May 6, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
Text and Photography by Hiroyuki Takatsuji
“People used to call these the fisherman’s bonus, but no one spares them a second glance in this day and age,” says Yoshikatsu Yamashiro showing the fish he caught. Katsu, as his friends call him, is a suntanned 76 year-old fisherman in Kaganji, Kunigami. His catch is the pearl-spot chromis, called hichiguwa or hikaa in the local dialect. These fish are in-season in early summer when their bellies are full of eggs in preparation for spawning. “Their eggs are superb, like Okinawa’s pollock roe (mentaiko). If you eat the bones too, it’ll make you so healthy you can probably avoid the coronavirus!” He takes a big bite of one of the fish.
Yoshikatsu Yamashiro shows off handfuls of hichiguwa (April 17th, Hentona Fishing Port in Kunigami)
On April 17, Katsu went drive fishing off the coast of Kunigami. His target was the hichiguwa who live in the shallow waters around coral reefs and grow to be approximately eight centimeters long. It’s Katsu’s way to do everything himself, from herding the fish into the net to lifting the fish into the boat. He shoulders well-used handmade diving equipment and dives into the sea. About ten meters below the surface, where coral blankets the sea floor, a school of hichiguwa welcome him.
He pulls a large net along the base of the coral reef. The net took him eight years to make, from conception to completion. The 76 year-old fisherman swims the ocean effortlessly, his motions suggesting he has surpassed even a veteran fisherman and is close to becoming a fish. He closes the distance with the school of hichiguwa and blocks their path with a white pole called surukashi. “If you scare the fish, you won’t catch anything,” he explains. “The trick is to pretend to be their friend.” He herds them toward the net and in no time, the net is full of fish.
In the past, hichiguwa were as familiar to Okinawans as suku (newly hatched rabbitfish) as fish in-season from early spring to the rainy season. However, in recent years, changes in diet have seen fish from coastal waters around Okinawa vanish from dining tables and hichiguwa disappear from markets and grocery stores. Even auctioning them at the Kunigami Fishery Cooperative won’t get a decent price; almost no one drive fishes for hichiguwa now. “Before, as soon as you got them out of the water, people would be fighting for them,” Katsu says, “but now a lot of people don’t think you can eat them.”
People who heard about Katsu’s first fishing excursion in a while welcome him as he returns to shore. A woman who came from Kadena happily piles fish into a container and says, “they look delicious! I’m going to fry them!”
“I catch just enough for myself and friends, so we don’t forget how it was,” Katsu says, “I want everyone to remember the ocean’s blessings and our traditions that have been around since long ago.” Katsu smiles in the ocean breeze.
Ishigaki – In order to cheer up the children whose school has been closed due to the spread of the coronavirus, the teachers at Ohama Elementary school in Ishigaki (Takashi Urasaki, principal) wrote out a message using flower boxes that said, “Beat the coronavirus – it will certainly be soon.” The picture was posted on the school’s homepage, sending a cheer to all the children who are waiting in anticipation for school to re-open.
Salvias, begonias, and magnolias in planter boxes were arranged on the sports ground, creating a written message on April 23. The phrase “It will certainly be soon,” comes from the name of the song kitto mousugu dakara from a local band, “Kiyama Shoten,” and is being used as a message of encouragement for those sheltering at home.
Masuto, one of the members of band, was a former student of the school’s principal, Mr. Urasaki, and some of his classmates are now teachers at the school, so the school has asked him to make a song for the children. Masuto as more than willing, and altered the lyrics of kitto mousugu dakara for the children and sent it to Ohama Elementary. Ohama is putting together a video with the song that includes pictures from around the school, which will be shared with the kids.
On May 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco ruled against the Japanese and American environmental groups that brought a “dugong suit” against the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) in an effort to stop the construction of a new military base in Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa. The appellant groups claimed that the DOD violated the National Heritage Protection Act (NHPA) by giving insufficient considerations to how the Henoko base construction could disturb the lives of Okinawa dugongs, which are designated a “national natural monument” and protected under Japanese laws. In its recent ruling, the Ninth Circuit panel concluded that the DOD’s processes were reasonable.
The appellant groups are considering a further appeal, but because the U.S. Supreme Court selects only a limited number of cases, the panel’s ruling may be the final judgment on the matter.
Although the Ninth Circuit panel agreed in part with the appellants that “the [Defense] Department did not specifically consider population fragmentation and the disruption of travel routes [of the dugong],” it concluded that “there was no data suggesting that the construction and operation of the new base would further fragment the dugong population or interfere with existing dugong travel routes to their habitats and/or potential feeding groups.” The panel stated that the DOD was “not unreasonable” in its judgment that the Henoko base construction would not adversely impact the dugongs.
