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July 25, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
Last year, the Japan National Governors’ Association (chaired by Kiyoshi Ueda, governor of Saitama Prefecture) adopted a proposal requesting that the State drastically revise the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). This year the conference was held in Toyama Prefecture and on July 24, the final day of the conference, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said, “I hope governors from all over the country cooperate [to make good on the proposal].” Other prefectural governors also expressed the opinion that it is essential to take initiative from the perspective of protecting Okinawans’ safety and local automony, and again affirmed that this would be dealt with as a national matter.
Governor Tamaki distributed a written report, compiled by the Okinawa Prefectural Government, about the status of forces agreements that the U.S. has with other countres including Germany and Italy. The report states that SOFAs with European countries guarantee that the laws and ordinances of each respective country apply to the U.S. military, controls on their activities, and the right to enter the base compounds. It points out that this differs greatly from the SOFA between the United States and Japan, which does not guarantee that domestic laws apply to the U.S. military, and does not guarantee the right to enter U.S. military base compounds.
Upon receiving this information, governors from across the country one after another stated that they share awareness of the issue. Takuya Tasso, the governor of Iwate Prefecture, said, “It is extremely problematic that the U.S. military is not required to follow democratic regulations in way that Japanese citizens are, both from the perspective of local autonomy and citizen safety, and from the perspective of promoting welfare.” Governor Taizo Mikazuki of Shiga Prefecture agreed, “It is crucial that we pursue more investigations concerning local automony and democracy, and make efforts in solidarity [with Okinawa].”
Masanao Ozaki, governor of Kochi Prefecture, mentioned elementary school pupils crying and screaming during low-altitude flying exercises by the U.S. military to stress the indespensibility of information about flights being provided beforehand. Governor Toshizo Ido of Hyogo Prefecture spoke about how in May this year, the U.S. military began making official announcements on the internet if U.S. military aircraft would potentially be flying in the skies over Hyogo. He said, “It is essential for there to be a basic policy for officially announcing information relating to the U.S. military.”
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)
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July 24, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) began putting 100-yen coins with a Karate design into circulation July 24.
The new coin was minted to commemorate the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and is joined by six other commemorative designs featuring events such as weightlifting and surfing, and can be exchanged at financial institutions in Okinawa.
For the first day, people are limited to exchanging only two of each type of commemorative coin.
Initially, 3,948,000 coins of each design are being issued throughout Japan.
The front side of the Karate coin has an engraving of a bout, and the back of the coin has the Olympic emblem, which all six designs share.
In Okinawa, the coins can be exchanged at Bank of The Ryukyus, The Bank of Okinawa, The Okinawa Kaiho Bank, Koza Shinkin Bank, Japan Post Bank, and Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Okinawa.
For more details, visit the MoF homepage at https://www.mof.go.jp/
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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July 26, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
On July 25, fourth-generation Okinawan descendant Emilie Thosei Miyasato, 17, met with her relatives Miyoko Uema, 78, and Sadako Majikina, 72, who live in Futenma, Ginowan. Emilie is visiting from New Caledonia to trace her roots.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she received words of welcome, such as “We finally meet” and “There’s no such day as wonderful as this.
” She enjoyed meeting with her “family that lives in a foreign land.”
Emilie’s great-grandfather is Chosei Miyazato, who emigrated to New Caledonia as an immigrant in 1910. Other than that, she did not have much information on her roots.
Following her arrival in Okinawa, she sought information via Ryukyu Shimpo, which was when Uema and Majikina came forward. Emilie plans to stay in Okinawa until August 7.
She said, “I want to learn as much as possible about my family and Okinawa.”
Uema and Majikina wanted Emilie to enjoy home cooked Okinawan food, so they entertained her with somen chanpuru and Hirayachi, or Okinawan pancake.
They also entertained Emilie with family stories as they showed Emilie the Miyasato family tree and photographs of when Emilie’s grandfather and others visited Okinawa.
While it was Emilie’s first visiting Okinawa, she said she “started to feel oddly nostalgic.”
