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December 20, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Chie Tome
On December 19 the East Asian Community Institute Ryukyu Okinawa Center held the “Anti-Crisis on the Eve of ‘the Southwest Shift Taiwan Emergency’ War” symposium at Ryukyu Shimpo Hall in Naha City. Military journalist Makoto Konishi pointed out that, as China gains power, the U.S. military and Japan Self-Defense Forces are moving to increase the military fortification of Okinawa, including advancing plans to deploy missile unit to the Nansei Islands. He suggested that if the US and China are to come into conflict over Taiwan, Okinawa first becoming a target has sounded the alarm. Hiroji Yamashiro, an adviser to the Okinawa Peace Movement Center, proposed the launch of the Prefectural Citizen’s Association for Keeping Okinawa from Becoming a Battlefield Again.
Masaaki Gabe, professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus, spoke at the symposium and pointed out that the root of the Taiwan emergency is “the competing military capabilities of the U.S. and China.” While United States acts as a check against China, which has an increasing international presence both militarily and economically, and China makes known its political objective of unification with Taiwan, he mentioned that “Japan’s goal regarding opposition is unclear.”
Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, president of the East Asian Community Institute, stated his opinion that “China will not easily gain control of Taiwan by force, and the United States should not wage war lightly.” In addition, Hatoyama made the criticism that the Japanese government is “moving to enhance its military strength due to a sense of danger stirred up by the Taiwan emergency” as a means for recovering from a decline in its economic power.
Hiroji Yamashiro, Director Hajime Takano of the East Asian Community Institute, Professor Hiromori Maedomari at Okinawa International University, Tsuyoshi Arakaki of the Ryukyu Shimpo, and Daisuke Fukumoto of the Okinawa Times spoke at the panel discussion. Film director Chie Mikami acted as moderator for the discussion. Since the differences in thinking about construction of the Futenma Replacement Facility and SDF deployment are complex, people explained their opinions about how “All-Okinawa” should be hereafter, and the necessity of re-examining concepts for actions.
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)
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December 21, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Ryota Shimabukuro
Central Okinawa – A large cluster of COVID-19 infections has been spreading through the U.S. military base Camp Hansen, and some of the workers on the base are the first confirmed cases of the “omicron” variant of the disease in Okinawa, leading the All Japan Garrison Forces Labor Union (AJGFLU) Okinawa Office to suggest that the Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) enact emergency measures. If a U.S. military personnel arrive in Okinawa from other parts of Japan or from abroad, the AJGFLU Okinawa is requesting that they strengthen quarantine requirements even if that person is vaccinated, as well as implement disease transmission prevention measures such as wearing a mask while on base.
According to AJGFLU Okinawa Office executive committee chairman Eizo Yonaha in a press conference after delivering the written request, starting around November personnel have been exempted from wearing a mask while on base as long as they have had at least two doses of the vaccine. The AJGFLU has asked the Japanese government and the U.S. military command in Japan to reconsider this, calling the policy “premature.”
ODB Labor Director Akira Sugahara, who accepted the written request, explained that this the discovery of the new cluster, the U.S. military has raised their alert level, and is making wearing a mask mandatory again.
Commenting on the stipulation in the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which states that U.S. military personnel are not subject to Japanese quarantine rules, Yonaha said, “[Personnel] are entering Okinawa without observing the Japanese quarantine period, and as a result are spreading the disease in the workplace. The Japanese government needs to fully understand this and make necessary changes.”
According to the ALGFLU, there are around 1,000 suspected close contacts from the current cluster including military personnel, their families, and base workers, and that close contacts are being ordered to stay in their residences. The ALGFLU is also asking that with Christmas approaching, that the U.S. military not hold any Christmas parties.
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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December 16, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
At 9 am on December 14, the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education launched its digital archive containing the Rekidai Hōan, an official compilation of diplomatic documents of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The archive also contains other historical documents, research papers, and parts of pre-war newspaper materials that were lost during the Battle of Okinawa. Previously, historical documents were only available for viewing at the prefectural library or at universities, but the digital archive allows users access anytime, anywhere.
The Rekidai Hōan spans 444 years (between 1424 and 1867) of Ryukyuan diplomacy, mainly with China. The recorded diplomacy and trade illuminate the Kingdom’s relations with other Asian countries.
As for the archived pre-war news materials, each of the headlines will be circulated in advance. The launch focuses mainly on news from about 1898-1914, which allows users to learn about modern and pre-war era Okinawa. Additional materials will be released in succession.
