Japan / Ryukyu Islands: 'Chief Magistrate of Napha, Lew Chew', illustration from Matthew Calbraith Perry, 'Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan', New York, 1856

The Ryukyu Kingdom (historical English name: Lewchew, Luchu, or Loochoo) was an independent kingdom that ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th to the 19th century. The kings of Ryukyu unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan.

Despite its small size, the kingdom played a central role in the maritime trade networks of medieval East and Southeast Asia.

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