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April 2, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Defense Bureau has selected the companies it will commission to build a replacement base in Henoko, Nago, for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The defense bureau previously issued an advertisement for bids on this project. These works include research on the animals and plants within the area of the planned air base, and the design of the landfill. The defense bureau will commence work after coordinating with the companies. Defense officials have said that they will achieve the relocation plan “as soon as possible”. Despite the opposition from Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine, the government intends to begin carrying out the plan.
The companies chosen by the defense bureau will carry out the works such as the material procurement, the research on the animals and plants within the land area, and those within the water area, the environment conservation and the design of the landfill. Prior to the construction of the alternative base, the defense bureau is considering moving the animals and plants within the planned site, including Camp Schwab. It will also record the current condition of the geology and topography of the area. In addition to these works, it will design the details of the reclamation work. The companies have until November to complete plans on material procurement, research on the animals and plants within the land area and environmental protection. The deadline for the landfill design and the research on the animals and plants within the water area is March next year.
(English translation by T&CT)
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April 7, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
An injured chick of the Grey-faced Buzzard has taken flight again after being in the care of Okinawa Prefectural Ishigaki Youth House. The bird flew vigorously toward the sky when staff released it on April 6.
This February, an Ishigaki citizen found the bird at a roadside ditch in Ishigaki City. Part of the bird’s leg was badly hurt.
After receiving medical treatment, the bird underwent rehabilitation. She recovered so well that she could feed herself. The chick is female. She is 44 centimeters long and weighs 405 grams.
When she was found, she couldn’t even catch things in her mouth.
Kiyotaka Sano of the Youth House said, “I am glad the bird recovered from injury. The power of nature to heal itself is great. I hope I can see her again.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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April 1, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
World-famous Japanese rock band The BOOM will end its career this December. The band is famous for globally popular song,”Shimauta.”
The band’s recording company announced the news on March 30.
The vocalist Kazufumi Miyazawa remarked, “All four members did what they wanted to do.” The members are continuing their own individual projects, including one that Miayazawa works on in Yomitan Village.
The four musicians formed the band in 1986, debuting in 1989.
Inspired by the music of Okinawa, the band released single CD “Shima-uta” with high sales in and outside Japan.
The band’s success with Shima-uta contributed to the nationwide popularity of Okinawan folk songs and sanshin.
Miayazawa has halted his career since last November due to surgery of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy.
The guitarist Hiromasa Yamakawa has been receiving medical treatment for type one diabetes since February.
The band plans to go on a nationwide tour to mark the 25th anniversary of its debut. It plans to perform at the Naha City Hall on November 2.
One of the members said, “The band will commemorate the 25th anniversary on May 21. We came to think that we have already carried out what we wanted to do.” Another said, “Loved and cherished by many fans, we are the happiest band in Japan.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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April 1, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Sweet Bakery Porsche Co. in Yomitan Village has received the halal certification for its Beniimo tart. This is the first halal-certification for the confectionary industry, and the second for the entire food industry – the first company was Yaeyama Shokusan Co. With support from the Okinawa Products Associated Co., the sweets bakery company has strived for gaining the certification.
The people involved hope that this attracts more Muslim tourists to Okinawa. They also hope that this will have a ripple effect on Okinawa tourism because Muslim people will be able to buy souvenirs. Kazuko Takushi, the president of the Sweet Bakery Porsche Co., and other people involved, announced that the company had won the halal certification for its product at the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office on March 31.
For now, the production-line tart is the only product for which the Sweet Bakery Porsche Co. has received the halal certification. At the factory in Kokusai Street, Naha the company makes and sells as much as 9.4 million pieces yearly. The company will increase the halal certified products at other factories. It plans to sell the products with the halal certification mark at the beginning of May at the earliest.
Kazuko Takushi, the president of the Sweet Bakery Porsche Co., said, “We would like to contribute to the tourism development of Okinawa, by serving the safe products for Muslim tourists to buy and eat.”
NPO Nippon Asia Halal Association, which is located in Chiba, examined the production process, including the sourcing of raw materials as well as the cleanliness of equipment and space used.
