Naha (Japanese: 那覇市 -shi; Okinawan: Nāfa) is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. The modern city was founded on May 20, 1921. However, it had been one of the most important and populous sites in the Ryukyu Islands as the capital of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, from the early 15th century until its abolishment in 1879 (from other view, 1872). Naha is a coastal city located on the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands. Its coast is on the East China Sea. Naha is the political, economical and educational center of Okinawa Prefecture. In the feudal period, it was also the commercial center of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.