Abstract We have investigated regional shear-wave splitting beneath the Ryukyu arc in order to clarify the mantle flow beneath the Ryukyu arc and compare it with the extension of the Okinawa Trough. The splitting of regional shear waves (direct S) in the central and southern Ryukyu arc regions was analyzed in terms of fast-polarization direction and delay time using data from 11 short-period stations and two broadband seismic stations. The events occurred at depths ranging between 45 and 217 km, and the magnitude of the events ranged from 2.8 to 5.2. In general, the orientations of fast polarization were found to parallel to the strike of the Ryukyu Trench, with average delay times of 0.25–0.56 s. Specifically, the orientation of fast polarization was parallel to the direction of the extension in the south Ryukyu arc, suggesting that the direction of mantle flow is parallel to the extension in the south Okinawa Trough. However, the orientation of fast polarization was oblique to the direction of extension in the central Ryukyu arc, indicating that the mantle flow beneath the central Ryukyu arc is not parallel to the extension of the central Okinawa Trough. Based on these results, we suggest that the difference between the direction of the mantle flow and that of the lithosphere extension induces extensional strain with a simple shear component, which in turn causes oblique rifting in the central Okinawa Trough.