2 novices and a former mayor are the 3 candidates running in the Ginowan City Mayoral election in Okinawa. (2au24)

Splendor of Okinawa: Ramgoat Dashalong, beachside Mihama, 23au24


Following the demise of the current mayor, Ginowan City in Okinawa declared the opening of its mayoral election on 1 August.


Three candidates have registered to run, all as independents:

  1. Former City Assembly Member Isao Tobaru (65), endorsed by the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Social Democratic Masses Party.

  2.  Takashi Higa (47), a company president,

  3. Former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima (60), endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito.


The counting of ballots will be on 8 August.


The relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield to Henoko in Nago will certainly be among the top issues of the campaign, making it really a one to one battle between Tobaru and Sakima.

　

Tobaru is against the relocation in line with his support from the power of All Okinawa which backs Governor Denny Tamaki. Tobaru touts enhanced public administrative services as his main stands, such as child support with free child care and school lunch fees.


On the other hand, Sakima, with his connections to LDP and Komeito stresses his acceptance of the Henoko relocation and his continuance of the projects and administration of the late Mayor Masanori Matsukawa, who died in office. He further appeals to the experience and achievements of his 2  terms (6 years) as Ginowan’s mayor with his pipeline to the National Administration as major qualifications


The third candidate, Higa, lays claim to his opposition to Covid 19 vaccination.

　

Original Japanese article: JIJI.COM, published Sunday 1 September 2024 at 17:34.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/cb02b259e277f80d9ea906b23f843d34fc652d95


Denny in the News:


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