Denny Tamaki heads to the House of Representatives
The Democratic Party of Japan soundly defeated the Liberal Democratic Party across Okinawa in Sunday’s election. The winning candidate for Okinawa’s 3rd district was Denny Tamaki, a man with a very interesting background.
According to this Asahi article, Denny was the son of a member of the U.S. military stationed in Okinawa. His mother worked at a bar/restaurant that catered to Americans. Instead of being brought up by his biological parents, he was left in the care of a friend of his mother’s. He has never met his American father.
Denny had a tough childhood because he looked different from other kids, who taunted him with the nickname “Amerikaa.” His foreign-looking face wasn’t a problem later in life, when he became a popular disk jockey and then a city council member.
The leadership of Tamaki’s party has called for a examination of the U.S. military’s base realignment policy, but the United States government has stated it has no intention of changing the agreement it made earlier this year with the previous Japanese administration.
[hat tip to 空]
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