Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki tests positive for Covid-19; 23 from Prefectural Headquarters get PCR tests as well after realizing “contagion from relatives” at the Prefectural Assembly question session. (29jn22)


Splendor of Okinawa: Beach spider lily, at Nuchi nu miji (Water of life) Well in Uruma, 29jn22


Okinawa Prefecture announced on 28 June that Governor Denny Tamaki had become a person with dangerously close contact to Covid-19, and after a PCR test the same day, the result confirmed that he had tested positive.


As background to the confirmation of the governor testing positive, according to the Prefecture, Governor Tamaki had felt some throat irritation, but had no fever or other symptoms. He is recuperating at the governor’s residence. He has not appointed someone to take his place, since he is handling office affairs remotely. 


The governor is expected to return to his office by 8 July at the earliest. The Prefectural Assembly is already into its June session. The 2nd day of general questioning that was scheduled for 28 June was postponed and the session will be prolonged by 3 days. 


According to the Prefecture’s explanation, on 26 June, Governor Tamaki spent an hour and a half in contact without masks with a relative who later was confirmed to have the virus. As a result of hearing the sequence of the governor’s activity, the Prefecture, in coordination with Prefectural Heath Director Itokazu, judged that there was a high chance he had been infected by contagion from his relative.


On 28 June, Governor Tamaki issued an apology, “I have caused worries and troubles for the prefecture’s people, first of all, and for many others as well. I deeply apologize. I’ll do my best to recuperate and I want to return to my public duties at the earliest time possible.” He went on to apologize also for the effects of his sickness on the scheduling of the administrative work of the Prefectural Assembly. 


On the other hand, Governor Tamaki became aware of his relative’s contagion at 7:26 p.m. during a break in the general questioning session of  the Prefectural Assembly on 27 June. After the meeting reopened, for about 55 minutes, he was in the Assembly Hall to respond to questions and such.


In response to that activity, Prefectural Assembly Chair Noboru Akamine held a press conference on 28 June. He criticized both the governor and his executive office, “There was no discussion whatsoever of this at the Assembly meeting. The number one problem is that the governor continued the Assembly meeting as usual. That’s disrespectful of the Assembly!”


Regarding the continuation of the Assembly questioning session, the governor’s PR Chief Noboru Kakazu explained, “The situation was confirmed also with the Health Department. The response was made on the basic judgment that it was desirable that the notification to the Assembly be made with accurate information.”


According to the Prefecture, on receipt of news of the governor’s infection, 23 people from the Prefectural Headquarters received PCR tests. The results were expected to be confirmed on the afternoon of 29 June.


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Wednesday 29 June 2022 at 07:45. Byline: Teppei Ikeda

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/58a006c036febd8a4f3f0a9ec7ed5c354013455a


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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