Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki left office at the end of his term, departing the prefectural government building to applause and whistles while carrying more flowers than he could hold, according to 琉球新報デジタル. The outlet reported that Tamaki told staff he felt fortunate to have been able to work with them. His eight years in office came to a close with a farewell address to prefectural employees, 沖縄タイムス社 reported.
At a retirement press conference, Tamaki said base-related matters accounted for close to 70 percent of his work, according to 朝日新聞, as cited by Yahoo!ニュース. His tenure was marked by opposition to the relocation of the U.S. Futenma air base to the Henoko area and by conflict with the national government over the issue, ｄメニューニュース reported.
Asked about talk of the end of the "All Okinawa" movement, Tamaki questioned what basis was being used to make that claim, according to 産経ニュース.
The reports did not name a successor or detail Tamaki's plans after leaving office. Coverage of the transition and the future of the Henoko dispute is expected to continue.
