• Source: .

Natural history

Coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

s found in this region of Japan, provides an environment to specific fauna. The sea turtle

Sea turtle

Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...

s return yearly to the southern islands of Okinawa to lay their eggs. The summer months carry warnings to swimmers regarding poisonous jellyfish

Jellyfish

Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...

 and other dangerous sea creatures. Okinawa is a major producer of sugar cane, pineapple

Pineapple

Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

, papaya

Papaya

The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...

, and other tropical fruit, and the Southeast Botanical Gardens

Southeast Botanical Gardens

The are commercial botanical gardens located in the city of Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. They are open daily; an admission fee is charged....

 represent tropical plant species.

Language and culture

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

Ryukyuan languages

The Ryukyuan languages are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands, and make up a subgroup of the Japonic, itself controversially a subgroup of Altaic....

 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, at least those outside Japan, consider Ryukyuan languages as different languages from Japanese, 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 called ウチナーヤマトグチ (Uchinaa Yamatoguchi "Okinawan Japanese

Okinawan Japanese

is the Japanese language as spoken by people of Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawan Japanese's accents and words are influenced by traditional Ryukyuan languages. Okinawan Japanese has some loanwords from American English due to the United States administration after the Battle of Okinawa.- Vocabulary and...

"), which is often misunderstood as Okinawan language proper, ウチナーグチ (Uchinaaguchi "Okinawan language

Okinawan language

Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands...

"). Uchinaaguchi 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. http://www.okinawabbtv.com/news/h_news.htm

Religion

Okinawa also has its own religious beliefs

Ryukyuan religion

Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the Ryukyu Islands. While specific legends and traditions may vary slightly from place to place and island to island, the Ryukyuan religion is generally characterized by ancestor worship and the respecting of relationships between the living, the...

, 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

Culture of Thailand

The Culture of Thailand incorporates cultural beliefs and characteristics indigenous to the area known as modern day Thailand coupled with much influence from ancient India, China, Cambodia, along with the neighbouring pre-historic cultures of Southeast Asia...

 and Austronesia

Austronesia

Austronesia, in historical terms, refers to the homeland of the peoples who speak Austronesian languages, including Malay, Filipino, Indonesian, Maori, Malagasy, native Hawaiian, the Fijian language and around a thousand other languages...

n influences in the island's customs. Perhaps Okinawa's most famous cultural export is karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

, 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

Awamori

Awamori is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from rice, and is not a direct product of brewing but of distillation ....

—an Okinawan distilled spirit made from indica rice imported from Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

.

Other cultural characteristics

Other prominent examples of Okinawan culture include the sanshin

Sanshin

The sanshin is an Okinawan musical instrument and precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings....

—a three-stringed Okinawan instrument, closely related to the Chinese sanxian

Sanxian

The sanxian is a Chinese lute — a three-stringed fretless plucked musical instrument. It has a long fingerboard, and the body is traditionally made from snakeskin stretched over a rounded rectangular resonator. It is made in several sizes for different purposes and in the late 20th century a...

, and ancestor of the Japanese shamisen

Shamisen

The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...

, somewhat similar to a banjo

Banjo

In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...

. Its body is often bound with snakeskin (from pythons, imported from elsewhere in Asia, rather than from Okinawa's venomous Trimeresurus flavoviridis

Trimeresurus flavoviridis

Trimeresurus flavoviridis is a venomous pitviper species found in Japan in the Ryukyu Islands. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Description:...

, which are too small for this purpose). Okinawan culture also features the eisa dance

Eisa (dance)

is a form of folk dance unique to the people of the Ryukyu Islands. Although it is performed many times throughout the year at various festivals, Eisa performances are concentrated around lunar mid-July...

, a traditional drumming dance. A traditional craft, the fabric named bingata

Bingata

Bingata is an Okinawan traditional resist dyed cloth, made using stencils and other methods. It is generally bright-colored and features various patterns, usually depicting natural subjects such as fish, water, and flowers...

, is made in workshops on the main island and elsewhere.

