Miyako Strait (宮古海峡, Miyako Kaikyo^?) is a waterway which lies between Miyako Island and Okinawa Island, it is the widest strait in Okinawa Prefecture.

Political significance [edit]

The Miyako Strait is of global geopolitical significance. China's navy in April 2010 had sailed through this strait twice en route to the South China Sea, challenging Japanese sovereignty guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.^[1] Japan protested by asserting claims to the Senkaku Islands in 2012, in which China again crossed its warships through the Miyako Strait, a third time in October 4, 2012.^[2] China had previously breached territorial waters in 2004 to the south near Ishigaki Island. The United States has an interest in guaranteeing open sea lanes in international waters, in which US military advisers see these incidents as a provocation.^[1]

Cultural significance [edit]

The Miyako Strait represents a cultural and linguistic split from Southern and Northern Ryukyuan languages, with the north being more heavily influenced by Kagoshima (Satsuma) and Japanese culture in general.

References [edit]

Coordinates: 25°23′N 126°25′E / 25.383°N 126.417°E / 25.383; 126.417