On reception of the Prefectural People’s Glory Award Special Certificate of Gratitude, Coach Higa of Okinawa Shogaku promises, “I’ll concentrate on the future!”, while Conductor Haneji of the brass band asserts, “I’m just someone from this prefecture who loves Okinawa.” (16oc25)

Splendor of Okinawa: Ramgoat Dashalong, roadside Uruma, 12oc25.


The Okinawa Shogaku Baseball Team received the Prefectural People’s Glory Award for winning the 107th National High School Baseball Tournament (Summer Koshien). 


On 14 October, the Okinawa Shogaku Baseball Team and their coach Koya Higa (44) participated in the award ceremony held at the Prefectural Office. There, they were welcomed with  applause by the assembled prefectural people.


Coach Higa was presented the Prefectural Sports Leadership Special  Award for leading his teams in the 2008 championship at the Spring Koshien and his victory at this year’s Summer Koshien.


Coach Higa stated, “I have said that there is great significance in winning at Koshien as representatives of Okinawa schools with our limited environment. At Koshien, our students put up a tenacious fight for us. Hereafter as well, I want to concentrate on schools in general, so that  the level of Okinawa’s high school baseball with all other sports will be enhanced.”


Native of Okinawa Prefecture Yasutaka Haneji (77) is the conductor of the Amagasaki Municipal High School Brass Band in Hyogo Prefecture. In the 45 years since 1981, his band has come to  cheer on Okinawa Prefecture’s representative teams every year. He has waved his baton over 104 Summer Koshien Tournaments and 58 Spring Koshien Tournaments.


On being presented the Gratitude Certificate from Governor Denny Tamaki, Conductor Haneji gushed with joy, “It’s been my pleasure to do it  over all these long years!” He continued, “As long as I’m healthy, I’ll keep it up. As someone from Okinawa Prefecture who loves Okinawa, I want to keep on doing my best with our kids from now on!”


Hereafter, Governor Tamaki plans to hand over a Gratitude Certificate also directly to the Amagasaki Municipal High School Brass Band, when he can fit it into his schedule.


A ten year old Naha school child who visited with four family members had his baseball signed by pitcher  Ryousuke Sueyoshi. He said gleefully, “It’s great you pitched so many strike outs. I want to display this ball at home!”


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Wednesday 15 October 2025 at 12:51.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/8880f6b28a613099f60da51cbbe8b076fdda3521


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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In the suit over exercise of proxy in the case of the weak seabed at the new Henoko base, judgment to be handed down on 20 December. (4de23)

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Shrubby Bush Clover, roadside Uruma, 30no23 The seabed at the new base construction site at Henoko in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, is weak and needs reinforcement. So, the Okinawa Defense Bureau requested permission for the necessary design changes, but Governor Denny Tamaki refused. In response, the Government intends to exercise proxy to give itself permission in place of the governor. The Naha Branch of the Fukuoka High Court announced on 29 November that it will hand down its judgment in the lawsuit filed over the case at 2 pm on 20 December. At the trial on 30 October, Governor Denny Tamaki emphasized in the first oral arguments, “We can in no way accept this exercise of proxy, which violates the autonomy and independence of Okinawa.”  He further stressed the will of the prefecture’s people in opposition to the new base construction as the ‘Public will’. In addition, he requested to show that the  path to resolution lay in dialogue. The trial was conclud...
Read more

Governor Denny receives the report on JUNGLIA at the 4 month mark after its opening. (7de25)

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Temple Tree, Mihama Beach, 1de25 CEO Takeshi Kato of Japan Entertainment (JE), which manages JUNGLIA Okinawa, visited Governor Denny Tamaki at the Prefectural Office on 28 November.  　 The CEO reported on the 4 months since the attraction’s opening. He repeatedly brought up dealing with operational improvements and such based on the voices of visitors to the park.  　 The CEO specifically mentioned the evening concerts in the park’s garden and, starting from December, the free entry of one child with each adult, targeting the prefecture’s people. CEO Kato stated, “We’d like to be contributing to Okinawa’s tourism as well.” Governor Tamaki, alluding to his speech the same day, entitled “Declaration on Sustainable Tourism”, stated, “For the people, employees, and tourists of our prefecture, this is an important win-win format. We’d like to have JE’s cooperation in many, many more initiatives.” Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Shimpo, published Sunday 30 Nov...
Read more

In Okinawa, Candidate Takara takes hold of the Henoko opposition parties as their new face, urging,”Let’s earnestly come to grips with these issues together.” (21jy25).

Image
Splendor of Okinawa: Mexican Petunia, Gushikawa RC Church, 13jy25. In the House of Councilors Election for the Okinawa Election District, independent candidate Sachika Takara (46), endorsed by All Okinawa, which opposes the relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan to Henoko in Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture, scored a victory. She defeated the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Party’s new candidate Ryo Okuma (38) in the election campaign.  Candidate Takara pledged before her supporters, “The Henoko problem is something our prefecture’s people have taken into our hearts. We’re going to earnestly come to grips with it together.”  With their eyes on a victory in next year’s gubernatorial election, her victory was a bitter blow to the LDP. Governor Denny Tamaki, who held the job of Candidate Takara’s campaign headquarters chief, stressed, “The will of the people in opposition to the relocation remains unshaken.” In recent mayoral elections, All Okinawa’s fortunes ha...
Read more