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March 2 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo
On March 1, the Ginowan City Council held its regular meeting for March 2012. In his policy speech, newly-elected Ginowan mayor, Atsushi Sakima, voiced his opposition to the deployment of the MV-22 Osprey vertical take-off and landing transport aircraft to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, saying, “I would like to work together with the City Council and relevant organizations to oppose the deployment of the Osprey by holding protest rallies.” It is the first time that Sakima has clearly stated that he would hold rallies against the deployment of the Osprey aircraft to Futenma Air Station.
In the press conference held after the meeting, Sakima said, “The deployment of the Osprey could put the lives of local residents at risk. It will not ease Okinawa’s burden of hosting U.S. forces and instead will strengthen the military presence.” He went on to say, “I would like to consider the details of and schedule for rallies, and to work together with the City Council and other organizations.”
With regard to the relocation of Futenma Air Station within Okinawa, he said, “The situation is extremely difficult. The current relocation plan is in effect impossible to implement.” On that basis, Sakima reasserted his demand for the relocation of the station outside of Okinawa, saying, “Working together with the Governor of Okinawa, I would like to strongly appeal to the Japanese and the U.S. governments to eliminate the dangers posed by the base, and to call for its relocation outside of Okinawa without further delay. I will do anything I can to realize the closure and return of the base.”
(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)
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February 25, 2012 Kazuki Furugen of Ryukyu Shimpo
On February 24, at the China Youth Center For International Exchange in Beijing, a Ryukyuan Dance and kumiodori performance entitled “Connect Beijing with Ryukyu (supported by the Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper, the China Youth Center For International Exchange, the Okinawa Prefectural Government and the Okinawa Performing Arts Confederation)” was held as the pre-event to celebrate 120th anniversary of the establishment of the Ryukyu Shimpo. The center was mostly packed with local Chinese, who came to get an idea of kumiodori, Ryukyuan Dance and Okinawan classical music. The performance attracted a great deal of interest from the Chinese media with representatives of newspapers, magazines, TV and radio taking many photographs and reporting on the event.
The Chinese audience enjoyed the performance, and seemed to be intrigued by the plays. Twenty-five year-old man, who resides in Beijing City, seemed excited about kumiodori and Ryukyuan Dance performances, saying, “I saw the performances for the first time. Even though I could not understand what the performers were saying, I was fascinated by what they were able to convey by means of movement, gesture and bearing. Twenty-four year-old woman said, “I was very impressed by the beautiful sound of the sanshin. The dancers were excellent, and their costumes were beautiful.”
At the gathering after the event, Li Honghai, vice-director of Beijing’s Foreign Affairs Office, delivered a congratulatory speech, saying, “The event made me realize that there is a long history between Japan, China and Okinawa. We would like to deepen exchange in areas such as politics, culture and trade to promote friendship between our two countries.”
Japanese Living National Treasure Choichi Terukina happily emphasized the importance of the event, saying, “Every time people applauded the performances, I was amazed. Each round of applause was impressive right through to the end. I am very pleased that so many people attended the event. That reminded me of the Ryukyuan dance and music performed for envoys from China during the era of the Ryukyu Dynasty 300 years ago.”
(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)
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March 1, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo
On March 5, former Governor of Okinawa and member of the House of Councilors Masahide Ota opened an exhibition hall of the Battle of Okinawa in the Ota Peace Research Institute in Naha. Through the years, the 86 year-old pacifist scholar and prominent politician has collected documents and photographs related to the Battle of Okinawa, the reconstruction of post-war Okinawa, and the Nazi genocide against the Jews. The 1760 separate items on display in the hall convey the horrors and misery of war.
Ota commented, “Many young people, particularly young Okinawans, do not know anything about the Battle of Okinawa. I want as many people as possible to understand the ugliness of war.” As a member of the Tekketsu Kinno Tai, or Blood and Iron Student Corps, Ota witnessed the devastation of his homeland during the Battle of Okinawa. He continued to research the battle as a professor of the University of the Ryukyus and since his time as a young professor, this dedicated researcher has gathered documents, photographs and records of the Battle of Okinawa from the National Archives in Washington, DC and other places.
Visitors to the exhibition will learn that many civilians were caught up in the fighting, and that huge numbers of people were killed. The displays include photographs related to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and military propaganda leaflets distributed by Japan and the United States during the Pacific War.
