Denny in the News

Splendor of Okinawa: Wall Iris, roadside Futenma, 24mr25. On 30 March, Governor Denny Tamaki visited the final day of the 76th Okinawa Exhibition, sponsored by the Okinawa Times, at its ANA  Arena site in Urasoe, to enjoy its art works. Finding a free day, the governor comes to enjoy the art works each year. Governor Tamaki stated, “Each year this exhibition gives me joy. The number and multi-colored variety of the works are impressive. While feeling their healing power, I’m stimulated to study them carefully.” Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times, published Sunday 30 March 2025 at 13:23. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e1305eeba3e5c3653be33b60202a1521ca2df41e 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.  T...

Splendor of Okinawa: Hibiscus, roadside Futenma, 24mr25. Okinawa Prefecture established a  Washington Office. But in response, the Prefectural Assembly passed a General Accounts Preliminary Budget Proposal  that returned to Governor Denny Tamaki a budget with funding for the Office totally deleted. Moreover, on 28 March, it became obvious that a decision had been made not to enter into the renegotiations to debate and repair the original proposal, as requested by the governor. After passing the proposal, it was handed along to the ruling party’s representatives at a meeting. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) proposal passed with a majority in agreement. But, the increase in the amount of bond refinancing will be up for discussion.  It had become obvious that there were flaws in the procedures at the time of the establishment of the Washington Office. The 2025 Preliminary General Accounts Budget Proposal had included about 40 million yen for the Office’s expenses. But the...

Splendor of Okinawa: Flaming Katy, roadside Futenma, 24mr25. The addition of funds for the operation of Okinawa Pefecture’s Washington Office into the 2025 Preliminary budget proposal has become problematic. So, the opposition, the majority Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faction, on 28 March, submitted a revised proposal to the Prefectural Assembly to delete the operational funds, submitted by the Administration, totally from its proposed budget. That proposal was accepted and passed by a majority, including every faction of the LDP, Komeito, and Japan Restoration Party. Those parties have strengthened their resolve to pass up on an additional session, which Governor Denny Tamaki is requesting in order to make reforms through debate. So, it looks like the Washington Office will be deleted from the budget. It was discovered that the Prefecture set up the Office as a paper corporation in order to register it as a business entity in the US. The Prefectural Investigative Validation Committ...

Splendor of Okinawa: Rhododendron, roadside Futenma, 24mr25 Okinawa Prefecture established its Washington Office in the US as a paper corporation. However, in obtaining a work visa for its resident employee there, the Prefecture submitted paperwork of dubious truthfulness to the US Government.  Considering this problem, a local Okinawan celebrity Satoshi Kawamitsu, who is beloved under his stage-name Kawamitsu Shenshe- (Ryukyuan: Teacher), was hired as the representative of “The Okinawa Prefectural Residents Group for Requesting the Closure of the Washington Office”.  On 27 March, he submitted their petition, addressed to Governor Denny Tamaki. The petition points out, “Neither the materials nor the reports we requested of the Prefectural Executive Division, the Prefectural Assembly, the 100 Article Commission, and the Investigation Validity Committee have been submitted. What has become an absolutely huge source of distrust is that the Prefecture’s defense has been continuous...

Splendor of Okinawa: Hyacinth Orchid, roadside Futenma, 24mr25 During the Okinawa Campaign in the closing stage of World War II, US troops began their landings starting in the Kerama Island Chain on 26 March 1945, 80 years ago today. On the morning of 26 March 1945, the US troops, starting from Me-nu Beach on Aka Island in the Kerama Chain, landed in the surrounding islands one after another. The sea was filled with countless Allied warships. Okinawa was devastated by a fierce artillery barrage, a “typhoon of steel”. Its seas were scattered with the bodies of kamikaze pilots. One in every four residents of Okinawa Prefecture became a victim. The combined total of victims from both the US and Japanese sides surpassed 200,000. Not just Okinawa Island, but also its outer islands were ravaged by the fires of war. Tragedies occurred in numerous cases, when island civilians, cornered in flight from US troops, committed group suicides. At Zamami village, where the US troops first landed, many...

Splendor of Okinawa: Multiflora Rose, roadside Futenma, 24mr25 The paper corporation that Okinawa Prefecture set up to run its Washington Office has become problematic.  On 24 March, the Investigative Verification Committee, made up of lawyers and other outside experts,  which the Prefecture had established, confirmed the Office’s prospects in documents that it had gathered, reporting, “With  its procedural defects, its maintenance in its current state will be difficult”. Governor Denny Tamaki, who aims to keep the Office in existence, is expected to submit the Committee’s report at the final Assembly meeting on 28 March. There he will put his influence into the debate over whether to keep the Office running. According to the Committee, they closely researched the various materials related to the Office on 24 March. However, they claimed to be unable to confirm materials that could guarantee the legitimacy of the Office at the present time. One significant point was that,...