She was moved by the warm reception, which “reinforced her desire to cherish her Okinawan roots.”
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
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July 17, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
(Tokyo) It recently came to light that during the ten years leading up to the end of fiscal 2018, seven Ministry of Defense (MOD) personnel, upon retiring from the MOD, landed high-ranking jobs at three construction consulting firms that were involved in putting together a survey report regarding ground improvement operations to reinforce the weak sea-floor in order to build a new U.S. military base in Henoko, Nago as part of the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
It was previously known that MOD personnel moved to high-ranking positions at companies contracted to perform work in Henoko as early as the stage where an environmental impact assessment was being conducted prior to the start of construction.
It is evident that former MOD personnel are still being positioned at these companies to give their stamp of approval to projects that the MOD wishes to advance.
The survey report regarding sea-floor reinforcement was compiled in January of this year by a joint venture comprising seven companies, which was contracted by the MOD.
The report states that “it is possible to ensure stability” using known engineering methods for the sea-floor reinforcement, and concludes that it will be possible to conduct the work without exceeding the originally anticipated scope of environmental impact with regard to noise, water sedimentation, dugong conditions and the like.
Of the seven companies involved in the joint venture, the three at which former MOD personnel took jobs are Nippon Koei (four former personnel), Fukken Engineering (two personnel), and Idea (one personnel), all of which have their main offices in Tokyo.
In addition to the current job regarding sea-floor reinforcement, the three companies have been frequented by the MOD with contracts for other Henoko-related consulting work.
According to the MOD, it has contracted the three companies a totally of 34 times between fiscal 2012-2018, for a total of roughly 1.12 billion yen.
Under the Self-Defense Forces Law, if someone working at the MOD gets hired at a for-profit company within two years of leaving the ministry, it must be reported, but there is no duty to report if more than two years have passed.
Apparently reporting was conducted in accordance with the rule when the seven were hired at the three companies.
At a press conference on July 16, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said, “[the hiring] was performed appropriately in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.”
It was revealed in January 2016 that former MOD and SDF personnel, upon retiring, were re-hired at at least 14 of the 65 companies contracted by the MOD under former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani for jobs relating to the Henoko construction during the roughly two-year period from December 2013 to November 2015.
(English translation by T&CT and Sandi Aritza)
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July 20, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
HK Express, a Hong Kong-based low-cost carrier (LCC) launched nonstop service between Hong Kong and Shimojishima on July 19. The route is the first to offer international access to Irabu, Miyako island. Shimojishima Airport held a ceremony to commemorate the inaugural flight, where HK Express and local municipality staff greeted and sent off passengers.
Miyako area’s first international route offers three flights a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The inaugural flight from Hong Kong was a full flight, which arrived at Shimojishima Airport around 5:40 p.m. After taxiing through a water cannon salute, passengers deboarded the plane. HK Express Commercial Director Jonathan Hutt commented, “Shimojishima is one of the most beautiful airports in the Asia region. We are certain there is a sizeable LCC market potential here. We are thinking ahead on how to provide year-round service beyond the peak-season.” Shimojishima Airport Manager Kentaro Tomono said, “What’s significant is that this route provides us with access to Hong Kong’s innumerable users. There is also the potentiality of attracting European and American tourists in Hong Kong. It’s a route that we’d like to grow and expand with care.”
To celebrate the debut, HK Express is offering an introductory price of 2,600 yen on one-way flights booked by 12:59 a.m. on July 22, for flights departing before October 19.
(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)
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January 22, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo Digital Edition
Voting for the 25th House of Councillors election, which coincides with a term limit in Okinawa, concluded voting at 8:00 p.m. on July 21.
The election in Okinawa saw four candidates competing for a single seat, and taking into account early voting figures as well as exit polls on election-day, this paper has confirmed that University of the Ryukyus emeritus professor Testumi Takara, 65, who ran as an independent but was supported by “All Okinawa”, has won the election.
In a continuation of last September’s gubernatorial election, the referendum vote in February of this year, and the three seats taken in the House of Representatives in April, the people of Okinawa have once again come out firmly as opposed to the new base construction in Henoko, offering a resounding “no!” to the Abe administration’s push for land reclamation in Henoko.
