2015.01.12
Number of youth celebrating adulthood increases slightly
Monday was a Japanese national holiday, “Seijin no Hi” or “Coming of Age Day,” and according to the Okinawa Prefecture Youth, Child and Family Guidance Division, there were 17, 271 young people in the prefecture who celebrated reaching their adulthood. That includes all who turned 20 between Apr. 1, 2014 and Mar. 31, 2015.
Of the 17,271, young men count for 8,860 and young women 8,411 people. The total number saw a slight increase of 135 people for the first time in three years. Naha City had the largest number of young adults with 3,536 people, followed by Okinawa City with 1,707, Uruma with 1,413, Ginowan 1,197 and Urasoe where 1,167 people reached the milestone. At the other end of the spectrum, Tonaki Island had only three young adults to celebrate.
14 of the municipal governments served alcohol in the ceremony. At those locations, government staff checked that young participants who opted for a drink had indeed already turned 20 years old as persons under 20 years of age are included in the participants if they turn 20 by Mar. 31 but are not permitted to drink alcohol before reach the age.
As of Jan. 10th, 20 of the municipal governments already finished the ceremony.