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Naha, Japan: Shurei Gate Map showing the location of Naha, Japan, in the East China Sea. The map highlights Naha's position relative to nearby countries including China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, and Russia, as well as the surrounding bodies of water such as the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. A small inset globe in the upper left corner shows the broader regional context in East Asia. Shurei Gate, destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in 1958, Naha, Japan
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Naha, Japan: Shurei Gate
Naha, Japan: Shurei Gate Shurei Gate, destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in 1958, Naha, Japan.

Naha

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Map showing the location of Naha, Japan, in the East China Sea. The map highlights Naha's position relative to nearby countries including China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, and Russia, as well as the surrounding bodies of water such as the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. A small inset globe in the upper left corner shows the broader regional context in East Asia.
Naha, Japan

Naha, city and capital, Okinawa ken (prefecture), Japan. It lies on southwestern Okinawa Island, which is one of the Ryukyu Islands. Long the chief city of the archipelago, it contains the Sōgen Temple, burial place of the rulers of the early Okinawa kingdom. The Shurei Gate is a fine example of Ryukyuan architecture. Naha was the seat of the post-World War II U.S. military and Okinawan governments and became the prefectural capital in 1972. Because of its deepwater port, Naha is the commercial centre of the Ryukyu Islands chain. Traditional handicraft industries produce porcelain, lacquerware, dyed cloth, and the potent awamori liquor. The city is also the seat of the University of the Ryukyus (1950). Pop. (2010) 315,954; (2015) 319,435.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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