Top News

Airstrip expansion and helipad construction at Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield proceeding steadily

Airstrip expansion and helipad construction at Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield proceeding steadily

December 2, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

The expansion work on the airstrip simulating an LHD deck within Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield is steadily progressing. It is believed that this construction is in preparation for takeoff and landing training of state-of-the-art F-35 stealth fighters , which are to be deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in 2017, and MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Construction work began on August 28 this year, and is scheduled for completion in...

 

Editorial: Police investigating the Peace Center and supporting the base construction — unjust oppressions are unacceptable

December 1, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

The police’s investigation is a form of oppression against the anti-base protests. Conducting a compulsory investigation of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center and arresting its Chairman Hiroji Yamashiro for the third time and detaining him for a long period is...

Second generation Okinawan Filipinos reunited with family members on “Homeland”

Second generation Okinawan Filipinos reunited with family members on “Homeland”

December 2, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

Three second-generation Japanese left behind in the Philippines in the war returned to Japan for the first time on December 1. The father of the three children is Taruji Fusato from Itoman City who died in 1990. His 78-year-old third daughter, Sarome Fumiko Fusato,...

Okinawa University makes deal for exchange program with Ho Chi Minh City University of Teacher Training

Okinawa University makes deal for exchange program with Ho Chi Minh City University of Teacher Training

November 30, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

Okinawa University has made a deal with Ho Chi Minh City University of Teacher Training to promote an exchange program between Okinawa and Vietnam. A signing ceremony was held at the university on November 30. President of the Okinawa University Hiroshi Nakachi...

Prefectural Police arrest January protest suspects, search protest-related locations

Prefectural Police arrest January protest suspects, search protest-related locations

November 30, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

On November 29, the Okinawa Prefectural Police and the Nago Police Station arrested four people including Chairman Hiroji Yamashiro of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center. The arrests were made in relation to a protest in January against construction of Futenma...

Governor Onaga says reports that he accepts helipads were inaccurate

Governor Onaga says reports that he accepts helipads were inaccurate

November 30, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

On the evening of November 29, Governor Takeshi Onaga told reporters that despite his statement at a news conference the day before that the partial return of the U.S. military’s Northern Training Area conditioned on the construction of new helipads presented...

Winter approaching in Okinawa as the temperature hits 15.7 C in Oku

Winter approaching in Okinawa as the temperature hits 15.7 C in Oku

November 25, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

The temperature dropped in Okinawa as cold air covered the area on November 24, the same day the first snow for the season was observed in Tokyo. The air temperature dropped to lower than the previous day in all 28 temperature observation stations in the prefecture....

Hyakuna Garan receives three international awards for hotel service

Hyakuna Garan receives three international awards for hotel service

November 23, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
Hotel “Hyakuna Garan” in Nanjo City has taken out three international awards. The “World Boutique Hotel Award” is dedicated to hotels which offer high-quality service regardless of hotel size. In the food and drink section, Hyakuna Garan was the...

Naha symposium addresses dangers facing Yambaru from U.S. military in Takae, Henoko, Ie-jima

Naha symposium addresses dangers facing Yambaru from U.S. military in Takae, Henoko, Ie-jima

November 27, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

On the evening of November 26, at a youth assembly hall (Okinawa-ken Seinenkaikan Horu) in Naha City, an Okinawan group opposing military base relocation within Okinawa held an urgent symposium on protecting the whole of Yambaru from becoming a danger zone in...

Governor suggests reluctant acceptance of helipad construction, remains opposed to Osprey

Governor suggests reluctant acceptance of helipad construction, remains opposed to Osprey

November 29, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
On November 28, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga held an interview with multiple news outlets in advance of the two-year anniversary of his inauguration as governor on December 10. Regarding the plan to return slightly more than half of the U.S. military’s Northern...

Physically challenged karate champion and the two masters behind her success

Physically challenged karate champion and the two masters behind her success

November 25, 2016 Wakana Hanmine of Ryukyu Shimpo

An unexpected bond between three generations of masters and an apprentice has resulted in a karate champion. Aika Arakaki is a 23-year-old who is deaf and practices karate while working at a confectionery factory in Naha. In October, she won...