
50. Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
51. "Boundary Intersections of UNESCO Heritage Conventions: Using Custom and Cultural Landscapes to Save Okinawa’s Dugong Habitat from U.S. Heliport Construction"
52. DefenseLink News Article: Eight Thousand U.S. Marines to Move From Okinawa to Guam
53. Kyodo News, "Marines' Exit May Take Till '15: U.S.", Japan Times, November 9, 2008.
54. "UPDATE 2-U.S., Japan unveil revised plan for Okinawa". April 27, 2012.
56. Jarvie, Graeme (July 31, 2007). "'Eikaiwa' vets look beyond Big Four". The Japan Times. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
57. "Study and Internship Program in Okinawa, Japan". Retrieved September 11, 2008.
58. http://www.oist.jp
59. Ryukyu Corazon
66. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120516f2.html
68. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/camp-kuwae.htm
69. "Okinawa looks to offer more unique venues". TTGmice. September 6, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.

External links

• Map
• Okinawa Prefecture
• Okinawa Tourist Information WEB SITE Okinawastory

News

• Okinawa's Virtual Ginza, News, Information, and unique insight on Okinawa and its culture. (Updated frequently)
• Okinawa 1988–1991 Blog, reporting news about Okinawa.
• Okinawa plants
• Okinawa marine life
• Okinawa News and Ads Keeping people together and informed

Photographs

• Okinawa pictures Pictures of Okinawa Japan shot as HDR photography by Okinawa Living Magazine's Art Director.
• Wonder Okinawa
• Okinawa Japan Pictures Okinawa Japan photography group

Culture

• Ryukyu Cultural Archives
• Okinawa Prefecture Official Home-page
• The Okinawa Centenarian Study
• Okinawa Web Radio(BRAZIL)

History

• History and Photos from the United States Administration Period 1945 to 1972
• Images of Okinawa after World War II color slides were taken between 1945 and 1946

Miscellany

• Internships & Japanese language school in Okinawa
• The Contemporary Okinawa Website – History, culture, news, book reviews, historical documents, links, opinions
• Okinawa Geocaching – site for geocaching (treasure hunt with GPS) in Okinawa.
• Call of Duty game – Okinawa is featured in the video game Call of Duty: World at War

Peace

• Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum
• Okinawa Peace Network of Los Angeles – Useful information on the U.S. military base controversy.

v t e Okinawa Prefecture
Naha (capital)
Core city	Naha
Cities	Ginowan Ishigaki Itoman Miyakojima Nago Nanjō Okinawa Tomigusuku Urasoe Uruma
Districts	Miyako District Tarama Yaeyama District Taketomi Yonaguni Kunigami District Kin Motobu Ginoza Higashi Ie Kunigami Nakijin Onna Ōgimi Nakagami District Chatan Kadena Nishihara Kitanakagusuku Nakagusuku Yomitan Shimajiri District Haebaru Kumejima Yaese Yonabaru Aguni Iheya Izena Kitadaitō Minamidaitō Tokashiki Tonaki Zamami
Symbols	Flag Song Favorite song
List of mergers in Okinawa Prefecture Hydrographic Cape Hedo Cape Irizaki Henoko Bay Kokuba River Lake Man Miyako Strait Nakagusuku Bay

v t e Regions and prefectures of Japan
Regions & subregions	Hokkaidō Tōhoku Kantō Nanpō Islands Chūbu Hokuriku Kōshin'etsu Shin'etsu Tōkai Kansai Chūgoku San'in San'yō Shikoku Kyūshū Northern Southern Okinawa
Prefectures	Hokkaidō Hokkaido Tōhoku Aomori Akita Fukushima Iwate Miyagi Yamagata Kantō Chiba Gunma Ibaraki Kanagawa Saitama Tochigi Tokyo Chūbu Aichi Fukui Gifu Ishikawa Nagano Niigata Toyama Shizuoka Yamanashi Kansai Hyōgo Kyoto Mie Shiga Nara Osaka Wakayama Chūgoku Hiroshima Okayama Shimane Tottori Yamaguchi Shikoku Ehime Kagawa Kōchi Tokushima Kyūshū Fukuoka Kagoshima Kumamoto Miyazaki Nagasaki Ōita Okinawa Saga
Category

26°30′N 128°0′E / 26.500°N 128.000°E / 26.500; 128.000

• Okinawa Prefecture
• Kyushu region
• Ryukyu Islands
• Former regions and territories of the United States
• Prefectures of Japan
• Japan–United States relations
• Blue Zones