Archive for August, 2018

Recent News

Okinawa sends out the call for Karate practitioners worldwide as part of a new focus on martial arts tourism that has many expecting positive economic results

Okinawa sends out the call for Karate practitioners worldwide as part of a new focus on martial arts tourism that has many expecting positive economic results

 

August 28, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Taichi Hirayasu

 

“Martial Arts Tourism,” the new tourism initiative in Okinawa that hopes to attract Karate-ka from all over the world for things such as training, has been garnering a lot of attention.

There are reportedly upwards of 130 million Karate practitioners and fans globally, and Okinawa is hoping their call to the homeland of Karate will yield great economic results.

The prefecture has been pouring...

 

Veterans for Peace calls for US government to reevaluate risks of Futenma replacement facility

Veterans for Peace calls for US government to reevaluate risks of Futenma replacement facility

August 27, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

Special Correspondent Yukiyo Zaha reports from Minnesota

 

On August 25, the peace organization Veterans for Peace (VFP), comprised of former military personnel and supporters, held a plenary session of its 33rd annual convention...

UC Santa Cruz students interview woman from 1952 U.S.-occupied Okinawa photograph

UC Santa Cruz students interview woman from 1952 U.S.-occupied Okinawa photograph

August 22, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

“The young woman in the picture is me.” Some American university students were searching for a woman in a photograph published on the front page of the local news in Ryukyu Shimpo on August 15, which was from U.S. military-occupied Okinawa...

800 people gather to commemorate Okinawa-Hawaii figure Jane Serikaku

800 people gather to commemorate Okinawa-Hawaii figure Jane Serikaku

 

August 20, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

By correspondent Hanae Gushiken Higa

 

On August 9, a funeral and memorial service for Jane Serikaku was held at the Hawaii Okinawa Center on Oahu.

Serikaku served as the first female chair of the Hawaii Okinawa United Association...

Marino Uezu wins national speech contest with presentation that spoke of her Okinawa roots

Marino Uezu wins national speech contest with presentation that spoke of her Okinawa roots

August 24, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

The 50th Japanese National Student Association (JNSA) All-Japan English Speech Contest was recently won by Okinawan-born Marino Uezu, a second year student at Ochanomizu University.

Uezu took the top spot this year after coming close the previous...

Hawaii POW letters written between 1945 and 1946 discovered

Hawaii POW letters written between 1945 and 1946 discovered

August 24, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Chie Tome and Tomoki Yasutomi

 

On August 23, 15 letters addressed to Okinawans and Okinawan descendants living in Hawaii sent from a prisoner of war (POW) camp between 1945 and 1946 were discovered.

The letters were written by people...

Local residents enthusiastically celebrate traditional Great Tug-of-War of Henoko

Local residents enthusiastically celebrate traditional Great Tug-of-War of Henoko

August 20, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

On August 19 the traditional Great Tug-of-War of Henoko was held at the Henoko Ground.

The community split into East and West teams for tug-of-war, and the West team won with one victory and one draw.

This event, where Henoko Ward reseidents...

4,500 people attend memorial service for Governor Onaga to mourn “The soul of a politician”

4,500 people attend memorial service for Governor Onaga to mourn “The soul of a politician”

August 14, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

A memorial service for Okinawa governor Takeishi Onaga, who passed away at age 67 on August 8, was held at Daitenji temple in Naha August 13.

This is the first time that an Okinawan governor has died while still in office.

Approximately...

Gorbachev sent a eulogy to Governor Onaga

Gorbachev sent a eulogy to Governor Onaga

August 11, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

On August 10, Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who was a leading figure in Cold War and received the Nobel Peace Prize, dedicated a eulogy to the late Governor Takeshi Onaga.

 

In the eulogy, Gorbachev says, “The...

Japanese government exploring seeking damages for 20 million per day loss if land reclamation at Henoko is suspended

August 21, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

The Japanese government announced August 20 that if construction were to be suspended due to Okinawa Prefecture’s revocation of approval for land reclamation activity, which is part of the plan to relocate MCAS Futenma to the Henoko neighborhood...

Two Futenma-based Osprey make successive emergency landings in Amami and Kadena

Two Futenma-based Osprey make successive emergency landings in Amami and Kadena

August 15, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

On August 14, there were successive emergency landings of MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from MCAS Futenma Air Station at Amami Airport in Kagoshima Prefecture and at Kadena Air Base.

The causes of these emergency landings...