In his first meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida lasting about 20 minutes, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki: “We didn’t discuss Henoko.” (19no21)

(Tokyo) on 18 November, Governor Denny Tamaki and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held talks at the Prime Minister‘s Residence. It was their first meeting since Kishida took office. The governor had not had a meeting with a current prime minister since October of 2020.


The governor requested a special measures law to have a period of 10 years applied to the New Okinawa Promotion Project, the maintenance of Okinawa’s portion of the budget at the 300 billion yen level, and an expansion of Okinawa’s tax system, such as liquor taxes. The reduction of the base burden for Okinawa was also requested. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes.


At the Prime Minister’s Residence, the governor was questioned about his negotiations with the Prime Minister by the press corps. He answered succinctly, “I offered my requests on the Okinawa Promotion, my hopes for tax reform, and a guarantee on 3 budget items.” After the governor finished his requests to LDP Diet members, he explained in response to a question from this paper’s reporter, “I didn’t discuss Henoko with the Prime Minister.”


On 12 November, Ginowan Mayor Masanori Matsugawa and the Prime Minister held a meeting. In it, Matsugawa requested  the return of the Military Futenma Airfield as soon as possible. Referring to that meeting,  the governor answered, “I simply stated to the Prime Minister in a word, that I too would appreciate his efforts to reduce the burden of the bases.” He said the Prime Minister agreed.


As for the Promotion plan and the budget, the governor requested that a venue be set up as quickly as possible for a conference between the Prefecture and the National Government  for issues like the Promotion plan, including the continuation of the Okinawa Promotion Development Finance Corporation with a strengthening and expansion of its lump sum grants.


As for tax reform, he requested a continuance and expansion of tax programs related to Okinawa, such as the International Logistics Base Industrial Cluster Zone. He further requested a simple extension until May of 2027 of the beer related taxes which the Cabinet Office had proposed for elimination in steps by October of 2026.

　

For these requests, the governor was accompanied by  the Prefectural City Mayor Association Chief, Okinawa City Mayor Sachio Kuwae and the Prefectural Town and Village Mayors  Association chief,  Zamami Village Mayor Satoru Miyazato. On 18 November, the governor and his group also met Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and Cabinet Secretary for Okinawa Kosaburo Nishime and made the same sort of requests.


On 19 November, they will attend the LDP Okinawa Promotion Research Committee, chaired by Yuko Obuchi and have plans to also meet Keiichi Ishii of the Komeito executive committee. 


Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times, published Friday 19 November at 08:11

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ee73a9fb15b378111bb28513b40c558d244cbf16


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. 

  2. Any suggestion on improving the translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.

  3. 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 gratefully appreciated.

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