A representative of the prefectural board of education commented, “We hope [users] will utilize the archive to gather basic research on Okinawa’s history and as a chronicle of Okinawa’s journey thus far.”
The digital archive is available at https://ryuoki-archive.jp/.
(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)
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December 16, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Riko Higa
On December 15 at the Peace Memorial Hall in Mabuni, Itoman City, the Okinawa Peace Memorial Statue underwent “purification” in which it was cleared of dust. In an average year, about 30 people such as bus tour guides participate in the cleaning. However, as a way to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the scale was reduced to 11 people in total, including Okinawa Foundation personnel, who are in charge of management, operations, etc. of the Peace Memorial Hall, and students at the Okinawa Prefectural University of the Arts.
The Peace Memorial Statue, the prototype of which was created by the late Shinzan Yamada, is about 12 meters tall and about 8 meters wide. Participants climbed up stepladders and wiped off dust while checking to confirm there were no cracks in the statue.
Shunno Yoshida, 22, a third-year student at the Okinawa Prefectural University of the Arts, said, “I have never seen the details this close. Through experiencing the sensation and intensity of touching [the statue], I felt the strength of urushi (Japanese lacquer).”
Masaji Itokazu, 66, who is a former professor at the Okinawa Prefectural University of the Arts and was involved in the creation of the statue, said, “I hope for corona to come to an end soon, and for there to be peace around the world.”
The Mabuni Fire and Bell Festival, which is held at the Peace Memorial Hall starting on the evening of December 31 in an average year, has been cancelled for the second year in a row as a way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)
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December 15, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
The NPB Awards, which recognizes the season’s award-winners in professional baseball, took place December 15 in Tokyo, and the Pacific League rookie of the year award (rookie king) was awarded to Orix pitcher Hiroya Miyagi, 20, who comes from Ginowan, and played at Konan High School before entering the league. This is the second-straight season that the rookie of the year award was given to an Okinawa-born player, with last year’s award going to Seibu Lion’s closer Kaima Taira.
Miyagi was Orix’s first pick in the 2019 draft, and he joined the team in 2020. He joined the first-team players mid-way through his first season, winning his first professional game in November of that year. The next year he started the season as a member of the starting rotation, and in 23 games he recorded 13 wins and 4 losses, his double-digit wins helping to propel his team to a league championship.
Miyagi started game 2 of the Japan Series against the Yakult Swallows. While he ended up taking a close loss in the match, he pitched 6.1 perfect innings before surrendering a run part-way through the 8th.
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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December 17, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
In Okinawa, December 16 was as hot as a summer day. Temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius were recorded at 18 of 25 observation sites. The warm weather was caused by a southerly wind blowing into Okinawa from a high-pressure system in southern Kanto. Iriomote-jima in Taketomi was 26.7 degrees, Shimoji-shima and Miyako-jima in Miyako-jima City were 26.4 degrees, and Ashimine in Naha was 26.1 degrees.
The Okinawa branch of the Japanese Meteorological Agency forecasts that December 17 will be cloudy with scattered showers due to cold air caused by a front over Okinawa’s main island and a high-pressure system jutting out from the continent.
Near the first parking lot of Onoyama Park in Naha, large flowers are blooming on an African tulip tree, which originates in West Africa. Locals could be seen jogging or walking beneath the bright orange flowers. (compiled by Yuki Karimata)
(English translation by T&CT and Ellen Huntley)
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December 14, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
December 14 will mark the third anniversary since the Japanese government started land reclamation along the coast of Henoko, part of the construction involved for relocating MCAS Futenma to new facilities in Henoko, Nago. To mark the anniversary, All Okinawa, an organization comprising political parties and citizen’s groups that oppose new base construction, assembled at the gates of Camp Schwab and on the water on the Henoko coast to stage a protest against the land filling activities.
Starting at 8:40 a.m. around 40 people gathered in front of the gate to stage a sit-in. At the st
Protesters gathered on the water calling for a halt to land reclamation construction – December 14, 10:00 a.m., on the coast of Henoko, Nago
art of the sit-in, the group chanted protests together such as, “Let’s do our best to force a stop to this [base] relocation.”
On the water, around 30 canoes and three protest boats gathered, chanting in unison against the base construction with slogans like, “protect the coral reefs,” “stop the illegal construction,” and “don’t destroy the ocean.”
