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March 5, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
In an attempt to prevent the reinterpreting of Japan’s Constitution by the Abe administration to be able to defend allies who come under attack, on March 4, distinguished intellectuals set up a group called the “1000-member committee to prevent Japan from entering wars.” They proclaimed, “We will step up our criticism of and protest action against the government which has been trying to change Japan to enable it to enter wars. They treat Article 9 as a dead letter and approve the use of the right of collective self-defense.”
Founders of the committee are cultural workers and intellectuals such as writer Kenzaburo Oe, Buddhist nun Jakucho Setouchi and play writer So Kuramoto. Tetsumi Takara, a professor of graduate school of law of the University of the Ryukyus took part in the press conference. Former Okinawa Governor Masahide Ota also joined as a founding member.
In their announcement, they referred to Okinawa, which hosts U.S. military bases, as being closely related to the issue of collective self-defense. They criticized the government, saying, “Without lessoning Okinawa’s burden of hosting the bases, they are forcing through building a new base in the Henoko district of Nago.”
Professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, Yasuhiro Okudaira, critic Makoto Sataka and writer Keiko Ochiai and freelance journalist Satoshi Kamata took part in the press conference held in the National Diet. Okudaira said, “Reinterpreting the Constitution to defend allies under attacks changes what the right of self-defense means. This is the same as revising the Constitution.”
The committee will hold a rally on March 20 at the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo. In addition, they will work to collect signatures and set up committees across the country.
(English translation by T&CT and Lima Tokumori)
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March 13, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The East Asian Community Institute, for which former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is president, will open an office in Naha, Okinawa next week. “I want to explore potential ways to resolve the Futenma issue,” Hatoyama said in an interview with the Ryukyu Shimpo on March 12.” The former prime minister showed his willingness to move the Futenma base outside Okinawa or Japan. The office in Naha will be named the Ryukyu Center. The office will have one resident staff member. The East Asian Community Institute is holding a symposium to commemorate the opening of the office.
The institute aims to create a community initiative to advance cooperation in various fields in East Asian countries. “Japan’s relationship with China and Korea have been seriously strained in recent years. We can increase trust through cultural events and dialogue among the people of various countries such as Japan, China, Korea, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United States,” he said. Hatoyama visited Okinawa from March 10 to 12 to open the office. He met with Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine and U.S. Consul General in Okinawa Alfred Magleby. In addition, the former prime minister visited the beach at Henoko, Nago, where the planned site for replacement of the Futenma base is located.
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 6, 2014 Wu Li Jun of the Ryukyu Shimpo
Asia’s major hotel reservation site, Agoda.com has chosen its latest Top 10 Hottest Travel Destinations in Asia 2014. Okinawa is one of two travel destinations selected in Japan. Agoda.com’s editorial team praised the ease of travel between Okinawa and the other Asian countries, highlighting that “The easiest way is on a plane from several places in Japan, as well as from Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and China.” It commented that “People in Okinawa are famous for being proud of their own language, culture and cuisine that are each different from the main islands of Japan. People can easily enjoy beautiful beaches, fishing and marine sports.” In 2011, Naha was selected among Agoda’s top 10 hottest travel spots in Asia.
Agoda.com’s editorial team has listed Osaka, Japan, besides Okinawa, and Mandalay, Myanmar, Kenting and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Lombok, Indonesia and other cities in its top 10 hottest travel spots.
Agoda checked reservation patterns and user evaluations, and was helped by local Agoda hotel teams to select the destinations. It was not based on popularity.
The destinations were determined in terms of a tourist destination where tourists can comfortably enjoy and feel a local aspect.
(English translation by T&CT, Hitomi Shinzato)
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March 8, 2014 Wu Li Jun of Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Prefectural Government announced a plan to attract tourists to Okinawa for fiscal 2014 on March 7.
The government has estimated 6.8 million tourists will visit Okinawa for fiscal 2014. The number ranges from 6.7 to 6.8 million, which has increased by 3.4 to 4.9 percent from the estimated number of the tourists for fiscal 2013 (6.48 million).
Of the tourists coming to Okinawa from mainland Japan and other countries, they aim to attract 750,000 to 800,000 foreign tourists, which is a 25 to 33.3 percent increase from the estimated number of the tourists for fiscal 2013 (600,000). The government plans to gain 489.1 to 496.4 billion yen in tourism revenue.
