NEWSWORTHY
Okinawa village has nation's longest life expectancy for third straight time, survey finds
For the third consecutive time, the life expectancy average for women in 2015 was highest in the village of Kitanakagusuku, in Okinawa Prefecture, hitting 89.0 years, a health ministry survey released Tuesday showed. The village of Nakagusuku and the city of Nago, both also in ...
Visitors to Okinawa invited to be citizen scientists as tourism takes its toll on coral
Divers equipped with a simple color chart and an app can help keep an eye on the island prefecture's delicate coral ecosystem.
Okinawa angling to become cruise liner hub, not just waypoint
Okinawa has unveiled a road map to develop the southern island prefecture into a major hub for international cruise ships in East Asia. With the three-phase scheme, starting this year, the prefectural government is trying to achieve its goal of drawing 2 million cruise tourists ...
Naha District Court sentences U.S. Marine to four years for fatal drunken driving crash in Okinawa
The Naha District Court on Wednesday sentenced a U.S. Marine based in Okinawa to four years in prison for killing a 61-year-old man in a car crash while driving under the influence of alcohol last year. Prosecutors had sought six years for Nicholas James-Mclean, 22, ...
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga to undergo surgery after tumor found in pancreas
Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga said Tuesday a tumor has been found in his pancreas, and that he will undergo surgery. The 67-year-old said he wants to return to official duties as soon as possible as he remains committed to strongly opposing the state's controversial plan ...
Okinawa brews up plans to make homegrown coffee a new specialty product
While Japan mostly depends on imports for its coffee consumption, farmers in Okinawa are trying to popularize homegrown coffee. Local farmers established a producers association in 2014, hoping to make coffee beans a new signature agricultural product of the island prefecture. The association is set ...
Landfill work connected to Futenma base transfer in Okinawa set to start in July
The government in July plans to begin land reclamation work at the site of a controversial U.S. military base transfer in Okinawa Prefecture, sources said Saturday. The relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential area in southern Okinawa faces strong ...
Memorial service held in Okinawa cave to remember 83 villagers who committed mass suicide in 1945
A memorial service was held at a cave in Okinawa Prefecture on Saturday to mourn 83 villagers who committed mass suicide in the final phase of World War II. Some 30 people, including bereaved families, attended the event at the Chibichiri Gama cave in the ...
Four presumed dead in U.S. Marine helicopter crash in Southern California
A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E helicopter of the same type involved in two accidents in Okinawa Prefecture last year crashed Tuesday in California, leaving the entire crew of four presumed dead. The chopper went down near El Centro, California, Tuesday afternoon during what the Marines ...
U.S. military announces early deployment of CV-22 Ospreys to Japan's Yokota Air Base
The U.S. military said Tuesday five CV-22 Ospreys will deploy to Yokota Air Base in Tokyo later this week, a move that comes over a year ahead of schedule.
English textbook describes traditional Okinawan dish as tasting like 'nuclear waste'
A high school English textbook that has been approved by the education ministry includes a description of tōfuyō (fermented tofu), a traditional dish in Okinawa Prefecture, as tasting like nuclear waste, it has been learned. Bun-Eido Publishing Co., the publisher of the textbook, said Thursday ...
Emperor and Empress visit Okinawa to commemorate war victims
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Okinawa on Tuesday to pay tribute to the war dead, with their trip to the major World War II battlefield possibly their last before the Emperor's abdication in April next year. During the three-day trip, the 11th for the ...
