Elements of All Okinawa and LDP factions agree to submit a motion requesting a decrease in operational expenses for Okinawa Prefecture’s Washington Office, leading the governor to promise a “flexible response”. (23fe25)

Splendor of Okinawa: Philippine Ground Orchid, roadside Uruma, 14 mr24.


In order to operate its Washington Office, Okinawa Prefecture set it up as a paper corporation. That has become a problem. 


So, on 21 February, All Okinawa groups, which support Governor Denny Tamaki as the prefectural administration ruling party, agreed with the majority opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to submit a motion requesting that the Prefecture decrease the Office’s operating expenses, included in the 2025 Preliminary General Accounts Budget. Governor Tamaki seems to be responding  to the All Okinawa compromise.


This can possibly have a huge impact on the Office’s activities.


The Prefecture had submitted a budget proposal at the February scheduled session of the Prefectural Assembly, packaged with operating expenses of 39 million yen for the Office.


The LDP requested the total deletion of the funding from the budget proposal and submitted a motion to that effect. With the cooperation of Komeito, the LDP got the motion passed.


Governor Tamaki requested that his original budget proposal be debated, without deleting the Office funding. The LDP ignored the governor leaving the situation deadlocked.


So, representatives of the ruling and opposition parties intervened to confer on the issue. On 21 February, conditioned on the LDP’s responding to debate on the original proposal, all parties agreed to submit a motion that the Prefecture reduce the funding for the Office.


Governor Tamaki could actually proceed with the original proposal unilaterally. However, since that would invite the public criticism of high handedness,  All Okinawa took the stance of compromise.


The extent of the decrease in the funds will be decided by a special budget committee. Will it be a total deletion of funding? Or, will it be a decrease to absolute minimal maintenance level? That remains to be seen.


Facing the press squad on 21 February, Governor Tamaki stated, “We’ll accept the motion flexibly.”


The Washington Office was established to relay the Prefecture’s opinions to the US, such as its opposition to the relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield to Henoko in Nago. The Preferred established the Office as a paper corporation, but some necessary procedures were not complied with.


Original Japanese article: Yomiuri Shimbun, published Saturday 22 February 2025 at 10:55

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/97ffce26834d2e634e60a54c7a41c426c70368c0


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 the 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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