Talk:Okinawa Island

Comments
Should this article be renamed as Okinawa Island? It would seem to be a more natural English name. Jpatokal 15:39, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC)


 * No objections for four months, so I'll take that as a yes. Jpatokal 14:17, 26 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * I think it should be moved back, it's more important to display it under it's real name than trying to give it a "natural English name" which may or may not be the official English name for it. Okinawa Island may also be confused with Okinawa Islands. Finally, hontou means main island, if you want a literal translation... 194.47.220.223 21:47, 5 May 2005 (UTC)

The photos are all PD now. Please feel free to use them in Wikitravel if you like. Similarly, Okinawa, Naha, Naha Airport, etc. Fg2 02:51, Mar 27, 2005 (UTC)

The picture locations are messed up on large screens.
 * Please feel free to move them as appropriate. I have a small screen so I can't tell how they look on a big one; otherwise, I'd try to help. Fg2 05:26, Apr 5, 2005 (UTC)

It would be great if someone could write about the history outside of the War. Like about were they always part of Japan? Also their cultural and historical roots. Surely there must have been some influence from Taiwan and Mainland China, being so close. This article seems to be more about US history in Okinawa rather than actual people and culture. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Skippingrock (talk • contribs) 07:36, 24 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The article on the Ryukyu Kingdom gives an extensive history. Perhaps some of it should be included here.  If not, then a link is necessary. Kdammers (talk) 13:27, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

About the percentage of centenarians, I've heard 18.5 pr. 100,000; 34 sounds a bit much compared to the 4.5 of general Japan. Especially since the 18.5 was correct for at least a few years back, and taking into account the difference in diet now, it probably hasn't gone up to 34. Unless of course there is proper citation for this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.82.9.175 (talk) 22:00, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

Poor map
The map showing O and Japan is almost useless, since O is so small and the map doesn't show the geographical relationship of O to J, since O is in an unmarked inset. Kdammers (talk) 13:20, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Poor history section
Surely there the history of Okinawa goes back farther than 1944?205.193.97.2 (talk) 12:13, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

Language
The language has been changed, probably incorrectly, to Okinawan language, spoken only in the southern part. Okinawan Japanese has been ignored. Not sure why. Student7 (talk) 19:18, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

OKANAWA
MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE A SECTION ABOUT NICKNAME "OKANAWA". MANY PEOPLE PROUNCE IT THAT WAY> DUZZLEGOUCHE (talk) 10:30, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

Zizi
The term "ジジ" was added by

and re-inserted by (again!) as a supposed Okinawan name for Okinawa Island. I guess these guys found the term in the Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary but failed to understand what it really meant. It is not a proper noun. Actually the term 地下 can be found across Japanese dialects. Its primary meaning is "the place the speaker lives in/comes from." It refers to Okinawa Island only because the speaker of the Shuri-Naha dialect lived there. Dialectologists have collected various names of this kind, e.g. "over there" for an island beyond the sea. --Nanshu (talk) 12:56, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Added again by in 2014.
 * BTW, zizi is yet another relic of mass borrowing from Late Middle Japanese. In many respects, Okinawan is old-looking but most of the archaic features do not trace back to Proto-Japonic.
 * --Nanshu (talk) 11:14, 4 May 2022 (UTC)

"Okinawa Island"?
The term "Okinawa Island" is almost never used in English. People refer to the island either as "Okinawa" or "the island of Okinawa" if they're being more precise. "Okinawa Island" is an awkward term and makes no sense in an encyclopedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.175.220.149 (talk) 15:45, 26 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Agreed. We should move it. Do you want to start an official discussion? Student7 (talk) 19:19, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

History starts in WW2
Currently the history section mentions nothing before WW2. I'm sure there is history for hundreds if not thousands of years prior to WW2. --Born2cycle (talk) 22:58, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

nuclear war heads pointed to communist China deployed in Okinawa at the same time of the Cuba-crisis
An interesting piece in the Tokyo-Times on 8 July 2012, see:

Okinawa's first nuclear missile men break silence, part 1 Okinawa's first nuclear missile men break silence, part 2

When the Americans did not want the Russians to turn Cuba into a base of nuclear missiles pointed at them... America did quite the same at the other side of the globe. All in deep secret of course.

