Kyushu-Okinawa Summit 2000
Outline of Kyushu-Okinawa Summit Meeting
There are two ways to travel to Okinawa Island: by sea and air. Most planes and ships arrive at Naha, Okinawa's gateway. Flight time from Tokyo is 2 hours 30 minutes; from Osaka, 2 hours; 1 hour 35 minutes from Fukuoka and 1 hour 25 minutes from Miyazaki. Access from most foreign regions is by air. There are daily direct flights to Naha from Taipei; three direct flights a week from Seoul; and two direct flights a week from Hong Kong. Flight time is 1 hour 30 minutes from Taipei, 2 hours 15 minutes from Seoul, and 2 hours 20 minutes from Hong Kong.
 Iriomote Wildcat |
Okinawa Prefecture is located at 24 degrees to 28 degrees north latitude. It is the only prefecture in Japan that is located totally within a subtropical climate zone. The average annual temperature is a mild 23 degrees Centigrade (73 degrees Fahrenheit), and even during its coldest month (February), the average temperature is about 16 degrees Centigrade (61 degrees Fahrenheit). On the other hand, summer temperatures rise to about 33 degrees Centigrade (91 degrees Fahrenheit) in Naha. There is abundant greenery and wildlife in Okinawa Prefecture. Green throughout the year with beautiful seasonal flowers and trees, the Prefecture is famed for the Iriomote wildcat and Noguchi-gera woodpecker, both designated Special Natural Monuments by the Japanese government. Okinawa Prefecture is also renowned for its beautiful beaches, coral reefs and lucent, aquamarine sea. |
 Naha City Area |
The total population of Okinawa Prefecture is approximately 1.31-million. The population of Okinawa Island alone is approximately 1.15-million, of which approximately 300-thousand reside in Naha. The population of Nago City is about 55-thousand. Longevity is a feature that characterizes Okinawa. While Japan boasts the world's longest average life expectancy for both men and women, the average life expectancy of the residents of Okinawa Prefecture (77.22 years for men; 85.08 years for women is fourth in the nation for men and the nation's highest for women (as of 1995). Furthermore, while the national average ratio of those over 100 years of age per 100,000 residents is 4.48 people, the same ratio for Okinawa Prefecture alone is 18.5 people (as of Sept. 30, 1998). Okinawa is truly Japan's top prefecture in terms of longevity. |
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