The Ota Peace Research Institute also has a seminar room. Ota said, “I would really like to see this place serve as a university for peace where people can learn about Okinawa and peace studies.”
The exhibition is open for viewing from 9:00am to 6:00pm. (Closed on Thursday). Admission costs 300 yen for members of the general public, 200 yen for students, but is free for elementary school pupils.
For further details, call the Ota Peace Research Institute at 098 (979) 9490.
(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)
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February 29, 2012 Hiroko Sato of the Ryukyu Shimpo
Three students of the Naha branch of the Human Academy who were fascinated by chunzi, or Okinawan traditional chess, have created a digital version in which players use a touch-screen display controller. Anyone, even children, can enjoy this contemporary version of the game of chunzi. Sixteen characters matching the role of each piece, or tama, were created. A character appears when players touch each piece on the screen, making the game more fun to play. The screen indicates the direction of the grids in which players can move their pieces, so a beginner can easily learn how to play.
The students want to make chunzi popular, saying, “Even without being that familiar with the rules you improve by playing the game.”
Anyone interested can have a go at the graduate exhibition of the Academy being held at Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum in Naha until March 4.
Kanako Ide of the Academy created the characters and Tatsuya Gushiken and Kento Okuhira designed the program for the 3D images.
Akira Nakamura, head of the Chuzi Association, introduced the game to the students last summer when he happened to visit the Academy. Enthralled by chunzi, Ide decided to create a digital version as the topic of her graduation project, and called upon Gushiken and Okuhira to help her. Ide said, “I am really pleased that we have been able to create this digital version of the game of chunzi.” Gushiken and Nakamura said, “We want people who do not know the rules of chunzi to be able to enjoy the game.”
Nakamura commented, “I hope that the digital version of chuzi attracts young people and helps to encourage exchange between generations.”
(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)
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February 29, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo
From February 27 to April 30, an Okinawa satellite store in Hong Kong called Okinawa Route 58 is holding an Okinawan food fair in the restaurant of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC) to serve Okinawan cuisine made with Okinawan ingredients. Run as part of a promotion by the Prefectural Government’s Okinawa International Aerial Logistics Hub, the goal is to enhance Okinawa’s profile, to expand sales of Okinawan products in the Hong Kong market, and to provide an example of the effectiveness of the hub.
The HKCEC is the largest venue of its kind in Asia, holding many events and attracting as many as 100000 visitors a day. The official ceremony marking the reversion of Hong Kong to China was held at the center in 1997.
Seven restaurants are being used for the Okinawan food fair, with the main one, the Congress Restaurant, serving as many as 300 dinners a day. During the fair they will offer 13 dishes using 18 types of Okinawan ingredients such as goya, or bitter gourd.
(English translation by T&CT, Shinako Oyakawa and Mark Ealey)
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February 21, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo
This summer in New York, an exhibition entitled Okinawa Art in New York will be held to introduce Okinawan postwar artwork. A gallery in the Nippon Club Tower located in the center of the old gallery district of New York will be used as the venue to display the works of more than ten artists living in the United States and Japan. Tsutomu Karino, the managing director of the Nippon Club, said, “This exhibition will help Americans and people of Japanese descent to gain a better understanding of the history and culture of Okinawa.”
According to Naoki Onaga, former deputy chief curator of the Okinawa Prefectural Art Museum, who is in charge of the project, this is the first real introduction of Okinawan art to be carried out in the United States.
The exhibition will run from June 20 to July 27. Commencing with the work of artists based in New York and San Francisco such as Yuken Teruya, Ansei Uchima, Kazu Oshiro and photographer Yoshiharu Higa, the exhibition will then introduce the work of artists based in Okinawa ranging from young artists to veterans such as Tsutomu Makishi, Kenshin Yamashiro and Kenji Oyama. The pottery of Seisho Kuniyoshi and fabrics of Michiko Uehara will also be displayed.
The exhibition looks at a system of Okinawan art that has developed due to changes such as migration and war, and is an expression of art that has spread worldwide from Okinawa from the viewpoints of migration and identity. Borrowing from collectors in the United States, the works of artists who worked in the art village Nishimui that came into being in Shuri in the early postwar years will also be put on display.
