44 governors of Japan’s administrative divisions intend to attend former Prime Minister Abe’s State Funeral and 38 to have the flag hoisted to half-mast. (18se22)


Splendor of Okinawa: Autumn zephyr lily, roadside Uruma, 17se22


The state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be held on 27 September. A Sankei Shimbun canvas revealed that the governors of 44 of Japan’s administrative districts intend to participate in the event.


The governors of 3 prefectures will not attend: Nagano, Shizuoka, and Okinawa. Both Shizuoka and Okinawa Prefectures explained, “We’ve already expressed our condolences.” Nagano Prefecture offered attendance at the memorial ceremony for the Mount Ontake volcanic eruption disaster as the reason for being absent.


Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has been appointed chair of the funeral committee, sent a formal invitation to each administrative division. The results of our canvass were gathered by the department in charge from press conferences and governors’ statements in response to press queries.


Miyagi Prefecture Governor Yoshihiro Murai explained that he had in mind the time of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Disaster when Abe had “put his heart into reconstruction.” Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Ikuo Kabashima stated, “I want to offer my thanks for his help in reconstruction after the Kumamoto earthquake and flood disasters.” Niigata Prefecture Governor Hideo Hanazumi lauded Abe’s achievements, “He put his heart into solving the problems of regional revitalization and the abduction issue. Answers to the canvass such as, “Attending the State Funeral is natural,” stood out. Kyoto Prefecture Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki opined, “Abe was the longest serving prime minister in our constitutional government’s history. There have been many voices of grief from abroad as well. Holding the State Funeral is appropriate.”


On the other hand, among the 3 prefectures that have no intention of attending, Shizuoka Prefecture Governor Heita Kawakatsu had offered a moment of silence at the site of the assassination in Nara City at the end of July and explained, “I’ve already expresssed my grief.”


Nagano Prefecture Governor Shuichi Abe had thought all along of participating but the funeral coincided with the day that the Mount Ontake volcanic eruption disaster happened 8 years ago, and so he decided, “I have to be present at the memorial service to make the memorial speech.”


Moreover, 38 administrative districts responded that they would raise a mourning flag or half-mast flag at their central administrative offices to express their grief on the day of the State Funeral. 8 administrative districts are “still undecided” about the flags: Tokyo, Kanagawa, Gifu, Shiga, Kagawa, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto.


Okinawa Prefecture has decided, “The flag won’t be raised to half-mast.” At a press conference on 16 September, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki stated, “For the funeral on 12 July, we raised the flag at the Prefectural Office to half-mast. We also sent condolences and such. I think that, as a prefecture, our grief has been expressed.”


Original Japanese article: Sankei Shimbun, published Saturday 17 September 2022 at 19:26

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a16e3c7e65ae4f7618ab40cc85a7d0bc8aa187d5


Denny in the News: news about 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.

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