Analysis was made to ascertain the social relations in Iheya Island, the northern end of Okinawa Prefecture, based on the applications for registration of marriage during the twenty-four-year period, 1957-80. As a result, author has obtained following findings. 1) It had been endogamous at the first five year period in which the inter-island marriage accounted for 80.4%. However, it had changed to exogamous in the period of 1966-71, in which the marriage within the island had decreased to 43.2% and to the contrary, marriage with those both from the other parts of Okinawa and from the Japan mainland had increased. 2) There was a marked tendency of exogamous especially among female since the reversion of the administrative authority in Okinawa to Japan from the United States in 1972. The young seldom return to the island, once they left for higher education or finding employment in the Okinawa Island or the mainland Japan. 3) Although the noticeable change from endogamous to exogamous had observed, moving in the island of those registered in the Japan mainland was negligible . And therefore it may fairly be presumed that the tendency of endogamous among those living in the island has been maintained. 4) The findings suggest that the traditional ways of life and value systems in the island are succeeding from generation to generation, and the island is rather socially isolated.