The Nippon Club is a private social club mostly frequented by employees of Japanese companies in New York. Managing director Tsutomu Karino said, “While Okinawa has an image in the United States as an island full of military bases, we hope to get people to understand aspects of its culture and also to introduce some talented people. It would be great if this exhibition can help promote Okinawan art to the world.”
Onaga said, “I hope to show that there is a world-class art in Okinawa, from where so many emigrants have gone overseas. It is really significant for us to exhibit postwar Okinawan art in the melting pot of New York.”
(English translation by T&CT, Lima Tokumori and Mark Ealey)
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February 24, 2012
On February 23, at a press conference held at the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office, young art creators active in areas such as design, craft and music in Okinawa announced that they will hold a group exhibition of Okinawan art creators, entitled LOOCHOO, from April 25 to 30 in London. Thirteen groups of artists from Okinawa will create work under the theme of Time/Toki. Representing the now and the future of Okinawan art, they will look to convey aspects of cultural identity that have been passed down through the ages and examples of world-class creativity. The exhibition will be held at the Crypt Gallery, a popular venue for such events in the United Kingdom. Hiromi Tsuha, a modern artist based in London, will act as curator for the project.
At the press conference, designer Taichi Naka explained, “I recruited the artists thinking about this being like them embarking on a trip to introduce Ryukyuan art. I hope that this experience will mark the start of a new era of artistic exchange.”
The following young Okinawan artists will be going to London: textile designer Hiroshi Tanaka, painter Eiten, illustrator pokke104, modern artist Aya Taira, pottery-making unit decco (Moritaka and Satoko Nakamura), glass artist Kyota Matsudo, dancer of Ryukyuan dance Yuko Izena, Musician Group Lacorde (Kenichi Kawamura, Masato Higa) and paper creator Chihiro Furugen. A kick-off event will be held from 7:00pm on February 24 at Club saicoLo in Naha. Also, a free event for families will be held from 11:00am on February 26 at Toyosaki Chura-Sun Beach.
(English translation by T&CT, Lima Tokumori and Mark Ealey)
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February 22, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo
On February 15 at the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan, hosted by the Prefectural Government and Ginowan City, the 8th Prefectural Forum was held to discuss the use of the land currently used by Futenma Air Station after it has been returned to local jurisdiction. Under the title of “Let’s think about Futenma Park (tentative name) to open up Okinawa’s future,” panelists talked about the “Futenma Park” concept and provided ideas to utilize the plentiful ground water resources and surrounding natural environment and to give it a status that promotes peace.
The panelists were Junichi Inada, president of Win Inc., Kuniharu Miyagi, professor at Okinawa International University, Yoko Yamaguchi from MUI Landscape Architecture & City Planning, and Shinichi Matayoshi, who is the chair of the Ginowan City Military Land Owners Union. Takayuki Ikeda, professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus, served as master of ceremonies in the forum, and about 250 people gathered to listen to the discussion.
Yamaguchi emphasized that with Ginowan being located between two rivers, it has a plentiful supply of water and so is a city with a water-environment. In some ways, Futenma Park would provide the physical structure for the city.
Matayoshi stated, “It should transform the negative aspects of the location’s legacy into something positive, a peace park.” He also talked about the Great East Japan Earthquake and suggested that Futenma serve as a local disaster-readiness site.
Miyagi said, “On the basis that the land will eventually be returned, prefectural and city residents should have a shared concept of what Futenma Park will be like.”
Before the discussion, Inada delivered a keynote speech on the theme of “Country building with parks and greening: national strategies of Singapore (Garden City).”
(English translation by T&CT, Megumi Chibana and Mark Ealey)
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February 23, 2012 Masaaki Umeda of the Ryukyu Shimpo
Japanese computer animation company Gonzo K.K., president Tetsuo Karasawa, will establish an Okinawa-based affiliate to operate in Ginowan from this April. They will create and edit computer graphics in the digital animation studio complex. From this summer, a Japan-China joint project will be produced in the studio. The company hopes to make Okinawa an international hub of animation contents and to expand the business operation worldwide in the future.
Gonzo K.K. was founded in 2000, has 43 employees and capital of 3360 million yen. The company’s sales figures by March 2011 were 930 million yen. It not only creates animation but also computer graphics for live action films, and its most well known works are the TV cartoon Last Exile and the animation film Brave Story based on Miyuki Miyabe’s novel of the same title.
