Located in the Pacific Ocean, Okinawa is Japan’s southernmost prefecture and a very popular beach resorts, which consists of three main island groups: Okinawa Island, Miyako Islands, and Yaeyama Islands, stretching from southwest Kyushu almost all the way to Taiwan. It has a distinct culture, language and history from the rest of the country, known as Ryukyu, an independent kingdom that was made a Japanese prefecture in 1879. One of the most attractive tourist destination is the alluring Shuri Castle. During World War II, ground battles were carried out in Okinawa and the islands became was under control of the US Military until 1972.