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Okinawa Expressway Renewal Work Starts J… [CURRENT ISSUE LIFE Living]
NEXCO, the company operating the Okinawa Expressway announces that Expressway renewal works start from January 6th to April 28th in 2026 bet...Read More
Itoman Tug-of-War marks end of summer [CULTURE CURRENT ISSUE ENTERTAINMENT]
Many Okinawan farmers and fishermen, in some form or fashion, pay tribute to the Gods, seeking their blessing and favor for a great harvest ...Read More
Awamori "Ku-su" Day [CURRENT ISSUE LIFE]
September 4th is the “Ku-su Day”, with September = ‘9’ which is pronounced ‘kyu’ or ‘ku’ in Japanese, and ‘4’ being pronounced ‘...Read More
Okinawa proposes ¥723.9 billion budget for fiscal 2014 [News]
Okinawa Prefecture Government announced the final proposal of its fiscal 2014 budget, Tuesday. According to officials the total is ¥723.9 billion, a 3.6 percent increase from a yea...
Okinawa’s largest stationery/book store to re-open [Business]
Major book retailing company Junkudo opened a large shop in Naha in April 2009. Since the opening, the sales at the store have continued to be stable reaching ¥130 million in one m...
Air Force Staff Sergeant arrested for trespassing [News]
Okinawa City Police arrested 27-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant, Sunday, on suspicion of trespassing. According to police investigators, SSgt. Carlton Wade Womble allegedly ...
Driver dies after crash into roadside rail [News]
A car crashed into a roadside rail on Highway 58 in Hentona, Kunigami Village, Monday evening. According to Nago Police, the 39-year-old driver of the car was in the car alone when...
Driver without license runs over pedestrian [News]
A car ran over a pedestrian trying to cross Highway 58 in Matsuyama, Naha, early Sunday morning. According to Naha Police a 36-year-old Tokyo man was crossing the street when a car...
Okukubi Dam completed [News]
The construction of Okukubi Dam in Kin Town was completed on Feb. 1st, and a ceremony to celebrate the completion was held. The new dam will provide a reliable water supply to some...
Woman gathering shells from reef off Makiminato drowns [News]
Urasoe Police received an emergency phone call reporting a possible person drowning off the coast of the Makiminato district in Urasoe, Saturday morning. Naha Coast Guard dispatche...
2014.02.03
Okinawa Impact rumbles to the island Feb. 23rd [Sports]
Professional wrestling’s heavyweight Triple Crown Champion headlines the card next month as one of the biggest pro-wrestling promotions in Japan comes to the Okinawa Convention Cen...
Himejako clams to be cultivated in Motobu [News]
A blue, light-blue and yellow flower garden seems to spread in the ocean at the Okinawa Sea Farming Center in Kenji, Motobu, But what seems like a flower garden is actually a man-m...
Porcine epidemic kills 5,213 baby pigs [News]
Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Jan. 28th that Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) was found in baby pigs in the country. The discovery was the fist time in seven...
2014.01.30
And this week’s winner is… [Weekly Winners]
Sean Sutherland is the lucky winner of this week’s Japan Update raffle. He won a pair of tickets to Ryukyu Golden Kings basketball game. Sean is originally from Tallahassee, FL, wh...
Okinawa to be venue for ASEAN defense officials’ meeting [News]
According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, Okinawa has been selected to host a meeting of senior defense officials from ASEAN nations to be held on Feb. 18. This will be the first time...
Ishigaki Island named as 18th place in world to visit [News]
American newspaper The New York Times published an article titled “The 52 places you must visit in 2014” in its Monday edition, naming Ishigaki Island on the 18th place on the list...
Iriomote Wildcat cub killed in traffic accident [News]
The Ministry of Environment Iriomote Conservation of Nature Office announced Monday that a newborn cub of Iriomote wildcat, a critically endangered species found only on Iriomote I...
Monorail, bus fares to rise [News]
With the consumption tax rate scheduled to icrease to 8% this April, officials at Okinawa Urban Monorail Inc. have decided to raise fares, and so have the 11 bus companies operatin...
2014.01.29
East edges West in BJL All-Star Game [Sports]
The Western Conference had a shaky first half before rallying, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 15-point deficit, allowing the Eastern Conference to hang on to victory in the 201...
Liquids & gels now permitted in carry-on baggage [News]
A major irritant to international travelers is about to change tomorrow, as bans on gels and liquids are being modified to restrictions easier to live with. Carry-on restrictions f...
Chinese balloonist triggers secret China-Japan talks [Politics]
A Chinese balloonist who launched himself toward Japan’s Senkaku Islands earlier this month became a pawn in secret talks between China and Japan over how to deal with him. The New...
Student arrested for stealing computer data [News]
Ishikawa and Okinawa Police Prefecture arrested a 19-year-old high school student, Sunday, in Mie Prefecture on suspicion of illegally stealing electromagnetic records online. He h...
Nanjo Convenience store robbed at knifepoint [News]
A convenience store was robbed at knifepoint in the early hours of Sunday morning in Ozato, Nanjo City. According to Yonabaru Police, a man entered the store with a kitchen knife i...
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