At the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, Liberal Democratic Party Representative Hanashiro unilaterally declares, “Our great Master Yohei Kono has disgraced our Nation!” (29jn23)


Splendor of Okinawa: Goldfish Plant, roadside Uruma, 13ap23

During the regular session of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly’s general questions on 26 June, Okinawa Liberal Democratic Representative (LDP) Daisuke Hanashiro, unilaterally, alluded to Former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono. He declared, “That great master once disgraced the history of our nation!”


After the session, Representative Hanashiro was queried by the press over his reason for the term ‘disgrace’. He responded, “The Kono statement”, which admitted the involvement of the Japanese Military in the comfort women issue. (Trans. note: The Japanese Military ran brothels with hired or forced prostitutes during WWll.)


Representative Hanashiro’s declaration arose during questions about Governor Denny Tamaki’s China visit. The governor will visit China at the beginning of July as a member of a group from the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade  (JAPIT), chaired by ex-Speaker Kono. Ex-Speaker Kono will also serve as the leader of the group visiting China.


Representative Hanashiro touched on the China visit by the JAPIT  group. He asserted, “The group leader is that great master who once disgraced our Nation’s history!” He explained his declaration to the press, “Kono  declared his personal opinion in his public stance without investigation of the comfort women issue. That later had a huge impact on Japan-Korea relations.”


The Kono Statement of August 1993 was the announcement of the results of a Government investigation, conducted by the Miyazawa Cabinet’s General Secretary Kono, on the wartime Japanese Army comfort women. The statement clearly acknowledged the involvement of the Japanese Military and apologized with “Sorrow and reflection.”


In March of 2014, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe defended the statement at the Diet, “We have no consideration of reviewing that statement.” Again, in June of 2021, the Suga Cabinet, in a Government written opinion, concurred with expressions such as, “We have inherited that opinion.”


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published 28 June 2023 at 12:30. Byline: Shinji Sano

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/2182b352e9adeed02a6b1e55237a6baf636f626d


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. 


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. 


Any suggestion on improving the translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.


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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