GoyaRepublic E-Zine

Japanese Delegation wants the U.S. out of Okinawa - Media Monitors

2012-01-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

"Base opponents in Okinawa work with others in Korea, Guam, and Hawaii, and with former residents of Diego Garcia, as well as others around the world. An international conference called "Dialogue Under Occupation" was held in Okinawa last summer. In fact, people are working extremely hard in cities around the world to shut down or prevent the construction of giant military bases that we in the United States pay for and are endangered by but have very little awareness of."

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Ryukyu Shimpo – Okinawa, Japanese newspaper, local news » Calling out Hoi to ward off evil spirits ― Satiparo held in Miyakojima

2012-01-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

On January 17 at Uenonobaru in Miyakojima, a traditional ritual called satiparo was held. With children wearing masks and performing as a visiting deity pantu in the lead, wrapped in vines, women carrying yabunikkei twigs in their hands walked around the community and drove away evil spirits.

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Japan quake drives tourist numbers to rock bottom | CNNGo.com

2012-01-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

Given the knock-on effects of the March 11 earthquake, it’s hardly unexpected, but the news that the number of tourists visiting Japan in 2011 was down by almost 30 percent still came as something of a blow to the country’s travel industry.

The figures, compiled by the Japan National Tourist Organization, show the biggest annual fall in visitors since it began keeping records.

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OKINAWA LOCAL TOUR GUIDE'S BLOG: Nago Cherry Blossom Festival 2012

2012-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

This year's Nago Cherry Blossom Festival offers a few new programs, including "Transit Mall" on Nago Main Street, "Nago Tug-of-War" and free shuttle service.

I hope visitors take advantage of the shuttle service because it will take you all the way up to the top of Nangusuku Hill where you can look down the spectacular view of the pink carpet of flowers spreading on the hillside.

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AFP: US ex-diplomat Maher pulls no punches on Japan

2012-01-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

Maher's earlier strident critiques led to his downfall. While in office, he spoke to students about Okinawa -- home to half of the 47,000 US troops in Japan -- and accused local leaders of playing on mainland Japanese guilt to "extort" concessions. Japanese media accounts of his remarks stirred outrage.

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World War II destroyer USS Laffey returns to South Carolina home after $9 million in repairs - The Washington Post

2012-01-26T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Laffey, built at Maine’s Bath Iron Works in 1943, got its nickname as “The Ship That Would Not Die” when it was on picket duty off Okinawa in March 1945. About 50 Japanese planes attacked and about half got through to the Laffey. The ship suffered 103 casualties when it was hit by four bombs and five kamikaze planes.

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Tanaka pushes for 2012 move of Futenma - UPI.com

2012-01-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka reiterated his hopes that the U.S. Marine Corps Station Futenma can be relocated soon to Okinawa's Henoko coastal area.

Tanaka, on his first trip to Okinawa since taking on the Defense post Jan. 13 in a Cabinet reshuffle, spoke to the media after meeting with Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima in the island's capital city Naha.

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Japan’s Finance Ministry Cuts View on Regional Economies - Bloomberg

2012-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

Japan’s Finance Ministry lowered its evaluation of the country’s regional economies for the first time in nine months as the yen’s advance to a postwar high against the dollar weighed on growth.

The economies “are in a severe state, though they are improving at a moderate pace,” the ministry said in a quarterly report released today in Tokyo. It downgraded its assessment for five of 11 areas it tracks including Tokai, home of Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) It maintained its view in five and became more optimistic in its evaluation of Okinawa, the nation’s southernmost island.

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Tanaka copter remark draws new fire | The Japan Times Online

2012-01-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka came under fresh fire Tuesday for recent remarks that critics say made light of the risks of U.S. helicopters flying over the contentious Futenma base in Okinawa.

Tanaka clarified to reporters that he is aware of the dangers and noise concerns of helicopters near the base, which is located in a crowded part of the city of Ginowan.

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Ryukyu Shimpo – Night rainbow said to invite happiness photographed on Ishigaki Island

2012-01-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

In the evening of January 7, a night rainbow was observed at the Ishigakijima Astronomical Observatory. A night rainbow is said to be a phenomenon that invites happiness.

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OpEdNews - Article: Japanese Delegation Wants the U.S. Out of Okinawa

2012-01-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

A 24-member delegation from Japan is in Washington, D.C., this week opposing the presence and new construction of U.S. military bases in Okinawa. Participating are members of the Japanese House of Councilors, of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, and of city governments in Okinawa, as well as leading protest organizers and the heads of several important organizations opposed to the ongoing U.S. military occupation of Okinawa.

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First DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Coming To Japan :: Hotel News Resource

2012-01-24T15:59:00.000-08:00

Hilton Worldwide today signed a management agreement with ASV Investment Co., Ltd to introduce the first DoubleTree by Hilton property to Japan. Scheduled to open in mid-2012 as Hilton Worldwide's tenth property in Japan, the 228-room DoubleTree by Hilton, Naha will be located in Naha, the capital city of Okinawa. Situated at the heart of Naha's central business district, DoubleTree by Hilton, Naha will be located directly opposite the Okinawa Monorail station in Asahibashi, 11 minutes away from Naha Airport by monorail and 500 meters away from the local ferry terminal.

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PanOrient News | Noda: We Are Transitioning from the Atlantic Century to the Asia-Pacific Century

2012-01-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Noda reiterated that deepening the Japan-U.S. security alliance, the cornerstone of Japan's diplomacy, will contribute to the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the world, and said his government will stick to the Japan-U.S. accord on relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within Okinawa Prefecture.

