islands, Okinawa ken (prefecture), Japan, within the Ryukyu island group in the Pacific Ocean. The Daitō Islands lie about 217 miles (350 km) east of Okinawa. North Daitō (Kita-Daitō) and South Daitō (Minami-Daitō) islands are the largest of the group and lie close to one another, while the smaller Oki-Daitō Island lies about 93 miles (150 km) south of them. North and South Daitō have a combined area of 15.7 square miles (40.5 square km). They are coral islands and have steep cliffs but are basically level inland. Most of their arable land is used to grow sugarcane. Pop. (1995 prelim.) 2,046.