When observing the history of Okinawa, one can't ignore the fact that since before World War II it has produced more emigrants than any other prefecture except Hiroshima.
People of Okinawan origin currently account for more than 10 percent of the 2.7 million Japanese immigrants and their descendants overseas.
Even on foreign soil, however, immigrants from Okinawa have been discriminated against by their fellow Japanese immigrants, resulting in them keeping to tightly knit communities to maintain their Okinawan identity.