(A point of view) Our Political Department’s Tsunetoshi Kondo visits Henoko over whether its new base ought to be questioned.

Splendor of Okinawa: Wax Begonia, roadside Uruma, 6ja25


“Somehow or other our colors match!”, quipped Okinawa Governor Tamaki, joking that he and Chief Cabinet Secretary  Minoru Kihara were both wearing the same iron red Kariyushi (trans note: brightly-patterned Okinawan wear) shirts, in their first face to face meeting at the Prefectural Office at the end of last November. 


With that single phrase, Governor Tamaki began the meeting, setting a cheerful mood. 


However, the gap between them on the issue of the new base construction at Henoko to accommodate the relocation of the US Military Futenma Airfield in Ginowan was not to be bridged. Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara just repeated the National Government’s plan.


Governor Tamaki stressed, “I’d like to request a policy solution, through dialogue, for the abandonment of the Henoko relocation and the removal of Futenma’s dangers without a moment’s delay.”


However, Secretary Kihara just repeated the existing  Administration plan, noting, “We’re proceeding based on the agreement between the US and Japan to recover our land. We will realize the reduction of your burden.”


We accompanied Secretary Kihara on his visit to Okinawa and went with him all the way to Henoko.


Since 2018, the Defense Ministry has been  dumping rubble in the sea on its southern side and has all but finished its land fill there, changing it into land.


However, on the east side of Oura Bay, where the broad seabed is weak, the rubble dumping has just begun. We could confirm a pile driving ship, moored with its steel crane towers visible above the sea.

It is said that the construction job is difficult and does not lend itself to a “quick elimination of dangers”. In order to strengthen the seabed, the ship will pound about 70,000 piles down to a depth of 70 meters at the bay’s deepest points.


The work had been on hold for about six months, for reasons of weather and such, until it began again at the end of last year. The difficulty of the work was pointed out. Up until the end of last November, only about 2,900 piles have been put in place, not even 5% of the total.


The National Government claims the total construction work is on time, but will not set a construction schedule due to stormy weather. However, at the present pace, even given 20 years, it will not be finished.


Original Japanese article: Tokyo Shimbun, published Wednesday 21 January at 06:00. Byline: Tsunetoshi Kondo. https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/463378


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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