Okinawa

Okinawa belongs to a subtropical oceanic climate, with an annual average temperature of about 23℃, and the minimum temperature rarely drops below 15℃ throughout the year. The annual precipitation in Naha City is about 2,000 mm, and the rainfall pattern concentrated in the rainy season (May to June) and typhoons (July to September) dictates the agricultural production calendar. Because it is a completely different climate zone from the mainland, the cultivable items also differ greatly, and agricultural and marine products unique to the subtropics such as Bitter Melon, okra, mozuku (seaweed), and sugarcane are the main products. Sugarcane occupies a vast area in the hilly regions of the central and northern parts of the main island of the Okinawa region, and supplying raw materials to sugar factories is one of the key industries. The production volume of Bitter Melon is 1st nationally, mozuku is also 1st nationally (over 90% national share), and okra is also a major production area nationally (ranked 3rd nationally in production volume), holding multiple national top positions with items that utilize its unique climate. Kuruma prawn aquaculture is prominent in remote islands such as Miyakojima and Ishigakijima, and shikuwasa (citrus) is known as a citrus native to the Okinawa region cultivated mainly in the northern part of the Okinawa region (around Ogimi Village). Beni-imo (purple sweet potato) is mainly produced in the northern part of the main island of the Okinawa region and around Uruma City, and is characterized by its bright purple color containing anthocyanin. An agricultural calendar and item composition different from the mainland form the fundamental distinctiveness of agriculture in the Okinawa region.

Source: MAFF Crop Statistics (Reiwa 5 / 2023), JMA historical weather data

The agriculture in Okinawa possesses a distinctiveness that cannot be simply compared with agricultural statistics of the mainland. The condition of the subtropical oceanic climate produces a group of items that cannot be grown on the mainland, ranking 1st nationally in Bitter Melon, mozuku, and Pineapple, and in the top tier nationally for shikuwasa, beni-imo, and sugarcane. In particular, the Okinawa region supplies over 90% of the national distribution volume of mozuku, making it a market that cannot exist without the Okinawa region. The agricultural calendar is also different, with many items to which the mainland concepts of summer vegetables and autumn/winter vegetables do not apply, and responding to the typhoon season is a major issue in production management. Different specialty products exist for each remote island (Miyako, Ishigaki, Kumejima), and looking at the prefecture as a whole, an agricultural and marine structure packed with diverse items in a small area symbolizes the distinctiveness of the Okinawa region.