Miyako Strait
The Miyako Strait (宮古海峡 Miyako Kaikyo?) is a waterway which lies between Miyako Island and Okinawa Island, it is the widest strait in Okinawa Prefecture.
Political significance
The Miyako Strait is of global geopolitical significance, as it is one of the few international waterways for the People's Liberation Army Navy to access the Pacific Ocean. Japan insists that China has committed to informing them in advance if their Navy sails through the strait, a claim that the Chinese deny has ever been agreed upon. The PLA Navy used the strait on a large scale for the first time in April 2010,[1] an act which has since become a commonplace practice for them to conduct military exercises in the Pacific.[2][3]
Cultural significance
The Miyako Strait represents a cultural and linguistic split from Southern and Northern Ryukyuan languages, with the north being more heavily influenced by Kagoshima (Satsuma) and Japanese culture in general.
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