March 1, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
Local autonomy, democracy, and human rights are facing a dire situation.
At the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court, two trials have drawn to a close between the Japanese government and Okinawa prefecture over the permit to authorize land reclamation in Henoko as part of the construction of a new U.S. military base. We anticipate a verdict that respects local autonomy and legal principles.
Interpretation of the law, when applied to contemporary...
February 26, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
It has been demonstrated once again that dangers from U.S. Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma cannot be removed without construction of a new base in Henoko, Nago.
Commander of U.S. Pacific Command Harry Harris expects the replacement facility to...
February 23, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
More than seventy years have passed since the Battle of Okinawa, yet heavy-handed political forces still aim to fill the bountiful ocean with concrete in order to build a new military base. However, popular will is spreading in resistance to this authoritarian...
February 5, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) deployments should not be permitted under the justification that they are meant to counter North Korea’s announced missile launch. The important thing in this situation is to make concentrated diplomatic efforts, not raise tensions.
In...
January 25, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
In yesterday’s election for mayor of Ginowan City, voters reelected the incumbent, pleased with his performance over the past four years and hoping he will continue to serve them well.
Throughout his campaign, the incumbent, Atsushi Sakima, avoided taking...
December 6, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
The U.S. and Japanese governments recently agreed on the return of two small slivers of land totaling 7 hectares, a mere 0.031% of the total 22,370 hectares of Okinawan land being used exclusively for U.S. military facilities. Is this really the “visible progress”...
December 3, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
It was a moment that will go down in Okinawa’s history. Each and every one of the governor’s words was a perfect expression of Okinawans’ long-held sentiment.
Governor Takeshi Onaga appeared in court for the initial hearing in the execution by proxy...
November 29, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education designated 17 pieces of earthenware and stone implements found on the shoreline within Camp Schwab as Cultural Properties. These items are somewhere between 800 and 2000 years old.
The pieces were discovered at...
November 20, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
How on earth does one measure the gravity of a single wish, pursued by many people together? On November 18, the sit-in protest in front of the gate of Camp Schwab, Henoko, Nago, by citizens opposing construction of a new U.S. base reached its 500th consecutive...
November 6, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
Unjustified oppression of non-violent protest activity is not acceptable. The government must put an immediate stop to excessive security measures threatening the human rights of citizens.
For the first time, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has...
November 3, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism ordered a stay of execution of Governor Takeshi Onaga’s revocation of the permit authorizing land reclamation in order to build a new base in Henoko as part of the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air...
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