“[Japan’s] Supreme Court rejects residents’ demand for new Okinawa base relocation assessment,” Japan Times/Kyodo, 12/12/14. “The central government is pushing for the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the densely populated area city of Ginowan on Okinowa Island to a coastal area of Nago farther north, but local residents want the base moved outside the prefecture.”

“South American students of Okinawan descent come to Urasoe student exchange,” Ryukyu Shimpo, 11/24/14. “Elisa Mary Higa Morikawa and Bruna Mariko Oshiro are students from a training project for descendants of Okinawan migrants to South American countries. They have been selected for the program for the fiscal year of 2014 organized by Urasoe City.”

Rin Ichino, “Japan’s persisting gender gap leaves many single moms in poverty,” Japan Times/Bloomberg, 12/10/14. “Half of all one-parent families live below the poverty line. The OECD ranks Japan — the world’s third-largest economy — last among its 34 members for the financial well-being of single working parents, and the greatest hardship falls on mothers.”

“TripAdvisor names Naha 6th most popular city,” Japan Update, 12/8/14. “Naha City was selected as the 6th most popular city in the world, in addition of being the 4th among the cities of the Asian countries.”

“Record number of runners took part in Naha Marathon,” Japan Update, 12/8/14. “The 30th Naha Marathon took place Sunday [12/7], with the full marathon course taking the runners through five cities and towns in the southern part of the island…. This year, a lottery system for selecting runners to participate was adopted for the first time because the number of applicants exceeded 30,000. 40 percent of participants came from outside of Okinawa. Over 800 people from Taiwan ran in the race, which is an all-time record.”

“Shifting Boundaries and Changing Surfaces,” Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 12/10/14. “New research published in the Proceedings of The Royal Society A by members of the Mathematical Soft Matter Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University examines the energies at work in a closed flexible loop spanned by a soap film.”

“Rinsho Kadekaru: Katayabira Shimauta Dan,” Power of Okinawa, 12/3/14. “This first CD is a live performance which took place on the 28th August 1974 at Osaka Festival Hall and was part of the original ‘Ryukyu Festival: Katayabira Shimauta’. It was previously released as an LP at the end of that year. Kadekaru is accompanied by his son Rinji and by musicians such as the young Sadao China and Tetsuhiro Daiko.”

“Sugar Ride Kumejima cycling event held,” Ryukyu Shimpo, 12/1/14. “At Ojima on November 30 . . . Over the 125 kilometer-Challenge course, the participants did three laps of the island. For the 90 kilometer-Athlete course, they did two laps. In the 45 kilometer-Tourist course, the cyclists went around the island once. The event had 107 participants, with 103 people completing the courses.”

“Hong Kong’s major investment group to tap into Okinawan markets,” Ryukyu Shimpo, 11/30/14. “The decision to invest in Okinawa came about as a result of a steady increase in Chinese tourists including Hong Kongers coming to the island. The investing company plans to buy existing hotels, and build new ones, mainly in Naha and Ishigaki Island. These hotels will be targeted at Chinese tourists.”