The Okinawan diet

Okinawa diet

The Okinawa diet is a nutrient-rich, low-calorie dietfrom the indigenous people of the Ryūkyū Islands. In addition, a commercially promoted weight-loss diet has also been made based on this standard diet of the Islanders....

 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 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

Spirituality

Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...

 of the inhabitants of the island.

In recent years, Okinawan literature has been appreciated outside of the Ryūkyū archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

. Two Okinawan writers have received the Akutagawa Prize

Akutagawa Prize

The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...

: Matayoshi Eiki in 1995 for and Medoruma Shun in 1997 for A Drop of Water (Suiteki). The prize was also won by Okinawans in 1967 by Tatsuhiro Oshiro

Tatsuhiro Oshiro

Tatsuhiro Oshiro is an Okinawan novelist and playwright. He was awarded the Akutagawa Prize in 1967 for his novel The Cocktail Party . Oshiro has also been an innovator of the traditional Ryukyua kumiodori. Two of his plays are Umino Tenzakai and Hingire, Niibichi .-References:...

 for Cocktail Party (Kakuteru Pāti) and in 1971 by Mineo Higashi

Mineo Higashi

Mineo Higashi is an Okinawan writer. He was awarded the Akutagawa Prize in 1971 for his novel An Okinawan Boy...

 for Okinawan Boy (Okinawa no Shōnen).

Karate

Karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

 originated in Okinawa. Over time, it developed into several styles and sub-styles, among them Wado Ryu

Wado Ryu

is a karate style; three organizations now teach the Wadō-ryū style: the Japan Karate-dō Federation Wadōkai , the Wadōryū Karatedō Renmei, and the Wadō Kokusai Karatedō Renmei .- Philosophy :The name...

, Shorin-Ryu

Shorin-Ryu

is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts. It was founded by Choshin Chibana in 1933. Shōrin-ryū combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles of Shuri-te.-History:Chosin Chibana was a top student of the great master of shuri-te, Anko Itosu...

, Uechi Ryu

Uechi Ryu

is a traditional style of Okinawan karate. The founder of Uechi Ryū was Kanbun Uechi , an Okinawan who went to Fuzhou in Fukien Province, China to study martial arts when he was 20 years old. Uechi-ryū means "Style of Uechi" or "School of Uechi"....

, Goju Ryu

Goju Ryu

, is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book Bubishi , used by Okinawan masters during the 19th and 20th centuries...

, Shotokan

Shotokan

is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi . Gichin was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing karate through a series of public demonstrations, and by promoting the development of university karate clubs, including...

, Gohaku-Kai, Isshin-Ryu

Isshin-ryu

is a style of Okinawan karate founded by Tatsuo Shimabuku 　and named by him on 15 January 1956. Isshin-Ryū karate is largely a synthesis of Shorin-ryū karate, Gojū-ryū karate, and kobudō. The name means, literally, "one heart method"...

, Shito-Ryu, Shorinji Ryu

Shorinji Ryu Karate

is a form of karate derived from the teachings of Kanga Sakukawa.-History:The name Sakugawa Koshiki Shorinji-Ryu Karatedo reflects both its orthodox transmission of Sakugawa's techniques and its descent from the original Shaolin system.Sakugawa's student Sokon Matsumura served as security agent for...

, Shuri-ryū

Shuri-ryu

karate, is an eclectic martial arts system developed by Robert Trias , the first person to teach karate in the mainland United States, who opened the first dojo in 1946 in Phoenix, Arizona. Later in 1948 he formed the first karate association in the U.S., The United States Karate Association...

, and Pangai-noon

Pangai-noon

Pangai-noon was a style of Southern Chinese kung fu taught by Shu Shi Wa which formed the basis for Uechi-ryū karate. The name Pangai-noon indicates that the art's techniques are half-hard, half-soft, and is derived from the Okinawan pronunciation of the original Chinese.Shu Shi Wa was a teacher...

.

