Denny in the News

Splendor of Okinawa: Field Marigold, Uruma RC Church, 23au24 The mayoral election for Ginowan City, which encompasses the US Military Futenma Airfield, will be declared on 1 August. The race looks to be effectively a one on one battle between a former mayor, who stands for pushing cooperation with the National Government in its plan for the use of the vacant space left after the repatriation of Kadena Airfield and a newcomer, supported by the power of Governor Denny Tamaki’s group All Okinawa, which opposes the airfield’s relocation to Henoko in Nago. The election ballots will be opened on 8 September. The 3 formal candidates, all listed as unaffiliated, scheduled to run in the mayoral election are: Former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima (60), endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito. Ginowan City Assemblyman Isao Tobaru (65), a newcomer endorsed by the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Communist Party, and the Social Democratic Party. Takashi Higa (47), a survey comp...

Splendor of Okinawa: Basil, beachside Mihama, 23au24. 80 years have passed since the Tsushima Maru, a ship used for the evacuation of a large number of Okinawan children, was attacked with torpedoes and sunk by a US submarine. On 24 August, a memorial ceremony was held for the victims who washed ashore along the Uken Funoshi Coast at Uken Village in Kagoshima. In addition to local residents, participants included Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki and school children from Okinawa and Amami, who are studying about the Tsushima Maru incident in a peace studies exchange program. About 100 people, their hands clasped in prayer before the memorial monument, to pray for the eternal happiness of the victims and lasting peace in the world. 　 The Tsushima Maru set off from Naha Port on 21 August 1944 with about 1800 passengers, including 1661 children from Okinawa national schools. On the following day, 22 August, off the coast of Akuseki Island, it was hit by torpedoes from a US submarin...

Splendor of Okinawa: Carruthers’ Falseface, beachside Mihama, 23au24 The US Marine Corps is soon to deploy MQ9 surveillance drones to Kadena Air base. In response to queries for press corps coverage on 26 August, Governor Denny Tamaki criticized the plan, while the burden of the Kadena base is continually increasing, lamenting, “This situation is becoming the exact opposite of the reduction of the burden of bases that our Prefecture has been requesting.” The governor further expressed his intention of requesting the Government to reconsider the planned deployment. Governor Tamaki has been keeping watch over the piece by piece increase in the prefecture’s burden, such as the repeated parachute drop exercises at Kadena Airbase, the use of its former Papa Loop aircraft parking tarmac, the increase of outside flights taking off and landing, and now the addition of surveillance drones. Governor Tamaki traveled to Tokyo in March over the increased burden at Kadena Airbase and directly compla...

Splendor of Okinawa: Hibiscus, beachside Mihama, 23au24 In its budget proposal for 2025, the Cabinet Office settled on its plan for a budgetary request of 282 billion yen for Okinawa Promotion, as explained on 27 August by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Okinawa Promotion Research Committee. This budgetary request was 10 billion less than the 2024 budget request. Thus, the Prefecture's budget request in the range of 300 billion yen was turned down for the 4th consecutive year. In order to get the Prefecture’s understanding on the relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture, during the nine years since 2013, the Cabinet Office has calculated the cost of the Okinawa Promotion to be in the range of 300 billion yen. However, the Cabinet Office has cut back its budget proposal drastically since 2022, in the midst of Governor Denny Tamaki’s opposition to the Henoko relocation. Original Japanese article: JIJI. Com, published T...

Splendor of Okinawa: Angelwing Jasmine, roadside Futenma, 8mr24 During the Pacific Campaign of WW2, a great many people became victims in the sinking of an evacuation ship by the US Military. Even as people with firsthand knowledge of the tragedy become fewer and fewer, the  memorial ceremony for those victims is still being carried out at Uken Village. 80 years ago, the Pacific War was right at its crux. About 1500 civilians were boarded on the Tsushima Maru for evacuation from Okinawa. However, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the US Military. A large group of student evacuees was among those aboard the ship. About 800 of those children lost their lives as victims of the sinking. This year is the 80th since the Tsushima Maru was sunk. About 100 interested villagers, plus, for the first time, Governor Denny Tamaki and others from Okinawa Prefecture, from where the Tsushima Maru had set out,  participated in the offering of flowers. Governor Denny Tamaki conveyed his thought...

Splendor of Okinawa: Ribbon Plant, beachside Mihama, 9au24 . The memorial ceremony for the Tsushima Maru, a ship evacuating student children, which was attacked and sunk by the US Military during the Pacific War (WW2), was held on Amami Oshima in Kagoshima. On 22 August 1944, during the Pacific War, the Tsushima Maru was attacked and sunk by a US Military submarine in mid voyage with evacuees bound for their Yokohama destination. 784 children were among the 1484 killed in the sinking.  Because a multitude of the bodies from the sinking washed ashore along Amami Oshima’s coast, a memorial ceremony has been held there every August. On this year’s 80th anniversary of the sinking, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki participated in the mourning. The governor prayed, “I hope that this link between the hearts of Amami and Okinawa will, even in the slightest way, spread out to become a wave of peace.” Original Japanese article: TBS News Dig, published Saturday 24 August 2024 at 23:2...

