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Local fishermen oppose U.S. parachute drop training by Tsukenjima during mozuku peak season

May 3, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

On May 2 the U.S. military conducted parachute drop training over the ocean at Tsukenjima Training Area in Uruma City.

In the exercise, nine people in total dropped out of an MC-130 special mission aircraft.

This is the second such training conducted this year.

Individuals involved in the fishing industry have openly opposed the training.

Liners and fishing boats traverse the water training area.

The Okinawa Prefectural Government...

 

Rally meets in Tokyo protesting ongoing acts of sexual violence by U.S. military personnel

Rally meets in Tokyo protesting ongoing acts of sexual violence by U.S. military personnel

April 30, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

On April 29 a rally met at the Bunkyo Civic Center in Tokyo to protest the presence of the U.S. bases and military personnel in Okinawa.

The rally was held in observation of the third anniversary of the rape and murder committed by a former U.S. Marine....

Okinawa prefectural museum starts an exhibition displaying 250 new items

Okinawa prefectural museum starts an exhibition displaying 250 new items

May 1, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

On April 30, the Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum started their “New Collection Exhibition.”

The exhibition displays about 250 items that were donated or bought in the last year.

The items include human bones of the Minatogawa people,...

Battle of Okinawa survivors speak of mixed feelings about the emperor system, memories of war, and the emperor’s visits to Okinawa (Heisei and Okinawa)

Battle of Okinawa survivors speak of mixed feelings about the emperor system, memories of war, and the emperor’s visits to Okinawa (Heisei and Okinawa)

April 28, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Yoshinori Takada

On April 30, the emperor will abdicate, marking the end of the Heisei era. The emperor has visited Okinawa eleven times from the time he was crown prince to the present. Both the emperor and empress have visited Okinawa, the only place...

OPG finds high PFOS concentrations near Kadena Air Base, advises against drinking the water

OPG finds high PFOS concentrations near Kadena Air Base, advises against drinking the water

April 24, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Chie Tome

On April 23 it came to light that a water quality study conducted last year by the Okinawa Prefectural Enterprise Bureau in the vicinity of Kadena Air Base detected high concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic...

Consultations regarding abandonment after pregnancy, domestic violence, language barriers, and other issues involving dating and marriage to U.S. military personnel and base workers on the rise, dating apps play a role

Consultations regarding abandonment after pregnancy, domestic violence, language barriers, and other issues involving dating and marriage to U.S. military personnel and base workers on the rise, dating apps play a role

April 23, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Yoshinori Takada

There have been countless incidents of problems relating to relationships with and marriages to U.S. military personnel and base workers.

In 2018, 87 people consulted with Women’s Pride, an NPO that provides consultation relating...

Citizen group files lawsuit against Japan, arguing ruling that overturned land reclamation permission revocation “illegal”

Citizen group files lawsuit against Japan, arguing ruling that overturned land reclamation permission revocation “illegal”

April 20, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

A part of the ongoing dispute over new U.S. military base construction in the Henoko neighborhood of Nago, Okinawa, a group of 16 anti-base residents who live in the area where land reclamation work is ongoing just off the coast of Henoko have filed a lawsuit against...

Futenma noise pollution lawsuit monetary award lowered over 30% in appeal ruling

Futenma noise pollution lawsuit monetary award lowered over 30% in appeal ruling

April 17, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

The ruling for the appeal in the 2nd Futenma noise pollution lawsuit, in which the 3,415 residents who live in the area around MCAS Futenma filed suit seeking a substantive flight stoppage as well as compensation for both past and future damage, was handed down...

MOE investigates sightings of two dugong near Hateruma Island

MOE investigates sightings of two dugong near Hateruma Island

April 18, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

On April 16 the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) publicized the results of its 2018 investigation of the dugong habitat.

According to the investigation, on August 22, 2018 two dugong specimens thought to be parent and child were seen from a helicopter at...

Second-generation Okinawan descendant meets with her mother’s relatives in Okinawa

Second-generation Okinawan descendant meets with her mother’s relatives in Okinawa

April 19, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Yousuke Asato

“I’m proud to have connected with Okinawa.”

On April 9, Natalie Ann Yasumine, a second-generation Okinawan descendant from Georgia, arrived in Okinawa with the goal of meeting her relatives, which she accomplished.

She...

Battle of Okinawa was “hell on earth”: A veteran’s vow to peace

Battle of Okinawa was “hell on earth”: A veteran’s vow to peace

April 4, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

Friends of the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum hosted an educational 5K peace walk in Naha City on April 13. The course stretched from “Sugarloaf Hill”, which was the bloodiest battlefield during the Battle of Okinawa, to Shuri Park, where the former...