It will mark the 50th anniversary of its return to Japan on May 15 this year.Since the unique law on advancement in Okinawa was enacted in 1972, the main government has actually taken numerous measures to fix variations between the prefecture and the rest of the country.On Thursday, parliament passed into law a bill to extend the governments Okinawa advancement program by another 10 years, with focus on efforts to take on child hardship and other problems in Okinawa.Earlier in the week, an event was held to honor the 2nd anniversary of the opening of the second runway at Naha Airport in the prefectures capital.The airport is an “essential structure for measures under the Okinawa advancement program,” Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki worried at the ceremony.Thanks to the development of the airport, as well as a rise in the number of foreign visitors to Japan, the number of travelers from outside the prefecture grew from 440,000 in 1972 to over 10 million in 2019. Under the development program, Okinawa shouldered only around 5% of the expense of the 2nd runway project, much lower than one-third for such tasks somewhere else in the country.Furthermore, the share of paved roads in the prefecture has surpassed the national average, and the building of dams has actually significantly improved the water circumstance in the prefecture, which regularly suffered minimized or suspended water materials. The advancement of Okinawas infrastructure is an “achievement” of the governments development program, said Shigeharu Miyahira, teacher of economics at Meio University in Okinawa.However, there are still disparities to correct in between the prefecture and the rest of the nation in income, well-being and other fields.Among the countrys 47 prefectures, Okinawas typical income per capita has actually remained at the bottom since fiscal 1989 and the prefectures child hardship rate stands at 29.9%, more than twice the nationwide average.Kazuhiro Miyagi, professor of economics at Okinawa International University, pointed out that efforts have actually been focused on facilities and other tasks covered by generous subsidies.
PICTURE GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE).
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