What was the meaning of Governor Denny Tamaki’s laughing reply, “So, what’ll we do?”, to a query pointing out the ebb in All Okinawa’s fortunes? (28ja25)

Splendor of Okinawa: Poinsettia, Uruma, 13de24


All Okinawa supports Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki. So, at the Prefectural Office on 27 January, the morning after its female candidate lost the Okinawa City mayoral election, whose ballots were opened on 26 January, Governor Tamaki responded to press queries about the ebb in fortunes of All Okinawa.


The governor stated, “I’m not, by any means, the owner of the group called All Okinawa. It’s considered as one of the groups supporting me. But the group seems to engage also in a various and sundry array of activities.”


On that day, Governor Tamaki appeared at the Prefectural Office around 8:50 in the morning. There to meet him in the first floor lobby we’re only 3 reporters from mainland Japan media, including Sankei Shimbun. It was an unthinkably lonely atmosphere for his arrival at work, in light of the previous day‘s noteworthy opening of mayoral election ballots.


In last June’s Okinawa prefectural Assembly elections,  the force of All Okinawa, with its opposition to the Henoko relocation, suffered a huge loss of seats in the Assembly. Moreover, for the first time in 16 years, the strength of its conservative opposition grabbed the majority of the Assembly seats. So, Governor Tamaki’s support base is wavering.


Within the prefecture, in the opening of ballots for the Miyako City mayoral election on 19 January, a new candidate and former vice-mayor beat the incumbent, who had been supported by All Okinawa and the last such to remain of the 11 city mayors in the prefecture. Thus, the number of prefectural city mayors tied to All Okinawa has reached zero, and  its losses have just kept coming.


In response to the press query, “Isn’t All Okinawa’s tide on the ebb?”, Governor Tamaki just tilted his head and replied with a laugh, “Ha-ha-ha! Yep. Right! So, what’ll we do?” Still beaming a smile, the governor hurriedly stepped into the elevator.


Original Japanese article: Sankei Shimbun, published Monday 27j January 2025 at 09:55

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c7ad151cc2c5678319b9f900eff37a1c9a4e63f1


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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