The national Ishigaki Island astronomical observatory succeeded in capturing images of a rainbow that appeared in the moonlight at 7 p.m. on October 16. The astronomical observatory explained the occurrence as “a rare phenomenon that requires a dark night sky and clean air.” A sky-monitor camera captured the large rainbow for about 15 minutes from 7:06 p.m. in the sky above Taketomi Island and Kohama Island. The camera also captured an arch-like rainbow around 8:50 p.m.
This phenomenon, in which a rainbow appears due to moonlight reflecting off water in the air is called a “moonbow.” Such rainbows appear white and faded unless a camera is used. The photo was taken using a high exposure.
The observatory stated, “If lights from the town were too bright it would not have been visible because of the reflection. This phenomenon was possible because it was in Yaeyama. The moonbow is believed to invite happiness. It was seen one year after the Great East Japan Earthquake as well. We hope happiness will soon come to the disaster-affected areas like Kumamoto and Iwate.’”
On October 24, young people of Okinawan heritage in their 20s and 30s from countries around the world visited places shaken by military base issues, namely the ocean at Henoko and the woods in Takae, prior to the opening of the 6th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival on October 27. These participants shared thoughts such as, “resistance is essential after all,” “the existence of the bases is a problem which affects people’s lives,” and “I also wanted to hear the thoughts of people who accept [the bases].” Linked to the festival, the bus tour Yuntaku Bus 2016 via Takae and Henoko took about 20 participants including 13 from North and South America to view these areas.
At the beach in Henoko, participants listened to co-representative of the Helicopter Base Objection Association Hiroshi Ashitomi’s explanation, and gazed with great interest toward the fence that separates Camp Schwab from civilian soil.
Satomi Karina Matsumoto is a 27-year-old 3rd generation Okinawan from Brazil who also visited Henoko during her introductory period to the festival in 2013. She thinks as a method for stopping construction “resistance is essential after all.” Although in Brazil police will use rubber bullets and tear gas on citizens’ demonstrations, she says that, “[Japanese riot police officers] only laid hands [on citizens], but the violence is no different.”
Jeff Tanaka is a 27-year-old 4th generation Okinawan who was born in the United States and resides in Canada. Alluding to Okinawa’s Japan- and U.S.-dictated history he says that the way people who have lived on that land for a long time are being pushed off resembles the issues that Canada’s indigenous people face. He went on to say that those who retain Okinawa’s language, land, and culture will become Okinawa’s hope.
Harold Mariano Kazuo is a 35-year-old 3rd generation Okinawan from Argentina, with roots to the northern part of Okinawa Island on both his father’s and mother’s side of the family. He was also looking forward to asking for those who reluctantly accept the military bases to share their thoughts, but there was not enough time. Along the lines of bases affecting human lives, he goes on to say that, “There nothing worth protecting to the point of sacrificing lives.”
Lima Tokumori, a 29-year-old on the committee for the Yuntaku Bus tour, said about the experience, “It is not about asking [others if they] accept military base problems or not, it’s about seeing and hearing about the actual sites, and creating an opportunity to have people consider [these situations].”
Governor of Hawaii David Ige visited Governor Takeshi Onaga at the Prefectural Office in the evening on October 26 during his trip to Okinawa to attend the 6th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival. The two confirmed that Okinawa and Hawaii will continue education, student, and cultural exchanges. Governor Ige said that he had been personally looking forward to coming to Okinawa, and that he is inspired to see everyone who had returned to Okinawa from other countries.
Ige reported that 1800 people of Okinawan descent had come to Okinawa for the festival. In response to this large number Onaga said with a smile that he feels Okinawa and Hawaii’s mutual ring of cultural exchange has blossomed. He says after this he wants administrative personnel from both Okinawa and Hawaii to become even more closely acquainted and deepen cultural exchange.
A Karate Guinness World Record was attempted at the “Karate Day Anniversary Demonstration Festival,” on Kokusai Street in Naha, October 23. A simultaneous demonstration of 3973 people was formally recognized by adjudicators, setting a new Guinness World Record. Governor Takeshi Onaga accepted the certificate from the Guinness Book judge.
Kokusai Street was closed to traffic from the Bunka Tenbusu Hall in Makishi to Kumoji, with fans lining the streets in the direction of Asato. Then, just after 3:30 in the afternoon, the practitioners performed “Fukyu-kata 1” in unison.