Takara will inherit the “seat for peace” from her predecessor, Councillor Keiko Itokazu, who campaigned for Takara alongside Okinawan governor Denny Tamaki, which allowed the team to raise the recognition for the candidate and bolster support from swing voters.
Takara opposes the relocation of MCAS Futenma to Henoko, the issue at the forefront of all recent elections, calling for the immediate closure and dismantling of the base at Futenma.
As a new member of the Diet, he plans on working on blocking new base construction. Takara’s victory provides a boost to the Tamaki administration, and provides momentum to the “All Okinawa” movement as it heads into the prefectural assembly elections next June.
In addition to Takara, the former chairman of Symba Holdings, Shigenobu Asato, 49, ran on the Liberal Democratic Party (ticket), and had the support of Komeito and Isshin-no-kai, turning the election into essentially a two-horse race. In addition to the Henoko base issue, an intense battle developed over issues such as constitutional amendments, consumption tax increase, and the development plan for Okinawa in the coming term.
With the exception of one district, the counting of ballets begins at 9:00 p.m. According to the Okinawa Board of Elections, the counting of ballets was scheduled to conclude by midnight, at which point they will begin counting of proportional representation ballets.
There were three candidates from the proportional representation ballets, Keisuku Shimabukuro, 32, vice-chairman of the Japanese Communist Party’s Chubu regional committee, Natsumi Higa (60), former LDP House of Representatives member, and former Okinawa prefectural assembly member Mio Nakamura, 47, from the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The three candidates will await the results to come early in the morning of July 22.
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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July 19, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
BASE Okinawa Baseball Club is forming Okinawa’s first professional baseball team, and intends to join the NPB, Nippon Professional Baseball Organization.
The club’s president, Taishi Kobayashi and Executive Advisor Yasushi Tao, held a press conference at the Okinawa Prefectural Office on July 18.
Tryouts will be held in November, and the newest pro team will be in full-swing by January 2020.
The team name, Ryukyu Blue Oceans, was chosen as an ode to the island’s blue oceans and the limitless possibilities it represents.
BASE Okinawa Baseball Club will be headquartered in Ginowan City, and the team’s home field will be located in Ginowan and Urasoe City, with Miyako-jima City as its second home field.
Coach and staff will be appointed by October, under the leadership of Futoshi Kobayashi, former player for the Yokohama DeNA Bay Stars, and Tao, who was the Tohoku Golden Rakuten Eagles’ inaugural head coach.
The club will offer twenty to thirty pro athlete contracts, and the new team is slated to play exhibition games in the Shikoku Island League Plus and the BC League, as well as the NPB second and third farm-team exhibition games.
The Blue Oceans will endeavor into the professional leagues once the NPB expands its cap on new teams.
Kobayashi, who during his career trained in Okinawa between seasons, explained the genesis of the project: “I always found it curious that Okinawa has been without their own team, when the locals and kids are such baseball enthusiasts.
We thought [forming a new team] would provide an opportunity to harness that passion, and so we chose Okinawa.”
Tao’s father-in-law was involved in instituting the Kitamae Hospital, and has maintained ties to the island for nearly four decades.
Tao said of the project, “I’m elated to be involved in creating Okinawa’s first team.
It also reminds me of my playing days. I hope to help in any way possible.
” Tao also shared his ambitions: “Innumerous people wish to play baseball in Okinawa. We’re assembling highly talented coaches to create the best environment for our athletes.”
The club’s parent company, BASE Inc., is a sports management company representing professional athletes. BASE president Toshiya Kitagawa said, “The three-year plan is to build an Okinawan team people enjoy. We’re hoping the fans will eventually push for the team’s NPB debut.”
(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)
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July 17, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki held a press conference July 17 at the Okinawa Prefectural Office, where he discussed a lawsuit filed against the Japanese government in an attempt to overturn a decision made by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation (MLIT), which nullified the cancellation of permission for land-filling in the relocation of MCAS Futenma to Henoko.
