Fantastic Okinawa

Media controversy

Junior LDP members raise media ire over control suggestions

Seaport Carnival kicks off summer beach high seasonThe Chatan Seaport

Carnival is the first of thesummer’s major festivalson Okinawa, and the one

that concentrates exclusively onactivities on a beach, namely theSunset Beach in Mihama, Chatan.

It features everything a beachparty could possibly be; livemusic, fun in the water, and spec-tacular fireworks. This year’sChatan Sea Port Carnival takesplace on July 11th and 12th andpromises to be one of the high-lights of the summer.

Admission to the festival isfree. Fireworks cap the eveningboth days from 8 ~ 8:15 p.m. andtraditionally provide some of thebiggest bangs of any fireworks onthe island. Some 1,300 pyrotech-nics are blasted off from just offthe beach each day.

Taking place on Chatan’s beau-tiful Sunset Beach this mid-summerfestival has it all. The entertainmentstarts at 3 p.m. on Saturday andincludes live stage performance byKyogo Kawaguchi, a fashion showand hula performance, followed onSunday starting at noon by a raftpaddling race, Hatagashira perform-ance, street dance performance,Chatan Promotion Lady pageantand, of course, Eisa.

Kayak rides and other water-related activities take place at thebeach throughout both days.

Of course, typical Japanesefestival street food is availablefrom the stall set up on the beach,such as corn dogs, takoyaki friedoctopus balls, yakisoba, yakitori,potatoes, corn on the cob, andvarious other fried foods. Plenty

of cold beer and soft drinks arenaturally also available.

According to organizers, onan average year about 72,000people visit the festival, and thatdeserves a word of warning; traf-

fic can be really jammed up, andshould you choose to drive to thefireworks, it could take plenty ofpatience and time to get out, aseveryone tries to leave at thesame time. For those who stay or

live close by, walking is the bestoption. It is also a good idea toget there early as the venue getsrather packed as the day proceeds.The available parking is mainlyon the 1,500–car capacity parking

lot located in front of the AEONMihama store. Temporary addi-tional parking lots will be avail-able elsewhere in the Chatan area.The Sunset beach is athttps://goo.gl/maps/psLCQ.

Anationwide condemnation of pro-posals by some junior LDP legisla-tors to control media threatens toderail Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s

proposed revisions to the nation’s security

laws, and has attracted anger against the rul-ing Liberal Democratic Party of Japan evenfrom media outlets that are usually support-ive of the LDP and its policies.

The whole episode started whenyoung ruling party lawmakers organized astudy session on June 25th, with a best-selling novelist Naoki Hyakuta, who’s saidto be close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,attacked the two leading dailies in OkinawaPrefecture for opposing the government’sMCAS Futenma relocation plan.

The Okinawa Times and The RyukyuShimpo “must be closed down by anymeans,” Hyakuta was quoted as telling thegroup. As the best means to achieve thegoal, he recommended depleting theiradvertising revenue through pressure ontheir sponsors through Keidanren, the JapanBusiness Federation, the largest and mostpowerful business association in Japan.

A junior Diet member present at themeeting held in the party headquarters inTokyo targeted the Okinawan newspapersfor staunchly opposing the government’s

plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps AirStation Futenma in Ginowan to Henoko.“They have been completely hijacked byleft-wing forces,” the lawmaker said at themeeting. Pointing his finger at the Okinawanewspapers, the lawmaker said the govern-ment must make efforts to “reorient thecontorted public opinion in Okinawatoward the right direction.”

The meeting also heard proposals toimpose stricter controls on television andother mainstream media.

“The government must publicize thenames of television programs that itbelieves have harmful influence, and listthe sponsors of the programs,” anotherlawmaker said.

The panel, headed by Minoru Kihara,director of the LDP’s Youth Division,aimed to strengthen the Abe administra-tion’s ability to communicate with the pub-lic by using the voices of influential fig-ures, who support its policies.