Around 4,500 people participated in the demonstration. There were 100 judges closely observing the demonstration, and they subtracted any participants who disqualified before calculating the number of successful performers.
2 and a half hours later, on a stage erected in front of the Bunka Tenbusu Hall at the head of the demonstration line, Guinness Adjudicator Justin Patterson announced, “Congratulations on setting a new World Record,” to the cheers and applause from both participants and audience members.
The Guinness Book titled the record the “simultaneous karate demonstration with the largest number of participants.” The previous record was set in August, 2013 in India, with 809 participants.
On October 24, a total of around 150 citizens, labor union members and others, both local and from outside Osaka Prefecture, visited the Osaka Prefectural Office and the Osaka Prefectural Police Department headquarters (see photograph) to protest recent events surrounding a Prefectural Police officer and the governor of Osaka. The officer, a member of a riot squad dispatched from the Osaka Prefectural Police Department to patrol the scene of protests against the construction of helipads in the U.S. military’s Northern Training Area in the northern part of Okinawa Island, referred to protesters as “dojin,” a derogatory term for “aboriginal,” and Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui made comments allegedly defending the officer’s remarks. According to one of the protesters, they are calling for an apology to the people of Okinawa, withdrawal of the Osaka Prefectural Police from Okinawa, and thorough re-education of the police officer in question.
Meanwhile, on October 21, the “Japan Mass Movement Osaka Action Committee,” a group made up of Osaka civil society groups, organized a protest in front of the Prefectural Office demanding that the governor retract his defense of the officer’s words, issue an apology, and step down as governor. Roughly 200 people joined the protest. A letter of protest addressed to Governor Matsui was also submitted to the Prefectural Office.
The Committee’s letter of protest was signed by 161 organizations based in Osaka. Committee director Yoshihito Suga said, “We acted because we as people of Osaka were ashamed [by the Governor’s comments]. Even the Prefectural Police Department announced that the officer’s remarks were inappropriate, but the governor defended them. Such perspective on human rights is not befitting of a governor.”
On October 20, the 5th Worldwide Youth Uchinanchu Festival was held for the first time in Okinawa. At the opening ceremony in Sawafuji Mirai Hall, Nishihara, more than 200 participants attended. Four representatives pledged that Uchinanchu youth from around the world would come together and strengthen their bond for the future of Okinawa. For four days, approximately 100 youth attendees, who trace their roots to Okinawa, and youth in Okinawa will experience Okinawaʻs traditions, hold conversations together, and think about the future of Okinawa.
Minami Tamamoto, the chairperson of the Executive Committee, said, “We would like the youth from the world to connect to the youth of their ancestral communities. We want to make a ‘homecoming space’ where we can say ʻIʻm homeʻ and ʻWelcome homeʻ to each other. We look forward to youth partnering up with each other and creating new projects.”
Governor Takeshi Onaga said, “I hope this festival will help you to strengthen the bond among young Uchinanchu and make the world their stage with the spirit of ‘Bankoku shinryo(a bridge between nations)’.”
The festival took four days ending on the 23rd. Approximately 2,000 people participated. The closing ceremony and grand finale were held on the 23rd at 6 p.m. at Katsuren Castle Ruin in Uruma.
It has been a decade since Okinawa Shogaku Junior and Senior High schools and the Federation of Okinawa Karate agreed to make karate a compulsory class at the school. Once a week, 7th to 11th graders (for 12th graders the class is optional) practice under an instructor sent by the federation. In 2015, 491 high school students earned their black belt, which is a pass rate of 44.1 percent. The school says the purpose of making Okinawan karate a compulsory class is for students to learn culture, which will foster a global-mindset. A spokesman for the school says that this has had “profound effects on the students’ ability to focus and on building character.”
Students in karate gi, or uniform, let out a powerful “Hi-ya!” that echoes throughout the school gym. All the students look serious as they practice jabs and kicks with the instructors, who are also the directors of the federation. An 18-year-old with a black belt, Julia Nagaishi says, “The teachers give us detailed instructions, so it’s easy to grasp. I hope to become a soccer player and be successful abroad, but regardless of whether I succeed or not, I’ll still be proud that I can do karate.”