For fiscal 2014, the government is aiming for 73,000 yen in average expenses per person, 3.95 days for average length of stay and 19.78 to 20.08 million tourists staying in Okinawa.
The plan specifies the number of the tourists visiting Okinawa every fiscal year and specific policies to attract tourists. The government has been making the plans since fiscal 2007.
For fiscal 2014, the plan predicts the domestic tourists will continue to avoid foreign travel because of business pickup and continuingly cheap yen. The estimate was based on the opening of the new Naha Airport International Terminal building and the improvement of the terminal building at the Wakasa Berth in Naha.
In the plan, the government promotes attracting tourist visits to Okinawa from in and out of Japan and developing tourism in remote islands. The plan also aims to improve the Okinawan tourism brand, human resource development and local hospitality towards tourists. The government plans to convey the charm of Okinawa during the tourist off-season, promote accommodating Muslim tourists and improve problems in the hotel industry.
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 10, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
As of 8:40 a.m. March 10, Kadena Air Base has resumed flights of F-15 fighters. The base had stopped flying the aircraft because it made an emergency landing with its windshield having fallen off on March 4.
Three F-15 fighters took off at 8:40 a.m., and then another three followed at 8:48 a.m. One more aircraft left the base at 9:05 a.m.
Five days after the accident, the base announced it had completed carrying out safety checks on all F-15 fighters assigned to the base as well as additional preventative measures to resume flying the aircraft.
The military has not released any information about what caused the accident and how they carried out the preventative measures.
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 6, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Prefectural Government and Australian Marine Science Research Institute held a partnership signing ceremony at the prefectural office building on March 5. They agreed to deal with crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, which are a common problem in both regions. The starfish eat coral reefs and damage ecosystems. For the 2014 fiscal year, the government has developed a project to deal with the problems. It promotes information exchange with the Australian counterpart, which includes hosting Australian researchers and sending Okinawan researchers to Australia. Through joint research and surveying, the project seeks to find out the cause of the outbreaks and an effective way to exterminate it.
Government official Hidefumi Toma and institute research director Jamie Oliver signed an agreement. Research leader Britta Schaffelke also attended the ceremony.
Toma said, “We used to focus on discussing extermination measures against the outbreak. However, we plan to more actively discuss about promoting research on the starfish.” Oliver reported on the damage to coral reef by starfish in the world’s largest coral reef Great Barrier Reef. He said the institute hoped to cooperate productively to protect Okinawa’s important coral reefs.
(English translation by T&CT and Megumi Chibana)
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March 5, 2014 Shoichiro Yonamine of Ryukyu Shimpo
Los Angeles resident and CGI(Computer-Generated Image) artist Hiroki Itokazu,from Kumejima, participated in creating Disney’s animated film Frozen. The film won the Academy Award for the best animated feature film at the 86th Annual Academy Awards on March 2.
Along with fellow artists who created the film, Itokazu grabbed an Oscar statue. He said, “If you work towards your dream, your dream will come true.”
Frozen is an American 3D computer-animated film loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen.
Itokazu works at the Walt Disney Animation Studios to make 3D CGI models. Itokazu said, “In 3D modeling, I create 3D models based on two-dimension sketches of characters and backgrounds created by designers.” He and other artists, including animaters, work together to make their projects.
In Frozen, Itokazu created a frozen King’s castle, snow-covered town and ice pillars.
Every week, Itokazu carries out online teaching for 3d modeling to junior high school and high school students at Kumejima High School in his hometown.
Yukio Nakamura, who is a childhood friend of Itokazu and came up with the idea of the 3d modeling class, said, “Itokazu’s achievement has encouraged the children of Okinawa.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 9, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
The first Children Peace Conference was held in Okinawa Shogaku High School in Naha on March 8. About 60 students discussed understanding different cultures and promoting mutual peace.
The participants focused on problems with Turkish immigration in Germany and talked about how people can create peace in different cultures.
From the viewpoint of German citizens, one of the students said, “The nation should give minimum rights to the immigrants and recognize other rights depending on how much tax they pay.” Another spoke for Turkish immigrants, “The nation should provide equal work opportunities for the immigrants regardless of their economic circumstances.”
Some of the students said the nation should pay the immigrants to leave the country.
