Governor Tamaki makes a request to Minister for Okinawa Kikawada, “Please give up on the Henoko relocation, since the understanding of our prefecture’s people can’t be gotten.” (30oc25)

Splendor of Okinawa: Crepe Ginger, Gushikawa RC Church, 26oc25


On 29 October, Cabinet Minister for Okinawa and the Northern Territories Hiroshi Kikawada visited Okinawa Prefecture for the first time since taking office and held discussions with Governor Denny Tamaki.


Governor Tamaki once again pleaded for the relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield outside the prefecture or even outside Japan and the reversion of the closed base’s land as soon as possible.


The governor requested, “We’d like the abandonment of plans to relocate the base to Henoko in Nago, since the understanding of our prefecture’s people can’t be gotten!”


Since the inauguration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, this was the first visit of a cabinet minister to Okinawa. However, there are hints that the unease over the Henoko relocation between the National Administration and the Prefecture are stiff and deep rooted.


At the start of their discussions, Governor Tamaki brought up the issue of the US Military bases. He stated, “Now 80 years have passed since the end of the war and 50 since Okinawa Prefecture’s reversion to Japan. Yet we still bear the extraordinary weight of the base burden. We’d truly appreciate a responsive dialogue toward solving this problem.”


Later in the conversation, Governor Tamaki handed the minister a list of 20 items in Newsome of discussion.


On receiving the list, Minister Kikawada replied, I’m going to put all my strength into dealing with Okinawa’s development.”


Before Minister Kikawada held discussions with Governor Tamaki, he visited Itoman City’s Peace Memorial Park, where he laid flowers at the National Cemetery for the Victims of the Okinawa Campaign.


Original Japanese article: Sankei Shimbun, published Wednesday 29 October 2025 at 1846.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/cc8d2922910cbda85d357689f315280dba7a1d2c


Denny in the News:

Denny Tamaki is the governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Although 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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