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Mozuku harvest begins in Miyakojima, yielding “thick, high quality seaweed, a prime result”

Mozuku harvest begins in Miyakojima, yielding “thick, high quality seaweed, a prime result”

January 20, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Shinji Sano

 

Miyakojima – The earliest mozuku harvest in Okinawa has begun in Miyakojima. On January 19 at Oura Fishing Port in Hirara, Miyakojima, fishermen unloaded basket after basket of glittering, dark green mozuku seaweed. Koji Kuriyama, head of the Miyakojima Fishery Cooperative, which oversees operations, said smiling, “[The seaweed] has a great color, this is a prime result. I want to ship this out to Okinawans as soon as...

 

Original copy of a 1929 Ryukyu Shimpo article describing appropriation of Ryukyuan remains soon to be available at Junkudo book fair

Original copy of a 1929 Ryukyu Shimpo article describing appropriation of Ryukyuan remains soon to be available at Junkudo book fair

January 19, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Kazuki Furugen

 

The fifth annual Junkudo New Year Antiquarian Book Fair, an event where antiquarian booksellers gather to show off and market rare books and historical documents, will be held from January 29 through Mar 6 at the Junkudo...

Medical facilities in Okinawa strengthen partnerships to care for surging numbers of pregnant COVID-19 patients

Medical facilities in Okinawa strengthen partnerships to care for surging numbers of pregnant COVID-19 patients

January 21, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Takuya Kayo

 

New cases of COVID-19 are spreading among all age groups, and one group in which cases are surging is pregnant individuals. During the fifth wave of infections between August 1-29 of last year, 162 pregnant individuals contracted...

Okinawa to be nice and warm through the end of January, with some days hitting highs of 25° C

Okinawa to be nice and warm through the end of January, with some days hitting highs of 25° C

January 18, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Yuki Karimata

 

The Okinawa Meteorological Observatory announced in the “Early weather report concerning heat” that the Okinawa region would experience a gentle pressure system with high barometric pressure to the west, with a low-pressure...

Proportion of coronavirus cases on U.S. bases in Okinawa exceeds proportions in Europe and U.S.

Proportion of coronavirus cases on U.S. bases in Okinawa exceeds proportions in Europe and U.S.

January 13, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Ryota Nakamura

 

The number of people newly infected with the novel coronavirus on January 12 on U.S. military bases in Okinawa came to 295 people. According to calculations by this newspaper, when calculating the number of newly-infected...

Heron spotting hunting bugs after sugarcane harvest in Komesu, Itoman

Heron spotting hunting bugs after sugarcane harvest in Komesu, Itoman

January 14, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By John Matsumoto

 

On Okinawa’s main island and in the Yaeyama islands January 13, a high-pressure system from the Asian continent brought with it some chilly weather and a little rain. In the fields of Komesu, Itoman, where the sugarcane...

Family of humpback whales hang around Zamami as whale-watching season arrives

Family of humpback whales hang around Zamami as whale-watching season arrives

January 10, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Hirokazu Ohtsubo

 

Every year, from the end of December until the following April, humpback whales visit the waters of Kerama Islands to breed. During this whale watching season, whales have been spotted one after another in Zamami and Tokashiki...

Hospital staffing shortages lead to reduced COVID-19 capacity and limited emergency services

Hospital staffing shortages lead to reduced COVID-19 capacity and limited emergency services

January 14, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Takuya Kayo

 

On January 13, it was revealed that at 90 hospitals in Okinawa Prefecture, including major medical facilities, that accept COVID-19 patients, there are 989 healthcare workers absent from work. Although 648 hospital beds had...

The streets of U.S. bases become ghost towns as restrictions on leaving residences begin, food and drink establishments hope for a “quick resolution”

The streets of U.S. bases become ghost towns as restrictions on leaving residences begin, food and drink establishments hope for a “quick resolution”

January 11, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

 

By Ryota ShimabukuroBy Ryota Shimabukuro [Central/Northern Okinawa] – Facing the spread of COVID-19 amongst U.S. service men and women stationed in Japan, restrictions against U.S. military personnel leaving their residence except for necessities...

Hatoyama says strengthening of SDF presence in Nansei Islands is based on “antiquated ideas”

Hatoyama says strengthening of SDF presence in Nansei Islands is based on “antiquated ideas”

January 4, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Shinji Sano

 

On December 17, the East Asian Community Institute held a town meeting in Miyakojima City titled “Contemplating Miyako Island missile deployment and how the current situation in Miyako Island and the Nansei Islands might be...

Japanese government demands U.S. soldiers limit going outside, enact effective coronavirus prevention measures

Japanese government demands U.S. soldiers limit going outside, enact effective coronavirus prevention measures

January 7, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo

By Manabu Saito and Shoehi Tsukazaki

 

Tokyo – Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on the phone January 6, where he requested that the U.S. military thoroughly strengthen measures...