The Japanese government, the Okinawa Awamori Distillers Association, and private companies came together to create the Ryukyu Awamori Overseas Export Project. On March 7 the project held a meeting at the Okinawa General Bureau in Naha City and approved an action plan for expanding foreign export. Awamori exports are estimated at 33 kiloliters for 2017, which the project’s creators want to more than double in 2020 to 70 kiloliters. In order to do this, these agents of the public and private sectors are working together on 53 items spanning 6 overall goals, which include image-building strategies through videos and visual media, and developments targeting Western markets and karate enthusiasts.
Awamori has fallen behind Japanese sake and whiskey in terms of export. However, the number of foreign tourists visiting Okinawa has reached record highs for six consecutive years. This means there is rising potential to push for product recogniton and consumption of awamori.
The action plan aims to market awamori as similar to hard liquors in European and North American markets like whiskey and tequila, in terms of having high alcohol content, while advertising that awamori is a healthier, low-calorie and low-sugar option. Also, the plan aims to grow awamori’s fandom through tourists from around Asia, who will tell others about awamori when they return home.
On March 8, the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO) recognized Tokyo Metropolitan Television (Tokyo MX) had violated the rights of Sugo Shin, a representative of “Norikoe-net” (Overcome-net), a protest group against hate speech.
The violation took place on one of Tokyo MX’s programs, “News Jyoshi” (News Women).
The BPO submitted a written warning directing Tokyo MX to practice proper broadcasting protocol.
Within three months, Tokyo MX must also provide details of their recurrence prevention measures to the BPO.
Tokyo MX announced that it had received a warning for its news program from March 8.
It then announced that it would strive to prevent this from happening again.
However, it did not rectify or apologize for the issue.
Ms. Shin held a press conference and said, “I feel that BPO’s warning was an ethical decision on behalf of broadcasters” According to the agent, BPO will continue to appeal to Tokyo MX to take action that will prevent future rights violations, and if it fails to do so, BPO will consider taking legal action.
In the “News Jyoshi” episode that was aired in January of 2017, Tokyo MX had compared the citizens protesting the U.S. military Northern Training Area (NTA) helipad construction to terrorists and portrayed Ms. Shin as the mastermind.
The BPO determined the claims lacked evidence.
The BPO also determined the claims were defamatory and made their decision based on judicial precedents from the Supreme Court.
Regarding the issue of ethical broadcasting, the BPO pointed out two issues.
First, the content of the program was not flagged during the test run despite not interviewing Ms. Shin.
Secondly, the program stated that Koreans and Chinese are involved in protest activities.
The BPO pointed out that associating these characteristics to Ms. Shin, a Korean living in Japan, as “Not taking the necessary considerations when covering material on race and ethnicity.”
Tokyo MX commented, “We take this warning seriously. We will steadily implement the recurrence prevention measures that are already underway and will strive to promote broadcasting that can be trusted.”
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
The 26th 2018 Okinawa Marathon was held on February 18, starting at the Okinawa Comprehensive Athletic Park.
The event was hosted by the Local Government Association of Okinawa, The Ryukyu Shimpo Press, Okinawa Television Broadcasting Co. (OTV), Field Athletic Society, TrusTec Mizuno JV (the organization that manages the Okinawa Comprehensive Athletic Park, and co-sponsored by the Okinawa High School Athletic Federation.
The event had 14,768 entries.
9,861 runners participated in the full marathon, 254 ran in the relay marathon, and 2,295 ran in the 10 km road race, for a total of 12,410 runners on the day of the race.
7,688 people crossed the finish line within the time limit, for a completion rate of 77.96%.
103 teams (or 204 runners) completed the relay marathon for an 80.31% completion rate, and 1,995 runners finished the 10 km road race for an 86.93% completion rate.
Takahiro Nakama, 29, from Tomigusuku, came in first for the men’s marathon with a time of 2:24:18, his third time winning the Okinawa marathon and his first in six years.
