On the use of soil from a bloody battlefield for the new base, Minister for Okinawa Nishime, “Now how is that common sense?”, unusual skepticism for a Cabinet Minister. (6oc21).

(Tokyo) The inauguration ceremony for Kosaburo Nishime, the Cabinet minister in charge of Okinawa, was held at the Reconstruction Agency on the afternoon of 4 September. For construction in the move of the US Military Futenma Airfield to Henoko in Nago, the Ministry of Defense plans to use soil from the south of Okinawa, the scene of bloody battles during WWII in Okinawa. To a question about it, Nishime responded, “As a matter of general logic and common sense, my thought is what can be said of it?”, avoiding a statement on the pros and cons of the plan.  


Since the matter of the soil was revealed, it has been unusual for a Cabinet Minister for Okinawa to state a negative opinion on the subject. At the inauguration press conference, the press corps asked Nishime about the plan to use that soil for the new base construction at Henoko: “As a Cabinet Minister born in Okinawa, how will you deal with it?” After the preface, “It’s not in my portfolio,”  Nishime clearly acknowledged, “From only that bloody battlefield? Come on now! Really! The Ministry of Defense acts like it doesn’t even know what soil it’s using.”  


Nishime added his feelings about the plan, “As for using soil containing the remains of the dead from the Okinawa Campaign as landfill, as a matter of general logic and common sense, my thought is what can be said of it?”


After that in a follow up question, the press corps asked, “As someone born in Okinawa, what’s your personal feeling?” He turned to reply, “The point is they aren’t even considering that they are using soil containing bones for construction.”


In tandem with the inauguration of the new administration, Governor Denny Tamaki has expressed his intention of going to Tokyo for a face to face meeting. Nishime showed an attitude of looking forward to the meeting, “A concrete date hasn’t come up yet,” followed by, “But we can adjust for it.”

According to sources, the meeting has been set for 8 October.


As for the scheme for the new Okinawa promotion strategy to welcome the fiftieth anniversary of its return to Japan, he offered this ambition, “I want to respond sincerely in accepting the thoughts of the prefecture’s people.


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Wednesday 6 October 2021 at 06:34

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/23db16a7faf2c4327ada4f625db854a1893a69fa


Translator’s note:

Denny in the News: news about Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki.

Denny Tamaki is the governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Although Okinawa is important as an international tourist destination and a key element in strategic US Military Forces, its governor receives very little coverage in the Japanese press and almost none in the English language media. 

  1. This blog hopes to  translate one news article a day on the governor.  It is unsponsored and unauthorized. The translator simply hopes to improve his skills and perhaps give the governor an English speaking audience. Any suggestion on improving the translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.

  2. Where they occur, words and phrases in Ryukyuan (the Okinawan language) are rendered in italics and translated in parentheses. Names  whose readings are uncertain are rendered as Name (=Kanji?) as in Nagayuki (=長行?). Any corrections in such instances would be of great help.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In the suit over exercise of proxy in the case of the weak seabed at the new Henoko base, judgment to be handed down on 20 December. (4de23)

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Shrubby Bush Clover, roadside Uruma, 30no23 The seabed at the new base construction site at Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, is weak and needs reinforcement. So, the Okinawa Defense Bureau requested permission for the necessary design changes, but Governor Denny Tamaki refused. In response, the Government intends to exercise proxy to give itself permission in place of the governor. The Naha Branch of the Fukuoka High Court announced on 29 November that it will hand down its judgment in the lawsuit filed over the case at 2 pm on 20 December. At the trial on 30 October, Governor Denny Tamaki emphasized in the first oral arguments, “We can in no way accept this exercise of proxy, which violates the autonomy and independence of Okinawa.”  He further stressed the will of the prefecture’s people in opposition to the new base construction as the ‘Public will’. In addition, he requested to show that the  path to resolution lay in dialogue. The trial was conclud...
Read more

Governor Denny receives the report on JUNGLIA at the 4 month mark after its opening. (7de25)

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Temple Tree, Mihama Beach, 1de25 CEO Takeshi Kato of Japan Entertainment (JE), which manages JUNGLIA Okinawa, visited Governor Denny Tamaki at the Prefectural Office on 28 November.  　 The CEO reported on the 4 months since the attraction’s opening. He repeatedly brought up dealing with operational improvements and such based on the voices of visitors to the park.  　 The CEO specifically mentioned the evening concerts in the park’s garden and, starting from December, the free entry of one child with each adult, targeting the prefecture’s people. CEO Kato stated, “We’d like to be contributing to Okinawa’s tourism as well.” Governor Tamaki, alluding to his speech the same day, entitled “Declaration on Sustainable Tourism”, stated, “For the people, employees, and tourists of our prefecture, this is an important win-win format. We’d like to have JE’s cooperation in many, many more initiatives.” Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Sunday 30 Nov...
Read more

In Okinawa, Candidate Takara takes hold of the Henoko opposition parties as their new face, urging,”Let’s earnestly come to grips with these issues together.” (21jy25).

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Mexican Petunia, Gushikawa RC Church, 13jy25. In the House of Councilors Election for the Okinawa Election District, independent candidate Sachika Takara (46), endorsed by All Okinawa, which opposes the relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture, scored a victory. She defeated the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Party’s new candidate Ryo Okuma (38) in the election campaign.  Candidate Takara pledged before her supporters, “The Henoko problem is something our prefecture’s people have taken into our hearts. We’re going to earnestly come to grips with it together.”  With their eyes on a victory in next year’s gubernatorial election, her victory was a bitter blow to the LDP. Governor Denny Tamaki, who held the job of Candidate Takara’s campaign headquarters chief, stressed, “The will of the people in opposition to the relocation remains unshaken.” In recent mayoral elections, All Okinawa’s fortunes ha...
Read more