Ryukyu Shimpo – Former "comfort woman" rebuts Hashimoto’s remarks

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, co-leader of the opposition Japan Restoration Party, plans to meet former comfort women on May 24. On May 18, one of the women, Kim Bok-dong, held a press conference at Shalom Hall in Okinawa Christian University in Nishihara. Hashimoto said that comfort women had served a necessary role in maintaining discipline in the Japanese military before and during the Second World War. Kim objected to Hashimoto’s remarks, saying, “If Hashimoto thinks the comfort women regime was necessary, then would he send his daughters to prostitute themselves at comfort women brothels.”

Mentioning that the Japanese military coerced them into prostitution, Kim said, “I am one of the comfort women who suffered such hardships. I am here to serve as witness to the existence of the system. I am living proof of it.”

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Chinese send surveillance ships into Japanese waters | Japan Update

 A total of eight Chinese marine surveillance ships entered Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture Tuesday morning, the largest-scale intrusion since Japan purchased three of the five islands in the Senkaku chain from their private owner in Sep. 2012.

The eight ships surpass the entry of six ships on Sep. 14^th of last year. China also claims the uninhabited East China Sea islands, which it calls Diaoyu.  In Tokyo, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua to the Foreign Ministry and protested the intrusion. Kawai demanded that the eight ships leave the waters immediately.

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China questions Japan rule over Okinawa | kxan.com

China is trying to strengthen its claim on tiny, uninhabited, Japanese-controlled islands by raising questions about the much larger Okinawa chain that is home to more than a million Japanese along with major U.S. military installations. The tactic, however, appears to have done little but harden Tokyo's stance.

Japan refuses to offer any concessions to China over Tokyo's control of the uninhabited East China Sea islands, which are called Diaoyu by China and Senkaku by Japan. Tokyo issued a formal protest to Beijing over the comments about Okinawa, made last week in the ruling Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily.

Scholars in Japan and elsewhere, meanwhile, warn Beijing may be shooting itself in the foot by arousing fears of a creeping campaign to nibble away at Japanese territory.

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A Japan Photo per Day - Japanese garden aesthetic principles, Borrowed scenery

Always searching for the perfect scenery, the Japanese garden designers are sometimes using a number of “tricks": one of the oldest techniques, called shakkei (commonly translated as “borrowed scenery") is to design the garden so that the surrounding scenery will offer a “background", dramatically improving the ambiance.

Thus, the garden can be placed nearby an old forest or in front of an important landmark, such as a temple or a castle. But most frequently, the garden designers are using nearby hills or mountains, like in this photo taken inside one of the oldest shakkei gardens in Japan, dating from the 14th century. This beautiful scenery, with the green Arashiyama mountain in the background, can be admired inside the Tenryū-ji Temple from Kyoto (near the famous Kyoto bamboo forest).

Click on photo for higher resolution:


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Ryukyu Shimpo – Association of Comprehensive Studies for Independence of the Lew Chewans established

On May 15, the Association of Comprehensive Studies for Independence of the Lew Chewans (ACSILs) was established to promote scholarly research in order to achieve the independence of people who identify their ethnic roots as being in the Ryukyuan Islands. The planning committee and scholars of the ACSILs announced this at a press conference held in the Prefectural Government Office. Using the U.S. military bases as an example, the committee members pointed out that independence from Japan would be the only way to resolve the problems that Okinawa faces. They stated, “We would like to achieve Amayuu (to live peacefully) as a distinctive group of peoples.” They call for people to come forward to help work towards their aim of islands without military, but with the right to self-determination.

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Comment: In addition to being a bunch of liquor swilling party happy sots, believe it or not, the Scots and the Okinawan's really do have a lot in common. Maybe this explains my father-in-laws undying love for Johnny Walker Black! On a more serious note, I would be remiss if I didn't remind everyone that both the Okinawan's and the Scots have a history of independence as well as the misfortune of having been lorded over by more powerful neighbors. Adding insult to injury, it seems that no matter how much each tried to conform to the wishes of their self proclaimed betters and fit in, both have never been able to rise above the status of second class citizens. That may explain to a degree why both the Scots and the Okinawans tend to be scoff laws and a bit more independent minded than some folks would like. That's why I selected this image to go with this story. All of that being said, I say that if the Okinawan's and the Scots want independence, more power to them!

Get set for boating in Naha and Itoman | The Japan Times

May and June are the months in which to visit Okinawa if your aim is to witness the spectacle of fiercely contested races between crews paddling dragon boats or the Ryukyu Islands’ small traditional fishing boats called sabani.

The Naha Hari festival happens during Golden Week in early May on the Western calendar, the Itoman Hare sea festival, focused on fishermen’s sabani races, is a one-day event held on the fourth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar — on June 12 this year.

The Hare is Itoman’s sole sea festival, and given that the city is famous throughout the western Pacific Ocean region for its tough and innovative fishermen, this is a major date that normally attracts around 30,000 revelers and spectators from far and wide.

Like the Naha Hari, the Itoman Hare is held at the local fishing harbor to seek the gods’ favor for safe voyages and good catches. But unlike Naha Hari’s dragon-boat races, Itoman Hare’s are between sabani fishing canoes developed by Itoman fishermen more than 500 years ago.

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Mike's Ryukyu Gallery: Flower Photo: Nadeshiko (Dianthus superbus) in Okinawa

This flower was growing in the wild, all over Japan, the rest of Asia and, Europe, too. I spotted this single bloom at the Hydrangea Festival in Izumi, Okinawa. When I asked the women standing around, what it was, they all said, "Nadeshiko." So, I wrote it down and figured I'd research it later.

With a flower name, from someone, in this part of the world, you may have some work to do. There's no telling what language you're getting. It could be Japanese, Okinawan dialect, Latin or, even some form of English.

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