The most important policies and greatest points of contention between Iha and Koja in the Okinawa Election District House of Councilors Election. (27jn22)

Splendor of Okinawa: Dracaena trifasciata, Uruma City Hall wall, 7jn22

Ballots will be opened on 10 July in the 26th House of Councilors Election in the Okinawa Election District. With the influence of Covid-19 on the wane and the economy and lives of the prefecture’s people on the mend, the essential point of contention will be whether or not the new base construction at Henoko in Nago proceeds. 

So, this paper is comparing the important policies of the contenders in what has truly become a two horse race  between incumbent Yoichi Iha (70), backed with the power of All Okinawa, and contender Genta Koja (38), picked by the Liberal Democratic (LDP) and Komei Parties.

For Yoichi Iha, economic and US base policies are equally important. Iha promises the revitalization of the prefectural economy and lives of the prefecture’s people after the ravages of Covid-19, along with raising incomes, the fight against child poverty, and opposition to the new base at Henoko, with all equally important. He stresses that while the economy is faltering, he will fight for a limited cut in the sales tax to 5%, for measures against soaring prices of gasoline and other goods due to the weak yen, and he will further endeavor to bring to fruition his policies to prevent child poverty. 

Iha confirms his position on the closure and elimination of Futenma Airfield and his opposition to the base construction at Henoko. He promises to put himself to work on the issue of PFAS emanating from the bases and to oppose the deployment of Self-Defense Force missiles in the Nansei Islands, swearing, “Our peaceful Okinawa will become a base-free reality!”

Genta Koja puts his emphasis mostly on the promotion of Okinawa. He wants his efforts to go beyond this 50th anniversary of Reversion, claiming, “I want to see an era when we lead Japan!” In order to prop up the prefecture’s economy and industry ravaged by Covid-19, he wants to implement necessary public investment and assistance. He lauds his five keywords for making an “economy with elastic strength” a reality: tourism, health, environment, oceans, and entrepreneurship. 

Koja also intends to advance the enrichment of basic communications for the outer islands and underpopulated areas to establish an environment where getting into the challenge of business is possible from Okinawa. He is not just targeting the young for founding companies  and businesses. He plans to promote recurrent education to reeducate company employees. He also expresses a desire to create an environment to revive Okinawa as the Long-life Prefecture and break the cycle of poverty.

Iha certainly continues to question the new base construction. Whether or not someone approves the new base construction is, what Iha calls, the “biggest point of contention.” He points out that, in the 2019 prefectural referendum on the subject, 72% voted against the construction, emphasizing, “The people’s will is manifest!” He further notes that the landfill necessary in Oura Bay is “technically unfeasible”, because of the weak soil of the seabed. Moreover, Governor Denny Tamaki refused the request of the Okinawa Defense Ministry Branch to make changes for the landfill. So, he says, “The construction has been halted,” and added the criticism, “I feel rage over this  government’s outrage of stomping on the wishes of our prefecture’s people.” He continued, “It shouldn’t keep trying to shove this burden of bases down the throats of our prefecture’s people.”

For Koja, the voters will decide. He has made his judgments on the criteria and points of contention for the election. His basic premise is, “I think that the voters will make their decisions one by one and each in their own way.” Moreover, now 50 years after Reversion to Japan, he wants to look another 10, 20 years into the future, even to 100 years after Reversion. 

Koja claims, “I am asking for a vision that can brightly paint Okinawa’s future.” He offers his 3 principles for realizing that future: (1) an Okinawa with a strong, flexible economy, (2) an Okinawa where anyone can take on a challenge, (3) an Okinawa where everyone can live with a smile. Moreover, he asserts he is not just painting a vision, “Can’t I also ask for the power to get it done and the power to make it a reality?”

Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times, published Sunday 26 June 2022 at 10:26. Byline: House of Councilor’s Election Coverage Squad

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/9b39675f0bc12b73e694545c8c46b757e586f917

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.