National / Politics Jun 9, 2020
Abe may come out stronger for Henoko base as LDP wins seats in Okinawa
Although the LDP failed to win a majority in the Okinawa assembly, the results were apparently enough to give a boost to the Abe administration.
National / Politics Jun 7, 2020
Bloc against U.S. base transfer keeps majority in Okinawa election
Sunday's contest is the first prefectural assembly election since anti-base Gov. Denny Tamaki became governor in October 2018.
National May 15, 2020
Okinawa marks 48th anniversary of reversion as pandemic cancels protests
Anti-base activists cancel their annual protests but vow to continue their battle against the Futenma relocation plan with the central government.
National / Politics Dec 15, 2019
Henoko dispute between Okinawa and Japan's central government seen further intensifying
While Saturday marked the first anniversary of the start of landfill work Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki blasted the Abe administration’s “illegal” landfill work, calling it “an act of trampling on democracy.”
National Nov 7, 2019
Okinawa government to launch panel on restoring gutted Shuri Castle
A week after a fire gutted the historic Shuri Castle in Okinawa, Gov. Denny Tamaki said Thursday that the local government will set up a panel of experts from various fields and a task force dedicated to drafting a restoration plan by 2022. The panel ...
National / Politics Nov 3, 2019
As the Pentagon hunts for sites to deploy missiles against a rising China, Okinawa's governor is warning the U.S. to steer clear of his prefecture. Gov. Denny Tamaki said in an interview Friday that any U.S. attempt to base intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Okinawa will ...
National / Politics | FOCUS Sep 30, 2019
As defense chief, Taro Kono faces test to prove himself as potential successor to Shinzo Abe
Having been handed the defense portfolio in the Sept. 11 Cabinet reshuffle, Defense Minister Taro Kono is now under a spotlight as observers watch for him to prove his credentials as a potential successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Formerly foreign minister, Kono is now ...
National Aug 30, 2019
U.S. Marines to go ahead with transfer to Guam in 2024, Okinawa Gov. Tamaki says
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said Friday that U.S. forces have told him the transfer of some of its marines from his prefecture to the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam can begin from around 2024. The governor, who is visiting the territory, received a briefing on ...
Commentary / Japan Apr 19, 2019
An Okinawa conference, 50 years later
by Robert D. Eldridge
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki's effort to seize the initiative by calling for a new Okinawa conference should be embraced, or at least tried.
National Mar 19, 2019
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki requests month of talks with Abe in bid to halt U.S. base transfer
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to engage in a one-month dialogue in his latest bid to halt the ongoing construction work to build a replacement facility for a key U.S. air base within the prefecture. Tamaki made the ...
National / Politics Mar 1, 2019
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki requests three-way talks with Tokyo and U.S. after Futenma 'no' vote
Following up on the decisive Okinawa referendum, the governor asks Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to launch trilateral talks with Washington to review the contentious relocation plan for Futenma air base.
National / Politics | ANALYSIS Feb 25, 2019
by Eric Johnston
“Now that the clear opposition of the Okinawa people has been conveyed, it’s up to individuals in the rest of Japan to consider our wishes,” an activist says.