The response was swift in coming. Ata Lower House committee session on June

26, Manabu Terada, a member of the oppo-sition Democratic Party of Japan, describedthe comments as “problematic.”

When Prime Minister Abe was askedabout Hyakuta’s remarks, he said it is a“matter of course” to respect the freedomof the media. “The freedom of the media isthe very foundation of democratic gover-nance,” Abe stated.

On Saturday, the LDP dismissed itsYouth Division Chief Kihara, and bannedhim from holding any party post for oneyear. The LDP also reprimanded party law-makers Hideo Onishi, Takashi Nagao and

Continues on page 2

Naoki Hyakuta stirred a controversy.

The Seaport Carnival on Sunset Beach is famous for its spectacular fireworks.

Jul. 02, 2015 - Jul. 08, 2015

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Takashi Yanase Exhibition opens at Urasoe Art MuseumAn exhibition of the life and

works of Takashi Yanase,who’s best known as thecreator of the cartoon

Anpanman takes place at Urasoe ArtMuseum starting tomorrow and run-ning through Aug. 9th.

Yanase was not only a cartoonartist but also produced numerousworks as a children’s book writer,journal editor, painter and a poet, andplayed an active role in his art fielduntil he passed away at the age of 94in 2013. The exhibition introduceshis distinctive poetry and heartwarm-ing world through his preciousworks, like a combination work ofink painting and poem ‘Bokusai-shiga’ along with original illustra-tions of picture books and a large-scale acrylic painting of Anpanman.

Yanase created Anpanman, forwhich he is best known, in 1973, and

he continued to write and illustratethe series continued until his death in2013. The animated adaptation of theAnpanman is one of he most popularanime series amongst young childrenin Japan.

To this day, characters fromAnpanman appear on every imagina-ble merchandize aimed at young chil-dren from snack food and clothes tovideo games and toys. Over 50 mil-lion copies of Anpanman books havebeen sold in Japan since he seriesstarted.

The exhibition at Urasoe ArtMuseum runs from July 3rd throughAug. 9th daily from 9:30 to 17:00with the last entry at 16:30. OnFridays the museum closes at 19:00with the last entry at 18:30. It’sclosed on Mondays and 7/21 exceptfor 7/20. The museum is located at 1-9-2 Nakama, Urasoe City.

Admission for adults is ¥800, forjunior high and high school age chil-dren ¥600, and ¥400 for childrenfrom three through elementary schoolage. Tickets are sold at RyukyuShinpo offices, FamilyMart e-plus,Lawson (Lcode: 85929), Coop Apre,Ryubo department store, JunkudoNaha and Kyuyodo-shobou book-stores.

Muddy fun at Kin Tanbo Festa not-to-miss event for kidsThis Sunday’s Tanbo Festa

in Kin town is aimed ateveryone, but especiallyfor kids, it is an event ‘not

to miss.’Tambo means a ‘rice paddy’

but this community-sponsoredfestival has very little to do withthe traditional rice farming thathas anyways all but disappearedfrom Okinawa. Instead, it’s a fun-filled day that is built aroundanother aspect of rice cultivation,mud.

The festival takes place onthe grounds of Kin Nature Mirai-kan (Future Hall). Besides a mudplayground that is built on a tradi-tional rice paddy, there are 15

more experience-based activities.Entrance to the festival area isfree, but participation to the activ-ities costs between ¥300 and¥1,000 each depending on activi-ty. The festival runs from 10 a.m.~ 6 p.m. Free parking is availableat Kin Hamada Port. The NatureMirai-kan facility is located athttp://goo.gl/maps/XFJ65.

Programs available includeplaying inside the paddy field¥300 per person, and it is recom-mended for bring fresh change ofclothes, towel, and goggles.Showers are available for ¥200.

Canoeing ¥500~¥1,000 withbeginners welcome to participate,Banana boat rides are ¥500 perperson.

Other activities include glass

bottom boat trips, buffalo wagonrides, nagashi somen eating, shisapainting, coral sand photo framemaking and ‘shima zhouri’ (san-dal) carving, among others.

