On 25 August, Prime Minister Kishida visited Okinawa, not to inspect bases or consult with its governor, but to take in the Basketball World Cup. (30au23)


Splendor of Okinawa: Lantana, roadside Uruma, 24au23


On 25 August, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Okinawa Prefecture to watch the Men’s Basketball World Cup Tournament. On 26 August, he will inspect Shuri Castle, now under reconstruction.


However, in the midst of the administration’s lessening the burden of bases and its push for including Okinawa in its ‘Southwest Shift’ in defense capabilities, there is no schedule for inspections related to the US-Japan Defense Treaty and such.


Word has leaked from the Prefecture of its disappointment that no meeting with Governor Denny Tamaki had been scheduled.


On the evening of 25 August, the Prime Minister visited Okinawa Arena in Okinawa City to view the game between Japan and Germany at the opening of the Men’s Basketball World Cup Tournament.


On 26 August, the PM is looking forward to inspecting reconstruction work on fire-ravaged Shuri Castle and having a circle dialogue with those related to tourism promotion.


Those around the PM claim, “The motive for this Okinawa trip was to watch basketball. Since he couldn’t make the round-trip from Tokyo in a single day, he stuck the inspection and the circle dialogue into the next day.


At a press conference on 25 August, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno explained, “The PM wanted to inspect the situation of the opening of a huge international sporting event, cheer on the play of our Japan representatives, and finish off by hearing opinions on tourism promotion that will inform his tourism policies.”


Original Japanese article: Asahi Shimbun Digital, published Friday 25 August 2023 at 21:18. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e737276b9ad8d8c1b1f2d26a7cb66dd1979b166f


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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