The women’s race was won by Kasumi Yoshida, 23, from Saitama Prefecture with a time of 2:47:31.
The men’s general 10 km road race was won by Yuuta Hokama, 21, of Naha with a time of 31:46, and the women’s race was won by Hirono Naha, 20, from Nago with a time of 39:03.
The high school 10 km road races were won by Daisuke Shimabukuro (Hokuzan High School) for the men at 31:24 and Miyu Higa (Nago High School) for the women at 38:22.
Special support was provided by companies including Dai-ichi Life Insurance, Aeon Mall Okinawa Rycom, Okinawa Bank, Orion Beer, and Okinawa Coca Cola Bottling.
March 6, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Washington Special Correspondent Yukiyo Zaha
The U.S. Congress established the Congressional Commission on U.S. Strategic Posture, chaired by former Secretary of Defense William Perry. This Commission was tasked with developing the former Obama administration’s Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), a road map for nuclear strategy policy. When the Commission held a discussion with Japan, a minister at the Embassy of Japan in Washington at the time, Takeo Akiba, answered an inquiry from the Commission’s vice chairman about a nuclear weapons storage facility in Okinawa. Akiba said the proposal seemed “persuasive” and showed support for such a facility.
This statement was confirmed through a memo from the Commission, which was obtained by Gregory Kulacki. Kulacki is a top analyst of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a group comprised of U.S. scientists. Kulacki issued a warning to Okinawa that it may host nuclear weapons once again, through construction of the new base in Henoko, Nago, and the potential reopening of the Henoko Ordnance Ammunition Depot.
Takeo Akiba
This discussion took place in February 2009 under the Aso administration. In January this year, Akiba was appointed as the Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. On March 5, Akiba and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied his statement, declaring that Akiba said no such thing.
According to the memo, the Congressional Commission on U.S. Strategic Posture’s Vice Chairman James Schlesinger (former Secretary of Defense) asked Akiba how Japan might view the construction of a nuclear storage site on Okinawa or Guam. Akiba replied that he would find such a proposal to be “persuasive.”
Also, a document that Akiba submitted to the Commission contained a request pushing the U.S. toward low-yield nuclear options, among other things. The contents of the Trump administration’s NPR released in January are in line with that objective. Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono says he “highly appreciates” the NPR, and that the Abe administration supports it. Kulacki thinks it is essential to investigate the likelihood of the U.S. and Japan agreeing to store U.S. nuclear weapons in Okinawa.
In the past nuclear weapons were stored at the Henoko Ordnance Ammunition Depot and Kadena Ammunition Storage. During negotiations for the return of Okinawa to Japanese sovereignty, a secret agreement was concluded which allows for redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to Okinawa. Also, the Marine Corps 2014 Integrated Natural and Cultural Resources Management Plan specified redesigning and expanding Camp Schwab and the Henoko Ordnance Ammunition Depot in order to handle new functions. It seems likely that thirteen ammunitions depot buildings will be dismantled, and twelve new depots and weapons assembly areas will be established. In November last year the U.S.-Japan Joint Committee agreed to dismantle four of the thirteen buildings. The Japanese government is responsible for about two billion yen of the costs, and reconstruction is expected to start within a year.
The progressing militarization of the Ryukyu Islands is a dangerous plan. It should not even be worth considering.
The Japanese government is currently considering deploying a surface-to-ship missile defense unit on Honto, the main Okinawan island. They are also progressing a deployment of a security forces as well as surface-to-air, and surface-to-ship missile defense units totaling approximately 700-800 people, to Miakojima, Okinawa.
Based on the current situation where Chinese naval vessels occasionally pass through the neutral waters between Honto and Miyako Island, the government has decided to more forcefully restrain China. We have grave doubts about this plan.
The deployment of missile defense units to the main island and Miyako Island will only result in increased tensions with China. The stronghold will be seen as a sign of aggression, and will only put the region in danger. The entirety of this plan to deploy these missile units capable of striking China must be withdrawn.
