The final rounds of the National High School Tanka Competition were held in Morioka city, Iwate prefecture—hometown of the poet, Takuboku Ishikawa. Tanka is a Japanese thirty-one-syllable poem, written in a single unbroken line. The Yukari Kojima Special Jury Prize, reserved for the best submission in the competition, was awarded to Reina Kuniyoshi, 17, a sophomore student at Syowa Pharmaceutical University High School. The school also placed second place in the group division. It is the first time for Syowa Pharmaceutical University High School to compete in the tanka competition.
The Yukari Kojima Special Jury Prize is awarded to the best tanka out of all the individual and group division submissions combined. Kuniyoshi’s winning poem read: “Pouring concrete into the blue sea they made a grave for the dugong in Henoko.” Kuniyoshi said of her tanka and the Henoko base issue: “Contestants come from all over Japan. I wanted to address the difference in perception between Okinawa and the rest of Japan.”
Kuniyoshi teamed up with fellow sophomores, Noa Shimabukuro and Honoka Tokumura, for the group division tournament. The theme for the final round was “in bloom,” and the jury evaluated the submissions. Kuniyoshi commented on winning second place in the group division: “It was our first time competing, so I was surprised [to win].” She shared her ambition and said, “next year we will take first place.”
First place in the group division went to students of the Hachinohe Aomori Prefectural High School; First place in the individual division was awarded to Kaito Tamakoshi, 17, a senior at Hidakami Gifu prefectural High School.
This year’s National High School Tanka Competition was the 14th competition held since its inception in 2006.
Nagoya – Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki brought his “Talk Caravan,” which is travelling Japan to share Okinawa’s position on new base construction in the Henoko neighborhood in Nago City and other national security issues, to a crowd of 780 people at the Nagoya Civic Assembly Hall in Aichi Prefecture. This is the second stop after the caravan debuted in Tokyo in June. In the keynote address, Governor Tamaki called for people to see what was happening in Okinawa as “your own problem,” and for resolving the issues through dialogue.
Governor Tamaki brought up the lack of transparency the Japanese government had regarding construction time and expenses, and the irregularity of their use of the administrative appeal act to undo Okinawa’s revocation of permission for land reclamation, stressing, “Already, it must be said that democracy and regional autonomy does not exist, as if we are expected to do as commanded from above. This is not a problem for Okinawa alone.”
In the panel discussion, Congressman Shoichi Kondo of the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), talked of his experience pushing for a location such as Tinian Island in the South Pacific as a destination for the base relocation during the Democratic Party of Japan-controlled (DJP) Hatoyama administration. “There was opposition to carrying out the plan. You have to have cooperation from all of the bureaucrats and people,” he reflected, and said of the current situation in Okinawa, “The people’s will was made known in the election, and the U.S. government should change their strategy accordingly. There is a problem with building a new base in Henoko.”
Professor Akihiro Sado from Chukyo University expressed doubt regarding the deterrent power of the U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa, as well as the importance of the geographic location. He referenced Trump’s statements expressing dissatisfaction over the U.S. and Japan’s mutual security treaty, asking, “When Japan is forced to contemplate a number of different strategies instead of only relying on the U.S., would we still continue to single-mindedly pursue new base construction at Henoko?”
International University of Japan (IUJ) professor and former Commander General of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) Dr. Noboru Yamaguchi, who was in favor of the relocation to Henoko, explained regarding the current plan, “I would not say that ‘this is the only way’, however my fear is that if we stop here, MCAS Futenma will remain frozen in place.” Conversely, he indicated the necessity of lessening the base-hosting burden placed on Okinawa, saying, “We must resolve to place some of the responsibility on people outside of Okinawa.”
In an effort to stop the poaching of plants and animals such as the Yanbaru long-armed scarab beetle, a Japanese protected species that lives only in Yanbaru, in the northern part of Okinawa’s main island, the Okinawa Environmental Protection Agency will close trails in Kunigami at night from August 26 through October 21, as a test to gauge the efficacy of such a policy.
The agency stated, “We do not want the precious plants and animals from Yanbaru to be taken from their home any more, and we want to carry this out with the understanding of local residents and the people of Okinawa, who greatly value the nature of Okinawa,” asking for cooperation in this endeavor.
