50 years of return to mainland Okinawa Governor Tamaki "Building a self-sustaining economy is in the middle of the road"

On the 15th, 50 years after Okinawa returned to the mainland, the government and Okinawa Prefecture held commemorative ceremonies at two venues, Okinawa and Tokyo.

In this, Governor Tamaki of Okinawa Prefecture said, "Building a self-sustaining economy is still in the middle of the road," and emphasized the need to strengthen efforts to raise the national lowest level of prefectural income.

Okinawa celebrated 50 years since its return to the mainland in 1972 on May 15.

The government and Okinawa Prefecture jointly held a commemorative ceremony by connecting the two venues of Okinawa and Tokyo online, and Governor Tamaki of Okinawa Prefecture said, "The construction of an independent economy is still in the middle of the road and children's There are still many challenges to overcome, such as poverty, disadvantages on remote islands, and fragile industrial structures. "

From February to March, NHK conducted a poll by mail to 1800 people aged 18 and over in Okinawa Prefecture, and received responses from 812 people, or 45.1%.

Among them, "What do you think is the most important issue for Okinawa in the future?" Is the result of asking multiple answers.

▽ "Elimination of poverty and disparity" 77%

▽ "Economic independence / promotion of industry" 68%

▽ "Improvement of children's academic ability" 64%

▽ "Arrangement / reduction of US military bases" 61%

▽ "Nature" 61% for "environmental protection" ▽

60% for "enhancement of medical care and welfare" ▽

51% for "inheritance of Okinawan history" ▽

47% for "inheritance of traditional culture and language"

▽ 33% for "elimination of traffic congestion" %

▽ "Young people settled in the local area" was 29%

▽ "Elimination of night-time society" was 28%

▽ "Others" was 2%

▽ "Nothing in particular" was 0%.

“Resolving poverty and disparities” was the most common, and the result was 16 points higher than “reorganization / reduction of US military bases”.

In Okinawa, the employment situation has improved in the last 10 years, driven by the growth of the tourism industry, but the per capita income of prefectural citizens is still at the lowest level in Japan.

For this reason, there is a need to further strengthen efforts to raise income, such as promoting industry and supporting single parents.