Seira Higa of Miyako High School said, “I would like to be more conscious about peace.”
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 6, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
Itoman Ozunahiki (tug-of-war) has won the grand prix of the 18th Furusato Award presented by the Japan Center for Regional Development. This is the first time that an event in Okinawa has been selected as the grand prix winner for the Furusato Award. The award selection committee noted that the community members in Itoman City had been promoting the traditional tug-of-war to preserve regional customs. On March 5, the awards ceremony was held at the Tokyo International Forum Hall in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
Kenichi Uehara, the chairman of the executive committee for the Itoman tug-of-war event, and Tadashi Tamaki, the vice chairman, attended the awards ceremony. Uehara said, “I accepted the award both with great joy and surprise. We will continue the traditional tug-of-war by introducing new ideas that match the times.”
The tug-of-war is held on August 15 in the lunar calendar every year. Itoman ozunahiki is unique, because people bring the small ropes from various districts to make a large rope on the day of the event. About 33,000 people took part in the event last year. It will be held on September 8 this year.
Events from seven cities and communities were selected for the grand prix of the 18th Furusato Award from 169 applicants across the country.
(English translation by T&CT)
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March 7, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
At night on March 5, an AH-1W helicopter, which belongs to the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station, failed in its landing on the deck of U.S.S. Denver during training off the east coast of Okinawa’s main island. The right skid of the helicopter collapsed. In the afternoon of March 6, U.S.S. Denver berthed at the pier at White Beach in Uruma City. The helicopter is still leaning to one side on the deck of the ship. As of 4:30 p.m., March 6, the U.S. Marine Corps had not reported the accident.
According to the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the skid on the right side of the aircraft
broke. The U.S. military said that a part called a “cross tube,” which is mounted above the skids, and a skid itself broke after the helicopter landed on the deck of the ship several times. There were no injuries to the crew. An official of the U.S. Marine Corps on Okinawa commented that the aircraft was still on the ship for investigation. It will be brought to the Futenma Base for repair and for further inspection on land. There is speculation that the helicopter may have landed on the sea, but the Marine Corps has given no detailed information. The Okinawa Prefectural Government asked the Okinawa Defense Bureau on March 7 to prevent a recurrence of accidents and to investigate the cause of this accident.
At 1:00 p.m. on March 6, the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters received information from a crisis-management officer in the Cabinet Secretariat that a U.S. military helicopter had failed in its landing on the ship, and had fallen into the sea off the coast near White Beach. The Coast Guard sent a patrol boat and a helicopter, but they could not see anything washed up or any oil leak at the scene.
At 6:00 a.m. on March 6, local residents saw AH-1W helicopters from Futenma Air Station flying in formation over a residential area. Trouble involving U.S. military airplanes has occurred two days in a row. On March 4, a Kadena-based F-15 fighter lost its windshield.
(English translation by T&CT)
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February 18, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo
On February 17, the Okinawa Industrial Promotion Public Corporation entered into a partnership agreement with the Institute for Information Industry, a Taiwanese governmental information technology think tank. On the same day, two organizations held a signing ceremony in Taipei City. They agreed to promote IT-related venture exchange and to strengthen the partnership between Okinawa and Taiwan. The corporation also held the “Okinawa Food Business Meeting” in Taipei and promoted Okinawan food products.
The think tank is an institution that the government and private organizations created in 1979. It provides IT-related policy advice to the Taiwanese government and supports strategic planning for the information industry development. The think tank also engages in technological development for the industry. With support from the think tank, the corporation aims to promote business in Taiwan and partnerships with Taiwanese companies. The corporation also plans to invite Taiwanese companies to Okinawa.
Before the ceremony, software development company Field System entered into a business partnership with the Taiwanese major IT company VIA Technologies Inc. Field System created Sound Code, a system that sends literal information in inaudible sound waves to mobile terminals. The two companies will co-develop products by using it. The director of the corporation Eiji Chinen said, “It is important for Okinawa to expand business in Asia and invite Asian companies to the prefecture. With the agreement, we hope to promote the IT venture industry on both sides.”
Fifteen companies and organizations from the food and drink industry and local agencies took part in the food business meeting. They met with 48 Taiwanese companies and organizations such as first-class hotels.
(English translation by T&CT, Megumi Chibana)
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