Last year, there were numerous cases of the poaching of the rare animals that live only in Yanbaru that put the animals at risk of extinction, such as an incident when 60 Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtles that had been poached were discovered in Hong Kong and led to a scandal in the attempt to unmask the poachers.
In addition to the Yanbaru long-armed scarab beetle, there were cases of poaching other rare endemic species such as the Okinawa stag beetle, and the Okinawa sekkoku, a critically endangered Okinawan orchid.
Okinawa had previously engaged in patrolling and public awareness campaigns, but will now try this measure as an experiment to investigate physically blocking poachers’ ability to enter the area.
The experimental measure will close the trails from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning every night for the duration of the test. For cases such as emergency rescue and disaster relief, permission must be obtained before entering the area at night.
For details, please contact the Okinawa Environmental Agency World Natural Heritage Site Promotion office at: 098 (866) 2243
In regard to a 2017 incident in which a U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing and burst into flames in Takae, Higashi Village, the U.S. military removed and hauled a portion of soil from the incident site to Camp Kinser in Urasoe City, and on August 13 this year it came to light that this soil has already been disposed of outside of Okinawa.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Forces, Japan (USFJ) told the Ryukyu Shimpo in an interview that the soil has been disposed of at a suitable facility in mainland Japan. Still, the process, time period, and quanity of the soil disposal were not disclosed.
From the outset of the incident, the U.S. military did not allow Japanese authorities to approach the aircraft wreckage and unilaterally removed the soil.
Furthermore, the U.S. military did not inform the Japanese government of the disposal of the soil, and lost the materials essential to verify the actual circumstances surrounding the incident.
Note that the two cubic meters of removed soil had been left on Camp Kinser, and the U.S. military had planned to transport it to the United States for disposal at a later date.
Director Masami Kawamura of the Informed Public Project made a freedom of information request in regard to the status of the removed soil, but the documents submitted by the Okinawa Defense Bureau were mostly blacked out.
Hearing of this, the Ryukyu Shimpo interviewed the USFJ. When asked about the reason for the rejection of the request by the OPG and other agencies to enter the compound of Camp Kinser, to ascertain the status of the removed soil, the U.S. military spokesperson said that the procedure of appealing for an investigation through the Environmental Subcommittee of the U.S.-Japan Joint Committee is currently being determined but that there has been no demand for such until now.
On August 14, which was nakanuhii for Okinawa’s old Bon, a traditional event called “mushaama” was held.
“Mushaama” consists of holding memorial services for ancestors at Taketomi Town’s Hateruma Island, along with praying for a good harvest and sound health.
Residents who gathered at the community center plaza for a costume parade called “Michisane” led by a Miruku, or Maitreya, along with those originally from the island performed traditional dance and theatrical performance to pray for the island’s prosperity.
The Michisane was carried out in the order of front, west, and east groups, which were separated by communities.
Men and women of all ages lined up in rows and performed a lion dance and a demonstration with sticks while parading within the community.
At the community center, people performed boh (the art of using a stick as a weapon) and tehku (drums), along with ninbuchaa (Buddhist prayer dance) in which mainly community center staff offered a prayer by dancing and singing while forming a circle.
A myriad of theatrical dance were also performed.
In addition to local residents, many tourists joined the island-wide festival bringing the island together.
Community Center Director Katsuhiko Nakasoko said, “The typhoon affected preparations and practice, but I’m glad we were able to have it without any problems. I appreciate that each community and those from the island worked hard to make this happen.”
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
(Chubu) The Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) began their 2018 inspection of a survey that tracks the flightpaths of U.S. military aircraft in the area around MCAS Futenma on August 9, run out of the ODB offices in Kadena.
After the U.S. military helicopter crash at Okinawa International University in 2004, Japan and the U.S. revised the flight plans for aircraft in 2007, plotting courses that avoided flying over civilian areas as much as possible.
The results of this year’s survey showed flight’s that strayed far off flight plans, indicating that deviations from the flight plans had become normalized.
The survey used a high-elevation camera to measure aircraft such as rotorcraft flying in the area around MCAS Futenma and construct a flight map, creating month-by-month snapshots of air traffic.
According to the results of the survey, in June of this year, the CH-53E helicopter that dropped rubber tape onto Uranishi Junior High School in Urasoe was flying over civilian airspace, and that this was a common flight path for U.S. aircraft.
