The US Military Futenma Airfield is planned to be relocated to Henoko. The work of installing a multitude of sand-filled metal pipe piles by driving them into the weak seabed in Oura Bay has begun. (30ja25)

Splendor of Okinawa: Blue Sage, roadside Futenma. 26ja24.


The Defense Ministry plans to relocate the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, both in Okinawa. On 29 January, the Ministry began work installing sand-filled pipe piles to strengthen the weak seabed spread out in Oura Bay. 


The current status has been confirmed.  From  around 3 p.m. on 29 January, at the sea area site, a work-ship was driving multiple metal piles into the sea.


The Ministry, over the next 4 years and one month, will shore up the seabed by using about 71,000  piles, made by pouring sand into metal pipes. 


After that, the whole area will be landfilled. When the relocation is complete in the middle of the 2030s, the Futenma Airfield is targeted to revert to Japan.


For the sake of the weak seabed strengthening work, the Government approved design changes by proxy in place of the Prefecture, which opposes the relocation.


Driving in piles first began last December and work has since been proceeding with the spreading of sand on the seafloor.


On 29 January, Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki issued his comment on the project, “The construction is anticipated to be difficult. We’ll keep close watch on it.”

　

Original Japanese article: Yomiuri Shimbun, published Thursday 30ja25 at 09:46.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e963cd76dae958d278bf1c85c0d6f6cfee053f58


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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