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Okinawa Prefecture, a string of sub-tropical islands, is the least Japanese part of Japan. Originally the independent kingdom Ryukyu, it was under US control from 1945 to 1972 and US military bases still dominate its main island. Okinawans are Japan’s poorest but longest-living people. Over five million visitors, mostly from the mainland, come each year.
Photographer: Akio Hasegawa Fashion Editor: Seishi Shirakawa
Okinawa
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