As of the end of August, 7 people from Okinawa Prefecture, including 4 under the age of 20, have been exposed to Etomidate, a drug designated harmful, (23se25)

 Splendor of Okinawa: Clubed Begonia, 13au25


On 22 September, the first day of general questioning at the scheduled September Okinawa Assembly session, 8 members from the opposition side took the podium.


In response to a query from unaligned but Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) supporter Shinobu Higa on the question of Etomidate, which had been designated a harmful drug in March, Okinawa Prefectural Police Headquarters Chief Ryuichiro Kobori confirmed that, as of the end of August, there had been 7 incidents with 7 victims exposed to the drug, 4 of them under 20.


In response to the following two queries from Zenko Nakazato, who is unaligned but supportive of the LDP, Headquarters Chief Kobori reported that of the total of about 4,000 designated Maru-Yu  Companies (joint leisure businesses with excellent marine area safety measures), 110 were in compliance with preparations for coastal leisure safety measures. He further explained that the Police were creating measures prioritizing  Maru-Yu Companies for publication online on their home page targeting tourist agencies.


On the concept of barrier free "Universal Beaches”, Prefectural Culture, Tourism, and Sports Director Makoto Moromizato explained that, as of April 2024, within the prefecture, there were 15 beaches, including Naminue, Chura-Chura Itoman, and Azama Sansan Beaches, published in the prefecture’s pamphlet .


Tadaaki Shimajiri, who is unaligned but supportive of the LDP, also received a response from Governor Tamaki on his query on the participation of  the Ground Self Defense Forces (GSDF) 15th Brigade in the All Okinawa Island Eisa (Ryukyuan: drum with music, and dance) Festival, despite requests from some local civics groups to exclude them.


Governor Tamaki responded, “We must earnestly make a judgment on whether or not that would constitute discrimination. So, I’d rather not get into that just now.” However, on the question of the SDF dancing the Eisa, the governor offered his view, noting, “But, isn’t it wonderful that, apart from their regular duties, they have the impulse of wanting to form an Eisa team, practice, and join the festival?”


Original Japanese article: Okinawa Times, published Tuesday 23 September 2025 w 10:46.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a9154f40aa13024f7538f1810052e7963f6d4246


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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