The school and the federation signed the Agreement on Karate Training in August 2007. In class, students learn kata, or a routine comprised of various movements and techniques. In 8th grade, students choose a style of karate they wish to learn from the following four: Uechi-ryu, Goju-ryu, Shorin-ryu, and Matsubayashi-ryu. Those who start from high school primarily learn the Matsubayashi-ryu. There are also predetermined goals for each grade, such as 5-kyu for 7th grade, 3-kyu for 8th grade, and 2-kyu for 9th grade. Those who started in junior high school aim for a black belt, while those who started in high school aim for a brown belt by the time they graduate from high school. Twice a year, the federation holds grading tests. For 7th graders, it is only once a year. In 2015, more than 90 percent from each grade in junior high school achieved their goal, and in high school, it was 85 percent.
Akio Shimabukuro, vice president of the federation and an instructor, has high hopes for the classes. He says, “Students become so mature that it makes you do a double take. And this happens while we’re still teaching the basics. Learning karate, which was developed by early Okinawans, will immensely benefit students in becoming global-minded people.”
High school Vice Principal Hiroaki Yoza emphasizes the positive effects of making Okinawan karate a compulsory class. He says, “We are able to place Okinawan culture at the core as we try to foster global-minded people. Learning karate has changed the attitude students have toward their daily life, it gives them confidence in many different areas, and it has contributed to building character.”
(English translation by T&TC and Chelsea Ashimine)
At an interview on October 19 at the Okinawa Prefectural Office, Governor Takeshi Onaga gave a comment in regards to the riot police officer who used “dojin,” a derogatory term for “aborigines,” to refer to Okinawan protesters. Onaga said, “The implication is [that Okinawans are] inhabitants of an uncivilized region. As an Okinawan citizen and as the governor, I feel not only that [use of this term] is outrageous and inexcusable, but I also feel strong resentment.” For the first time Onaga expressed the desire that riot police officers from outside the prefecture be withdrawn.
On October 20 Onaga complained to the chief of the Okinawa Prefectural Police Katsushi Ikeda about the discriminatory remark, and requested adequate management of the riot police. Onaga said, “I am obliged to state that leadership [of the riot police officers] has not been sufficiently attentive.” He will also confirm his point of view with the chairman of the Okinawa Prefectural Public Safety Commission.
Onaga was asked if this discriminatory remark by a riot police officer is rooted in structural discrimination, like the hate speech that he and other Okinawan lawmakers endured in 2013 during the appeal in Tokyo to cancel deployment of Osprey. He answered that, “These kinds of remarks are easily made within the purview of structural discrimination. Although I thought that term was obsolete, the fact that it was used itself is greatly concerning.”
At the U.S. military’s Northern Training Area, where helipads are being built, a riot police officer from the Osaka Prefectural Police Department yelled out “dojin,” a derogatory term for “aboriginal,” at protesters opposing the helipad construction on the other side of the fence. The Osaka Prefectural Police Department acknowledged the incident and announced that the officer’s remark was “regrettable.”
The “dojin” remark deeply hurt not only the protesters, but also the hearts of the people of Okinawa. The remark also damaged people’s trust in the police. The supervisors of the riot police squad should make a clear apology to the people of Okinawa, and the department should strictly punish the officer who made the remark on the basis of the Police Law and defamation laws.
The riot police officers at the scene are sent in from all over Japan. The officers’ supervisors also bear responsibility for the discriminatory remark, and must be held accountable for failing to make the officers understand Okinawa’s base issues and the reality of the protesters opposing the construction, and to guide and supervise them to take a neutral position in carrying out their professional duties.
Yelling out “dojin” at protesters on the other side of the fence does nothing to quell their actions, and rather serves as a provocation. Perhaps it reflects the intent of the Abe administration and the Okinawa Defense Bureau, who believe that any hindrance to the construction must be removed.
Okinawa Peace Movement Center leader Hiroji Yamashiro, who allegedly cut the wire of a fence in the training area, was arrested at the advisory of an Okinawa Defense Bureau employee. The arrest has been criticized as a shot taken by the Defense Bureau that reveals its wish to demoralize the protest movement.
The actual leaders of the police activities oppressing the protest movement are the Okinawa Defense Bureau and the Japanese government. The government is resorting to every means possible to achieve the helipad construction, from sending in large-scale riot police forces, conducting unjustified vehicle inspections, removing citizens and newspaper reporters, and sending in Self-Defense Force helicopters,.
It is clear that police activities that deviate from the “fair and impartial” imperative set forth in the Police Law are being carried out at the will of, or under the guidance of, the Japanese government, which considers the helipad construction its absolute priority.