“Beniimo tart has reached to the highest standards on every subject,” commented Dr. Saeed Akhtar, the director at the Japan-based Nippon Asia Halal Association who was present during the news conference held in Naha. “I was surprised by the beauty of nature when I visited Okinawa last year for the first time. Okinawa is a land that is not known to Muslims. Okinawa will grow as a tourist destination that is safe and comfortable for Muslims if the services such as souvenir-shopping can be improved by the halal certification.
Managing Director of the Okinawa Products Associated Co. Naoshi Miyagi said, “We would like to further expand the halal products in Okinawa. We expect to spread the halal certificated products to the markets in Malaysia and Singapore from Okinawa for the future.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 27, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
On March 25,Bulilan Gian Carlo Tortugo, who is from the Philippines and has been attending a training course at Arakaki Hospital in Ageda, Okinawa City, passed the Japanese national nursing exam. She was one of the foreign-nurse candidates accepted into the Okinawa nursing program under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). It was the first time that an EPA candidate went through the national nursing exam in Okinawa. Gian said, “I would like to congratulate myself.”
Arakaki Hospital accepted Gian in 2011 as a nursing candidate. She had worked as an assistant of nurses and studied for the examination with the person in charge of supporting the trainees. It is so difficult for foreign trainees to pass the examination because the exam is written in Japanese and requires the understanding of specialist terminology.
“These three years were so hard. I was able to keep studying because I kept a goal of passing the exam,” Gian said. She went to see the announcement of test results with Yumiko Tsukada, who is the director of nursing and in charge of supporting trainees. Gian and Tsukada wept together with joy when they found out she had passed the examination. Tsukada said, “She became a precedent and an example for foreign EPA nurses. I hope more hospitals in Okinawa will accept them in the future.”
The system of accepting foreign trainees under the EPA agreement started in 2008. Generally, the pass rate for the nursing examination is less than 10 percent because it is difficult to the master Japanese language. Arakaki Hospital plans to accept two nurse candidates from Philippines in 2014.
(English translation by T&CT and Lima Tokumori)
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March 25, 2014 Takahiro Miyagi and Naoki Isa of the Ryukyu Shimpo
The 6th Okinawa International Movie Festival 2014 was held from March 20 to 24 at the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan City. The red carpet event was first held in Naha City. The organizer has since expanded the locations for the events to Okinawa, Urasoe and other cities. The events, including the opening ceremony, movie screenings, music performances, comedy shows and fashion shows, have attracted many people from all over the islands and outside Okinawa.
(English translation by T&CT, Hitomi Shinzato)
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I-VAN, a reggae dancer from Okinawa, performs before the screening of "Jamaica Diary – An Unbelievable True Story" at Tropical Beach, Ginowan, on March 20.
Mana Ashida who starred in "The Round Table” responds with smiles on the red carpet at Ginowan Seaside Park, on March 21.
Kanon and Miina (third and fourth from left), the members of an Okinawan idol group Lucky Color's give a speech for the movie "SOFTEN!" at the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan, on March 20.
Members of Idol group NMB48 respond with smiles to fans at Kokusai Street in Naha, on March 23.
March 31, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Zoo & Museum held the first birthday party of kangaroo Yayoi on March 30.
Many parents and children took part and presented a cake made of Yayoi’s favorite vegetables and fruits.
According to a member of the breeding staff Akari Shinjo, baby kangaroos or “joeys” as they are known, stay in their mother’s pouch for about half a year after their birth. A kangaroo’s age is counted from the first day it emerges from its mother’s pouch. Yayoi first popped her face out of the pouch on March 17 last year.
At the birthday party, the staff presented Yayoi with the birthday cake made by children visiting the zoo.
Even though Yayoi was at first afraid of the cake, which was different from the foods usually fed to her, she enjoyed eating it after a while.
Seven-year-old Tsukiko Yokome who came from Iriomote Island, said, “Happy Birthday Yayoi! Grow up healthily.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 29, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
A new cruise ship terminal building was completed at Okinawa’s hub of customs immigration and quarantine in Naha. On March 28, about 110 people from the Japanese and Okinawa Prefectural governments and tourism industries attended the inauguration at Wakasa Berth.
