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May 16, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
To mark the 42nd anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japanese sovereignty, a rally was held in the Henoko district of Nago on May 16. Participants marched around three courses. According to the organizers, about 1,100 people from in and outside Japan took part. They gathered in front of the sea off Henoko where the Japanese and the U.S. governments plan to build a new U.S. military base as part of the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The participants re-affirmed their strong opposition to the plan, as well as Japan’s approval of the right to collective defense.
Head representative Hiroji Yamashiro said, “The Japanese government is trying to discourage us from opposing the plan to build the new base in Henoko and helipads in Takae. We need to fight back against them and express our opposition from Okinawa to the whole country.”
After the rally, the participants marched to Henoko, Yomitan Village and Itoman City.
They covered 46.1 kilometers walking around U.S. military bases and Battle of Okinawa sites.
(English translation by T&CT)
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May 9, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
Nago’s snake hunter Yasuhiro Makishi, 57, caught a habu snake and discovered that it had swallowed up the head of an adult Okinawa rail in the forest of Kunigami Jashiki at around 1:50 a.m. on May 8. When he opened the belly of the snake to make habu-sake or Okinawan snake wine, he found four eggs, possibly laid by the bird, in the belly of the snake. Makishi saw that the snake’s belly was swollen when he approached it.
The Okinawa rail is a species of bird that lives in Okinawa Island, where it is known as the Yambaru Kuina.
Makishi has been hunting snakes for about 30 years. He has never seen a snake with a Rail’s eggs in its stomach before.
“It is the first time that I saw the eggs of an Okinawa rail come out of the belly of a habu.”
The snake hunter speculated that the Okinawa rail, and its eggs might have been taken by the snake from their nest. He caught the snake as it tried to escape, vomiting up the Okinawa rail. The snake was about 1.7 meters long, and the rail was about 36 centimeters long. The saliva of the snake was found in the head of the deceased Okinawa Rail, showing the the snake had swallowed the rail.
On April 28, Makishi also found four young birds possibly belonging to the Okinawa rail in the belly of another habu. He was amazed that this happened twice. The snake hunter is making habu-sake from the snake, and is presenting the Okinawa rail and its eggs to an office of the Ministry of the Environment.
(English translation by T&CT)
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May 9, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
A member of a volunteer group confirmed that a rare bird with special national heritage status, is raising babies in the forest of Takae, Higashi. Chosei Tamaki, 74, the head of an environmental NGO, discovered an Okinawa woodpecker (or Noguchigera) nest just before national bird week (May 10-16). He said he worries that land development, cutting down trees and the U.S. helipads construction in the U.S. Northern Training Area near Takae might affect the birds. The nest was found on a Sudajii tree, and a parent bird kept bringing food to the nest.
Tamaki said, “Noguchigera woodpeckers may not be able to build their nests if the land development, the construction works and U.S. military training continue.”
He stressed an urgent need to protect the bird from such threats.
“Noguchigera is one of the world’s most precious bird species. We need to protect them and preserve the environment of the Yambaru area in order to be designated as a World Heritage Site.”
(English translation by T&CT, Hitomi Shinzato)
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April 29, 2014 Richard Oshiro, correspondent of Ryukyu Shimpo
At the Okinawa Association Hall in Argentina, the Ginoza Village Association held a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of emigration to Argentina. The association also celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding.
About 400 local residents with family ties to Ginoza, as well as invitees, took part in the ceremony.
Fourteen participants from the village, including Mayor Atsushi Toma and the head of the Ginoza village assembly Tomoyasu Takayama attended the ceremony. The same number also took part from the Okinawan Association of Brazil, including Tatsuo Kushi. Two Peruvian delegates also visited Argentina for the ocassion.
In 1913, the late Heisuke Nakama who was from Sokei district of Ginoza village, emigrated to Argentina for the first time.
Bringing agricultural techniques from Okinawa, he moved to the South American country to find prosperity in farming.
The head of the Ginoza Village Association of Argentina Vicente Nakama said, “We would like to show our gratitude to Heisuke Nakama who created the foundation for the association.”
Toma said, “I want the association members to keep working together to develop an organization on which Okinawan Argentines from Ginoza, can rely.” Since 1986, the village has been accepting students from South American countries as part of an exchange project. In return for South American-Okinawan students, Ginoza Village sends young local students to these countries in co-operation with Okinawan migrant associations.