Architecture

Okinawa has many remains of a unique type of castle or fortress called Gusuku

Gusuku

, or just , is the term used for the distinctive Okinawan form of castles or fortresses. In standard Japanese, the same kanji is pronounced "shiro", but the word is probably cognate with a different Japanese word, "soko" , which means "fortress"...

. These are believed to be the predecessors of Japan's castles.

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

Shisa

Shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils...

, 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

North Vietnam

The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...

. Okinawa, along with Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

, also presented the United States military a geographically strategic launch pad for covert bombing missions over Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

 and Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

. 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".

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

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 began referring to Okinawa as "The Keystone of the Pacific". This idea was even stated on 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

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

. 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

Kadena Air Base

, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...

. 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

Battle of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...

 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 only increased public outrage, and calls for a return to what Okinawans called "Absolute Pacifism".

The United States military bases, once viewed as paternal post war protection, were increasingly seen as aggressive. The military build up on the island during the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

 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.

U.S. military controversy

Because the islands are close to China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 and Taiwan

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

, the United States has large military bases on the island. 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 Japan's total land. Suburbs have grown towards and now surround two historic major bases, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma or MCAS Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 4,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and has been a U.S. military airbase since the island was occupied...

 and Kadena Air Base

Kadena Air Base

, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...

. One third (9852 acres (39.9 km²)) of the land used by the U.S. military is the Marine Corps Northern Training Area in the north of the island.

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. Of the 290,814 crimes committed in Okinawa during the period 1972 to 2001, 1.7% were perpetrated by US Servicemen, a group that comprised 4% of the population.

In early 2008, the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...

, 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 are not reliable as violence against women are 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

Noise pollution

Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...

 from military drills, the risk of aircraft accidents (such as one in 1959

1959 Kadena Air Base F-100 crash

The 1959 Kadena Air Base F-100 crash occurred on June 30, 1959 in the Uruma area of then United States -occupied Okinawa. In the crash, a US Air Force F-100 Super Sabre on a training or test flight from nearby Kadena Air Base suffered an engine fire...

 that killed 17 people), environmental degradation

Environmental degradation

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...

, 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

Asahi Shimbun

The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...

in May 2010, 43% of the population wanted the complete closure of the U.S. bases, 42% wanted reduction and 11% wanted the maintenance of the status quo. The Okinawan prefectural government and local municipalities have made various withdrawal demands of the U.S. military since the end of WWII, but no fundamental solution has ever been undertaken by either the Japanese or U.S. governments.

Alleged former U.S. nuclear arms base

Japanese tended to oppose the introduction of nuclear arms into Japanese territory by the government's assertion of non-nuclear policy

Japan's non-nuclear policy

Japan exhibits a firm non-nuclear weapons policy, most popularly articulated as the Three Non-Nuclear Principles of non-possession, non-production, and non-introduction of nuclear weapons imposed by the United States after Japan's defeat in World War 2....

 and a statement of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles

Three Non-Nuclear Principles

Japan's are a parliamentary resolution that have guided Japanese nuclear policy since their inception in the late 1960s, and reflect general public sentiment and national policy since the end of World War II. The tenets state that Japan shall neither possess nor manufacture nuclear weapons, nor...

. Prior to the reversion of Okinawa to Japanese administration in 1972, it is speculated, but never confirmed, that 1200 nuclear weapons were deployed to U.S. bases in Okinawa. Most of the weapons were alleged to be stored in ammunition bunkers at Kadena Air Base

Kadena Air Base

, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...

.

It is widely speculated that not all the supposed weapons were removed from Okinawa.
In an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun

Mainichi Shimbun

The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by .-History:The history of the Mainichi Shimbun begins with founding of two papers during the Meiji period. The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun was founded first, in 1872. The Mainichi claims that it is the oldest existing Japanese daily newspaper...

in 1981, Edwin O. Reischauer

Edwin O. Reischauer

Edwin Oldfather Reischauer was the leading U.S. educator and noted scholar of the history and culture of Japan, and of East Asia. From 1961–1966, he was the U.S. ambassador to Japan.-Education and academic life:...

, 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 the Marine Corps

Marine corps

A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...