1947enkidu (talk) 06:43, 8 July 2012 (UTC)

More on culture
The section on culture is woefully incomplete, surely there is more to Okinawan culture than what kind of noodle(s) they eat? (especially since some Okinawans say they're not really japanese) Historian932 (talk) 15:47, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Independence movement?
I'm surprised there isn't more info here. DSQ (talk) 16:33, 27 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Is there an "Independence Party?" If so, how many votes did it get in the most recent election? If there is no Independence Party, there can't be sufficient enthusiasm to support one (unless some other Party supports it). Student7 (talk) 21:16, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: No consensus to move; no agreement that the island is the primary topic among the various related uses, especially Okinawa Prefecture, where the name currently redirects.--Cúchullain t/ c 14:15, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Okinawa Island → Okinawa – AFAIK, this place is normally just called "Okinawa", not "Okinawa Island". This was also suggested above in the section "Okinawa Island"? but seems not to have been taken further 86.128.6.65 (talk) 02:34, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose there's also Okinawa, Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture , Okinawa Islands , Ryukyu Islands , Ryukyu Kingdom to consider, all also called just "Okinawa" -- 76.65.128.222 (talk) 03:53, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose. No sufficient evidence has been provided yet to explain why the island (singular) should be the primary topic over Okinawa Prefecture or even Okinawa Islands (plural). People may refer to the island (singular) as "Okinawa" but others may also commonly refer to the prefecture as "Okinawa" too. Zzyzx11 (talk) 05:10, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Nevertheless, the article title should still reflect the common name, even if other places have the same name. If is agreed that the island is usually called "Okinawa", but other places compete for that name, then the article title should logically be "Okinawa (Island)". 86.169.184.201 (talk) 11:39, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
 * That would be Okinawa (island) (lower case). It would simplify things to make the move (to Okinawa) for this article, about the island. Apteva (talk) 19:49, 10 July 2013 (UTC)


 * Support I don't see any reason why the common name of the island can't use the name "Okinawa" while the political entity cannot retain the name Okinawa Prefecture. -- JOJ Hutton  18:01, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
 * But why would you choose the island over the prefecture? (or any of the other things called just Okinawa?) -- 76.65.128.222 (talk) 11:14, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Good Question and in reality I don't know how to answer that with guidelines or policy. I would just say that as a former Marine who spent time there, the entire island was Okinawa, not Okinawa Island. It sounds forced and not very out of place. As far as the government of Okinawa is concerned, the article title Okinawa Prefecture is consistent with similar articles of this type and has been addressed as such. But very few if any, actually refer to Okinawa as Okinawa Island.-- JOJ Hutton  23:47, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Oppose at least for the moment. Per 76.65.128.222 you need to show some source and statistical defence of the island as the primary topic given there are a number of similar and competing terms.--Labattblueboy (talk) 02:43, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I think the two questions need to be separated. First, is the usual name for the island "Okinawa" rather than "Okinawa Island"? Second, should "Okinawa" point straight to this article? A negative to the second question does not imply a negative to the first. There are many precedents on Wikipedia for article titles like "Okinawa (island)". 81.159.105.254 (talk) 00:19, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
 * That is not the request at hand, the request is that the island is what should be just "Okinawa", not "Okinawa (island)". A negative to the second question would shut down this discussion as a failure. -- 76.65.128.222 (talk) 02:40, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Now that it has been raised, it may as well be discussed here as an alternative. 86.146.106.166 (talk) 20:09, 13 July 2013 (UTC)