The appellant groups had also argued that the DOD failed to engage in sufficient discussions with interested Okinawan entities, but the Ninth Circuit panel concluded, “The Pentagon was not required to consult with any specific person or group.” The judges found that while the DOD did not engage in direct discussions with local organizations, it obtained necessary information indirectly; the ruling effectively allowed the DOD broad discretion to decide what qualifies as “consideration” required under the NHPA regulations.
Interestingly, in February the DOD had argued that dugongs do not qualify for protection under the NHPA, but the recent Ninth Circuit decision affirmed the district court ruling in which dugongs were found to be eligible for protection under the NHPA.
Okinawan mangoes and pineapples are popular all throughout Japan as high-class gifts. However, as the coronavirus pandemic will now extend later into the year, anxieties have arisen around slumping sales in the summer. Farmers, who would normally be preparing their produce for shipping around Golden Week, are now gripped with uncertainty about the future, and are saying, “It would be great if Okinawans would consume these fine Okinawan products.”
Okinawa, with a hot and tropical climate, is at the northern limit where mangoes and pineapples can be naturally cultivated, making the island chain the top producer of the fruits in Japan. Pineapples peak right around the opening of Golden Week, and mangoes reach the height of their demand in July, around the time of the Bon festival.
The sweet gold barrel pineapple, which was developed for canning, has grown in popularity and increased in price, and has seen an increase of shipments made for raw consumption.
Okinawan mangoes meanwhile experience stiff competition from Miyazaki prefecture, where they are also produced. Hidekatsu Henzan, head of JA Okinawa’s agricultural sales division stressed, “Okinawan grown mangoes are filling, and have a good balance of sugar and acidity. The taste of fruit from trees are unsurpassed anywhere.”
Okinawan-grown fruits are often sought after as gifts, and are highly popular with tourists, and outside of the prefecture one fruit will often sell for thousands of yen. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, sales of high-class goods have been low, and low sales figures and price drops are expected for these fruits as well.
Unlike overseas produce, which is harvested before ripening in order to take into account the time for transport overseas on ships, Okinawan mangoes and pineapples can hit the market at their sweetest when they are ripe. Since they can be harvested ripe, and shipped domestically by air while still fresh, the value of Okinawan brands has risen. Henzan says, “Any way you look at it, being able to harvest the fruit ripe is a big merit in favor of Okinawan fruit.”
However, with airlines having to suspend or reduce flights due to the pandemic, there are concerns about difficulties with being able to ship fruits from Okinawa to the rest of Japan.
Nakamano Orchard (Ginoza), which grows mangoes and pineapples, online orders make up a lot of their sales outside Okinawa. Masaaki Kagemitsu, who works at the orchard, says bleakly, “We can do refrigerated shipping outside of Okinawa, but we have concerns about logistics from here on. The business on the streets and stations that drive the tourist demand have also closed due to the virus.”
With mainland distribution slowing, JA Okinawa is looking to bolster sales within Okinawa. They started taking orders in Okinawa at the end of April, slightly earlier than they would for elsewhere in Japan. However, with the prospect of things like sales promotions at retail locations becoming murky, there is a limit to their chances for driving appeal in Okinawa.
Kagemitsu is hard at work growing mangoes with an eye towards the June harvest. “I want to offer a food that makes people happy when they eat it. I want [farmers] to put our strength together to overcome this.”
Is intolerance plaguing our society as we become engulfed in the crisis brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic? The increasing downplaying of our freedom and rising social pressure is alarming.
Prefectures have requested businesses to shut down and urged citizens to stay home, which has led to locals posting notes on open storefronts demanding them to close, or bad-mouthing cars with out-of-prefecture plates. The situation is stifling; people are monitoring and accusing each other, and those who defy government requests are met with hostility.
Of course it is important that people stay at home, in order to curb the spread of the virus. However, chastising others in an unofficial capacity is abuse and a human rights violation masked as a fight against the pandemic. The same can be said of discrimination fueled by fears of contracting the virus.
It is also evident that the public’s fear of the pandemic is being used to double-down on policies. A succession of municipalities have disclosed the names of pachinko parlors that chose to remain open despite the governors’ shut down requests. This can be viewed as an attempt at shaping public opinion against businesses that choose to remain open, making an example out of them in hopes that social sanctions will follow.
Ordinarily, when the government impedes on a business’s right to operate by asking it to close, compensations must be issued. The use of such tactics—applying social pressure to persuade businesses into closing, and the lack of thorough public discourse on the issue, feels wrong.
Public discourse is an indispensable element of democracy that acts as the brakes against excessive exercise of power. Instead of spying on each other, people should be monitoring the authorities. Failing to challenge the rising tyranny because we were preoccupied with a “national crisis,” would cause a grave problem in the future. Closely related to the issue of surveillance is the use of our personal information, which usually requires prudent handling.