Waters outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which starts 12 nautical miles from each country’s shores and extends to 200, are neutral waters. This is based on the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea adopted and ratified by Japan in 1982.
The treaty stipulates the “principle of freedom of the seas,” wherein each country cannot claim international waters as their territory, and may use it freely as long as they give consideration to other countries.
Treating the Chinese naval vessels that pass through these neutral waters as hostile is a clear violation of the “principle of freedom of the seas.” It can only stagnate the relationship between Japan and China.
The deployment plan the Japanese government is considering involves missiles with a striking range somewhere between 100-200 km. Honto and Miyako Island are around 300km apart. The idea is, since you cannot cover the area from Miyako Island alone, placing missiles on both Miyako Island and Honto would allow Japan to cover the entire area. The plan is far too dangerous.
In a public hearing for the Diet Lower House Military Committee, U.S. Pacific Command’s Commander Harry B. Harris indicated that the Chinese-controlled Spraty Islands in the South China Sea contain “seven new military installations,” comprising of landing strips and radar installations over a span of 3,000 meters.
Harris also indicated the possibility of China deploying high-capacity defense equipment in the future, and said that China’s growing naval power is a grave warning sign.
China’s militarization in the South China Sea is intolerable. However, matching military with more military is simply foolish.
In 2016, the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces’ (JGSDF) coastal surveillance unit was permanently installed on Yonaguni Island. Now, in addition to Miyako and Ishigaki Islands, the Minister of Defense wants to install security forces, missile defense units, and surface-to-air missiles for aerial defense on Amami Island.
Adding to this the deployment of missiles to the main island, this plan will turn the Ryukyu Islands into a giant target.
Since November of 2008, Chinese naval traffic between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako Island has been becoming increasingly regular. However, since they are passing through neutral waters, this does not infringe upon international law. We fear that an overreaction to this will invite greater danger.
“Kushiti,” cillantro that has been used and enjoyed in dishes on Yonaguni Island in Okinawa is becoming a center of campaign to promote the herb. The Yonaguni town signed an ordinance to mark second Sunday of December as “Kushiti Day” last September. The town’s spokesperson said, “we want to pursue locally grown products to compete in the market,” sharing the hope to expand on-island production and export to off-island consumers. The so-called soul-food of Yonaguni, kushiti is known for its unique flavor specific to the island and is expected to trigger a revitalization of the town.
Yonaguni-style cillantro dish – kushiti salad with canned tuna
The town calls for “kushiti senryu,” a form of humorous poem, to celebrate the Kushiti Day in December as well as opening a cooking class to learn to cook kushiti dishes. In the “Long-Term Agricultural Operation Plan” published in 2010, the herb was included as one of the major crops for improving self-sufficiency as well as expanding exports. The path toward expanding its production scale is still being explored while current production remains mostly home-grown.
Kushiti on Yonaguni Island is known for its stronger fragrance and bitterness compared to those from other production sites. It is thought that the herb was brought from Taiwan through the island’s close trading relationship. In Yonaguni, a popular way of eating the herb is as a garnish on top of canned tuna after briefly rinsing them the herb. People splash soy sauce to season the salad. The herb is mostly grown without pesticides since they are mostly eaten raw. During its season from December to March, the herb is used commonly at home, for school lunch, and at bars. For people of Yonaguni, the herb is a “soul-food” during winter.
With the recent cillantro boom, the visitors who come to the island from other parts of Japan seeking the herb has increased. Usshi Ushida, a fourty-seven year-old owner of the cillantro restaurant, Pakuchi-House Tokyo, said, “I tasted a slight saltiness when I first tried the herb from the island. The flavor is different from those grown elsewhere. I strongly recommend cillantro fans to visit the island to try it out.” Masayuki Tajima, 46, a town government officer at the department of industrial promotion, explained that “when there are waves gashing the rock wall around the shore making splashes, we call it the ‘shower of Black Current.’ It might be that sea breeze influencing the flavor.”
