The Yaeyama Islands (八重山列島 Yaeyama-rettō , also 八重山諸島 Yaeyama-shotō , Yaeyama : Yaima , Yonaguni : Daama , Okinawan : Yeema , Northern Ryukyuan : やへま Yapema ) are an archipelago in the southwest of Okinawa Prefecture , Japan , and cover 591.46 square kilometres (228.36 sq mi). The islands are located southwest of the Miyako Islands , part of the Ryukyu Islands archipelago. The Yaeyama Islands are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contain Japan's most southern ( Hateruma ) and most western ( Yonaguni ) inhabited islands. The city of Ishigaki serves as the political, cultural, and economic center of the Yaeyama Islands. On maps dating to the 1700s, the Yaeyama Group of Islands appears as the "Majico Sima Group", "Nambu-soto Islands", "Nambu Soto", and the "Taipin Islands".
15-740: Yaeyama may refer to: Yaeyama Islands , an archipelago in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan Yaeyama District, Okinawa , an administrative division covering most of the Yaeyama Islands Yaeyama language , a language spoken in the Yaeyama Islands Japanese ship Yaeyama , the name of several ships of the Japanese Navy Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
30-669: A dozen large (over 1,000 tons) Japan Coast Guard ships can be stationed there. There are currently 11 Kunigami-class large patrol vessels and 2 Hateruma-class large patrol vessels, as well as a Bizan-class small patrol vessel, and a Kagayuki-class patrol craft have been homeported at Ishigaki along with facilities for housing up to 600 crew, making Ishigaki JCG's largest base, surpassing JCG's facilities in Yokohama . Tokyo has currently earmarked ¥21.2 billion yen (US$ 205 million) in FY2021 to build new patrol boats and buy helicopters for
45-474: A gateway to the Yaeyama Islands . Ishigaki Port is the 5th most popular of Japan's cruise ports as of 2017, and 4th for port calls by non-Japanese ships with a weekly call by Star Cruises from Taiwan. Several companies offer daily ferry service to Hateruma , Iriomote , Kohama , and Taketomi Island . Due to Japan's increased focus on grey-zone challenges, Ishigaki Port has been expanded so more than
60-417: A lesser extent Taiwan have challenged Japan's sovereignty over these islands since 1972, with more intensity since 2012. Ishigaki has different cuisine from mainland Japan. Due to the relative warmth of the surrounding sea and various cultural influences, the food of Ishigaki and Okinawa is more meat-centered than the rest of Japan. The Ryukyu Kingdom served as an important trading post between Japan and
75-568: Is a Japanese island south-west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group , behind Iriomote Island . It is located approximately 411 km (255 mi) south-west of Okinawa Hontō. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture . The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago. The island is served by New Ishigaki Airport ,
90-622: Is related to the native name Yaima in Yaeyama , which possibly comes from a reconstructed Proto-Ryukyuan form *jajama (pronounced *yayama with tone class A). The Yaeyama Islands are home to numerous species of subtropical and tropical plants and mangrove forests. The islands produce sugarcane and pineapples . Coral reefs around the islands are ideal habitats for dolphins , sea turtles , and larger fish such as manta rays and whale sharks . Before being wiped out by humans, whales and dugongs were common as well, and Yaeyama once had
105-675: The Type 96 multi-purpose missile system ) on the island. These reinforcements are mostly in relation to the Japanese uninhabited Senkaku Islands , which lie 170 km (106 mi) north of Ishigaki and are under the control of the mayor of Ishigaki, which has been given civic authority over the territory since the Senkaku Islands reverted from the US to the Japanese government control in 1972. China and to
120-527: The Yaeyama palm, is only species in the genus Satakentia , is endemic to the two islands of Ishigaki and Iriomote in the Yaeyama Islands. The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Ryukyu Islands . The administrative division of Yaeyama District covers all of the Yaeyama Islands, except Ishigaki and the disputed Senkaku Islands . The Yonaguni language is the indigenous language of
135-653: The island of Yonaguni . The Yaeyama language is the indigenous language of the rest of the islands. Japanese is now the native language of most of the population. The Yaeyama Islands are home to the production of traditional Okinawan textiles. 14 July: Mushaama Festival. On Hateruma Island, this harvest festival is celebrated during Obon . It features a parade of the local fertility god Miruku and his children (the local children), shishi ("lion") dances, and staff dances. Ishigaki Island Ishigaki Island ( 石垣島 , Ishigaki-jima , Yaeyama : Ishanagï , Okinawan : Ishigachi ) , also known as Ishigakijima ,
150-498: The largest airport in the Yaeyamas. Much of the island and surrounding waters including Mount Omoto and Kabira Bay are protected as part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park . Ishigaki Island, like the rest of Okinawa , is culturally influenced by both Japan and Taiwan due to its location, about 300 km (186 mi) off the north eastern coast of Taiwan . A tsunami of record height hit Ishigaki Island in 1771. One of
165-763: The largest population of dugongs in the Ryukyu Islands. On Aragusuku Island, there is an utaki or sacred place that specially enshrines hunted dugongs with their skulls, but non-residents are not permitted to enter unless they receive special permission from inhabitants, and it is said that anyone without permission will be driven out by force. The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of resident black wood pigeons and Ryukyu green pigeons , wintering ruddy turnstones , migrating grey-tailed tattlers , and breeding colonies of bridled , roseate and black-naped terns . Satakentia liukiuensis ,
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#1732848275930180-411: The perpetrators of Aum Shinrikyo 's sarin gas attack , Yasuo Hayashi , was arrested on Ishigaki Island 21 months after the attacks and 2,000 km (1,243 mi) from the scene of the crime. On 11 April 2024, locals protested against the Japanese military's presence. Located 400 km (249 mi) southwest of Okinawa Island and 259 km (161 mi) east of Keelung , Ishigaki serves as
195-562: The region, with plans to assign 22 ships of over 1,000 tons (including the 3 Tsugarus , a Kunigami , and a Hateruma class patrol vessel based in Naha) in the region by 2024. Tokyo has also bulked up the JCG presence on Miyako-jima between Ishigaki and Naha with nine Shimoji-class small patrol vessels and a Tokara-class medium patrol vessel The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are also considering deploying short range anti-ship missiles (possibly
210-554: The rest of the world despite various trading bans between Japan and China . Located only 244 km (152 mi) from Taiwan , Okinawan cuisine is best defined by the Okinawan word Chanpurū (チャンプルー) or "something mixed", incorporating aspects of Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian, and American cultures. Although Okinawa is best known for its love of pig, Ishigaki is famous for its Japanese Black cattle, both which are thought to have originally been brought from China as far back as
225-551: The title Yaeyama . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yaeyama&oldid=841393012 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Yaeyama Islands The name Yaeyama literally means "multilayered mountains", and
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