Meanwhile, the ODB has established that factors such as weather can cause air craft to change course, stating, “This year’s survey results do not necessarily suggest that the U.S. military is failing to adhere to the established flight paths.”
(Ginowan) August 13 marks 15 years since the day a U.S. military helicopter crashed over Okinawa International University, and on August 11, in advance of the date, Shimagurumi Kaigi Ginowan and the Futenma Noise Lawsuit Group held a protest outside Ginowan City Hall.
Around 150 people from Ginowan and elsewhere gathered to protest. Carrying banners and placards, they called for prompt closure of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
“The Osprey have been deployed, and Futenma now is even worse than it was then.
Futenma should be returned to make way for Okinawa’s development,” said upper house member Yoichi Iha, who was mayor of Ginowan at the time of the crash.
“Fifteen years on, nothing has changed. We must raise our voices and act at the same time,” said Zenji Shimada, leader of the lawsuit group.
Seikoh Saito, 38, Okinawa International University College of Economics and Environmental Policy associate professor and Ginowan resident, attended the protest.
“As someone from mainland Japan, I feel responsible for the Japanese government’s refusal to change its stance,” said Professor Saito, who hails from Gifu Prefecture.
In the afternoon on August 7, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki held a press conference at the Prefectural Office concerning the new lawsuit that the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) is bringing against the Japanese government over construction of the Futenma Replacement Facility (FRF) in Henoko, Nago City, Okinawa.
Governor Tamaki voiced his strong determination with the words: “As governor I have been struck by the commitment of many Okinawans.
In response to their unwavering will in opposition to Henoko new base construction, I will completely devote myself to fulfilling Okinawans’ hopes.”
With this lawsuit, the OPG is demanding the cancellation of the decision by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to nullify the OPG’s revocation of the land reclamation permit.
At the press conference, Governor Tamaki once more drew attention to the illegality of the Japanese government’s actions.
He said, “It was illegal for the director of the Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) to pose as a private citizen to make a formal objection,” and pointed out it was illegal for the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to make such a decision.
Furthermore, Governor Tamaki voiced his intention to firmly appeal the OPG’s justifiability and the lawfulness of its revocation of the land reclamation permit.
He said, “There are many problems with the land reclamation operations in Henoko, including the soft seabed and active faults.
The prefectural government lawfully revoked the land reclamation permit because of these problems, yet there is no reason to nullify the revocation.
Governor Tamaki has disclosed his statement of opinion concerning the lawsuit the OPG has filed against the Japanese government.
He said, “I want to request an opportunity to deliver my statement of opinion at the courthouse.”
However, he also stressed that he is aiming to discuss his way to a resolution: “Through dialogue we will request a solution strategy with a persistently democratic stance, and demand that the danger of Futenma Air Station be removed as soon as possible, including halting Henoko base construction and closing Futenma Air Station.”
Governor Tamaki explained that this lawsuit does not demand a stay of execution on the Land Minister’s decision.
Lawyer Kazuhiro Matsunaga, who attended the press conference, spoke about the reason for that choice.
He said, “We want a substantive deliberation that gets to the core of problems such as the soft seabed and active faults.
I understand that the prefectural government has decided to demand a completely productive judgment.”
Shinugu is the traditional Okinawan harvest ritual, but the shinugu ritual of Ada, Kunigami-son, is designated an “Important Intangible Cultural Property” by the Japanese government. On Aug 6, several of Ada’s local men played the part of the “harvest gods” for the day, and worked their way through town to banish evil spirits and pray for a year of abundant harvest. Ada’s shinugu is most accurate to the ancient form of this ritual.
The men wore braided crowns made of flowers and straw, split into groups, and ascended the three mountains in town: Meba, Yamanasu, and Sasa. The men returned as harvest gods, and proceeded to parade around town, beating on their drums as they chanted, “Aye-hey-hoy,” a spell to lure out and dispel bad luck and evil spirits. The men swatted local and tourist on-lookers with leaves to banish any evil energy.
“Isn’t this Pikachu?” A mysterious creature was found at a fishing port on the northern part of the main island of Okinawa causing controversy over the Internet, where a video of the creature was posted. The creature has become a topic of conversation because it is a spitting image of “Pikachu,” the popular video game and anime character from Pokemon that people are familiar with.