Minoru Ogimi, 62, fell in love with the herb and has been growing it while preserving the seeds for over the past four decades. He said “I cannot grow the herb well unless I treat them like my children.” He has given away the seeds to other producers before, but the herb grown in other areas have different flavors from those grown in Yonaguni. He said, “The herb from the island has the smell of the island. If we don’t grow it on this island the taste would be different.”
On February 28 it came to light that Morimasa Goya, the chairman of Kanehide Holdings, has stepped down from his post as a co-representative of the All-Okinawa Coalition. The Coalition is an organization established by those who aim to prevent construction of the new Henoko base including the majority party in the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, labor unions, civic groups, and people in the business world. It is trying to persuade Goya to stay on as its co-representative, but he has already submitted his resignation letter. Goya says he is stepping down in response to the defeat of Susumu Inamine in the Nago mayoral election on February 4. Inamine ran on the platform of obstructing construction of the new base in Henoko, and Goya supported him. However, Goya says that he continues to support Governor Takeshi Onaga, and remains unchanged in his aim to stop new base construction.
Goya also pushed for the All-Okinawa Coalition to start a movement calling for a prefectural referendum concerning the Henoko base, but his proposal was rejected during discussions during which Goya himself was not heard out. Later he said, “Regardless of our positions [on the issue] or the outcome [of the referendum], as Okinawans we should express our determination. I will keep pushing for a prefectural referendum.”
Furthermore, in May Goya intends to establish a group for Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Diet members who show understanding toward Okinawans’ point of view in calling for alleviation of Okinawa’s overlarge share of the base burden. He said, “In order to prevent new base construction from both conservative and liberal camps, I want to expand a wing that supports the governor.”
According to the All-Okinawa Coalition, the resignation of a leader in Okinawa’s business community such as Goya throws into question the nature of the organization. Goya said, “For the sake of our children and grandchildren, my determination to prevent construction of the new base in Henoko is unwavering.” He explained that upon leaving the Coalition he would act as a bridge between the organization and others with similar goals, and asserted that this is not a sign of All-Okinawa weakening.
A contest judging the awamori liquor that sleeps in Okinawan households kicked off at the Okinawa Regional Taxation Office in Naha February 27. The contest is evaluating 128 submissions collected through February 28 of awamori that has both been aging in a single bottle as well as awamori aged through a traditional aging method known as shitsugi. There is hope that the contest will scientifically confirm that shitsugi improves the quality of the liquor, and will lead to the spreading of the culture surrounding the home-aging method.
The contest is separated into three categories, the “secret treasure group,” that features awamori stored in a home without shitsugi aging, a “traditional shitsugi group,” for awamori at least 15 years old where, as the name suggests, the awamori is aged following the traditional shitsugi aging process. The process comprises storing awamori in three clay pots of differing ages, and once a year removing about a tenth of the oldest awamori, and replenishing it with the second-oldest, which is then replenished by the third-oldest, which in turn is replenished with new liquor. The third category is the “freestyle shitsugi group,” which comprises awamori aged for at least five years and having gone through shitsugi at least three times. Each entry is introduced with a testimonial from the submitter, proudly boasting of their quality and rarity such as, “It has been aging since before WWII.”
The first day of judging was for the secret treasure group, and the 19 judges include university professors, National Tax Agency (NTA) appraisers, and liquor producers. The judges check the color, swish the liquor in their mouths, and check the lingering smell from the small sake cups the awamori had been sitting in.
On April 25, the top selection will receive a commendation at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum.
Around 5:30 pm on February 28 at Ginowan City Funtenma Elementary School, a transport aircraft Osprey was photographed flying. A student’s family member spotted and videotaped the Osprey. The video footage shows the bottom of the aircraft. In response to Ryukyu Shimpo’s interview, the Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) said that they “did not agree” to this.
Following the incident last December in which an U.S. military helicopter’s window fell into the grounds of Futenma Daini Elementary School, the Japanese government and U.S. military promised that flights above schools within the city would be avoided as much as possible. Since the incident, Futenma Daini Elementary School has set up cameras and observers to monitor the sky above the school for U.S. military aircrafts. Meanwhile, other school facilities cannot confirm the flight by U.S. military aircrafts since they do not have the equipment to monitor for the aircrafts.
