June 24, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
At the Okinawa Memorial Day ceremony on June 23, Governor Denny Tamaki gave a speech mixing Uchinaguchi (Okinawan language) and English with his Japanese, expressing opposition to the construction of a new base in Henoko, and calling for revision of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. Each of Governor Tamaki’s statements drew applause from the audience. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in his speech, discussed reducing the burden of military bases...
June 23, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Yosuke Anri
A girl trembles in fear at the sight of an American soldier—this girl appears in a video footage recorded by the U.S. troops, a clip often incorporated in films about the Battle of Okinawa. Sometime before June 22, Sueko Urasaki (nee Kakazu),...
June 23, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
While the Ministry of Defense (MOD) strengthens defense capabilities in southwest Japan, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) is conducting island recovery drills in case of invasion. Defense facilities near the national border are equipped with radar and...
June 22, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
Tokyo – The Japan P.E.N Club (Shinobu Yoshioka, president), which is comprised of 1,500 Japanese authors, released a declaration titled, “On the day of Okinawa’s Irei no Hi, we demand that the government take back their words, and reconsider new base construction...
June 20, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
On June 19 the global science publisher Springer Nature released its 2018 rankings of worldwide research institutions, ranking the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) which is located in Tancha, Onna Village, as first place in Japan...
June 16, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
New Caledonia Correspondent Yumiko Yamada of Ryukyu Shimpo
New Caledonia, which is known as the “closest island to paradise,” is also one of the world’s leading nickel producers. Due to the nature of open cast mining, some of the red soil of the nickel...
June 19, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
High concentrations of the chemicals PFOS and PFOA have been detected in rivers and springs in the vicinity of U.S. military bases in the central part of Okinawa Island. There is data to suggest that these chemicals could be carcinogenic. On June 18 the Ryukyu Shimpo...
June 21, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
After the 2016 incident in which an ex-Marine U.S. military base worker murdered a woman in Okinawa, the Japanese government created the “Okinawa Regional Safety Patrol” as a policy to prevent further incidents, which to-date has cost around 1.5 billion yen....
Jun 17 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
The dilapidated Makishi Public Market in Naha City is getting a facelift—Jun 16 was its last day of business before renovating. The market was lively until the very end. The shops, patrons, and nearby residents were all tearful, but positive. The market is an integral...
June 18, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo online edition
On the morning of June 18 the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly opened its June plenary session. At the meeting the Assembly unanimously adopted a protest resolution and written statement in protest of the incident in which a piece of blade tape fell onto...
June 15, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
On June 14, the Himeyuri Peace Memorial Foundation (director: Masanori Nakahodo) held a celebration in Naha for the 30th anniversary of the Himeyuri Peace Museum in Itoman, which will enter its 30th year on June 23. Around 80 people, including former Himeyuri students...
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