Taiho Dam in Ogimi Village isthe second tallest dam onOkinawa at 77.5 meters. Itscapacity is 20.050 million cubic

meters water, and its construction start-ed in 1987 and was completed in 2010.

It’s also the site of an annual festi-val that was initially organized rightafter the completion of the dam for res-idents to have a deeper understandingof the interaction between the dam andnature. Since then, it has become apopular setting for people from acrossOkinawa to come and have a day offun while learning about the dam andexperiencing various demonstrationsthroughout the day.

The Taiho Dam Festival takesplace on Saturday, Jul. 11, from 10a.m. to ４ p.m. During the day, therewill be canoe tours for a small fee of¥500 at 10:00 a.m., 12:20 and 2:40p.m. for the fist 40 persons each timewho put their name on a list at thevenue. Other activities include boatrides on a small motorboat three times

at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 and 3 p.m. for thefirst seven people each time.

Bashoo lantern making costs¥500, bamboo basket making lesson is¥300, and a pottery class is ¥500. Allthree stars at 10 a.m. and are limited to30 participants.

Facility tours are free but limitedto 25 participants each starting at 11:30a.m., 1 and 2:30 p.m.

The MESH and Doctor helicoptersare on display between 11 a.m. andnoon provided that no emergency callsthem to elsewhere.

Children will enjoy playing in theoverflow channel artificial river down-stream of the dam all day fro 10 a.m. to4 p.m., which is free.

Taiho Dam, as all the other damson Okinawa, has a public park areaincorporated. They all are free toaccess any time, and always very wellmaintained. Most of them have walk-ing trails and picnic areas, and theyalso have water recreational areas forkids to play.

However, here’s a word of warn-ing. Although Taiho Dam has somewater slide-like concrete structures inthe leisure area, they are not meant forfun. The surface on the slides is veryslick and covered with brown algaethat makes the surface very slippery,and is very difficult to clean fromclothes.

Taiho Dam is located athttps://goo.gl/maps/Pjls7

Taiho Dam Festival educates on nature, dams and handicrafts

Media controversyContinued from page 1Takahiro Inoue for making controversial remarksat the meeting.

On the same day an LDP executive said, “Thedismissal of the Youth Division director is only tobe expected," adding, “If we were living in differ-ent times, he would have been asked to commithara-kiri. Although some other participant mayhave made the comments, Kihara cannot avoidresponsibility.”

LDP Secretary-General Sadakazu Tanigakisaid at a press conference on Saturday, “At themeeting, there were remarks that appeared to dis-regard freedom of the press and speech, and ruinthe party's efforts to be considerate of Okinawanpeople's feelings, They are damaging the publictrust in the party and cannot be condoned.”

In Okinawa, the Okinawa Times and theRyuku Shimpo said in a joint protest statement of

their chief editors that the shortsighted mindsetcalling for closing them down for being critical is"extremely dangerous." Hyakuta's remark is"exactly the idea of suppression of free speechwithout allowing news reports that are not in linewith the government's intentions," the newspaperssaid. "It is an absurd argument that denies freedomof expression and freedom of the press, which areessential to democracy.

The whole affair has generated a crisis in theLDP at the time when the party is trying to winpublic support to its security bills that wouldexpand the role of the Self-Defense Forces. Theproposed revision has had a very low public sup-port rate, and the LDP leadership fears that thecontroversy would strengthens the opposition tothe bills.

Seeing an opportunity, the opposition camp inthe Diet is not going to let LDP off the hook easi-ly, and claims that the incident shows what is fun-damentally wrong the LDP.

Children enjoy a muddy rice paddy as a playground at Tanbo Fest.

Visitors eat Nagashi Somen from a stream in a bamboo chute.

Canoeing is among attractionsat the festival.

Taiho Dam is the second highest in Okinawa.

Children enjoy playing in the TaihoDam overflow channel.

Anpanman has long been one of the most popular animeseries in Japan. Takashi Yanase with Anpanman.