Governor Tamaki said of the lawsuit, which was filed after the head of the Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) applied for arbitration using the Administrative Appeal Act, strongly demanding, “We want the voices of those who say that there is something strange about a country applying for arbitration from itself to be heard in a court, where light will hopefully be shed on the concept of regional autonomy, and will rule on the form that should be taken by national and regional authorities.”
Additionally, Governor Tamaki indicated, “The ODB and the MLIT are both government bodies that follow a unified cabinet policy to push forward with land reclamation activity.
To have the Minister from the MLIT provide the adjudication is like a sporting match where the one player is also the umpire. Certainly, writing your own case and then coming to your own conclusion can only be said to be lacking in justice.”
Vice Governor Kiichiro Jahana was also in attendance and spoke about his concerns, stating, “If the cabinet deciding to erase administrative measures made by regional authorities becomes normalized, it will destroy regional autonomy.”
When asked if the lawsuit will make continued dialogue with the government difficult, Governor Tamaki commented, “We have noted throughout the necessity and importance of continued dialogue, and this will not change moving forward.”
The governor added, “The past two gubernatorial elections as well as the referendum have clearly shown that Okinawa strongly opposes the relocation of MCAS Futenma to Henoko, so I will do everything in my power to respond to these strongly held beliefs.”
(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)
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July 11, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Manato Akira
The Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) made requests to enter Kadena Air Base to conduct surveys in 2017 and 2018 after high concentrations of contaminants such as the organic fluorine compound PFOS were detected in rivers and springs around U.S. military bases. However, the Ryukyu Shimpo discovered on July 10 that the ODB has abandoned this approach, as the U.S. military has not granted it permission to enter the base.
Due to this, the ODB has decided to conduct surveys outside the base compound, requiring coordination with the U.S. military, which will take about one year.
These surveys have been delayed into 2019 and have not yet been conducted. The Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) and others have requested that the U.S. military allow these surveys, but it has become clear that the national government also cannot gain access to the bases.
Information about the ODB’s approach to these surveys became public through a right-to-know request from Director Masami Kawamura of the Informed Public Project.
Director Kawamura pointed out, “The Japanese government has not been able to do anything about this issue.
Yet it is uncertain whether the Japanese government can conduct surveys regarding the source of contamination on Okinawa’s behalf if the military bases of an ally, the United States, could be identified as the source of the contamination.”
According to the disclosed data, the initial plan for the surveys and analysis called for coordination with the U.S. military to take place between April and August 2018, for procedures to be ordered by September or October, and for surveys around the Hija River to commence in November 2018.
Even though coordination with the U.S. military was completed by May 2019, those conducting the surveys are not permitted to enter the base, and will conduct their studies outside the base compound, instead. The surveys are set to commence around August this year.
In an interview with the Ryukyu Shimpo, an ODB spokesperson said, “With no standards regulating contaminants like PFOS domestically, there are no means to make practical use of these results in coordination with the U.S. [military].
” Procedures for entering U.S. bases and coordination of environmental studies set forth by the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement do not address conditions for entering base compounds or environmental regulation levels.
An ODB spokesperson said that current efforts to coordinate with the U.S. military are not based on any specific agreement.
In 2017, too, the ODB planned surveys on and off of the base compound, but the U.S. military did not comply, and the ODB shifted its study sites off-base.
[Word from the Wise] Director Masami Kawamura of the Informed Public Project suggests that the OPG accumulate, sort, and disseminate documented facts concerning contamination
It is not clear how and to what extent the Japanese government has put pressure on the United States in negotiations, or what significance the planned surveys might have in terms of guaranteeing safe drinking water. Now that the ODB has abandoned the idea of entering the base compound in favor of aimlessly surveying the base’s surroundings, the OPG and Okinawans cannot just sit by and watch.
We must not allow the Japanese government to use the excuse that because it cannot enter the base compound, it cannot move forward with addressing the issue.
I do not think Okinawans will accept this reason, either. Regrettably, now the matter of entering the base compound at all has become its own goal, with the administration requesting entrance and the Kadena Town Assembly adopting a written statement to this effect, without consideration to the reasons for entering the base compound.