Participants of the exchange worked with second and third-generation Okinawan Argentines to plan the event.
(English translation by T&CT)
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May 13, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
Three mega solar power plants, constructed by the Orion Beer company in Okinawa, have been switched on. On May 12, at the Orion Arashiyama Mega Solar Power Plant at Kogachi, Nago, the company held an opening and celebration. Orion Beer is the first food and beverage company in Okinawa to start a solar power generation project. The total power generation from the three plants is expected to be five megawatts, and revenue from electricity sales is expected to be about 220 million yen per year.
In addition to the Arashiyama plant, the company set up a mega solar power plant at Nakaoshi, Nago and at Nishizaki, Itoman. The three plants have been fitted with a total of 21,090 Japanese-made panels, and have a total area of 21,000 square meters, 26,000 square meters and 16,000 square meters respectively. The total investment is 1.8 billion yen. Nishizaki and Nakaoshi plants started their operations from April 1, and Arashiyama plant was running from April 25.
The power production will be about 5.5 million kilowatts, which will cover the annual power consumption of about 950 households. Power generation is expected to be equal to half the electricity used by the company’s brewery in Nago annually. The three plants will be managed by a new, wholly-owned Orion Beer subsidiary company.
Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine commended the initaitve in a speech at the ceremony.
“Clean energy development is proceeding by people utilizing natural resources to replace the nuclear power plant in the world. Orion Beer will be a leading company in this field through its efforts to create clean energy. The solar power plants will also highlight Nago’s good, eco-minded image,” he said.
Yoshio Kadekaru, the president of Orion Beer, said, “We expect that annual power production being generated from three plants will cover about a thousand households.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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May 12, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
Okinawa’s national league basketball team Ryukyu Golden Kings attracted 101,054 visitors in the year ending May 11 – a national record. According to a spokesperson of the team, which is a star team in Japan’s professional basketball league or “bj league”, this is the first time that a professional basketball team has attracted over 100,000 visitors in one season in Japan. The team staff and players expressed their gratitude to fans for playing a part in their victories.
The Kings played 32 matches in Okinawa this season including preseason and play-offs.
The average number of the visitors was 3,157, topping the league.
The team ace player Anthony McHenry said Okinawan fans were irreplaceable, and that it was a provielge to be able to play on the team.
(English translation by T&CT)
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May 12, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Japanese government plans to begin within a year building a new U.S. military base in Henoko to replace U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine addressed media gathered at the City Government Office on May 12. He said he opposed the plan because the city government have not yet reached necessary agreements with the Okinawa Defense Bureaue on how the Henoko Fishing Port will be used to carry out landfill and construction.
Inamine criticized the Japanese government for accelerating construction of the base.
The bureau filed 16 application documents to use the fishing port – an area they plan to control from next July.
The bureau claimed a reply deadline of May 12, without legal basis. They intend to move forward with the plan if the city government does not reply after the deadline.
However, the city government responded with the request for the bureau to fix documents with missing detail.
Inamine firmly stated that the Japanese government, Japan’s top administrative authority, has no grounds to file the flawed documents. He said, “I have no idea what is going to happen.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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May 9, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
On May 8, Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine announced his municipal government had sent the Okinawa Defense Bureau a request for the resubmission of applications for occupancy of Henoko Port in Nago. As part of plans to move the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station to Henoko, the bureau filed six applications for various approvals required to carry out reclamation work to the city government.
According to Mayor Inamine, however, five out of the six of the applications “had flaws.” The city government sent them on May 7. A spokesperson of the bureau said, “We received the document and would like to respond to this properly.”
The mayor said the applications needed many improvements, and asked the bureau to resubmit them by May 22.
Of the five applications which Nago City asked for resubmission, four did not clarify the time period for which Henoko Port will be used for construction. The fifth is a document asking for Inamine’s opinion on a draft request for permission to break reef rocks, which is to be submitted to the Okinawa Prefectural Government. According to the city government, the bureau did not attach documents required for reef-breaking under prefectural guidelines.
