Okinawa is a tiny island of huge geopolitical importance. Located between the tip of Japan’s mainland and Taiwan, Okinawa’s sovereignty is contested by China. It hosts several major US military bases, which have played a contested and controversial role on the island. Okinawa’s future is tied closely to the competing strategies over Taiwan, as well as being framed as a potential target for North Korean missiles aimed at American military assets on the islands. In this short and revealing book, Ra Mason explores why and how this island paradise and the waters around it could trigger great power conflict.