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Okinawa is a tiny island of huge geopolitical importance. Located between the tip of Japan's mainland and Taiwan, it hosts key US military bases, which have played a contested and controversial role on the island. In addition, the sovereignty of some of Okinawa's outlying territory is disputed by China and its future is tied closely to the competing strategies over Taiwan. It is also a potential target for North Korean missiles aimed at American military assets on the islands. In this short and revealing talk, Ra Mason will explore why and how this island paradise and the waters around it could trigger great power conflict.

Ra Mason is an internationally recognised specialist in the international relations of the Indo-Pacific, with a specific focus on Japan. Ra's monograph, Japan's Relations with North Korea and the Recalibration of Risk, was highly acclaimed by specialists in the field and was followed by coauthorship of two further breakthrough books on Japan's international relations and foreign policy, Regional Risk and Security in Japan: Whither the Everyday? and Risk State: Japan's Foreign Policy in an Age of Uncertainty. He has held visiting posts at Tohoku University, Ritsumeikan University, University of the Ryukyus and Meio University, is a regular contributor to major international news media outlets and writes for ASAN Forum, Asahi Shimbun Asia Japan Watch (AJW) and The Conversation UK. The talk explores Ra's latest book, Okinawa: Great Power Competition and the Keystone of the Pacific.