It is essential that we exercise awareness and do not take steps like that prematurely.
U.S. military representatives do not seem to be making efforts to deny Kadena Air Base as the source of the contaminants, whether in U.S. Forces, Japan reports concerning the issue, or in negotiations between the Air Force at Kadena Air Base, the OPG and the Japanese government.
There is also data from on-base studies by the U.S. military including surveys of the rivers and groundwater in the vicinity of military bases in Okinawa, and from water wells on the base compound.
First, the OPG should accumulate and organize data such as this, including facts regarding communications with the U.S. military, and then accurately publicize the current status of this issue.
Even with the restrictions under which people are not allowed entrance to the base compound, Okinawans and the administration must keep considering specifically where and how to leverage pressure, and what actions are possible.
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)
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July 19, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
During the regular press conference on the morning of July 19, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki announced the tourism revenue, including both domestic and foreign tourists (by air) for 2018.
Compared to the previous year, it was 733.4-billion yen, which is a 5.1 percent increase.
For the first time ever, the number surpassed 700-billion yen, which is a record high.
Besides the total number of tourists increasing, there was also an increase in average individual spending for domestic tourists.
Governor Tamaki is enthusiastic.
He said, “We set the target for tourism revenue for 2019 at 800-billion yen, a 9.1 percent increase compared to the previous year.
We’re hoping to roll out an effective promotion that incorporates Asia’s dynamism and where the government and the people work together as one.”
Average individual spending for domestic tourists was at 76,734 yen, which is a 6.2 percent increase compared to the previous year.
According to the breakdown, tourists spent the most money on lodging expenses of 26,477 yen, followed by food and beverages of 16,907 yen, and souvenirs/shopping of 13,186 yen.
The average individual spending for foreign tourists was 90,119 yen, which was a 10.1 percent decrease compared to the previous year.
The average number of nights spent by domestic tourists was 3.75 days, 0.02 days less than the previous year.
The average number of nights spent by foreign tourists was 4.77 days, a 0.18 day decrease compared to the previous year.
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
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July 14, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Hiroe Nakagawa
After fleeing his native Vietnam, Masakazu Minami 50, (Vietnamese name: John Tai Tuan Vin), was rescued off the coast of Ho Chi Minh City by Okinawa Suisan (fishery) High School’s training vessel, the Shonan-maru. It was August 8, 1983. On July 13, 2019—36 years later, Minami arrived in Okinawa to reunite with the former captain of the Shonan-maru, Gensho Miyagi (75, formerly Gensho Shimoji), and his crew. “Thank you,” Minami expressed gratitude to the men for saving his life with a tearful embrace.
Minami was 14 years old when he was rescued. He fled Vietnam aboard a wooden boat carrying 105 refugees escaping dire situations back home. The boat was spotted by Shonan-maru four days after he departed Vietnam. Miyagi, who was captain of the ship at the time, made the executive decision to rescue the refugees, and boarded them on the Shonan-maru. The ship then re-routed to Manila, Philippines. The Filippino government accepted all 105 refugees, including Minami. It was the last time Minami and the Miyagi saw each other.
On the evening of the 13th, Miyagi and 25 of his former crew and staff gathered at a restaurant in Naha City to welcome Minami. Minami revealed that the 105 rescued refugees are now scattered across the globe, including the United States and France. He bowed deeply to the men, and said in a trembling voice: “You saved 105 lives. Thank you.”
The Shonan-maru may have saved these refugees’ lives, but the central government was spiteful at the time, calling the effort “unnecessary.” The crew, however, seemed proud during the reunion. Seeing the emotional guest, the crew asserted that “the captain’s decision was not a mistake.”
Minami now owns Yellow Bamboo, a Vietnamese restaurant in Uchisaiwai, a town located in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. Minami wished to treat the men to his specialty pho in Tokyo, to which Miyagi responded, “I’ll bring the whole crew.” The men promised a second reunion in Tokyo.
(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)
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