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March 5, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
Citizens are protesting against offshore construction work for the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the Henoko district of Nago. On Sanshin Day, March 4, 20 sanshin and Koto performers, including Eiji Shimabukuro, 72, who is a holder of Kumiodori, a title given to a person designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property by the government, gathered in front of the gate of U.S. Marine Camp Schwab. They performed songs for protest. Over 100 citizens protesting against the construction, danced the kachashi dance to music. The participants sent a message of peace through Okinawan traditional culture.
Dancing in Kagiyadefu, 67-year-old Naha resident Hiromi Minamoto referred to the history of Okinawan people protesting against authorities through songs and dances. Minamoto said, “I think that we were able to display how Okinawan traditional culture should be.”
Sixty-seven-year-old Tadahiko Shimada, one of the sanshin performers sang a different version of song Toshin Doi (The China trade ship is coming), voicing, “No new base in Henoko.” The performers have played the song several times. Shimada said smilingly, “I felt very strongly that we will never let the base be built after I joined fellow performers in playing this song.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 9, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
A committee of elected leaders and citizens will hold a people’s rally to block the construction of a new U.S. base in Henoko, Nago, at Sedake beach near the planned site from 1:00 p.m. on March 21. The event is being organized by the five ruling parties of the Okinawa prefectural assembly, and citizen groups. They aim to attract more than three thousands participants. They plan to run buses from various districts to the venue. The governments of Japan and the United States have been carrying out preparation work to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko.
The executive committee is also considering holding people’s rallies in April and May, and in Tokyo between May and June. Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga will make a decision in July on whether to cancel or withdraw the former Governor Hirokazu Nakaima’s approval of reclamation in Henoko, after he receives a verification report from an independent committee. The organizer also plans to hold another protest event in Tokyo in July.
The upcoming people’s rally, scheduled for March 21 near the planned site, will be the fourth of its kind since construction began last year. The organizer held the first people’s rally in last August when the government started a drilling survey.
Rallies were also held in September last year and February this year. The government is advancing preparation work for the reclamation project, ignoring the governor’s demand to suspend the work. The organizer is aiming to demonstrate Okinawan people’s will against the government’s relocation plan.
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 2, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
On March 1 at the Loisir Hotel Naha in Naha City, the 2015 30th Awamori Queen Pageant was held. Miyu Oshiro from Chatan town, and Mako Yonaha and Ayumi Tokashiki from Naha City were selected as new queens. President Misako Tamanaha of the Prefectural Sake Brewers Association granted them certificates, a 100,000 yen prize, and nine liters of three-year-old sake.
Starting in April,the three queens will promote Awamori and promote the alcoholic beverage at public events to be held in and outside of Okinawa. They will hold their titles for a year.
New Queens, Oshiro, Yonaha, and Tokashiki spoke about their goals. They said that they would like to work hard to promote awamori in Okinawa, the main island of Japan, and the world. The new queens added that they would like to meet the expectations of the people who selected them.
Thirty-one people applied to be in the pageant.
(English translation by T&CT and Megumi Chibana)
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March 4, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
On March 4, Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine delivered his policy speech at the monthly meeting of the Nago City Assembly. Inamine criticized the Japanese government for forcing through construction of the Futenma replacement facility in Henoko, Nago. He claimed, “The central government is ignoring Okinawan people’s will.” Inamine then declared, “Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga and I will tell the people in and outside of Japan how unjust the governments of Japan and the United States have been against Okinawa.” He continued, “We will employ every possible means such as directly appealing to the United States to stop new military base construction.”
With the 70th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa this year, Inamine said, “It is an indelible fact that Okinawa suffered from oppression under the U.S. military administration and was patient under adversity.” He added, “I am not the only one who thinks nothing has changed after Okinawa’s reversion to Japan and Okinawan people are suffering from further cruel treatment under the Japan-U.S. alliance.”
Inamine said that he is concerned that the memory of the World War II and lessons learnt from the war could be disregarded. He claimed, “We should make the right decision and act rightfully to ensure we do not repeat wars and do not support anything leading to them.” Inamine stressed, “We have the huge responsibility of educating the next generation about the history of suffering the Okinawan people have faced after the war.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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February 27, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
On February 26, the Yomitan Fishery Association landed a giant black marlin at Toya Fishing Port in Yomitan. This was caught using a fixed fishing net. It is the largest black marlin weighing 350 kilograms and 3.90 meter long to be caught since the port opened.
The fixed fishing net was located at 2.5 kilometers southwest off the coast of the port. Fishermen left the port at 7 a.m. to pull the net out of the water, and found the black marlin caught in the net. Nine fishermen struggled to pull the fish on board their ship because it strongly resisted.
Hajime Kinjo, the president of the Yomitan Fisheries Cooperative Association, said, “The marlin has fatty flesh. I can guarantee the taste. Sashimi and blocks of the fish will be on sale at a bargain price.”
(English translation by T&CT, Hitomi Shinzato)
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March 3, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
Yaeyama Ishigame or yellow pond turtle is endemic to the Yaeyama Islands. It is speculated that only about 30,000 of them live on the islands. According to the Ministry of the Environment, about 6,000 Yaeyama Ishigame turtles were exported overseas between the period of June 2013 to February 2015. The turtles were mainly exported to Hong Kong for sale to the pet and food industry.
In a press conference after the cabinet meeting on March 3, Environment Minister Yoshio Mochizuku said he would restrict export of Yaeyama Ishigame based on the Washington Convention, which outlines international regulations for the protection of endangered species. Yaeyama Ishigame will be the first domestic land animal in Japan with an export ban under the Washington Convention.
