Archive for the Editorial Category

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[Editorial] Yonaguni should promote exchange with Taiwan instead of accepting SDF

June 21, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Members of the Yonaguni Town Assembly have unanimously passed a bill leasing land owned by the town to the Ministry of Defense. This will enable the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to station a coast guard unit on the island. We question such a plan being pushed forward, with almost half of local voters opposing it.

The municipal office will lease 21.4 hectares of the town’s farmland to the ministry for about 15 million yen a year.

The ministry...

　

[Editorial] US and Japan need to investigate Agent Orange in Okinawa

June 19, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Construction workers have unearthed dozens of barrels bearing the words: “The Dow Chemical Company” at a soccer ground on land returned by the U.S. military in Okinawa City. The United States based company is the second-largest chemical manufacturer in...

[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...

[Editorial] Consolidation Plan for U.S. bases Governments saying that they will “reduce the burden of bases on Okinawa,” is tantamount to an act of deception

April 6, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Maybe this is just a strategy to maintain the burden of bases on Okinawa. The plan does not talk of even one single military base being moved outside of the prefecture. Why don’t the governments of Japan and the United States realize that their forcing even greater...

[Editorial] Heads of all municipalities in Okinawa demand that the commemoration of the anniversary of the restoration of Japanese sovereignty be stopped

March 30, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to protest against the Japanese government’s plan to hold a ceremony on April 28 to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Japanese sovereignty after the San Francisco Peace Treaty took...

[Editorial] Japanese government submits application to reclaim land for relocation of U.S. base Crude move that negates democracy in Japan

March 23, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration submitted an application to the Okinawa Prefectural Government for approval to reclaim land for the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to the Henoko coastal area in Nago. This is nothing less than...

[Editorial] Celebrating the date of restoration of Japan’s sovereignty is further humiliation for Okinawa Is Japan really an independent nation?

March 9, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Is this also part of the “Abe brand”? Starting this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to hold a ceremony on April 28 to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Japanese sovereignty after the San Francisco Peace Treaty took effect in 1952.

Abe...

[Editorial] Sentencing two U.S. Navy sailors for raping Okinawan woman Japan-U.S. Status-of-Forces Agreement needs to be revised

March 3, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

The Naha District Court sentenced one sailor to ten years in prison (12-years recommended), and the...

[Editorial] U.S.-Japan Summit Alliance that forces sacrifices on Okinawa is an illusion

February 24, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

In Washington, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with U.S. President Barack Obama for the first time. They confirmed their intention to cooperate in a wide range of fields such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP and security between Japan and the United States....

[Editorial] Forcing U.S. bases on Okinawa – Desist from eroding the very roots of the nation

January 24, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

“While they may be modest, we sincerely wish to lead everyday lives that are safe and secure.” So reads the concluding passage of the resolution adopted on January 22 at the Naha citizens rally held to seek the withdrawal of the Osprey aircraft currently...

[Editorial]Okinawa should spearhead a global drive to promote peace

January 1, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

The New Year is upon us. At the beginning of a year in which Japan marks the 68th anniversary of the end of the war, we would like to think about Japan following the path of a peaceful country. At the same time, we suggest that we look at the desired future for...