To ease traffic congestion around his Nanjo Costco store, which serves 70 thousand customers weekly, President KenTheriault requests that Governor Tamaki rapidly open the Southern East highway route. (18ap25)

Splendor of Okinawa: Egyptian Starcluster, Gushikawa RC Church, 23mr25.


On 14 April, President Ken Theriault of Costco Holdings Japan, which has recently opened the US membership style supermarket Costco in Okinawa, paid a visit to Okinawa Prefecture Governor Denny Tamaki. His requests included the rapid opening of the Southern East Highway route to ease traffic congestion 


In August of 2024, the Costco Nanjo outlet opened and now serves an average of over 70 thousand customers per week from within and outside the prefecture, So, recently traffic jams seem to have occurred.


According to the Prefecture, due to difficulties in negotiations with landowners, the highway’s opening date is uncertain. However, the governor explained, “Based on legal ordinances, the land acquisition is ongoing.”



President Theriault also noted that, since the gasoline stand, annexed to his store under his management, is being provided with fuel from outside the prefecture and even overseas, he requested support from the Prefecture for the creation of a supply system with local distributors.

　

The Nanjo Costco outlet employs 413 local staff, at an average hourly wage of 1828 yen. Moreover, a wage increase is said to be planned for May.


Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times, published Thursday 17 April 2025 at 13:03.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a42a616f83464e4bc24d419b8f663edc2231c654


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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