"We are transitioning from the Atlantic century to the Asia-Pacific century... and the rebirth of Japan cannot occur without a wealthy and stable Asia-Pacific region," he said.

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Mike's Ryukyu Gallery: Sinking the Tsushima Maru A Sad Day in History...(Photo Essay)

2012-01-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

This is a short photo essay from the shortest museum visit I've ever made. The Tsushima Maru Museum is located in Naha City Okinawa, Japan.

As I took this photo, depicting a survivor on a raft, an elderly woman behind me was crying.Only 59 students from that ship survived.She may have been one of them.I left the museum.

War stinks!

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Defense minister, Okinawa governor remain apart over base relocation - The Mainichi Daily News

2012-01-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

Japan's new defense minister, Naoki Tanaka, and Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima remained apart Monday over a controversial plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station within the prefecture.

During their meeting in Naha, which was open to the press, Tanaka renewed his call for the local community to accept the plan to relocate Futenma from Ginowan to the less populated Henoko area in Nago in the prefecture, in line with a Japan-U.S. accord.

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U.S. base worker in Okinawa admits causing fatal road accident - The Mainichi Daily News

2012-01-23T15:32:00.000-08:00

A U.S. military base employee has pleaded guilty to causing a traffic accident that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old Japanese man in Okinawa in January last year, it has been learned.

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Give Okinawa Back To The Okinawans - Forbes

2012-01-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

The U.S. is overextended and overburdened, but Washington policymakers are determined to preserve America’s dominant military presence around the globe. Financial pressure is forcing the administration to finally slow a massive, decade-long increase in military spending, but American garrisons overseas remain inviolate. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared: “The U.S. remains committed to maintaining a robust forward presence in East Asia.”

That means preserving multiple bases in Okinawa, which have burdened island residents since the U.S. defeated imperial Japanese forces there in mid-1945. Nearly seven decades later Washington refuses to take any meaningful steps to lighten the load. Indeed, Administration pressure in 2010 helped force the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama over the issue.

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Two Diet members survey isles | The Japan Times Online

2012-01-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

ISHIGAKI, Okinawa Pref. — Two Diet lawmakers said Saturday that they surveyed the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea from a fishing boat the same day but did not actually set foot on them.

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Golden Kings extend winning streak to seven | The Japan Times Online

2012-01-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

The Ryukyu Golden Kings have accomplished a number of firsts in their history, including this: They were the first team other than the Osaka Evessa to win a bj-league title. They also became the first professional sports team in Okinawa in 2007.

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Dragon rules in coming New Year - JapanUpdate.com

2012-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

The dragon becomes king Sunday as the new lunar year begins.

The centuries-old celebration features old calendar traditions that are both common and popular in Okinawa, where fishermen will celebrate in their ports with special flags adorning their boats in hopes of a big catch. Across the prefecture islands, the sense of hustle and bustle will be evident as people scurry about buying ingredients for the New Year’s feast. Nowhere are the three-day festivities more in evidence than Itoman City.

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Economic incentives could sway Okinawa on Futenma - JapanUpdate.com

2012-01-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

It could all come down to a series of decisions made based upon money, as Okinawans look closely at new funding from Tokyo as the current 10-year Okinawa Economic Development Funding approaches its March 31st end.

The decisions are whether or not Okinawa shifts courses and decides accepting Futenma Marine Corps Air Station’s move to the Henoko district of Nago City in exchange for a new, sweetheart deal offered by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s administration. While at first glance something that Okinawa’s governor and Nago City’s mayor say will never happen –Governor Hirokazu Nakaima insists he’ll never sign the papers needed for the land reclamation project at Camp Schwab to begin—the economic signs could tell a different story.

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Mid air collision (Bird Strike) over Okinawa - Check Out the Damage (VIDEO)

2012-01-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

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Turning to Okinawa and its rituals in search of a happier new year | The Japan Times Online

2012-01-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

Without a shred of a doubt, 2011 stands out to me — in a way that hopefully will never be surpassed — as the most catastrophic I have ever known.

March 11's magnitude-9 Great East Japan Earthquake, followed by a monstrous tsunami and then three reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is a related series of disasters arguably unprecedented in recorded history.

So on March 16, the two of us, along with our black cat, Snow, flew to Okinawa. We had decided to leave our life in the Kanto region of Honshu and start a new life, from scratch, in Okinawa.

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China says Senkakus are 'core interests': Is Okinawa Next??? | The Japan Times Online

2012-01-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

Japanese government officials are weighing China's intent after the People's Daily, the newspaper of the Communist Party, called the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea part of Beijing's "core interests."

The Japanese government has been analyzing what made the People's Daily use the expression for the Senkakus in an opinion piece published Tuesday, and how it may influence China's public sentiment toward Japan.

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A Japan Photo per Day - Japanese crowd on Nakamise-dori

2012-01-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

Nakamise-dori, the 250 meters long street in front of the Senso-ji complex from Asakusa, Tokyo, is one of the oldest commercial venues from Japan, established around the year 1700. Destroyed many times during history, it was always rebuilt (last time after the WWII bombings). The latest renovations were in 1985, when the pavement was redone, in 1992 when the buildings were repainted and probably the most important was in 1994, when the electric cables were buried and all the poles disappeared, so the street regained its traditional look and feel.

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