The studio is expected to generate jobs for about ten people. They are planning to construct and introduce a new integrated system using just one computer, which will be more efficient than apportioning tasks to a number of different staff.
Trends in the contents industry suggest that cooperation from governmental agencies is a key factor for a company to become a worldwide success and Gonzo K.K. decided to expand their business to Okinawa on the expectation that there would be such support from governmental agencies.
Vice president of Gonzo K.K. Shinichiro Ishikawa said, “In future I would like to attract many international projects to Okinawa and to look beyond animation to create a multidisciplinary media industry here.”
(English translation by T&CT, Shinako Oyakawa and Mark Ealey)
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February 27, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo
In the morning of February 27, during his visit to Okinawa, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda met Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima at the Okinawa Prefectural Office.
With regard to the return and relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Nakaima demanded the relocation of the base outside of Okinawa, saying, “[Acceptance of] relocation to the planned coastal area of Henoko in Nago will take a very long time. It would be quicker to find a site for relocation elsewhere in Japan. The relocation of the base outside Okinawa has become the purpose and goal of the Okinawan people. I want to see this happen.” In response, Noda told Nakaima that the Japanese and the U.S. governments are sticking to the current relocation plan, saying, “We see this as the only viable option. I would like to make steady efforts to obtain local understanding on this, and at the same time work to return military facilities and land occupied by the U.S. military south of Kadena Air Base.” With this there was no progress on the issue.
In the meeting, Noda said, “I want to win back the trust of the Okinawan people by providing tangible results in terms of promoting the Okinawan economy and easing Okinawa’s [portion of the national] burden of hosting U.S. forces.” As the leader of Japan, Noda announced his determination to put all his effort into generating results on these matters.
With regard to the fact that the central government has changed its policy, in which when Democratic Party of Japan assumed power in 2009, former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama promised to move the base out of Okinawa or at least to another part of Japan, only to later return to the current relocation plan, Noda said, “The central government did pursue the possibility of relocating the base out of Okinawa, but we ended up endorsing the current Japan-U.S. accord. The people of Okinawa were disappointed because they had expectations regarding the relocation of the base outside of Okinawa.” On that basis, Noda said, “I would like to sincerely apologize to the Okinawan people, and the governor, for causing you trouble including the injudicious remarks that were made last year by the former director-general of the Okinawa Defense Bureau about the base relocation.”
With regard to promotion of the Okinawan economy, Noda promised to push for the passage within this fiscal year of the Act on Special Measures for the Promotion and Development of Okinawa and the Act on Special Measures Incidental to Reversion of Lands in Okinawa Prefecture Offered for Use by United States Forces in Japan. Noda also mentioned the need to swiftly construct a second runway at Naha Airport.
Noda visited Futenma base, Camp Kinser and Okinawa IT Shinryo Park on the same day. After holding a news conference late in the afternoon, the prime minister flew back to Tokyo.
(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)
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February 18, 2012 Ryukyu Shimpo
On February 7, Koza-loving people participated in the Second World Kozanchu Festival, held in Gate Street in front of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa City, which until April 1, 1974 was actually known as Koza City. Kozanchu (people of Koza) came together in the streets of Koza, with many participants enjoying the night in the unique Koza atmosphere, tasting a diverse range of ethnic foods and drinks such as apple gratin, spareribs and awamori, against a backdrop of music such as samba.
This event is running in conjunction with the Okinawa Champloo Exposition being held in Okinawa City through until March 11. The groups involved aim to inject new energy into the city through events that make use of local cultural and historical resources. This year, the members of the Festival Executive Committee of Toyonaka City, Osaka, and the students of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture also took part in the Kozanchu Festival. Okinawa City has a sister-city relationship with Toyonaka. The Board of Gate Street awarded certificates of status as Kozanchu to participants from outside the prefecture.
Kaori Matsumoto a student of Ritsumeikan University said, “We enjoyed some delicious food in a relaxing atmosphere. It was a lot of fun. Before I came to Koza, I imagined that the city would be filled with examples of anti-American sentiment, so I was surprised that local people have made use of the American aspects of the place to its advantage.”
Satoru Miyagi, a 51 year-old Kozanchu said, “It’s exciting that many people from inside and outside the prefecture enjoyed each other’s company in Koza. We want to increase the number of Koza fans.”
(English translation by T&CT, Mark Ealey)
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Webcam(Kokusai Street)