Splendor of Okinawa: Templetree, beachside Mihama, 9au24  Sea-bed boring for the Naha Port relocation has begun. In response, Governor Denny Tamaki noted, “I realize there are various opinions on this research”, while  expressing his intention to approve it, nonetheless.   Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki explained, “The Prefecture is quite aware of the various  opinions on the relocation. Among them especially is whether if some aspects are unclear, or others are  doubtful, should I approve the boring investigation?” In his 23 August scheduled press conference, the governor showed his thinking, noting, “I would still like to keep gathering arguments henceforth on whether or not there are any obstacles in the relocation plan to the overall design for the use of the port and bay at Naha Port.” Moreover, the US Military gave notice that it would carry out parachute jump exercises at Kadena Airbase on the afternoon of 23 August. In response, Governor Tamaki criti...

Splendor of Okinawa: Raintree, beachside Mihama, 19au24 In August of 1944 during Word War 2, the Tsushima Maru, an evacuation ship for school children, set out from Okinawa, but was attacked and sunk by a US submarine. It has been 80 years since more than 1,400, including children, perished on 22 August 1944. At the Little Cherry Blossom Memorial Monument in Naha, a memorial ceremony was held. About 410 relatives and others participated to offer prayers of mourning. Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki and Cabinet Minister for Okinawa and the Northern Territories Hanako Jimi participated, as the whistle sounded for all to offer a moment of silence. Chairman of the Tsushima Maru Memorial Association Public Interest Corporation Masakatsu Takara (84), who survived, but lost a total 9 family members, including parents and siblings in the sinking, pleaded in his address of mourning, “It is unpardonable for such a tragic event to occur again. I beg that the chain of retribution be expung...

Splendor of Okinawa: Crown Daisy, beachside Miyama, 19au24 A dump truck traffic accident resulting in death occurred at Awa Jetty in Nago City in Okinawa Prefecture, where a new base is under construction. The Okinawa Defense Bureau had temporarily halted the  work of loading soil onto the trucks from the jetty, but will resume the task on 22 August.  In response to Prefectural Office press squad questions on the resumption, on the evening of 21 August, Governor Denny Tamaki lamented, “No consultation at all has taken place on an investigation into the cause of the accident or measures to prevent a recurrence. It’s absolutely deplorable to restart work anyway.” The accident occurred at the exit of the jetty workyard on 28 June. During a protest activity, a woman got into an altercation with a security guard and a dump truck hit them both, killing the guard and badly injuring the woman, leaving her with a broken leg.  On 15 August the Defense Bureau asked the Prefecture to...

Splendor of Okinawa: Golden Crownbeard, beachside Mihama, 16au24 　 The Okinawa Defense Bureau has begun actual work in Oura Bay on the construction of the new base at Henoko in Nago in Okinawa. In response, on the afternoon  of 20 August, Governor Denny Tamaki issued a documented comment criticizing the one-sided start of construction, while consultations on permission for the very matter under consideration on the landfill are ongoing, calling the act, “Truly deplorable!” The Prefecture is expected to request from the Defense Bureau a halt in the construction while talks are continuing and until they are settled. Until then, in the prior consultations, detailed points about insufficient responses and measures for environmental safety must be confirmed. Moreover, the consultations ought to continue, without restraints of time. The Prefecture further requested, “The Defense Bureau must sincerely respond to the Prefecture’s directives.”  Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times...

Splendor of Okinawa: Indian Blanket, beachside Mihama, 9au24 On 14 August, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that he would not run in the Liberal Democratic Party election. In response to questions on the decision from the press squad for their coverage, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki answered briefly, “I feel that because of various and sundry personal circumstances, the Prime Minister judged to not run for re-election. However, I also feel it was probably his judgment as a politician.” However, in returning to the topic of the Kishida Administration, the governor claimed, “As was seen in his exercise of proxy in our lawsuits and such, while we were working earnestly toward a solution by dialog, I had hoped we could have had him lend us more of a constructive hand.” On his efforts on Okinawa Promotion, the governor  assessed the prime minister, noting,  “He was consistent in planning the Promotion program, according to a solid plan, a basic plan for  admin...

Splendor of Okinawa: Madagascar Periwinkle, beachside Mihama, 9au24 Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki attended a mass rally held in Ginowan on 10 August. Touching on his loss in the court battles over construction for the relocation of the U.S. Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, Governor Tamaki stated, “The courts issued their conclusions. In fact it may even be a unified conclusion.” Then, again laying bare his confrontational stance toward the National Government, the governor added, “But that’s no reason for us to be deprived of our means of resistance.” The rally was just prior to the twentieth anniversary, on 13 August, of the crash at Okinawa International University in Ginowan of a U.S. Military helicopter based in Okinawa. The rally was sponsored by All Okinawa and other groups supporting Governor Tamaki. According to the report of the sponsors, nearly 2,500 people attended. Included among those present were members of the Diet, Communist Party Secre...