 Air Station Futenma

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma or MCAS Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 4,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and has been a U.S. military airbase since the island was occupied...

 base from its location in the densely populated city of Ginowan

Ginowan, Okinawa

is a city located in Okinawa, Japan. As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 88,318 and the density of 4,526.81 persons per km². The total area is 19.51 km². The city borders Chatan to the west, Okinawa City to the North, Urasoe to the south and Nishihara to the East.- Politics and...

 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

Runway

According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

 at Camp Schwab, and from businessmen and politicians around Futenma

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma or MCAS Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 4,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and has been a U.S. military airbase since the island was occupied...

 and Henoko, have occurred.

The legality of the proposed heliport

Heliport

A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...

 relocation has been questioned as being a violation of International Law

International law

Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...

, including the World Heritage Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity

Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...

 and the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Proposed solutions

As recently as 2003, the U.S. was considering moving most of the 20,000 Marines on Okinawa to new bases that would be established in Australia; increasing the presence of U.S. troops in Singapore and Malaysia; and seeking agreements to base Navy ships in Vietnamese waters and ground troops in the Philippines.

As of 2006, some 8,000 U.S. Marines were being removed from the island and being relocated to Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

. 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

Katsuya Okada

is a Japanese politician. A member of the House of Representatives of Japan, he is Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Japan and was previously its President. From September 2009 to September 2010, he was Foreign Minister of Japan....

 said 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

Associated Press

The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 reported October 7, 2009.

Education

The public schools in Okinawa are overseen by the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education

Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education

Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education is the prefectural education agency of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan.The board oversees municipal school districts in Okinawa and directly operates many high schools.-Schools directly operated by the agency:-Ginowan:...

. The agency directly operates several public high schools. The U.S. Department of Defense Dependents Schools

Department of Defense Dependents Schools

The Department of Defense Dependents Schools are a network of schools, both primary and secondary, that serve dependents of United States military - and other non-US - personnel outside the United States. The schools themselves are operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity...

 (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 school

Cram school

Cram schools are specialized schools that train their students to meet particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or universities...

s, also known as juku

Juku

Gakushū juku are special private schools that offer lessons conducted after regular school hours and on the weekends....

. Others, such as Nova

Nova (eikaiwa)

Nova was the largest eikaiwa school in Japan until its widely publicized collapse in October 2007. Before its bankruptcy, Nova employed approximately 15,000 people across a group of companies that supported the operations of and extended out from the "Intercultural Network" of its language schools...

, solely teach language. People also attend small language school

Language school

A language school is a school where one studies a foreign language. Classes at a language school are usually geared towards, but not limited to, communicative competence in a foreign language...

s. 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
  F.C. Ryukyu
  are a football club from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. They currently play in the Japan Football League.The word Ryūkyū is Okinawa Prefecture's historical name. The club also has futsal and handball teams.-History:...
  
   (Naha
  Naha, Okinawa
  is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
  
  )

Basketball

• Ryukyu Golden Kings
  Ryukyu Golden Kings
  Ryukyu Golden Kings is a professional basketball team playing in the bj league, the top-tier professional basketball league of Japan....
  
   (Naha
  Naha, Okinawa
  is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
  
  )

Handball

Team handball

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

• Ryukyu Corazon (Naha
  Naha, Okinawa
  is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
  
  )

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
  Yokohama BayStars
  The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
  
  
• Chunichi Dragons
  Chunichi Dragons
  The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
  
  
• Yakult Swallows

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

Okinawa Open

The Okinawa Open was a men's professional golf tournament that was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour. It was played each December from 2002 to 2005 and counted as the first official money event of the following season for both tours, that is for example the 2005 event was part...

.

Air transportation

• Aguni Airport
  Aguni Airport
  is an airport serving Aguni, a city in the Shimajiri District of the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan. The prefecture operates the airport, which is classified as a third class airport.-External links:* * from Japan Airlines...
  
  
• Hateruma Airport
  Hateruma Airport
  is located on Hateruma island in Taketomi, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The prefecture operates the airport, which is classified as a third class airport....
  
