Archive for June, 2013

Recent News

Museum to end program of sending Himeyuri survivors out for lectures

Museum to end program of sending Himeyuri survivors out for lectures

May 30, 2013 Reiko Akamine of Ryukyu Shimpo

From the end of September, the Himeyuri Peace Museum will end its program of sending out Himeyuri Student Corps survivors, who lived through the Battle of Okinawa, as lecturers for students on school trips. Since opening in 1989, the museum located in Itoman has educated many people about the misery of war.
The survivors have given lectures for over 20 years to let people know about the harsh realities of the Battle of Okinawa. As the age...

 

Capybara appeared at Arakawa river escapes

Capybara appeared at Arakawa river escapes

June 1, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

A capybara was spotted in the Arakawa River in Ishigaki on the evening of the May 27. Firefighters rushed to the scene after being notified by residents but they failed to capture the animal, which fled at a pace belying its appearance. The animal, which may have...

Okinawan fisheries groups ask government to review Japan-China fisheries pact

Okinawan fisheries groups ask government to review Japan-China fisheries pact

May 30, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

On May 29 in Tokyo, Okinawa Vice Governor Kurayoshi Takara and the members of the Okinawa Federations of Fisheries Cooperatives and the Ikema Fisheries Cooperatives asked Senior Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Taku Eto to review the Japan-China...

Passion fruits waiting for shipment

Passion fruits waiting for shipment

May 26, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Passion fruit is now in the harvest season at the Itoman Tourist Farm in Mabuni, Itoman. Clusters of ripe fruit are waiting for shipment.

Kiyonori Oshiro, a 38-year-old contract farmer, said, “Our harvesting was delayed a little because of the typhoon...

Astronomer of Miyako-jima descent to research in France

Astronomer of Miyako-jima descent to research in France

May 27, 2013 Yoko Shima of Ryukyu Shimpo

Yoshito Shimajiri, a 31-year-old astronomer whose father is from Miyako-jima City, will be hired at the National Institute of Saclay in France from June. It is rare for this institute to employ Japanese researchers. When Shimajiri came...

Indian elephant Ryuka eats cake for 13th birthday

Indian elephant Ryuka eats cake for 13th birthday

May 19, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

On May 19, a birthday ceremony for Indian elephant Ryuka was held at the Okinawa Zoo & Museum. She turned 13 years old on May 22. About 50 people celebrated her birthday by singing songs. Children made a birthday cake with 15 kilograms of 15 kinds of fruit and...

Entrepreneurs to hold “Startup Weekend Organizer summit” in Okinawa

Entrepreneurs to hold

May 26, 2013 Ryoki Nagahama of the Ryukyu Shimpo

Event organizers from all around the world involved in the Startup Weekend will meet for the first time in Asia in Urasoe this autumn. According to the organizer, Startup Weekend is a global network of leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to...

World Youth Uchinanchu Festival to be held in LA this July

World Youth Uchinanchu Festival to be held in LA this July

May 18, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

On May 16, Minami Tamamoto, the director of the Okinawa head office of the World Youth Uchinanchu Association (WYUA), and Shingi Kuniyoshi, the president of the Okinawa Association of America (OAA), held a press conference at the Okinawa Prefectural Office to provide...

[Editorial] Do not fly flawed military aircraft over Okinawa

May 29, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

A U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter belonging to Kadena Air Base crashed in the Pacific about 115 kilometers east of Okinawa. The Okinawa Fisheries Cooperative has fish aggregating devices in the water around the so-called “Area Hotel-Hotel” airspace and waters designated...