The city asked the bureau to prepare all the necessary documents and re-submit, and then inquire again about the mayor’s opinion. Also, they urged the prefectural government to ask the bureau to inquire after city’s opinion again before they accept the application from the bureau.
The bureau filed more documents inquiring the presence or absence of cultural assets on Camp Schwab on April 28. The cultural affairs division of the city will respond next week.
(English translation by T&CT and Lima Tokumori)
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May 5, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
As part of studies for a peace class, 120 pupils of Yomitan’s Furugenminami Elementary School visited the Okinawa International Peace Research Institute in Naha on May 2.
Taking notes, they looked at displays showing about 1500 photographs about the Battle of Okinawa. The photographs of Yomitan Village during the war intrigued the pupils. They were surprised how different their home was during war time.
One of the pupils Shunta Arakaki touched a grenade and broken piece of a bombshell. He said, “These were heavy and scary. I want all unexploded ordnances to be removed and I want Okinawa to be peaceful.”
The institute staff Hideaki Fujisawa urged people to come and visit the institute.
“I want many people to use our place for the peace education and learn about the war in each region of Okinawa,” he said.
(English translation by T&CT)
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May 9, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
Popular diving havens in the Kerama Islands will soon have a cap on the number of people allowed to visit.
On May 8, both Tokashiki and Zamami Villages decided to make diving companies regulate the number of people who could access the ocean area of Kerama Islands. They aim to protect the natural environment, including coral reefs around the area. Companies recognized for their engagement in environmental protection are free from the rule. Within this fiscal year or in June at the earliest, the villages will propose an ordinance for respective village legislatures and aim to carry it out next year.
In March, the Japanese government designated Kerama Islands a national park. The cap on visitors to Tokashiki and Zamami will become the first rule in the country based on the Ecotourism Promotion Act, which the government put into force in 2008.
The act designates natural resources which need preservation, as “Special Natural Tourism Resources.” It gives heads of the local municipalities the power to decide whether people can access an appointed area. After the act was passed, both the villages founded the Ecotourism Promotion Council with the Ministry of the Environment and the Diving Association in October 2008. They developd a Kerama Area Ecotourism Promotion Overall Vision, which designates the coral reefs distributional areas in depths of under 30 meters as “Special Natural Tourism Resources.”
As well as deciding on the specific number of people allowed to access the area, the council plans to discuss authorization standards for diving companies’ engagement in environmental protection and penalties for policy violation. It also plans to decide on surveillance policies.
Tokashiki Village Mayor Masashige Zamami explained that it took about five years for the council to complete consultations with each governmental agency and diving association to propose the ordinance. He said the new law was in the interests of protecting natural assets so they can continue to be enjoyed in the future.
“The purpose of the ordinance is to protect the natural environment around Kerama Islands, not to limit tourist acivity.”
(English translation by T&CT and Megumi Chibana)
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May 11, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The government plans to fast-track the start of major landfill work for the replacement Futenma air base in Henoko, Nago to before this year’s prefectural election in November. Construction work on the Marine Corps Futenma Air Station was previously scheduled to begin in June next year. Government officials revealed the plan on May 10.
Long-standing protest against bringing a major air base to Henoko will inevitably intensify if the government starts the landfill in Henoko amid strong dissent from residents.
Japan and the United States governments agreed on the consolidation plan for facilities and areas in Okinawa in April 2013. According to the agreement, it will take one year to design a detailed drawing and carry out the drilling survey.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stressed that his government will advance the plan early and steadily with a strong will. By starting construction early, the government aims to make clear its position to halt operations at Futenma air station within five years. Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima has requested the government carry out this plan. It was speculated that the timing of the start of main construction would be at the beginning of next year. However, government sources said they would like to start the work toward an alternative facility before the end of the year. They also said the timing of whether they would start the construction before or after the gubernatorial election would depend on the results of a preliminary survey.
The government has already commissioned companies to design the work of the land area in Henoko. The contract for the work on the sea floor will soon be decided. The Okinawa Defense Bureau plans to start surveying this summer. There are 21 survey points. The government aims to achieve the construction work ahead of schedule by carrying out the surveys at multiple locations simultaneously.
The government plans to finish the work for the basic design of the replacement facility as soon as possible. The Futenma relocation will be the major issue in the gubernatorial election, which is scheduled in November.
(English translation by T&CT)
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