Yaeyama Ishigame was listed on the Washington Convention at a meeting held in March of 2013. In order to export the turtle, companies need to submit an application to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and obtain approval from the Ministry of the Environment.
The research carried out in Ishigaki and Iriomote Island by the Ministry of the Environment in 2014 fiscal budget showed that there were only about 30,000 individuals in the islands. Companies from inside and outside of Okinawa export the animals. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will decide it to ban to export the animals until the end of March.
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 3, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
A monorail station and a train have been transformed into a party venue. On February 28, an international exchange event, “English Network Dinner” was held at Shuri station on the Okinawa City Monorail Line, or Yui Rail. The event participants got to have the station and train all to themselves. With beer servers placed in the train, the participants enjoyed savoring Brazilian cuisines at the station platform, where samba dance was performed. About 130 participants, including Japanese and foreign nationals interacted with one another in English.
Mike Holland of the American Chamber of Commerce in Okinawa initiated the event about two years ago. Holland has held the event about 20 times so far. This is the first time his event has been held at a monorail station.
Brazilian restaurant Bovinos of Chatan provided food to the event. Rubbia, who performs samba at the restaurant, danced joyously on the night. Rubbia said that it was the first time for her to dance at the monorail station. She added that Okinawa and Brazil have something in common. Kayoko Ikeda, who took part from Tomishiro, said, “I really enjoyed interacting with foreign nationals living in Okinawa and people in different businesses.” Takayo Toma, taking part from Urasoe said, “It was a multinational party, and everyone was friendly. The event gave me a good opportunity to learn English.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 1, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Crafts Promotion Center has assembled about one thousand Ryukyuan traditional patterns in a database. These patterns are used for Okinawan lacquer wares, bingata, Okinawan traditional resist dyed cloth, and textiles collected in museums and resource centers in the prefecture. The center will start a trial service to allow craft workers to view the data on its website from April. It has created cards of these patterns in order to demonstrate their characteristics and try out new combinations of patterns. The center carried out the project to promote Okinawan traditional crafts and industries and encourage Okinawan craft workers to create new craft products and apply Ryukyuan traditional patterns to designs for various industries.
This is one of several projects being supported by the Okinawa Prefectural Government to promote Okinawan traditional crafts. The center reported the results to the 41st Okinawa Crafts Promotion Center Exhibit, which started at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art museum on February 26.
The database classifies the various patterns according to lacquer wares and bingata, which make the site easy to navigate through. For the exhibit, the center suggested to engrave these patterns electronically and create lacquer wares and interior panels.
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 2, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
On March 2, 1974, during the construction of a side ditch close to Saint Matthew kindergarten in Oroku, Naha an unexploded ordinance exploded, killing four people, including students, and injuring 34 people. The explosion occurred during an annual Doll Festival held at the school. On March 2, a ceremony to mark the unveiling of a monument to the incident was held at the kindergarten, which was moved to Tomishiro in 1989. About 70 people, including 20 kindergarten pupils took part.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the kindergarten’s founding, and the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The people involved began preparations to build the monument two years ago.
Eighty-six-year-old Teru Kimoto, who was the director of the kindergarten at the time of the incident, took part in the ceremony. Kimoto said, “I have long wanted the monument to be built. It is really great to build it. I want the monument to make people think about peace.”
The current director of the school Yoshiko Meshiro said, “We have built the monument to make sure we don’t forget the incident and to send a message of peace from here. We will never make this kind of incident happen again.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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February 25, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
On February 25, chairman Minoru Yabiku and other members of the Nago city council handed over a written opinion to Kazunori Inoue, the director of the Okinawa Defense Bureau. In the written opinion, they criticized the defense bureau for damaging coral by installing concrete blocks in the sea near Henoko, Nago, where the government is carrying out early construction work on a replacement airfield for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. They also demanded that the defense bureau remove the blocks and strongly urged it not to install them in the sea beyond of the perimeters of the planned site.
Inoue said, “We have installed the anchors while trying to avoid detrimental environmental impact as much as we possibly as we can.” “We have used the same blocks we use for other construction in Okinawa,” he said. He also added, “The Okinawa Prefectural Government previously told us administrative procedures would not be required to install them.”
The council also protested that explosive sounds more than 100 dB were heard from Camp Schwab, Henoko, before dawn on February 10. Inoue said, “According to the U.S. military, they carried out a live-fire exercise during that time. That was not ammunition disposal.” He said, “We cannot ask the U.S. military to stop required training. However, we will seek to minimize the impact on local residents.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 2, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo
Thirteen-year-old Rai Matsushima, who suffers from severe heart disease, received successful heart transplant surgery at Columbia University Hospital in New York, on February 28, Japan time.
The Raikun-sukuu-kai, the fund-raising group for the boy, announced the news on its website on March 1.
Rai’s parents sent a message, which was shared on the website. It said; “Thanks to your warm support for our son; we could make this happen,” “We will not be able to rest until his physical condition becomes stable. We believe he will show his smile again soon.”
Rai was waiting for a donor heart for about three months at the hospital after he left Okinawa last December. According to members of the fundraising group, the boy’s father Yoshimichi seemed to be relieved when he told them about his son’s successful surgery over the phone. Rai returned to the intensive care unit at 8:30 a.m. on February 28, after he underwent the surgery successfully.
The parents are at his side, while he receives follow-up care in the hospital. It is not yet decided when he will be discharged from the hospital and sent back to Okinawa.
A fund-raising campaign was carried out in Okinawa and other prefectures to help him undergo heart transplant surgery in the United States.
(English translation by T&CT)
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