 * Comment – I think either Okinawa, Okinawa or Okinawa Island should be renamed to Okinawa, but I'm not sure which one. Until there is a consensus on which is more prominent, this should not be moved. --Article editor (talk) 02:58, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment. This is a good question worth pursuing now. Need to discover if "Okinawa" by itself can be an article or whether they all should have a qualifier. I suggest all of them. That would mean that Wikipedia hasn't "voted" in WP:OR fashion that would be later challenged, and that each would have qualifiers or a different name. "Okinawa (island)" and "Okinawa Prefecture". The Ryukyus are more than Okinawa and can be considered separately, along with the same named kingdom. Student7 (talk) 17:58, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Comment WP:NATURAL disambiguation would suggest that "Okinawa Island" is the preferred form for a Wikipedia title over "Okinawa (Island)" and that various guidelines would say that Okinawa (Okinawa) should exist as a redirect to Okinawa the island. So perhaps using natural disambiguation Okinawa City should be used for the city. That would leave all of them at naturally disambiguated titles. And the parenthetical forms should all also exist Okinawa (prefecture), Okinawa (city) , Okinawa (island) , Okinawa (island group) , Okinawa (archipelago) , Okinawa (island chain) , Okinawa (islands) -- 76.65.128.222 (talk) 04:50, 14 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Support. The island of Okinawa is famous owing to its role in World War II and its subsequent controversial use as a US military base and frequent news items concerning that, so much so that the vast majority of English speakers would know of no other meaning for the word Okinawa. So in terms of WP:AT the result is quite clear. Note that the proposed name Okinawa undisambiguated has always been a redirect so far (to various pages). Andrewa (talk) 15:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Redirect
Per WP:NCPLACE, therefore, Okinawa (Okinawa) should redirect here. -- 76.65.128.222 (talk) 08:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

No useful map of Okinawa Island
Why is there no usable map of Okinawa Island, with place names, included in this article? 173.89.236.187 (talk) 01:47, 31 October 2015 (UTC)
 * There is one; see the geography section.  ミーラー強斗武   (StG88ぬ会話) 21:39, 1 November 2015 (UTC)

Where are the place names and administrative divisions? It's not a very useful map and lacks most information readers would need. 173.89.236.187 (talk) 02:55, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
 * It has the names of major cities and terrain features; besides the full administrative divisions, what else do you beleive is part of the "most information" that's missing?  ミーラー強斗武   (StG88ぬ会話) 07:02, 2 November 2015 (UTC)

Place names and administrative divisions, with color, as all other maps at Wikipedia have--not a doctored topographical map on which the place names can hardly be detected. 173.89.236.187 (talk) 21:42, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

I challenge you to determine, from any map on the English-language Wikipedia, what the white-colored area between the three blue-colored areas in this map is called. It's not covered on any map, which is clearly not helpful to our readers. 173.89.236.187 (talk) 21:44, 8 November 2015 (UTC)
 * "As all other maps at Wikipedia have" is an inherently false statement. This map is about the geographical place, not the political entity; look at Okinawa Prefecture for administrative divisions. Also, the white space on the other map is the same as all white spaces on that map: not part of Kunigami district.  ミーラー強斗武   (StG88ぬ会話) 23:47, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

Port?
What is the main port on the island? I hoped a glance at the map would indicate the main harbor, but of course the whole coastline seems to be nothing but inlets and bays. Paul, in Saudi (talk) 04:57, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

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Demographics
It is mentioned in the lead, but shouldn't the longevity of the population also be mentioned in the Demographics section? Maybe something like:"For each 100,000 residents, 68 are centenarians, three times the number found in the US population. 85% of Okinawan centenarians are women which is typical for centenarian populations." refs http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190116-a-high-carb-diet-may-explain-why-okinawans-live-so-long and  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047637416302202#bib0060 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12470842 72.16.99.93 (talk) 12:42, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: War and the Environment
— Assignment last updated by Karanaconda (talk) 18:38, 11 August 2022 (UTC)

Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for deletion
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 * Location map Ryukyu Islands.png
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