  
• Iejima Airport
  Iejima Airport
  is located the island of Iejima in Ie, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The runways were part of the Ie Shima Airfield complex built during World War II.-External links:*...
  
  
• Ishigaki Airport
  Ishigaki Airport
  , is a third-class airport located from Ishigaki city centre in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The airport fields flights to major cities on the Japanese mainland as well as destinations throughout Okinawa Prefecture and the Yaeyama Islands.-History:...
  
  
• Kerama Airport
  Kerama Airport
  is an airport serving the Kerama Islands in Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located on , which is part of the Village of Zamami. The airport is linked by a road bridge to the islands of Geruma and Aka....
  
  
• Kita Daito Airport
  Kita Daito Airport
  is located on the island of Kitadaitō in the village of Kitadaitō, Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The prefecture operates the airport, which is classified as a third class airport....
  
  
• Kumejima Airport
  Kumejima Airport
  is an airport in Kumejima, a city and island in the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan.The prefecture operates the airport, which is classified as a third class airport.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* * from Japan Airlines...
  
  
• Minami-Daito Airport
  Minami-Daito Airport
  is an airport in Minami Daito, Shimajiri District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The prefecture operates the airport, which is classified as a third class airport....
  
  
• Miyako Airport
  Miyako Airport
  is an airport on Miyako-jima in Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:** from Japan Airlines...
  
  
• Naha Airport
  Naha Airport
  -Incidents:* On December 1, 1994, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger...
  
  
• Shimojijima Airport
• Tarama Airport
  Tarama Airport
  is located in Tarama, Miyako District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The prefecture operates the airport, which is classified as a third class airport.-Airlines:-External links:* * from Japan Airlines...
  
  
• Yonaguni Airport
  Yonaguni Airport
  , is a third-class airport located in Yonaguni, Yaeyama District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.-History:The airport opened in 1943 for military use, and became a civilian airport in 1957. International service started in 2007 with a charter flight to/from Taipei operated by Uni Air, with another...
  
  

Highways

• Okinawa Expressway
  Okinawa Expressway
  The is an expressway on Okinawa Island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The expressway has a length of 57.3 km. West Nippon Expressway Company operates this expressway.The toll from end to end is 1000 yen...
  
  
• Naha Airport Expressway
• Route 58
  Route 58 (Japan)
  National Route 58 is a highway in Japan. This very unusual road has continuous numbering over disconnected segments on the islands of Kyūshū, Tanegashima, Amami Ōshima, and Okinawa. The road has a total of 255.5 km on land...
  
  
• Route 329
  Route 329 (Japan)
  National Route 329 is a national highway of Japan connecting Nago, Okinawa and Naha, Okinawa in Japan, with a total length of 78.5 km ....
  
  
• Route 330
  Route 330 (Japan)
  National Route 330 is a national highway of Japan connecting Okinawa, Okinawa and Naha, Okinawa in Japan, with a total length of 26.1 km ....
  
  
• Route 331
  Route 331 (Japan)
  National Route 331 is a national highway of Japan connecting Naha, Okinawa and Ōgimi, Okinawa in Japan, with a total length of 150.4 km ....
  
  
• Route 332
  Route 332 (Japan)
  National Route 332 is a national highway of Japan connecting Naha, Okinawa and Naha, Okinawa in Japan, with a total length of 3.1 km ....
  
  
• Route 390
  Route 390 (Japan)
  National Route 390 is a national highway of Japan connecting Ishigaki, Okinawa and Naha, Okinawa in Japan, with a total length of 58.2 km ....
  
  
• Route 449
  Route 449 (Japan)
  National Route 449 is a national highway of Japan connecting Motobu, Okinawa and Nago, Okinawa in Japan, with a total length of 20.3 km ....
  
  
• Route 505
• Route 506
• Route 507
  Route 507 (Japan)
  National Route 507 is a national highway of Japan connecting between Itoman, Okinawa and Naha, Okinawa in Japan, with total length of 26.5 km ....
  
