Taiwan is southwest of Japan , across the East China Sea. It sits closest to Japan’s southern islands, especially the Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa, rather than to mainland Japan.

Quick geography

  • Taiwan is in East Asia, in the western Pacific Ocean.
  • Japan is to Taiwan’s northeast.
  • The waters between them are part of the East China Sea.

Simple way to picture it

If you look at a map, Taiwan appears below and a bit left of Japan, with Okinawa in between or nearby.

One-line answer

Taiwan is located southwest of Japan, across the East China Sea.