18 Facts About Denny Tamaki

Denny Tamaki is a Japanese politician who has served as the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture since 2018.

Denny Tamaki was elected governor as an independent in the 2018 Okinawa gubernatorial election following the untimely death of Governor Takeshi Onaga.

Dennis Denny Tamaki was born on 13 October 1959 in Yonashiro, Okinawa under American civil administration to an Okinawan mother and an American father who was a member of the US Marine Corps and left Okinawa before he was born.

Tamaki changed his legal name to Yasuhiro Tamaki at 10 years of age, with Denny being a nickname kept since childhood.

Denny Tamaki has never met his father, and his mother remained single throughout his youth and destroyed most materials related to his father.

Denny Tamaki searched for his father, but was unsuccessful in locating him.

Denny Tamaki left Okinawa to attend a trade school in Tokyo and returned afterward, working as a radio disc jockey for several years.

Denny Tamaki was an Okinawa City Council member from 2002 to 2005 until running in the 2005 general election for the Okinawa 3rd district in the House of Representatives, but lost to incumbent Chiken Kakazu.

Denny Tamaki ran again in the 2009 general election and defeated Kakazu for the 3rd district seat.

Denny Tamaki joined Ichiro Ozawa in opposing the consumption tax hike proposed by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in 2012, and was removed from the Democratic Party of Japan.

Denny Tamaki lost the Okinawa 3rd district seat to Natsumi Higa in the 2012 general election, but retained a seat in the Kyushu proportional representation block with the Tomorrow Party, which collapsed and became the People's Life Party following the election.

Denny Tamaki recontested the seat in the 2014 election and regained the seat from Higa with a comfortable 20-point majority.

Denny Tamaki defeated Atsushi Sakima, a candidate supported by the Liberal Democratic Party.

On September 11,2022, Denny Tamaki was re-elected to serve another four-year term as governor, defeating Sakima a second time.

Denny Tamaki has long been opposed to the US military presence on Okinawa.

In June 2019, Denny Tamaki stated that Chinese patrols near the disputed Senkaku islands should not be bothered, which critics questioned if Denny Tamaki thought they were not Japanese territory.

Denny Tamaki responded by taking back his statement and expressed that he was misunderstood.

Denny Tamaki is a singer and guitarist, and has written lyrics for Rinken Band.