Taiwanese Premier Yu Shyi-kun's plane made an unscheduled stop Wednesday at Naha airport because of a typhoon.
Yu met with local political and business leaders while waiting to resume his flight.
It is the first visit to Japan by a Taiwanese premier since September 2001, when Chang Chun-hsiung stopped at Tokyo's Haneda airport on his way home from Honolulu.
During his meeting with Okinawa Vice Gov. Hirotaka Makino in a waiting room at the airport, Yu emphasized the close relationship between Taiwan and Okinawa.
"Taiwan and Okinawa are geographically close and have been engaged in active economic exchanges," he said.
Yu proposed that Taiwan and Okinawa hold a conference to stimulate economic and cultural exchanges.
Makino responded by saying, "We would like to enhance the exchanges at nongovernmental levels."
After the meeting, the prefectural government said Makino made a courtesy call on Yu, who had to make the stop due to the typhoon.
Yu also met local business executives and Taiwan residents in Okinawa.
Yu was on his way to Taipei from New York, where he stopped after a visit to the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. Yu attended the presidential inauguration ceremony in the Dominican Republic.
Yu left Naha airport when the flight resumed around 1:30 p.m.