History
In the 12th century, it was incorporated to the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In the 17th century, it was incorporated into the Japanese han of Satsuma. By 1879, the island was formally incorporated into Japan.
Until the early 20th century, Yonaguni was part of the larger Yaeyama village, which included the neighboring Yaeyama Islands. In 1948, it became an independent village. From 1945 to 1972, it was occupied by the United States and was then returned to Japan to form a part of Okinawa Prefecture.
On May 4, 1998, a part of the island was destroyed by a submarine earthquake.
As a result of increased tensions between Japan and China/Taiwan over the disputed sovereignty of the Japanese-controlled uninhabited Senkaku/Diaoyu/Tiaoyutai Islands which are located roughly 80 nautical miles north-northeast of the Yonaguni Islands, Japan intends to station 100 troops on Yonaguni to counter a perceived threat from Chinese forces.
Read more about this topic: Yonaguni
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