  

Ports

The major ports of Okinawa include:

• Naha Port
• Port of Unten
• Port of Kinwan
• Nakagusukuwan Port
• Hirara Port
• Port of Ishigaki
  Ishigaki
  *Ishigaki Island*Ishigaki, Okinawa*Ishigaki Airport*Japanese escort Ishigaki*Ai Ishigaki , guitarist for The Mad Capsule Markets*Ishigaki Rin...
  
  

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.

United States military installations

• USMC
  • Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler
    Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler
    Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler is a United States Marine Corps base located in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa. It was named for legendary Marine Smedley D. Butler.-Installations:...
    
    
  • Camp Foster
    Camp Foster
    Camp Foster, formerly known as Camp Zukeran, is a United States Marine Corps camp located in Ginowan City on the Japanese prefecture island of Okinawa. It is part of the Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler complex, and named after the Medal of Honor recipient PFC William A...
    
    
  • Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
    Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
    Marine Corps Air Station Futenma or MCAS Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 4,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and has been a U.S. military airbase since the island was occupied...
    
    
  • Camp Kinser
    Camp Kinser
    Camp Kinser is a United States Marine Corps base in Okinawa, Japan. Another military installation is located south of Camp Kinser, but it belongs to the US Army.-External links:* *...
    
    
  • Camp Courtney
    Camp Courtney
    Camp Courtney is a United States Marine Base located in Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the larger Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler and home to the III Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters as well as the 3rd Marine Division Headquarters. It is named after Major...
    
    
  • Camp McTureous
    Camp McTureous
    Camp McTureous is part of Marine Corps Base Butler in Kawasaki village, Uruma City, Okinawa, Japan.Located in the western part of Agena district of Uruma City, Camp McTureous, is equipped with family residential facilities, sports facilities and an elementary school.The camp is named in honor of...
    
    
  • Camp Hansen
    Camp Hansen
    Camp Hansen is a United States Marine Corps base located in Okinawa, Japan. The camp is situated in the town of Kin, near the northern shore of Kin Bay, and is the second-northernmost major installation on Okinawa, with Camp Schwab to the north...
    
    
  • Camp Schwab
  • Camp Gonsalves
    Camp Gonsalves
    Camp Gonsalves is located in Northern Okinawa, Japan across the villages of Kunigami and Higashi. At JWTC contains 22 helicopter landing zones, one water surface beach access, four bivouac sites, three outdoor classrooms, one firebase, three 3rd world village target sites and one target missile...
    
     (Jungle Warfare Training Center)
• USAF
  • Kadena Air Base
    Kadena Air Base
    , is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
    
    
• USN
  • Camp Lester (Camp Kuwae)
  • Camp Shields
  • Naval Facility White Beach
• USA
  • Torii Station
    Torii Station
    Torii Station is a United States Army facility located in Yomitan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Home to the United States Army on Okinawa, 10th Support Group, along with the 1-1 ADA , 835th Trans BN, 247th MP DET, 505th QM BN, 83rd ORD BN,35th CSSB, 1-1 SFG, and the 58th SIG BN provide support to...
    
    
  • Fort Buckner
    Fort Buckner
    Fort Buckner is a small Army base located directly next to Camp Foster on Okinawa, Japan. The 58th Signal Battalion and E Co. of the 53rd Signal Battalion are the only units on the fort...
    
    
  • Naha Military Port

Notables

• Uechi Kanbun was the founder of Uechi-ryū, one of the primary karate styles of Okinawa.
• Mitsuru Ushijima
  Mitsuru Ushijima
  - Notes :...
  
   was the Japanese general at the Battle of Okinawa, during the final stages of World War II.
• Isamu Chō
  Isamu Cho
  - Notes :...
  
   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. During his premier days, 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
  Takamine Tokumei
  Takamine Tokumei was an Okinawan interpreter . His another name was Gishitetsu. He was ordered to learn hairlip surgery and successfully performed surgery for the grandson of King Sho Tei, Sho Eki under general anesthesia....
  