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
Eighty-three-year-old Sumi Uza of the Yuntanza-hanaui Industry Cooperative has woven four Yuntanza-hanaui long-sleeved kimono for her four granddaughters to celebrate their coming-of-age, starting with the eldest 15 years ago. In January, Uza’s granddaughters wore their kimono to take a ceremonial photo with her for recognition of her 85th birthday (a celebrated benchmark in Okinawa), and expressed their gratitude to her. Uza has overcome difficulties such as suffering a stroke and the death of her daughter, yet she still made kimono for these four. Her granddaughters say that they feel her love for them, and want to take care of her in return.
A long-sleeved kimono requires fabric measuring 13 meters or more. Uza used the delicate and gorgeous techniques of “Ti-hanaui,” unique to Yuntanza-hanaui. Weaving one kimono takes about 4 to 6 months. Someone from the Cooperative said, “I have not heard of anyone who has woven these for four people because it takes time and effort.”
Uza wove a pink kimono for Rie Nakayoshi, who was her first grandchild, thinking, “I can weave a kimono, and I want a cute girl to wear it.” Then, Uza wanted to give kimono to her next grandchildren as well. So, she made one for Erina Kawamitsu (27 years old) and one for Rurika Fukuchi (25 years old). In 2014 when her fourth granddaughter, Shion Uza, was about to reach her coming-of-age, Uza suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for three months.
“I am sorry, but I cannot move the left side of my body,” Uza told Shion, letting her granddaughter know that she could not weave. Shion was sad but accepted the situation. However, Uza thought, “I cannot just skip her kimono, so I will do rehabilitation and try.” It took about half a year and was completed last January.
Shion said, “It is the absolute best present in the whole world, and I feel nothing but happiness and gratitude.” So, she planned for a commemorative photo to celebrate Uza’s birthday.
Uza looked at the picture and said, “I was very happy, and I was surprised that I really did everything.” After her first daughter passed away seven years ago, Uza was depressed. She said, “I was able to survive because I have woven through difficult times; I am supported by weaving.” Uza continues to weave today.
On February 24 Okinawa Peace Appeal, a group comprised of Okinawan people who live in the United States, held a demonstration in New York supporting Chairman Hiroji Yamashiro of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center, and opposing the new base being built in Henoko, Nago. ]
The demonstrators declared their opposition to the Henoko base, and called for the acquittal of the arrested and indicted Yamashiro and two other activists who were involved in the protest movement against the base being built in Henoko.
Participants in the demonstration marched to Trump Tower, calling for solidarity and passing out leaflets on an international signature campaign for Yamashiro and his co-defendants along the way.
About 40 people representing various peace organizations, including Veterans for Peace (VFP), attended the demonstration.
Participants met in front of the Mid-Manhattan Library and raised awareness for Okinawa’s current circumstances by holding up placards and banners with slogans to the effect of: “No U.S. bases in Okinawa,” “end U.S. militarism now,” and “save dugongs.”
Okinawa Peace Appeal representative Noriko Oyama of Nakijin Village, who now resides in New Jersey, said: “Since the symposium I attended in Baltimore in January which called for the closing of U.S. bases around the world, awareness for Okinawa has been spreading even throughout American NGOs. As someone living in the United States, from here on out I want to do all I can to spread the word.”
On February 24 in New York, once the demonstration has reached the front of Trump Tower, Okinawa Peace Appeal members call for Yamashiro’s acquittal and speak out against the Henoko base.
Juyeon Rhee, a member of Nodutdol for Korean Community Development based in New York, said, “It’s strange that the U.S. is increasing its military budget, while cutting the budgets for things like education and welfare.”
Furthermore, she voiced her desire to come together in solidarity with others to oppose U.S. military bases in Okinawa and South Korea, and such things that can provoke war.
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