The attendees celebrated the completion of the new “Marine Gateway” to domestic and international tourism, which officially opened on April 1. The number of foreign tourists who use cruise ships to visit Okinawa is increasing.
Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima who is the superintendent of the Naha Port Management Association, delivered a ceremonial speech. He said, “Cruise ship tourism has become important in Okinawa. I am glad the new terminal was built.”
Building the terminal cost about 1.2 billion yen. It has two floors above ground with about 4,500 square meters of gross floor area. The first floor has a tourist information center and bus and taxi waiting area. The second floor has 16 immigration clearance booths, four custom inspection areas and a boarding bridge. Construction of the bridge will be completed around August. The terminal has a viewing deck on the rooftop.
According to the Naha Port Management Association, cruise ships called at the port 56 times in 2013. The port accepted the third largest number of cruise ships in the country, following Kobe Port with 102 and Yokohama Port with 152.
In 2014, cruise ships are scheduled to call at the Naha Port 88 times, the largest number in Okinawa’s history. The port expects about 1.3 billion people to be on board the ships and an economic impact of about 4.2 billion yen. A Voyager-class cruise ship MS Voyager of the Seas (137,276 tons) plans to visit the port 12 times.
(English translation by T&CT)
A new cruise ship terminal building providing customs immigration and quarantine services at the Wakasa Berth in Naha.
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March 28, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
On March 27, Okinawa-based Japan Transocean Air (JTA) announced to introduce 12 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled to enter into service from 2016. It costs around 110 billion yen at full retail price. The company will introduce the first aircraft in January 2016 and renew all other aircraft by 2021. The company will sell out all 13 Boeing 737-400s, which it currently flies.
Compared to current aircraft, the new model’s fuel consumption is 3 to 6 percent more efficient, and it can seat 165 passengers – 20 more than previously. The flight range will be 1,200 kilometers longer to around 4,500 kilometers.
The aircraft will use light-emitting diode illumination inside to make the flight more comfortable for passengers. The company is also considering installing a public wireless network. The company started flying current aircraft Boeing 737-400 in 1994.
(English translation by T&CT and Megumi Chibana)
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March 31, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
Boeing 747-400 – commonly known as “Jumbo-Jet” of All Nippon Airways (ANA) made its final flight on the morning of March 31. The retirement ceremony for the aircraft was held at the Naha Airport Domestic Terminal. The final flight, onto which 565 passengers were packed, departed to Haneda from Naha at past 1:20 p.m. This was the last domestic flight service for the aircraft . Many people came to give a fond farewell to the jumbo jets, which were a major boost to Okinawan tourism in its early years.
ANA introduced B747 aircraft in January 1979. In February of the same year, they operated the jumbo jets to Naha. The airline introduced the B747-400 to Okinawa in 1990. ANA has decided to ground their jumbo jets, citing old equipment and high fuel cost as the reason. B747s have operated 1.2 million flights and have carried 300 million passengers.
Yoshiyuki Uehara, the chairman of the Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau of (OCVB) said in the ceremony, “B747s sparked Okinawan tourism in the beginning. We are thankful for their contribution to Okinawan tourism.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 28, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The government and the bereaved family of an Okinawan man who worked at the U.S. base and died of asbestos exposure agreed to a settlement proposed by the Naha District Court on March 27. The government will pay 18.75 million yen to the family of the victim. The victim worked at the U.S. base before and after Okinawa was returned to Japanese sovereignty. This is the second case involving an asbestos victim’s bereaved family where the government has had to pay a settlement.
According to the complaint by the family, the victim was employed by the U.S. military in 1961. He was responsible for inspection and repair of air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment at the bases within Okinawa until his retirement in September 1975. He had been exposed to asbestos dust while stripping the insulation material for duct cleaning and pipe repair. He died of lung disease in 2010.
So far, the government has argued that the United States should be responsible for the damages before May 15, 1972, when Okinawa was returned to Japan. In the settlement, the government conceded there was an employment relationship between the victim and the government for three years and four months during the period from May 15, 1972 until September 1975. The settlement was made on the basis that Japan has a legal responsibility for the health, safety and security of Japanese employees who work at the U.S. bases on the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement.
(English translation by T&CT)
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Webcam(Kokusai Street)
