Marine Self Defense Force (SDF) transport ships dock at Ishigaki Civilian Port. City residents protest as SDF begins joint exercises across the nation. (20no21)

The Defense Ministry Joint Staff Office began its SDF joint (live training) exercises all across the nation on 19 November. On the same day Marine SDF transport ships  docked at Ishigaki Port in Okinawa Prefecture. Voices of resistance arose such as city resident groups holding a protest meeting against the use of a civilian port.


On 18 November the Prefecture asked that the training have as little impact as possible on the daily lives of the prefecture’s residents and pleaded with the National Government that the use of civilian ports and sites  be limited to only the smallest possible areas necessary to carry out the training. The exercises will last until the end of November.


At 1 p.m. on 19 November, a Maritime SDF transport ship entered Ishigaki Port. Ground SDF troops who were waiting on shore assisted in the docking by tying hawsers passed down from the  SDF sailors on deck to the pier.

After the troops and sailors, working together, finished preparations such as  loading an SDF truck, at 5:30 in the afternoon the transport ship left Ishigaki Port and appeared to be heading toward Yonaguni Island. Nearby the port, city resident groups held a protest raising their voices in oppositions with such shouts as, “We’re against use of Ishigaki Port for military operations!” and “Don’t make our island a battlefield!”


In Tokyo on 19 November, Governor Denny Tamaki told the press corps, “The permission for the use of civilian ports was given by decree. But I wish they’d do it with careful consideration.”


During the exercises, every SDS base and sub-base wherever they may be in the prefecture including the outer islands, will carry out base security training. Joint electronic warfare training will use sites like Yaedake Mountain on Okinawa Island. Vehicles and such will be disembarked from Nakagusuku Bay Port. The missile unit deployed at Miyako Island plans to carry out operations by participating in training against naval attacks and landings by amphibious attack craft.


Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times, published Saturday 20 November at 10:41

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d0bc149d7b874c5bc480f7d6b1d223d91785d96f




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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