Splendor of Okinawa: Ajuga Decumbens, Gushikawa RC Church, 9mr25. Mr. Horinyo (45) of Osaka has posted photos colorized from black and white, from prior to World War II until its end,  on social media. On 21 March, Mr. Horinyo visited Governor Denny Tamaki at the Prefectural Office to present the governor a copy of and exchange views on his book “Okinawa Viewed in Colorized Photos”, published in February by Border Ink. Mr. Horinyo stated, “I’d be delighted if this book drives  motivation to think about the Battle of Okinawa, now 80 years ago.” Mr. Horinyo’s book assembles about 120 photos, preserved at sites such as the Prefectural Archives,  that he has colorized. Mr. Horinyo noted, “I’ve been steadily at the task since 5 years ago. I’m delighted I could get the book out in time for the 80th anniversary of the end of the Okinawa Campaign.” In hopes that it might be useful to the Prefectural Archives, Mr. Horinyo has presented a  portion of the royalties to the Prefe...

Splendor of Okinawa: Narcissus, roadside Uruma, 22mr25. It has been 80 years since US Forces landed at Zamami Village on 26 March 1945 at the start of the land phase of the Battle of Okinawa. Governor Denny Tamaki has confirmed that he will visit the village on the 80th anniversary of that day to attend the memorial service, sponsored by the village. The governor stated, “I’ll become the first governor of our prefecture to make the 26 March visit in all these 80 years. I feel that, for all of us, we have a backlog in our history there.” The governor noted that he had decided to visit Zamami Village due to a meeting at the Prefectural Office, on 21 March, with Mr. Horinyo who had used social media to post him photos, colorized from black and white, which were taken from prior to the start of the campaign through to the end of the war in Okinawa.  On 26 March 1945, US troops landed on the islands of Aka, Geruma, and Zamami, all under the administration of Zamami Village. The resident...

Splendor of Okinawa: Leopard Plant, beachside Mihama, 10mr25. On 21 March, the National Council on Cultural Affairs reported to the Ministry of Education Culture Sports Science and Technology that it would designate as Important National Cultural Property a total of 3 artifacts: 2 items from the records dealing with family from a Ryukyu Kingdom samure- (Ryukyuan: administrative official) class family called the Ryukyu Genealogy and 1 related to the family of the Miyaradunchi Residence, which produced a large number of the highest-ranked administrative officials in the Yaeyama region during the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Council is expected to announce its report by autumn.  Among the 3 items to be designated, 2 are from the Ryukyu Genealogy and its related documents. One of them is the Ryukyu Genealogy in 25 volumes with its 21 related documents in 2 boxes of genealogies, held by the Prefecture. The other is the Ryukyu Genealogy in 45 volumes and its related 130 documents  in  ...

Splendor of Okinawa: Silver Cock’s Comb, beachside Mihama,  10mr25 　 Upper House Representative Tetsumi Takara (71, elected for one term in the Okinawa election District) of the local political party Okinawa Social Mass Party held a press conference in Naha on 17 March. He announced that he would not run in this summer’s House of Councilors election. Following his first term, he had previously expressed his intention to be the chosen candidate of the All Okinawa force, which supports Governor Denny Tamaki. However, as he did not respond with support for All Okinawa’s backed unity candidate in last year’s Okinawa 4th District Lower House election, an uproar was raised by the other parties in it. The problem arose in Prefecture’s 4th District, when Representative Takara did not support the novice candidate of the Constitutional Democratic Party, chosen in unity with All Okinawa. 　 The Social Mass Party, in February of this year, decided on a cleanup which ended Representative Takara’...

Splendor of Okinawa: Indian Hawthorn, beachside Mihama, 10mr25 The Japanese Government is reportedly considering prioritizing Kyushu for the deployment of long-range missiles with counter attack capability. In response, Joint Representative Takamatsu Gushiken of the “ Nuchi Du- Takara (Ryukyuan: Life is Treasure) No More Wars in Okinawa” group held a press conference with others on 18 March at the Prefectural Office. They declared their statement of opposition to the deployments. A plan is in process to evacuate the residents of the Sakishima Island Chain (Japan’s outermost southern islands) in the event of a crisis. However, Mr. Gushiken’s group is requesting the cancellation of evacuation plans, noting, “If the long-range missiles are deployed to Kyushu, its residents will probably be the first to evacuate. It’s unrealistic for us to evacuate.” According to the group’s declaration, “If Japan gets into a war with the huge nation of China with its nukes and missiles, Japan will be obl...

Splendor of Okinawa: Lisimachia Mauritianna, beachside Mihama, 10mr25. The establishment of a paper corporation in order to run its US Washington Office has become an issue. At the 18 March Prefectural Assembly’s Special Budget Committee, the governor stated, “We want to manage the Office in an even better form!”, once again emphasizing his intention to keep the Office in existence. Quite to the contrary of that, several factions of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the Prefectural Assembly, are forming a plan for a motion for a revised budget proposal, which would completely erase the 39 million yen for the Office’s operational expenses. Moreover, it is calling on Komeio to agree to the same proposal. After the budget committee was over, the LDP explained its revised proposal for the Office‘s total deletion to the administrative ruling party factions, including All Okinawa, which supports Governor Tamaki. All Okinawa disagreed and countered with consideration of a rever...