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Okinawa Beach Opening Information 2026! [CURRENT ISSUE LIFE]
Okinawa Beach Opening Information 2026! Ginowan Tropical Beach (Apr. 18) Chatan Sunset Beach (Apr. 10) Chatan Araha Beach (Mid. Apr.) Nishih...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
2012.12.20
New Prime Minister wants to change Constitution [Politics]
In a word, the next Prime Minister of Japan is a “Hawk”. Shinzo Abe, who next week becomes Japan’s seventh Prime Minister in six years, is taking his second spin on the PM machine,...
Opposition trounces ruling party; LDP regains control [Politics]
The Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, New Komeito, racked up 325 seats in Sunday’s Lower House election, reclaiming power after three years of working from the minority opp...
2012.12.18
Phoenix are HOT! Ryukyu Golden Kings are NOT! [Ryukyu Golden Kings]
After a red hot 15-game win streak to start the season, the Ryukyu Golden Kings can’t seem to buy a basket, even at JUSCO, but their new division rival, the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa...
Undecided voters could alter election predictions [Politics]
The pollsters are saying it’s smooth sailing Sunday for the Liberal Democratic Party as it strives to unseat the ruling Democratic Party of Japan in Lower House of Representatives ...
Taiwan-Japan fishing talks add to Senkakus tension [News]
Taiwan and Japan have reopened fishery talks that connect with the Senkaku Islands, and that’s not pleasing the Chinese, who claim the territory is really theirs. China calls the S...
2012.12.14
LDP should easily win Sunday Lower House election [Politics]
The conservative Liberal Democratic Party is comfortably in the lead to win Sunday’s general election, with its main competitors, Nippon Ishin no Kai, the Japan Restoration Party, ...
Abe rejects making any deals with DPJ [Politics]
The head of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and the man expected to become Japan’s next Prime Minister following elections upcoming on Sunday says he’s not going to ma...
American Airman Indicted for assaulting young teen [News]
The Naha District Prosecutor’s Office has indicted a U.S. airman without arrest for his alleged assault of a boy and property destruction in Yomitan last month. The Prosecutors Off...
Federal investigators studying why ANA aircraft overshot runway [News]
An All Nippon Airways Co. pilot and crew members are being investigated by accident inspectors following an incident on a flight from Tokyo that ended with their overrunning the r...
2012.12.14
III MEF assists with relief efforts in Philippines [Military]
Marines from Okinawa’s III Marine Expeditionary Force are once again in disaster relief mode, responding to Typhoon Bopha, which slammed the Philippines, killing more than 600. At ...
2012.12.14
Tenkaichi Super Fight features dual main events [Sports]
The battle for ring supremacy goes two-dimensional Sunday as the Tenkaichi Super Fight puts fighters into action under both MMA and Kickboxing rules. Koza Music Town’s the venue fo...
Orion Beer to go into hotel business [Business]
Orion Beer is looking for new businesses to get into as not long after the company announced its plans to enter the energy business, Orion Beer Co. President Yoshio Kadekaru announ...
Woman robbed in Yomitan [News]
A man with a black cap, mask and sunglasses grabbed a 56-year-old woman from behind as she came out of her car at a private parking space in Nagahama district of Yomitan village, a...
Naha Police crack down on Matsuyama touts [News]
Naha Police conducted a crackdown on illegal touts in Matsuyama entertainment district, Dec. 7, ahead of the expected year-end revelry in the area. The move covered bars, snacks an...
Elderly man found dead in ditch by farm road [News]
A passer-by found an unemployed 90-year-old man fallen into a 60 cm deep roadside ditch in the morning of Dec. 10. In the ditch there also was a bicycle that the man had apparently...
Arsenic contamination found in ground water [News]
A groundwater quality investigation Okinawa City contracted two companies to conduct, a report released on Dec. 10 stated that arsenic 15 to 18 times over legal environmental limit...
Purse snatching in Omoromachi [News]
A man dressed in black from head to toe snatched the handbag from a 60-year-old woman walking on a road in Omoromachi district of Naha City at midnight, Dec. 7. The bag contained a...
2012.12.13
This week’s winner [Weekly Winners]
This week’s lucky winner of Japan Update’s weekly raffle is Carmen. She won a free night in the Best Western Naha Inn hotel. The Best Western Naha Inn is located in Asato area in t...
Federal investigators studying why ANA aircraft overshot runway [News]
An All Nippon Airways Co. pilot and crew members are being investigated by accident inspectors following an incident on a flight from Tokyo that ended with their overrunning the r...
2012.12.12
Rizing Fukuoka finally brings down Golden Kings [Ryukyu Golden Kings]
So close, but yet so far. Only one game away from setting another Basketball Japan League record, the Ryukyu Golden Kings fell victim on the road to a Rizing Fukuoka squad that th...
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