The Okinawa Defense Bureau has begun driving in a planned 70,000 piles to reinforce the weak seabed at Henoko. (31ja25)

Splendor of Okinawa: Chinese  Hibiscus, roadside Futenma, 26ja24


The Government is proceeding with its plan to relocate the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture. 


On 29 January, the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau began the work of driving piles into Oura Bay on the eastern side of US Military Camp Schwab to reinforce the weak seabed spread out in the sea area planned for landfill there. At a press conference held the same day, Keiichiro Tachibana, the bureau’s deputy chief, confirmed the start of the operation.


At its deepest, the weak seabed at Henoko is spread out over 90 meters below the sea surface. However, the Government will drive the piles down to only 70 meters below the surface, which has successfully been done before by Japanese companies and is expected to provide adequate seabed reinforcement. 


At the press conference, Deputy Chief Tachibana alluded to the pile-driving construction method, emphasizing, “It’s been used at Haneda and other airports. We’ve had lots of actual experience with it.”


According to sources, at about 3 p.m. on 29 January, sand-packed piles were being driven into the seabed. Ground moisture was discharged from the piling pipes and the work of hardening the seabed proceeded with a method called “sand-draining”. According to the Okinawa Defense Bureau, in coordination with other methods, about 71,000 piles will be driven, one after another, into the seabed.


Governor Denny Tamaki warned, “We’ll respond appropriately, requesting properly shared reports on the construction situation.”


In December of 2023, to sideline the governor’s objections, the Government approved the necessary design changes for the seabed reinforcement construction by proxy. Since January of 2024, work has been progressing such as building a dike around the area of Oura Bay designated for the landfill. 　


Original Japanese article: Mainichi Shimbun, published Wednesday 29 January 2025 at 19:38. Byline: Hiroshi Higa and Satoru Suzuki.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0290d6168dc8613421ef2f1426ec1ff2d53147bd


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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