Tag - okinawa

 
 

OKINAWA

Masanori Matsugawa, mayor of Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024
Ginowan mayor dies on official trip to Tokyo
The 70-year-old mayor was found dead in his hotel room after failing to turn up at the hotel's lobby at a prearranged time.
Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Shingo Miyake speaks at a news conference in Kitadaito, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024
Okinawa island accepts ASDF radar deployment
An ASDF mobile radar will monitor the Chinese military's growing activities in the Pacific.
Shuji Ogawa of PD Aerospace (left) shows the PDAS-X06 unmanned aircraft at Shimojishima Airport in Okinawa Prefecture in March 2023, before it crashed into the sea during a test flight later that year.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jul 22, 2024
Okinawa space ambitions still strong a year after test-flight crash
The aircraft's developer aims to realize space travel by manned spacecraft from an airport in the prefecture.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks at a news conference on Friday over sexual assault incidents involving U.S. service members.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 14, 2024
Japan lawmakers criticize U.S. for failing to report military assault cases
Meanwhile, the Japanese government has not protested the failure or demanded improvements, saying there was no problem with the U.S. side.
The Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture. Brennon Washington, a 25-year-old U.S. Air Force serviceman based at Kadena, on Friday pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 12, 2024
U.S. serviceman in Okinawa pleads not guilty to sexual assault
Brennon Washington, who is stationed at the Kadena Air Base, said he did not kidnap or assault an underage girl in December.
Chef Hiroyuki Kosugi’s seasonal salad brings together 10 different local Okinawan vegetables, such as 'goya' (bitter melon), star fruit and 'urizun' (square beans).
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Jul 7, 2024
6 Six: Innovative French fare from an Okinawan paradise
"My aim is to create dishes that will not be outshone by the view outside my windows," says chef Hiroyuki Kosugi.
Protesters rally in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government building in Naha on Thursday following recent revelations of sexual abuse cases involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 5, 2024
Info-sharing on U.S. soldiers' crimes to improve, Kamikawa says
The central government will also strengthen measures to prevent U.S. servicemen from committing sex crimes in Japan, the foreign minister said.
People protest in Tokyo on Tuesday against sexual abuse cases by U.S. servicemen stationed in Okinawa Prefecture and the fact that the central government failed to quickly inform local officials of the cases.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2024
More sexual offense cases disclosed involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa
The three other cases occurred in February and August last year and in January this year, with all of them being dismissed.
A building in Naha housing the Naha District Public Prosecutor's Office
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 28, 2024
Another U.S. soldier charged with sexual assault in Okinawa
The U.S. soldier allegedly squeezed a woman's head causing subconjunctival hemorrhage and other injuries that required about two weeks to heal.
Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans (right), commander of the U.S. 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, speaks at the Okinawa Prefectural Government building in Naha on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2024
Okinawa lodges protest with U.S. military over sexual assault case
While Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans, commander of the U.S. 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, said the incident was serious, he offered no apology.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki speaks to reporters on Tuesday at the prefectural government office.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2024
Foreign Ministry delayed telling Okinawa about U.S. airman's alleged sex crime
The delay in informing the prefectural government could further strain the relationship between Okinawa and Tokyo.
According to the JCG's 11th regional headquarters in Naha, two Chinese ships entered Japanese waters south of Uotsuri Island in the Senkaku chain around 3:15 p.m. They were both reported to be equipped with what appeared to be cannons.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2024
China ships enter Japan waters near Senkakus for fourth straight day
As the ships tried to approach a Japanese fishing boat, Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels secured the safety of the boat and warned the Chinese ships to leave.
A man visits the Cornerstone of Peace, a monument in the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, with his family, including his great-grandchildren, on Sunday, the 79th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa.
JAPAN
Jun 23, 2024
Okinawa marks 79 years since end of fierce ground battle
During a memorial service, participants observed a moment of silence in honor of the more than 200,000 war dead and renewed a pledge for peace.
Tokashiki Beach acts as a sanctuary for sea turtles and offers ideal snorkeling waters. It was also the site of the U.S. Army’s preliminary invasion that led to the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 150,000 people.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Jun 23, 2024
On Okinawa's Tokashiki Island, life's a beach — one of the best in the world
Many of the island’s residents first came as tourists, attracted to the exquisite Aharen Beach, and simply stayed.
Toshiko Takaezu made vases and bowls in all shapes and sizes, some that could fit in your palm and some towering over your head.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 23, 2024
The Japanese-American ceramicist who made pots as big as her
The exhibit “Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within,” on view at the Isamu Noguchi Museum, is part of a resurgence of interest in the Hawaiian artist of Okinawan descent.
A China Coast Guard vessel sails in the East China Sea near the disputed isles known as Senkaku isles in Japan and Diaoyu islands in China in December 2015.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2024
Chinese ships enter Japanese waters near Senkakus for two days in row
It was the 21st intrusion by Chinese official ships into the Japanese waters near the Senkakus this year.
Kenji Iikura (right), head chef at Akasaka Tantei, and manager Hibiki Kitazawa pose with Okinawan cuisine served at the restaurant in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jun 17, 2024
How a Michelin-star Okinawan restaurant made a V-shaped recovery
A return to its roots — and Okinawan flavors — struck a chord with new and returning customers.
The Henoko coastal district in the city of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2024
Okinawa governor's camp fails to secure majority in assembly poll
The tough election result is seen forcing the Okinawa governor to face difficulties managing the prefectural administration.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the country's Politburo at an undisclosed location on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 28, 2024
North Korea says its latest satellite launch exploded in flight
North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight.
Carpenters and others in traditional attire perform a ritual in Naha on Monday to mark the completion of the framework of Shuri Castle's main hall.
JAPAN
May 27, 2024
Ceremony held for restoration of Shuri Castle in Okinawa
Carpenters and others dressed in traditional attire performed a ritual to mark the installation of the ridge beam on the roof.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals