| A photograph taken of the members of the council. On August 15, 1945 the U.S. military gathered together in Ishikawa over 120 representatives from the internment camps and informed them of the end of WWII and ordered the establishment of an advisory council. 15 members of the council were elected by ballot on August 20th. They were also known as "The Front 15" and were the members that built the foundations of the Okinawan government. From the front left are Kenshin Nakamura, Monsho Maekami, U.S. Navy Commander Watkins, Takanobu Shikiya, Yasukazu Matayoshi, Tomoaki Goeku, Seiryo Adaniya, Seiken Toyama, Motokazu Nakasone, Tsugakazu Hirata, Masayasu Matsuoka, Tokuo Yamashiro, Akiyasu Itokazu, and Nagamoto Higa. (Chokei Ogimi and Takanao Chibana, both members, are not in this photograph) Photograph courtesy of Okinawa Times Publishers "Shashin Kiroku, Okinawa Sengoshi" |
