Okinawa’s Governor Denny Tamaki looks forward to a revision of the US-Japan SOFA in urging new Party President Ishiba, “Make your dialogue with our Prefecture a reality.” (29se24)

Splendor of Okinawa: Zennia Gushikawa RC Church, 29se24


On 27 September, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Shigeru Ishiba was elected as the Liberal Democratic Party’s new president. On the news, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki announced such comments as, “We offer him our heartfelt congratulations.” Reflecting on President Ishiba’s expertise in defense policy, the governor noted, “I feel that, right from the start, the new president will understand Okinawa’s actual circumstances with our US Military base problem.”


The governor further touched on Shigeru Ishiba’s statements during the presidential election campaign, asserting, “Since he brought up the revision of the US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), we expect him to review the matter to reflect the voices of our prefecture’s people.”


In reference to the new base construction at Henoko, on the other hand, the governor requested, “There was also the lack of mention of any response to the Okinawan people’s will on that count, despite such issues as the weak seabed and the construction period. We’d like to have him grasp the true situation and realize a dialogue with Okinawa Prefecture, touching on the reality on the ground at Henoko.”


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Friday 27 September 2024 at 17:30

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/975452f58e7e23072e42bdee3b55517d7bc97520


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.

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