Okinawa - (Flashpoints) by Ra Mason

About the Book

Located between the tip of Japan and Taiwan, Okinawa is a tiny island of huge geopolitical importance. Its sovereignty is contested by China and as a strategic asset for US and Japanese military it is a potential target for North Korean missiles.

Book Synopsis

Okinawa is a tiny island of huge geopolitical importance. Located between the tip of Japan's mainland and Taiwan, it hosts key US military bases, which have played a contested and controversial role on the island. In addition, the sovereignty of some of Okinawa's outlying territory is disputed by China and its future is tied closely to the competing strategies over Taiwan. It is also a potential target for North Korean missiles aimed at American military assets on the islands. In this short and revealing book, Ra Mason explores why and how this island paradise and the waters around it could trigger great power conflict.

Review Quotes

Few authors are better placed than Ra Mason to write this book introducing the complex connections between geopolitics and everyday life on Okinawa. Through examination of the economic, social and geopolitical impact of the US military bases Mason provides an excellent overview of the role of Okinawa in this new 'Indo-Pacific' era. Students will find an accessible and stimulating introduction to the topic, and scholars will find a wealth of original insights drawn from a diverse range of Japanese-language and other sources.--Paul O'Shea, Senior Lecturer, Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University, Sweden

Ra Mason's volume is both a fantastic work of research and a stimulating read, offering wholly new insights into the complex politics of Okinawa from the intersecting perspectives of international relations, domestic politics and political economy. There is nothing else in the field that offers this unique and excellent quality of analysis.--Chris Hughes, Professor of International Politics and Japanese Studies, University of Warwick

About the Author

Ra Mason is Sasakawa Associate Professor of International Relations and Japanese Foreign Policy at the University of East Anglia. He has held visiting posts at the University of the Ryukyus (Okinawa), Tohku University, Ritsumeikan University and Meio University.