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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
2013.06.20
And this week’s winner is… [Weekly Winners]
David from Kansas City, MO, is this week’s lucky winner of the Japan Update weekly raffle. He is going to spend one free night in the Best Western Naha Inn, a nice and comfortable ...
2013.06.16
Windsurfers compete in 17th Kachi Bay Cup [Sports]
Entries are still being accepted for participants in this weekend’s 17th Kachi Bay Cup, a battle of windsurfing off the shores of Moon Beach in Onna Village. A total of 80 windsurf...
Okinawa Assembly protests F-15 crash with resolution [Politics]
The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly has put its two cents into the post-crash dissection of what happened with a U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter that crashed into the Pacific Ocean last m...
Marines land Osprey on Japanese destroyer for first time ever [Military]
As a part of the on-going joint exercise of the U.S. Marines and the Japanese Self Defense Force that is taking place in California, a U.S. Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey aircraft is s...
Iriomote yamaneko hit by car, escapes into jungle [News]
The Iriomote Island Preservation Office of the Ministry of Environment announced that apparently a young Iriomote yamaneko (Iriomote wild cat) cub, a designated Natural Monument an...
Alligator snapper caught in Naha’s Kokuba River [News]
An alligator snapper, a species of turtle native to north America, which has been designated a dangerous animal in Japan by the law because it could hurt people who come to contact...
Okinawa again has worst record in drinking & driving [News]
Okinawa Prefectural Police announced that Okinawa had the worst rate in Japan of drinking and driving accidents, and people getting hurt as a result, during the period from January...
Tourist dies in diving accident in Iriomote [News]
A male tourist diving off a beach of Iriomote Island fell unconscious for an unknown reason, Monday afternoon. He was taken to a doctor’s office where he was confirmed dead about o...
Naha hit-and-run leaves 10-year-old boy injured [News]
A car making a left turn at an intersection on Highway 329 at Uema, Naha City, hit a 10-year-old boy riding a bicycle trying to cross the road, in the evening of June 8. The boy su...
Ikei Island hotel to re-open [Business]
Real estate company Adjust from Chatan Town plans to open a hotel named AJ Resort Island Ikei on Ikei Island in Yonashiro, Uruma City. The new hotel will open in the facilities of ...
Vision of railroad for Okinawa [Business]
Okinawa Prefecture Government is pondering a possibility to build a railroad in Okinawa. The proposal was announced on June 6. The proposed train line would connect Naha Airport to...
2013.06.14
MCI Pacific changing generals [Military]
Maj. Gen. Peter J. Talleri will relinquish his duties as the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific, today Talleri turns the command flag over to to Maj. Gen. Cha...
2013.06.13
And this week’s winner is… [Weekly Winners]
Simone Tattersall is the lucky winner of this week’s JU raffle She will enjoy an authentic American style burgers at the 50’s Café with a ¥2,500 meal ticket that was the prize this...
2013.06.10
Cyclists ready for 6th Tour de Miyakojima 2013 [Sports]
Cyclists are counting the days until the “Tour de Miyakojima”, set to be run in stages little more than a week from now. Miyako Island hosts the event, mixing the area’s sport, res...
2013.06.09
Amateur basketball gains popularity in Okinawa [Sports]
The Ryukyu Golden Kings provide basketball excitement for Okinawa, but across this island, basketball is gaining stature with just about everyone. Basketball is great entertainment...
Osaka governor considers allowing Ospreys to fly [Politics]
Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui is considering allowing part of training flights by the U.S. Marine Corps’ MV-22 Osprey aircraft to be conducted in the western Japan prefecture....
Chinese general says Okinawa sovereignty not questioned [Politics]
A Chinese military leader is insisting recent Chinese media commentaries that disputed Japan’s sovereignty over Okinawa Prefecture are views of scholars and do not represent ...
China Researcher wants Reason for Okinawa Sovereignty [Politics]
Li Guoqiang, a researcher who has attracted controversy by arguing that the sovereignty of Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture remains unsettled, has called on the Japanese government...
2013.06.06
Air Force clears Kadena F-15’s to fly again [Military]
Kadena-based F-15 fighter planes are in the air again after briefly having been grounded following a crash more than a week ago. The F-15 squadron’s planes were all ordered parked ...
2013.06.06
Golden Kings make it official: Isa is team’s head coach [Ryukyu Golden Kings]
Tsutomu Isa is perhaps the happiest man on Okinawa, although he’s the first to concede the excitement is matched by anxiety of having a tough road ahead as the new head coach for t...