Our location information, gathered by cell phone- and tech companies, is being used to study the effectiveness of the quarantine. Using the newest technology to fight the pandemic is an effective approach. However, once a line is crossed under the banner of “crisis management,” it will be extremely difficult to walk back the expansions of location surveillance and exploitation of personal information.
Collecting data of an individual’s location history, including the use of street surveillance cameras, is easy; the environment and technology for spying on citizens for specific purposes is already in place. If we continue to downplay the importance of our rights and privacy while our personal data continues to be exploited, it is sure to come back to haunt us in the future.
Under the totalitarian system in pre-war Japan, the tonari-gumi system provided the smallest organized unit of a neighborhood watch, in which members spied on each other. In states of emergencies, peace-time processes are abbreviated and totalitarian governance and surveillance are reinforced; this is not something unusual and unique to the pre-war era.
When a state of emergency is forced upon us, we must be especially sensitive to the curtailing of our rights. Human lives must be protected while safeguarding the fundamental pillars of democracy—our freedom and rights.
On May 4, in light of the national government’s decision to extend Japan’s state of emergency regarding the coronavirus, a committee of experts formed by the Okinawa prefectural government held a meeting at the Okinawa Prefectural Medical Association hall in Haebaru to discuss the prefecture’s measures in line with the state of emergency. A roadmap draft presented by Okinawa Chubu Hospital infectious disease department’s Dr. Yoshihiro Takayama set forth guideposts for resumption of schools, businesses, and other social activities using the numbers of new patients and hospitalized patients as indicators.
The committee called on visitors, particularly from the 13 prefectures designated as “special alert areas,” to continue to avoid travel to Okinawa in order to prevent the disease from being carried into Okinawa. Some suggested the idea of carrying out PCR tests at the airport as an emergency measure. No new cases have been detected in Okinawa between May 1 and May 4.
At the expert committee meeting, members indicated the necessity that Governor Denny Tamaki continue to call on visitors to avoid travel to Okinawa through the National Governors’ Association, among other means.
Regarding the indicators for resumption of activities presented by Dr. Takayama, Okinawa prefectural government Department of Public Health and Medical Care public health and sanitation superintendent Toru Itokazu explained, “We received a recommendation that rather than try to contain [the virus], we should relax restrictions on social activities while keeping an eye on the state of infections, in a way coexisting with coronavirus.” He also said that the prefectural government must check whether the “new way of life” presented by the national government has permeated into Okinawan daily life.
Ie – Mr. Yoshio Yamajiro of Nishiue, Ie Village drives his beloved tractor, humming a tune. Yoshio, who was born on April 10, 1920 and turned 100 years old this year, is an active “farmer-grandpa.” Hard of hearing and with mild pain in his lower body, Yoshio is otherwise healthy. His memory is good and he is physically strong. Back muscles strengthened through daily work in the fields, Yoshio stands tall. He is an energetic and cheerful elder. Until a few years ago, he drove a Kei truck and tractor, but now skillfully operates an electric mobility scooter.
When U.S. armed forces landed on Iejima on April 16, 1945, Yoshio was a member of the Boeitai (Defense Corps), picking people up, dropping them off, or carrying bags for his commander. At a festival to pray for peace held by the village at the Monument of Hokon, Yoshio offered flowers as a representative of his fellow soldiers.
Yoshio’s wife of more than 70 years, Midori, passed away at 99 years old in January of last year. Three years earlier, she was admitted to a special nursing home for the elderly in Ie Village. From then on, Yoshio would make time between his work in the fields to visit the nursing home three times every day, morning, afternoon, and evening, to assist with meals. The sight of the nonagenarian lovebirds brought ease to those around them.
In the fields around his home, Yoshio raises crops such as sugarcane, shima rakkyo (island shallot), carrots, and kabocha squash. He starts the day’s work at 7:30 a.m. and works until evening, spreading fertilizer, weeding, and more. “At my age, a lot of people are bed-ridden. But no one else will do the work!” Yoshio boasts. His seventh son, Yoshihiro, who is 60, says, “He’s a workaholic; he won’t stop moving around even if you tell him to take a break. He does his own cooking and laundry. He’s doing great. All we do is stop by once in a while to see how he’s doing.”
Yoshio has more than 40 children and grandchildren. They had rented out the district community center on the 10th to celebrate his 100th birthday, but had to cancel due to the spread of novel coronavirus. Yoshio jokes, “I’m still healthy! I wish I could go back to when I was 18 or 19 though.” With that, he heads back to his work in the fields.
Around 2 a.m. on April 29, a U.S.-made 250-kilogram bomb, presumed to be a World War II relic, was found at Naha Airport’s Runway 1 construction site. Due to this, Runway 1 will be closed from April 29, leaving only Runway 2 operational. According to Naha Airport, the discovery did not cause any cancelled or delayed flights that day–a protective steel plate was placed over the bomb to prevent its detonation at 6:04 a.m., before the first flight of the day.
