Nipponica

“It’s important to strengthen the SDF’s defense capabilities to protect the lives and the peaceful livelihoods of the people,” Koizumi said in a meeting with Miyakojima Mayor Noboru Kakazu. “I believe the understanding and cooperation of those in the city are essential in this respect.”

Kakazu in response, said, “The most important thing will be to carefully explain the SDF’s activities to the residents.”

Regarding the evacuation of the residents of Miyakojima island to another location if a Taiwan contingency were to occur, the mayor said: “Residents are anxious and have concerns. We think it will be necessary to discuss a variety of issues in detail.”

As with many things in modern life, the poorest are always the most affected when major powers collide. It is always worth acknowledging the innocent victims of the games countries play.

Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, is using subsidies to encourage high school students to study abroad, hoping to develop international talent and improve understanding in a territory with a major American military presence.

Okinawa prefecture's study-abroad program has sent 670 or so students overseas to date and is recruiting 30 for fiscal 2026, with programs to 13 countries and regions, including the U.S., Italy, Argentina and Taiwan.

The program lasts one year. The prefecture fully subsidizes participation fees, including tuition and homestay-related expenses.

This is a great program for Okinawan students and is a step ahead of many schools in mainland Japan. I think students would benefit from greater exposure to the rest of the world and if Okinawa can do it, other prefectures can as well.

The terraces of the uniquely designed Nago City Hall in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa provides locals with places to relax around-the-clock.

The building is inspired by "kami-asagi," small huts used for rituals in the northern parts of Okinawa's mainland. Constructed from reinforced concrete, the three-story building features "asagi terraces" on each floor, resembling eaves that shield against Okinawa's intense sunlight. These terraces are accessible at all times, including holidays and at night, serving as communal gathering places for residents.

I've only seen this in person a couple times as I passed through Nago but it is quite the sight. It looked like some kind of ancient temple and only later I found out it was a government building. Hope it gets the attention it deserves.

Payments for popular water buffalo cart rides on remote islands in Okinawa Prefecture will soon become smoother thanks to contactless technology.

From Oct. 23, contactless payments by credit and debit cards, as well as smartphone apps, will be accepted at the ticket counter for the roundtrip rides across the shallow sea between the Iriomote and Yubu islands in Okinawa Prefecture, according to an announcement made Tuesday by Bank of The Ryukyus, a regional bank based in Naha, and other companies involved, including Sumitomo Mitsui Card.

So disappointed they aren’t installing Suica readers on the Okinawan wildlife.

Uechi, 61, who was elected mayor of the westernmost Japan town for the first time in Sunday's election, has shown understanding of the deployment of Self-Defense Forces in the town but takes a cautious stance on expanding defense capabilities further.

In 2016, the government opened the Ground SDF's Camp Yonaguni in the town to enhance the defense system for the Nansei island chain in southwestern Japan. A missile unit is planned for future deployment.

Going to both sides this one as Yonaguni is literally on the front line of a future China-Taiwan conflict and increasing national defense there is an obvious goal. But it is the same old story in Okinawa, more guns and no peace.

Okinawa resident Hiromasa Iha can still recall the screams of his classmates and teachers after a U.S. military jet crashed into his elementary school, killing 18 people, more than six decades ago.

As people globally commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the 72-year-old retired businessman is among many residents who oppose the American troops stationed on their island ever since.

He joins dozens of islanders in near-daily protests against the U.S. military.

The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on Okinawa, and a string of incidents over the years, including sexual assault cases, have angered residents.

"For us, these crimes and accidents are not someone else's business, and we feel a pressing unease that we can't predict when these things may happen again," he said, recalling the 1959 school incident.

"We want the bases to go."

I lived across the street from where this US jet crashed into an elementary school in the 1950s. The signs of the American occupation are everywhere and can be easy to tune out once you get used to them. But it is still something that impacts the daily lives of Okinawan people, in both big and small ways. They deserve to be able to live on their land without foreign powers in Washington and Tokyo using them as a pawn.

Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost remote island in Okinawa Prefecture, might not have a single doctor from next spring as the island’s only clinic will be unable to secure one, partly due to a possible contingency in Taiwan.

A Tokyo based medical association, which has dispatched doctors to the town of Yonaguni, has indicated that it would stop sending them, raising concerns among those living on the island, which is located only about 110 kilometers from Taiwan.

While it is understandable that many fear the impact of a possible war in Taiwan, an island community without medical care is not a community at all. Give them hazard pay, recruit from overseas, whatever is necessary to keep Yonaguni alive.

Firefighting efforts on the ship, anchored near White Beach Naval Facility in the city of Uruma in Japan's southern island prefecture, involved U.S. Navy personnel as well as support from the Japan Coast Guard and the Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki expressed his deep frustration over the incident, warning at a press conference that it could have led to "a major disaster involving residents."

Americans making messes overseas. Just another day.

Oshiro, 84, who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and now resides in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture, has lived in Okinawa since the year after World War II ended. Under U.S. rule until 1972, Okinawa lagged behind the Japanese mainland in providing support for hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors. For many years, Oshiro did not speak about her experiences. What changed that was her connection with other hibakusha on the island.

Everyone should read the whole article to not only understand the life of an atomic bombing survivor but also the discrimination they faced in the decades after the war.

The exterior of Shuri-jo Castle's main hall stands reborn once more with reconstruction complete and reporters visiting the historic space here on Aug. 6.

The castle is in the process of being rebuilt after being destroyed in a 2019 fire. The Seiden main hall's roof lined with red tiles unique to Okinawa Prefecture, vermilion pillars and vibrant ornamentations have all been restored.

It feels so good to see Shuri-Jo back again. I first visited it in 2016 during my first trip to Okinawa and was devastated to see it destroyed in 2019. When I lived and worked in Okinawa over the past few years, it was slowly being rebuilt. Ready to book a return trip to Ryukyu to see it in its full glory again.