During break in the Prefectural Assembly, staff drinking alcohol in a ruling party faction’s office. (28se23)


Splendor of Okinawa: Portulaca grandiflora, roadside Uruma, 31au23


On 26 September, the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly (chaired by Noboru Akamine) held its regular September session. It has been learned that 2 prefectural staff members were imbibing alcohol in a ruling party faction’s office during their break. Voices of criticism have arisen from the opposition parties.


That very day, news broke of the problem of the leak of fire extinguisher chemicals containing PFAS (organic fluorine compounds) from the Prefectural Office underground parking lot, and the opposition parties’ request for an explanation from Governor Denny Tamaki resulted in turmoil. So, there was a long break in the session.


The opposition parties have confirmed that, during the break, 2 staff members of the ruling party’s Okinawa Southern Wind faction were imbibing alcohol in the party faction’s office.


On News of the drinking, a meeting of representatives of all factions was held, and Okinawa Southern Wind Faction Chief Shoichi Taira admitted and apologized for the staff members’ drinking.


However, Prefectural Assembly  Member Masataka Jiroku from the Ishigaki City Election District, who is also affiliated with Okinawa Southern Wind, rose along with others in defense of the staffers, claiming that an alcohol check was given and had confirmed that they had not imbibed alcohol.


According to Assemblyman Jiroku, 4:15 in the afternoon was quitting time for the 2 and other staffers. Moreover, mealtime started at 5 pm in the faction office, well after the end of their duties. In addition, he claimed that meals in common in the faction office are scheduled and staff begin eating first.


The staff prepare responses for general and representatives’ questions. So, there’s nothing out of the ordinary about their visiting party faction offices before such events. 


As for staff eating and drinking, Assemblyman Jiroku stated, “The event was like a misunderstanding invited by our own Assembly session’s break. I’m seriously reflecting on this.”


Assemblyman Ichiro Ohama of the Ishigaki City Election District admonished, “Without claiming that there is no problem with drinking alcohol during during our Assembly sessions, we ought to reflect on the incident. Not only the administration, but the ruling party as well are negligent of the feeling of tension.”


At the Prefectural Assembly, the opposition parties had requested an explanation of the PFAS issue from Governor Denny Tamaki But, apologizing, Governor Tamaki closed the meeting until early in the morning on 27 September.


Original Japanese article: Yaeyama Daily News, published Thursday 28 September 2023 at 04:00

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/2cffe1376622136b414c761aacfe906a16fdb191


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 my 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.

 

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