Fantastic Okinawa Henoko landfill dispute Art Aquarium exhibition in Ryubo shows plenty of “Wa” A fantasy aquarium art exhibition is cur- rently being held on the 6th floor of Palette Kumoji Ryubo department store in Naha. The exhibition is sched- uled to run through Nov. 15th. The next question coming to mind is what is the Art Aquarium? Yes, there are many aquariums at the venue, and each of them con- tains goldfish of every size, from small to huge. Some of them are very rare kind, and valued up to a million dollars. The producer of the Art Aquarium exhibi- tion Hidetomo Kmura explains his project on his official website http://h-i-d.co.jp/art/exhibi- tion/#history. “Since putting myself in the world of aquariums, I have met many fish in many coun- tries. Since starting my job by collecting fish from seas worldwide, I was attracted to the col- orful beautiful fish, which are a natural grace of the sea. “Of course I still have this feeling but since I started my activity as Art Aquarium artist, I have become especially deeply attracted to the mysterious beauty and natural simplicity of kingyo (goldfish). “When I create an artwork, which is com- pleted by putting fish inside, I inevitably tend to choose kingyo. The reason is probably because kingyo itself is a work of art, created by a human hand. As a person creating art, I believe I am attracted to art. “ When I hold an exhibition as Art Aquarium artist, I always make Japonism area and express Japan with my artwork using kingyo. “This is my attempt as a Japanese, and to send new art from Japan to the world. Thankfully, this Japonism artwork and space always get positive reviews. I am so delighted to be able to hold exhibitions in various places with these artworks. Through my Japanese like artwork, I am able to show Japanese culture to many people. “I am producing the exhibition, always hoping that people will experience the Aquarium sublimely as art and feel the message Continues on page 6 A s expected Governor Takeshi Onaga revoked the approval of the landfill permit for Henoko Tuesday that his predecessor had approved in December 2013. The move was expected as inevitable, since the one- month-long pause in the construction site survey off Henko and concurrent negotia- tions with central government ended with- out progress as both sides refused to budge from their positions. The result is most likely to be that the dispute ends in the courts, while the central government regards Onaga’s revoke of the permit as invalid and intends to continue the work on the relocation site. “A committee that inspected the approval process recognized that there were defects. So, we decided that revoking it is reasonable,” Onaga said at a news con- ference at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office building in Naha announcing his decision. The central government in Tokyo is also sure to seek to invalidate Onaga’s decision in the courts. Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said in a news conference in Tokyo that the government will take “a prompt action” to suspend Onaga’s deci- sion. Nakatani said the preliminary work in the Henoko area will be halted for the time being, but argued that the cancellation of the landfill permit is illegal. The central government is planning to begin the construction work on the reloca- tion facility this fall. According to press reports from Tokyo, the Defense Ministry was set to file the complaint with land min- ister Keiichi Ishida as early as Wednesday. In addition, the Okinawa Defense Bureau will submit the land minister a demand to suspend the cancellation. The land minister is expected to accept the Defense Ministry's request for suspen- sion of Onaga’s revocation of the landfill permit, and the national government plans to restart the relocation-related work fol- lowing the decision. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference that the central government has found “no legal flaws” in the approval for landfill work. “Revoking the approval is extremely regrettable as it ignores the efforts made so far by officials in Okinawa and the central government to eliminate the risks posed by the MCAS Futenma,” Suga said, adding that construction work will continue as planned while taking “utmost care of the environment.” Governor officially revokes Henoko landfill permit Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga Art Aquaruim exhibition centers on goldfish and various shape aquariums to create a very Japanese harmonius atmosphere. Oct. 15, 2015 - Oct. 21, 2015 ¥150 Fantastic Okinawa Local News Classifieds Okinawan Culture Weather JU Weekly Raffle Events this week English Lesson Horoscope Recipe 2 2 2