Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県, Japanese: Okinawa-ken?, Okinawan: Uchinaa-ken) is the southernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) long. The Ryukyos extend southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. The Okinawa Prefecture encompases the southern two thirds of that chain. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island. The Senkaku Islands are administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture.
Ishigaki (石垣島, Ishigaki-jima?, Yaeyama and Okinawan: Ishigachi) is a Japanese island west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. 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, 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 ‒ as well as China ‒ due to its location off the north eastern coast of Taiwan.
A tsunami of record height hit Ishigaki Island in 1771.
The island provided the scene for the arrest of one of the perpetrators of Aum Shinrikyo's sarin gas attack, Yasuo Hayashi, 21 months after and 1000 miles away from where the crime took place.