Okinawa (island)

Okinawa (island), island in southwestern Japan, lying between the East China Sea on the west and the North Pacific Ocean on the east. With an area of 2,255 sq km (871 sq mi), it is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands. The terrain of the northern two-thirds of the island is mountainous and forested. The southern third is hilly, rolling country and contains most of the population. The island's climate is hot and humid and typhoons frequently strike in summer. The principal economic activities are agriculture, fishing, lumbering, food processing, and the manufacture of textiles and pottery. United States military bases and tourism are also important to the economy. Naha is the largest city (population, 2004, 312,900 (2007)) and major port.

Until the 14th century Okinawa was an independent kingdom. Between the 14th and 19th centuries the island paid tribute to China, and in 1879 Okinawa was annexed by Japan. On April 1, 1945, during World War II, U.S. forces landed on the western coast of Okinawa, thus beginning the last great amphibious operation of the war, and one of the most bitter of the Pacific campaigns. After 82 days of fighting, organized Japanese resistance ceased, and Okinawa airfields were quickly reconstructed and used by the U.S. Air Force. Okinawa remained under U.S. control from 1945 to 1972, when it was returned to Japan. Under the terms of a postwar treaty, landowners on Okinawa must lease plots of land to the U.S. military. However, the September 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by U.S. soldiers fueled opposition to the large U.S. military presence on the island, with some landowners refusing to renew the leases. In April 1996 the United States agreed to return to Japan about 20 percent of the land it occupies on Okinawa, or 4,900 hectares (12,000 acres), within seven years. Population (2004) 1,227,000.