Flag of Okinawa

What the flag looks like

A red disc with a white ring inside it, on a white field.

What it means

The white ring is an O for Okinawa.

How to remember it

Okinawa looks like Japan's red sun with a white O punched into it: O for Okinawa.

Fun facts

• Okinawa was the independent Ryukyu Kingdom until Japan annexed it in 1879, and was under US administration from 1945 until 15 May 1972.
• The emblem was first meant to be blue, white and red, but looked too like the All Japan Kendo Federation's mark; it was blue and white for a few months before turning red in October 1972.

Okinawa at a glance

Type

Prefecture (ken)

Island

Okinawa Island

Capital

Naha

Region

Ryūkyū Islands

Population

1.5 million

Area

2,283 km²

Languages

Japanese

Currency

Japanese yen (¥)

Flag adopted

1972

Flags often confused with Okinawa

• Japan: Japan and Okinawa both show a red disc on white. Japan's disc is solid; Okinawa's has a white ring inside it, an O for Okinawa.
• Kagoshima: Kagoshima and Okinawa both put a round emblem with red on a white field. Kagoshima's is a black horseshoe around a small red ball; Okinawa's is all red with a white ring inside.