This is the third unexploded ordinance to be unearthed at Runway 1, following the two that were found on April 17 and 23. The latest bomb was discovered in close proximity to the one that was uncovered on the 17th. The first two bombs have already been disposed of. According to a source, the area has never been excavated for construction. The ordinances were found in succession due to the ongoing construction of a taxiway.
According to the airport, a number of five-inch naval artillery were found while reclaiming land for Runway 2, on-site and in the nearby waters. Naha Airport wants Runway 1 up and running as soon as possible, and has requested for a swift disposal of the ordinance. The city of Naha will be holding a meeting with the parties concerned sometime after April 30, to decide when to dispose of the ordinance.
The latest bomb is U.S.-made, has a diameter of approximately 360 millimeters, weighs 250 kilograms, measures approximately 1190 millimeters long, and weighs 250 kilograms.
A shisa statue standing at the side entrance of the Okinawa Prefectural Office on Kokusaidori in Naha could be seen wearing a cloth mask through April 28. The mask was placed there by Mari Ishikawa from Okinawa Ryusoen, a nearby store that makes and sells Kariyushi clothing, as a call for measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The idea was to, “place it in an easily recognizable spot to raise awareness.”
The mask was made with Okinawan dyed fabric, and similar masks can be purchased at the store, where they are made. The mask-wearing statue has been catching the eye of pedestrians, who stop and take a picture with their smartphones.
At a regular press conference on April 24, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki, in advance of the 68th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty on April 28, 1952, stated, regarding his hope to see the overwhelming burden of bases on Okinawa reduced, “In order to realize the eternal peace that Okinawans have long called for, the most important thing is for the Japanese and U.S. governments take heed of our earnest wishes from Okinawa and create a place and an opportunity for joint dialogue. I plan to keep calling for this to happen.”
Governor Tamaki discussed the fact that although facilities used exclusively by the U.S. military in mainland Japan have been gradually returned since Okinawa reverted to Japanese sovereignty, Okinawa, which makes up only 0.6% of Japan’s land mass, is still home to 70.3% of facilities in Japan used exclusively by the U.S. military. “We can’t ignore the fact” that even if the SACO agreement and all of the U.S. military’s realignment plans are carried out, “69% of facilities in Japan used exclusively by the U.S. military will still be located in Okinawa,” said Governor Tamaki.
He expressed his view that “elimination of the danger posed by U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is a matter of utmost urgency,” and said, “I want to make a strong call for the danger to be eliminated by means including relocation outside of Okinawa or outside of Japan, prompt closure, return, and swift cessation of operations, and for the plan to build a new base in Henoko to be cancelled.”
The effects of the continued COVID-19 pandemic have rippled out to effect Okinawan-produced goods. Since almost all omiyage stores and other tourist facilities are currently closed for business, there has been a steep decline in sales of souvenirs for tourists, manufacturers have raised the alarm, reporting that, “sales in April were only 10% of what they were the previous year.” In particular danger are food items, which have an shelf life and are now at risk of large amounts of stock being disposed. The key to solving this problem is of course local consumers. A representative from one maker sent out an SOS, saying “We need Okinawans to eat these, now more than ever.”
“50% off because of coronavirus.” At Okashigoten (Yomitan Village), makers of the Okinawan staple the “Original purple yam tart,” the stock of sweets, which has been collected from each of their stores, is piled high on a table like a mountain. While the company has 11 shops in Okinawa, only their flagship store is currently operating. Their production line has also stopped, with no plan to re-open anytime soon.
Their primary product, the purple yam tart, has a shelf life of one month. Their chinsuko (an Okinawan biscuit) also has a shelf life of around three months. With the sharp decline in tourism in addition to the restrictions placed around the tomb-sweeping festival, April sales dropped to around 10% of what they were the previous year. Since they need to sell off their stock before the goods need to be disposed of, since April 17 they have been selling everything with a major discount.
Company president Hideki Takushi said with a grave expression, “After taking into consideration labor costs, there is almost not profit to be had. There is nothing else we can do other than throwing them away.”
Companies without their own store fronts are in an even worse situation. Asahi, a company that produces jimami tofu and Rafute (a braised pork dish), has seen a considerable amount of items returned from omiyage stores that are closed for business. Executive director Yoji Akamine said in bewilderment, “With omiyage stores and other tourist facilities closed, there is no place to sell. Even though we are looking for new avenues for selling, most business have transitioned to telework, making negotiations difficult.
This has not affected only the omiyage makers, but also companies such as those who produce ingredients and wrapping paper printers.
Genichi Matsumoto, president of Okinawa Tourism and Omiyage Fairness Committee said, “Until the tourists return, businesses are hoping to protect employment and not lose production capacity. To achieve this, we need Okinawans to buy Okinawan goods.”
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
