Island Sustainability

This book is devoted to island sustainability with a focus on the small island economies in the Pacific, especially islands of Okinawa located at the southwestern edge of Japan. It examines socio-economic characteristics, development issues, policies, networking of island societies, and the roles of culture, human resources, agriculture and tourism in a globalizing world. Okinawa, the birthplace of nissology (island studies in Greek), embraces all aspects of small, remote island characteristics, including geography, history, economy and culture. Okinawa hosted the third and fourth Pacific Leaders Meeting (PALM). PALM adopted the Okinawa Initiative on Regional Development Strategies for a More Prosperous and Safer Pacific. This initiative emphasized the important role of Okinawa in spearheading and coordinating development and educational relationships among the Pacific islands. Although the focus is on Okinawa, analytical methods and visions presented in this book will provide