Governor Tamaki responds to query, “What’s the reason for changing your deputy governor?” over Deputy Governor Ikeda’s intention to resign in the midst of his duties, under hounding from the LDP over responsibility in the Washington Office controversy. (27fe26)

Splendor of Okinawa: Eranthemum Pulchellum, roadside Uruma, 26ja24


At the Prefectural Assembly session on 26 February, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members asked for Governor Denny Tamaki’s response over Deputy Governor Ikeda’s submission of his resignation request on 8 February, after news of the problem of repeated procedural errors tied to the Washington Office, which the Prefecture had set up in Washington DC in the US.


Prefectural Assembly Member Dai Ikebukuro asked the governor, “Deputy Governor Ikeda abruptly resigned. We really can’t understand why…We’d like to hear from our governor the reason for changing his deputy governor.”


Governor Denny Tamaki replied, “I can only say prudently that it was a heavy decision, in which the person himself took into account our overall situation.”


Deputy Governor Ikeda had been connected to the Washington Office since its inception. The Prefecture’s Washington Office was set up as a paper corporation and a serving Prefectural staff member was assigned to run it. However, it became apparent that the Prefecture’s procedures were not followed. At a committee of experts, Deputy Governor Ikeda’s responsibility was pointed out as the person, at the time, in charge of coordinating the project.


Governor Tamaki had moved to make amends by cutting his own pay. But the pay cut could not be applied to Deputy Governor Ikeda, since his term of office was set to expire at the end of March, and he would accept retirement. Thus, explained the governor, Deputy Governor Ikeda, by retiring in the midst of his term, will effectively  forfeit his pay, and so he chose retirement.  


Regarding Deputy Governor Ikeda, Governor Tamaki said of his reputation, “We’ve received his hard efforts both within and outside Japan wherever our Prefectural Administration needed his support.”


On the other hand, on his deputy’s resignation, the governor stopped at noting, “I think it was the result of his consideration of our current situation.” Deputy Governor Ikeda has scheduled his retirement, while still in office, for 11 March, although his term ends at the end of March.


Original Japanese article: Ryukyu Broadcasting Corporation  (RBC), published Thursday 26 February 2026 at 16:22. ((27fe26).

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a2d86644876aab0cda43bd82adf3168382916a01


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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