According to the Exploratory Committee’s recommendations, Governor Denny Tamaki’s ambition is to quickly open the 32nd Army HQ Shelter to the public, noting, “The reality of war is our heritage, to be transmitted for peace” (28mr23)


Splendor of Okinawa: Italian Clematis, roadside Uruma, 28mr23


On 27 March, the Okinawa Prefectural Exploratory Committee on the Preservation and Public Opening of the 32nd Army Headquarters Shelter  (Chair Tatsuhiko Tamaki) handed its recommendation on the need for taking up the task of preservation and public opening of the shelter (a cave with a maze of tunnels) with a message of peace, for the sake of relaying its heritage to future generations, so that the tragic experience of the Battle of Okinawa and its lessons will not be left to wither. 


2026 is being targeted for pushing the shelter for designation as a cultural asset. The committee recommended getting to work on the preservation and public opening of the shelter in steps, with priority on maintenance of the 1st Tunnel Mouth with its path and the 5th Tunnel Mouth.


Governor Tamaki stated, “This is our final chance. Through this underground shelter, we want to relay to our Nation and others our heritage of the reality of the Battle of Okinawa and the heart of Okinawa with its hopeful request for peace.” Thus, he expressed his firm stance on carrying out the project.


The idea of preserving the 32nd Army HQ Cave has precedent. In the 1990s, the Oda Administration produced a plan for it, but it was abandoned under the Inamine Administration. In 2012, the Nakaima Administration decided, “Opening to the general public would be impossible.”


However, after the conflagration at Shuri Castle, the Tamaki Administration, backed by heightened public opinion, set up the Exploratory Committee in January of 2021. The committee, assessing the broad meaning of the shelter and putting together their concepts, came up with such ideas as both opening the cave to the public and having it made a cultural heritage asset. Their recommendations also noted the necessity of working out safety measures suitable for opening the site to the public. 


As for funding the project, Governor Tamaki suggested, “I think we’ll also request financing from the Nation at some stage or other.  But I’d also like the Prefecture to do what it can.”


The Prefecture has a tie-up with Nagano Prefecture and the governor has visited Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters there. It had been constructed in the midst of the Battle of Okinawa in preparation for the final battle for the homeland. He referenced it, expressing his ambition to connect the Shuri site likewise to peace studies.


The Prefecture is aiming to open the 5th Tunnel Mouth in 2025 and the 1st Tunnel Mouth in 2026. Confirmation of the conditions and safety measures for opening the 1st Tunnel Mouth Path are already underway. In 2024, a basic plan will be proposed by a panel of experts for the actual construction work. When the panel concretely determines the extent of the construction work and the way to carry it out, the response will be based on its assessment.


As for the transmission of peace and work on heritage, how to do it in practical terms through examination of documents, data, and peace studies will be considered.  Promulgation will be done through a specialized home page.


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Tuesday 28 March 2023 at 06:50. Byline: Mariko Nakamura

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5e88ff76c9f105fb968cfcd8bf717acd9fcee97a


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.

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