Discrimination against Okinawa is a historical issue. First came the Ryukyu Disposition, followed by the use of Okinawa as a bulwark to stave off an attack on the mainland during World War II, and then allowing the U.S. military occupation of Okinawa after the war and the concentration of U.S. bases here.
The construction of a new base in Henoko and construction of helipads are being carried out against the backdrop of structural discrimination, rooted in history, against Okinawa by the Japanese government.
Okinawans expressed oppositions to the bases in the gubernatorial election, Nago mayoral election, Prefectural Assembly election, and multiple national elections. Government policy that tramples on the will of the people and pushes forward forcefully with the construction of bases can only be called a form of structural discrimination.
Okinawa is not a colony of Japan. The Japanese government’s discriminatory policies are responsible for discrimination against Okinawa and by extension the “dojin” remark at issue. As long as structural discrimination against Okinawa is not remedied, there will be no end to fruitless confrontation.
Thorough decontamination of land used by the U.S. military must be carried out before it is returned. The Okinawa Defense Bureau has submitted a proposal plan for the return of roughly half of the U.S. military’s Northern Training Area, but the fact that its plan limits the decontamination period to “12 to 18 months” is unacceptable.
Decontamination is a major obstacle to realizing the early return of U.S. military base land in Okinawa. There are countless examples of time taken for decontamination delaying land return, such as the case of the former Onna Communication Site, where cadmium, mercury, PCB, led, and arsenic have been found, and the case of former Camp Kuwae land, where led and asbestos have been found.
U.S. military veterans testify that defoliants containing highly poisonous dioxins were sprayed in the Northern Training area, and assert that they now suffer health damage from those poisons. There is also the problem of contamination from U.S. military helicopter crashes.
The Okinawa Defense Bureau submitted its proposal without engaging in prior consultations with the prefectural government, despite the prefectural government’s request for such consultations. It is only natural that the prefectural government has rejected the plan. Past experience shows that cutting a survey and decontamination period that should take 2 to 3 years in half is much too short. Rather than considering the plan a done deal, the Okinawa Defense Bureau should consult with the prefectural government to determine the period required for surveying and decontaminating the land.
The root of the problem is the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement, under which the United States does not owe an obligation to carry out decontamination and return the land to its former state before it is returned. Decontamination efforts have been delayed as a result of the Okinawa Defense Bureau acting noncommittally while information regarding the state of environmental contamination within the bases remains undisclosed to the prefectural government.
The U.S. military still denies the use of defoliants, and the Defense Bureau accepts this denial out of hand, ignoring the testimony of U.S. military veterans and neglecting its duty to clarify the facts.
The Okinawa Defense Bureau should demand from the U.S. military information regarding the history of U.S. military training, aircraft accidents, and contaminants used within the Northern Training Area. The prefectural government should demand that the Defense Bureau take necessary measures.
The land return implementation plan was also presented to the local governments in Kunigami Village and Higashi Village. It is understandable that the local governments in these villages desire the early return of the land and are working hard to achieve a “Yanbaru National Park,” hoping to see the area become a candidate for registration as a World Nature Heritage site.
However, insufficient decontamination will cause problems down the line. It must be understood that thorough decontamination will contribute to environmental conservation of a future World Nature Heritage site.
The U.S. Marine Corps Installations Pacific “Vision and Strategy 2025” acknowledges, with respect to the return of Northern Training Area land, that “51% of the unusable Northern Training Area will be returned,” and welcomes the relocation of helipads for Osprey use, stating, “additional available training acreage will be developed where possible, making full use of…land acreage.”
It is only natural for the U.S. military to return training land it considers “unusable.” The Okinawa prefectural government should continue to uphold its opposition to Osprey operations and also make strong demands of the U.S. military and Japanese government to conduct thorough decontamination of the returned portion of the Northern Training Area.
The 46th Naha Tug of War was held at the Kumoji intersection of Route 58 in Naha on October 9. According to the organizer, about 270,000 people took part in the event.
The crowd pulled on the rope for 30 minutes, with the West side winning the competitive match.
The East and West tied overall with 14 wins, 14 losses, and 15 draws. The rope used in the tug of war is 200 meters long and weighs about 43 tons, and is recorded in the Guinness World Records. About 15,000 people took part, pulling hard on the rope. This year marks the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Naha municipal government and the 72nd anniversary of the October 10 air raid. With the 6th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival at the end of October, the Naha Tug of War attracted not only domestic and foreign tourists, but also many Okinawan descendants here to take part in the festival.
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