   He successfully performed surgery for the grandson of King Sho Tei, Sho Eki under general anesthesia.
• Takuji Iwasaki
  Takuji Iwasaki
  was a Japanese meteorologist, biologist, ethnologist historian. He was a meteorologist at the Ishigaki Weather Station, Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture. Initially, when weather forecasting was in its infancy, he had been badly criticized by local people when his forecast of a typhoon was incorrect...
  
    was a Japanese meteorologist, biologist, ethnologist historian.
• Ernest Taylor Pyle was an American journalist until his death in combat during World War II. He died in Ie Shima, Okinawa.
• Lieutenant-General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.
  Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.
  General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. was an American lieutenant general during World War II. He served in the Pacific Theater of Operations and commanded the defenses of Alaska early in the war. After that assignment, he was promoted to command 10th Army, which conducted the amphibious assault on...
  
   was killed during the closing days of the Battle of Okinawa by enemy artillery fire, making him the highest-ranking US military officer to have been killed by enemy fire during World War II.
• Rino Nakasone Razalan
  Rino Nakasone Razalan
  Rino Nakasone Razalan born on June 11, 1979 is a dancer, choreographer from Okinawa, Japan. Rino participated in America's Best Dance Crew Season 3, alongside the crew Beat Freaks....
  
   professional dancer and choreographer.
• Yukie Nakama
  Yukie Nakama
  is a Japanese actress, singer and former idol. She was born in Okinawa, Japan, in a fisherman's family, the youngest of five siblings.At the start of her career she was a gravure idol and singer , and appeared in bit roles until her career breakthrough playing Sadako in "Ring 0: Birthday ."In 2000,...
  
   singer, musician and actress
• Namie Amuro
  Namie Amuro
  is a Japanese R&B and pop singer, entertainer, and former actress who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen" and the title "Queen of Japanese Pop Music". Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted at the age of 14 as an idol in the girl group Super Monkey's...
  
   Japanese Rhythm and blues
  Rhythm and blues
  Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
  
   singer
• Daichi Miura
  Daichi Miura
  is a Japanese singer and dancer.He belongs to Vision Factory and signed a record contract with Avex. -Career:...
  
   Japanese J-pop
  J-pop
  , an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
  
   singer, dancer and choreographer.
• Matayoshi Eiki Okinawan novel writer, winner of Akutagawa prize
  Akutagawa Prize
  The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
  
  
• Gackt
  Gackt
  is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor and author. Usually referred to by his mononymous stage name, he is known for his career as a solo artist and as the former vocalist for the defunct visual kei rock band Malice Mizer....
  
   Japanese J-pop
  J-pop
  , an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
  
  /J-rock  singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor and author

See also

• History of Ryukyu Islands
• Okinawa Island
  Okinawa Island
  Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...
  
  
• Okinawan language
  Okinawan language
  Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands...
  
  
• Okinawan name

People from Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawan Americans

• Ryukyu independence movement
  Ryukyu independence movement
  The or Republic of the Ryūkyūs is a movement for the independence of Okinawa and the surrounding islands , from Japan. The movement emerged in 1945, after the end of the Pacific War...
  
  
• Ryukyu Islands
  Ryukyu Islands
  The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
  
  
• Ryukyu (Okinawan) Samurai
  Pechin
  The is an Okinawan term for the warrior class of the former Ryūkyū Kingdom , the class equivalent of the Japanese Samurai...
  
  
• Ryukyuan people
  Ryukyuans
  The are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...
  
  
• Ryukyuan religion
  Ryukyuan religion
  Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the Ryukyu Islands. While specific legends and traditions may vary slightly from place to place and island to island, the Ryukyuan religion is generally characterized by ancestor worship and the respecting of relationships between the living, the...
  
  

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
  Geocaching
  Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world....
  
   (treasure hunt with GPS
  Global Positioning System
  The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
  
  ) in Okinawa.
• Call of Duty game – Okinawa is featured in the video game Call of Duty: World at War
  Call of Duty: World at War
  Call of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It is generally considered to be the fifth mainstream game of the Call of Duty series and returns the setting to World War II. The game was...
  
  

Peace

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