Summer 2013

Dear Folks,

Due to many people being off island during the month of July, it has been decided to skip the month of July.

Our next WUB meeting will be:

Date:  Thursday  August 8th

Time:  6-9 pm

Place:  Maple Garden Chinese Restaurant

Topic/Speaker:  Dr. Myles Suehiro, MD  FAARFM (Fellow Anti-Aging Regenerative Functional Medicine)

-Focusing on Metabolic Syndrome: Obesity, Glucose intolerance,
Cardiovascular Disorder, Hypelipdermia seen from System Medicine approach
-Overview of personal health status, life style management, complex
medical problems, looking for common denominator of care in a holistic
approach

YouTube Video of Dr. Suehiro: Click here.

 

OKINAWAN FESTIVAL

Don’t forget that the Okinawan Festival will be August 31 and September 1 at Kapiolani Park.  We will be contacting WUB members for help with scrip sales.  We also need help with goma gumi (rubbish pick up).

Robert Arakaki

Next Meeting: June 19, 2013

Hawaii Okinawan Center and property across the street

Hawaii Okinawan Center and property across the street

WUB Hawaii Meeting

Time:             6:00 pm        June 19th, 2013   Wednesday

Location:      Maple Garden Restaurant       909 Isenberg Street

Speaker:     Jon Itomura, past HUOA President and Chairman of the Okinawa Plaza project, a property across the current Hawaii Okinawan Center at Waipio.

 

Satellite shot

Satellite shot

Another satellite view

Another satellite view

Okinawa Toyota Commercials

Okinawa Toyota Commercial.  To view: click here.

Okinawa Toyota Commercial — ‘Gosamaru‘ driving. To view: click here.

The blog “A Man With Tea” recently posted “Okinawa Toyota Ads.”  Apparently, Toyota Motor Corporation has come out with four TV commercials featuring Okinawan historical figures like: Shô Hashi, Amawari, Gosamaru, and Momoto Fumiagari.

What this means for Okinawan identity in the twenty first century is not yet clear.  Is it empowering for Okinawan identity or is it a distortion?  Is it exploitative or is it affirmative?  What do you think?

Next Meeting: May 9, 2013

WUB Hawaii Meeting

Time:             6:00 pm        May 9th, 2013

Location:      Maple Garden Restaurant       909 Isenberg Street

Speakers:     Graduating students of the Akisamiyo! Club.

grad_slides5

Yurukubi! (Congratulations!)

WUB Hawaii congratulates the “new immigrants” (the graduating students) and future leaders of Okinawa as they embark on an exciting adventure into the future!

 

Royal Parades from Okinawa to China

Historically, the kingdom of the Ryukyus maintained an active relationship with China from the 1300s to the 1800s.  This can be seen in the diplomatic processions between the two countries.  This contrasts with mainland Japan which cut off ties with the outside world during the Tokugawa era.  This relationship with China put Okinawan culture on a different trajectory from mainland Japan.

In February 2013, a symposium was held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa which examined this historic scroll for clues about the political order and cultural ties between Okinawa and China.

University of Hawaii librarian, Tokiko Bazell, recently uploaded papers and PowerPoint presentations from the symposium held in February 2013.  Click here to access the site.

 

Note: “Ryukyu” is the name of the royal kingdom and the island chain; “Okinawa” is the name of the largest island in the Ryukyuan archipelago.  I use the two terms interchangeably because “Okinawa” is more widely known today than the historic name “Ryukyu.”  Hopefully, that will change with the rise of Uchinanchu consciousness.

 

U.S. and Japan Announce Plans for Okinawa Land Return

Okinawa Governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, meets Japan Defense Minister, Itsunori Onodera

Okinawa Governor (L), Hirokazu Nakaima, meets Japan Defense Minister (R), Itsunori Onodera.  Source: Asahi Shimbun.

On 5 April 2013, the U.S. and Japan announced an agreement on a consolidation plan that involves a timetable for the return of some 2,500 acres of Okinawan land and the transfer of 2,700 US forces stationed in Okinawa to Hawaii and Guam.  The consolidation plan is not new but originated from an earlier agreement reached in 1996 that called for a detailed plan by late 2012.   The plan arose from the furor surrounding the gang rape of an Okinawan school girl by American servicemen.  Moreover, the announced plan pushes back the moving of Futenma base by 9 years to 2022.

The agreement strengthens ties between the two countries, but it is not clear what the local Okinawan opinion is.  The governor of Okinawa, Hirokazu Nakaima, told reporters:

I think it is extremely good that the government is buckling down to deal in concrete terms with the return of the bases.  But it is hard to evaluate the plan until I have had a chance to consult with mayors of the affected communities.  (in The New York Times; emphasis added)

The Asahi Shimbun reported that Governor Nakaima noted that the announced plan was vague about when Futenma land would be returned.  He pointed out that the land would be returned “fiscal 2022 or later” provided that certain conditions were met.  [Note: See pages 17, 19, and 27 of the plan.]  On the day of the announcement some 120 protestors confronted Japan Defense Minister Itsurnori Onodera calling for the unconditional return of land under Futenma air station.

While the agreement sets 2022 as the target date for the return of Futenma base, it is contingent on a replacement air base being operational in another part of Okinawa. In short, one base is closed while another is created within Okinawa.  The proposed replacement base in Henoko has been criticized as being situated in valuable ecological site.

Sources

The New York Times, 4 April 2013, “U.S. and Japan Agree on Returning Okinawa Land” by Martin Fackler.

Pacific Business News, 5 April 2013, “U.S., Japan announce plans to move Marines from Okinawa to Hawaii, Guam” by Mark Abramson.

Huffington Post, 6 April 2013, “Okinawa Land Return Deal Reached Between Japan, U.S.” by Lolita C. Baldor.

The Asahi Shimbun, 6 April 2013, Okinawans blast vague plan to return land used by U.S. military.”