With confusion in Okinawa’s downtowns, staff from its municipalities rush in response to a late night missile launch. Said a bystander, “It was just like an air-raid alert!”

 



Splendor of Okinawa: Fairy lantern, roadside Uruma, 13no23


“If we flee, where should we go?” A missile launched from North Korea was passing somewhere overhead. The J-Alert all-Japan instant alert system was blaring out orders in the middle of Okinawa’s night on 21 November.


Along with the screeching sirens, calls to seek refuge were broadcast again and again from the disaster loudspeakers. Staff at the municipalities rushed about confirming whether or not there had been any damage.


Downtown in Makishi, a company employee from Fukuoka Prefecture on business in Naha, Shingo Ono (49), stated, “While I was having a drink, suddenly I was startled by sirens, just like air-raid alerts, blaring away. I panicked, since, even if I were to flee for safety, I had no idea where to go.” 


Also in Makishi, a male taxi driver (49) stated,”Since this is a small island, if a missile were to strike here, really, there’s no place to flee. What are we supposed to do? No matter how much we protest, that country isn’t going to change, is it?”


In Ishigaki City, its Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama responded for our Sankei Shimbun coverage, “North Korea is acting provocatively. I’d like our Government to react resolutely.” He added emphatically, “As for the City, we’ll face it together on high alert!”


At the Okinawa Prefectural Office, staff from the Disaster and Crisis Management Division were busy confirming reports of damage in the prefectural municipalities. “Everyone in Okinawa Prefecture, take shelter quickly inside buildings or in basements!”, the NHK TV News announcers called out repeatedly to flee.


Meanwhile at the Prefectural Office、from 10:30 pm the Crisis Management Response Headquarters meeting was being held. There, Governor Denny Tamaki asserted, “It’s projected to pass through the skies over Okinawa Prefecture.” He added, “As for the Prefecture, we will handle the task of systematically gathering information.”


The governor made clear that he will also diligently coordinate with the Government and other relevant organs through staff and carry out appropriate information gathering and response.

In the case of a possible strike in the prefecture, the governor called on the Prefecture’s residents to take shelter in buildings.


Original Japanese article: Sankei Shimbun, published Wednesday 22 November 00:00, Byline: Naoki Ohtake    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/014bd0967394f9d2bf635efb37bd7b63bc65e4aa


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.

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