Shun Sato, 66, who discovered the creature and posted a video of it online, reflected on the shocking encounter as if he had been struck by lightning and said, “I’ve observed creatures of the sea for about 50 years, but this is the first time encountering one like this. I was surprised.”
The creature that resembles “Pikachu” was “caught” on July 4, a night of a new moon. Sato, whose hobby is to observe creatures from the fishing port surface layer and who manages a souvenir company in Saitama, discovered several hundred of the same creatures swarming the wall of the fishing port.
Sato spoke with an excited expression as he said, “I had put the creature in a bucket thinking it was a crab hatchling, but it was swimming differently. I had thought that maybe it was a new species or a creature from space.”
According to Sato, the creature is about five to eight millimeters. Two types, one semi-transparent, the other reddish, were swimming near the surface of the sea. When he scooped some with a container, it started to flap what looked like its left and right arms and legs. Their movements were adorable and looked like they were waving a flag. He had taken some home, but they had stopped moving by the next day.
National Institute of Polar Research Special Researcher Naoto Jimi, who specializes in taxonomy, differentiated the creature as a body part of a creature that is a part of the ragworm family, which are known as fishing bait. Jimi then went on to guess that “It’s probably the torso full of eggs or sperm capsules.” He said that there are some that reproduce by detaching part of their body as a part of the reproductive process.
Jimi said, “This is the first time I’ve seen a reproductive individual like this. It’s quite interesting since there are many forms of reproduction depending on the species and there’s more to be discovered.”
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
Even though it will be thought of as treating human rights carelessly, there is nothing to be done about it.
Already, courts all over Japan have thrown out the records of a majority of important post-war civil suits that debated constitutionality.
Of the 137 cases printed in representative casebooks, 118 (86%) have been thrown away. Only 18 cases (13%) have been kept, with one case still being deliberated.
Surprisingly, among the tossed case files were the well-known and important Naganuma Nike lawsuit and the Kojimachi Junior High School transcripts lawsuit.
The Naganuma Nike suit dealt with a missile launch site, and debated the constitutionality of the JSDF, where the Sapporo District Court initially ruled it unconstitutional. The Kojimachi Junior High School transcripts case debated the liberty of a student to their own thoughts and beliefs.
Court rules state that in a regular civil suit, after a decision or settlement, the court that handed down the original ruling is to keep the decision for five years, and then throw it out. Meanwhile, there is a framework for special preservations, and the court records that should contain historical material and reference data, and in fact these are required to be preserved in perpetuity.
However, an investigation has revealed that only six of these cases are categorized as special preservation. This includes cases such as the Tsu ground-breaking ceremony lawsuit, which debated the separation of church and state, and the Osaka Airport lawsuit, where residents near the airport sued to stop nighttime flights.
While the reason for these nullifications are unclear, such as the court rules being applied loosely for these important decisions, or inconvenient records being arbitrarily discarded, the nullifications themselves are extremely inappropriate. There are experts that have indicated that they are uncertain if this violates court rules.
Above all, the records of these signature cases, which dealt with major problems for Okinawans, are being thrown out.
When the governor was asked to sign land leases on behalf of land owners who refused to offer their land for U.S. military use, the governor filed a suit against Japan. Then-governor Masahide Ota, who blocked the proxy lease-signing in December 1995, did so against the backdrop of the rape of a girls by U.S. military personnel in September of the same year.
While the lawsuit was argued over the freedom of ideals and conscience of the landowners, property rights, and regional autonomy, the suit was a sharp interrogation of a constitution which failed to protect the dignity of an individual. In addition to the added significance of the suit, the court records is a document that can be used to link the property right of Okinawans to Japanese citizens overall. The disposal of this document is a big loss for the ability to examine history.
The documents that contain the written decisions for cases including the proxy lease-signing lawsuit still largely remain, however the initial filing papers, written response, courtroom records etc. have been disposed of.
The constitution exists to constrict the immense power of the state through the rule of law. The constitutional court decides on basic rights as applied directly or indirectly in the constitution, as they relate to individuals, the government, and business when applicable.
These court records also record the history of when individuals have faced this immense power structure to obtain human rights such as suitable work conditions, peace, and freedom of expression.
The ability to review the court cases that led to decisions is important. Disposing of these historical documents can only be called a foolish eradication of future examination.
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