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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December 8, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Erina Ishii
On December 7, four years after parts from a U.S. military aircraft fell on Midorigaoka daycare center in Nodake, Ginowan City, a group of parents visited the Okinawa Defense Bureau in Kadena and the Okinawa Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Naha City. The group, named Team Midorigaoka 1207, continued its plea for the U.S. military to stop flying aircraft over the daycare center. Isao Ono, Director General of the Okinawa Defense Bureau, reiterated, “We will request the U.S. authorities to give [this] the utmost consideration.”
In their petition, Team Midorigaoka asked for (1) an investigation into the cause of the accident and prevention of its recurrence, (2) a suspension of [military] flights until the cause is investigated, and (3) ban all U.S. military aircraft taking off from and landing at the Futenma Air Base from flying over the daycare center.
Ono, who received the petition, said, “We have urged the U.S. on similar occasions to stop flying above schools. We will promptly share any updates as they come in and take appropriate measures.”
Tomoko Miyagi, president of Team Midorigaoka, choked up as she pleaded, “The noise pollution has gotten worse than when the accident occurred, because of [increase in] foreign aircraft. Is our request to refrain from flying over the daycare center so difficult?”
The situation has not improved in the four years since the accident. Miyagi and the parents expressed their outrage stating, “the Okinawa Defense Bureau just gives the same response from four years ago.”
(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)
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December 8, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
During a general interpellation at the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly on December 7, in response to an inquiry about the deployment of the Japan Self-Defense Force to Okinawa, Governor Denny Tamaki expressed the understanding that diplomatic efforts are essential prior to exercising military force. He said, “We must pass on various lessons, gained from the Great War that has passed by, to future generations. There are also investigation results showing that places where command posts of the military of Imperial Japan were located became targets of attack. In recognition thereof, peaceful diplomacy, in particular, is necessary.”
In response to Ichiro Ohama (Okinawa, LDP), Reiko Oshiro, the director of the Department of Public Health and Medical Care of the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG), spoke about third doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine being administered to employees and admitted persons at nursing homes where clusters have broken out, and administering future booster doses to people after 6 months or more. She said, “We’re gathering information and striving to grasp the necessary vaccine quantity.”
In response to Kyoki Nakagawa (Okinawa, LDP), Tsugiyoshi Miyagi, the director of the Culture, Tourism and Sports Department of the OPG, spoke about the fourth edition of the Okinawa Aya Discovery Campaign, a regional sightseeing demand policy, for which sales started on November 10. He reported that the sales amount as of 11:30 that morning was approximately 780 million yen, and the execution rate was 14 percent. The total amount budgeted is 6.2 billion yen. (Edited by Masaaki Umeda)
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)
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December 9, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
Kitadaito – The Kitadaito town council (Masami Uema, chairman) deliberated a “written opinion on inviting the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF)” to the island, and unanimously adopted the document at their December 9 regular session.
The written opinion argued that Kitadaito was a suitable place for the JSDF from a geographic viewpoint for national security, and they could strengthen the capabilities for disaster response for things like typhoons, as well as emergency transport to Okinawa’s main island. Additionally, they asked the government to make proactive use of the village in Japan’s next five-year national security plan.
The written opinion was addressed to the Minister of Defense (MoD), the head of the Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB), and the MoD director of local and regional cooperation.
The invitation comes with support from village residents, but some in the village government and village council have asked for further explanation.
Kitadaito is located around 360 kilometers east of Okinawa’s main island, and as of November of 2021 has a population of 561. The neighboring Okidaitojima is uninhabited, and is used by the US military for aerial target practice.
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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December 9, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Wakana Arakaki
An enormous northern Chinese softshell turtle (suppon) was found at the Okinawa Ham General Foods (Okiham) aquaculture farm in Yomitan. The turtle’s shell is 40 centimeters long, and she weighs 7.96 kilograms. The other turtles raised in the same enclosure are vastly lighter, weighing 2.6 kilograms on average. The company plans to submit the softshell turtle to UA-Japan Records, an organization that officially certifies all types of record holders nationally. If the turtle is certified, she will hold the record for the largest softshell turtle in Japan.
Norihiro Nohara, who is in charge of the aquaculture department, discovered the enormous softshell turtle. He explains that when he drained the water in the enclosure to check on the growth of the animals, the biggest softshell turtle he has ever seen was walking around.
The restaurant attached to the farm serves dishes featuring softshell turtle, but this softshell turtle is a breeding female and so will not be on the menu. The farm will continue to raise her and will look forward to her continued growth.
(English translation by T&CT and Ellen Huntley)
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