Okinawa Gov. Onaga Had Pancreatic Cancer

May 15, 2018

Naha, Okinawa Pref- Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga said Tuesday that he has had pancreatic cancer.

Onaga revealed this at a press conference at the Okinawa prefectural government office in Naha, the capital of the southernmost Japan prefecture, after he left a hospital in Urasoe, Okinawa, earlier in the day. He underwent an operation to remove a pancreatic tumor at the hospital on April 21.

Onaga opposes the Japanese government's plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in a densely populated area in Ginowan, Okinawa, to the Henoko coastal district in Nago in the same prefecture.

He has yet to make clear whether he will run in an Okinawa gubernatorial election slated for this autumn.

At the press conference, Onaga declined to comment on the matter, while saying, "I want to return to work as soon as possible to fulfill my responsibilities as the governor of Okinawa."

Onaga said that he will receive treatment to prevent a relapse and metastasis for now. Revealing that his pancreatic cancer was at stage 2, Onaga said that he will have his condition monitored for the time being while taking anticancer medicine.

The cancer was found to have transferred to a lymph node, and the metastatic cancer was removed during the surgery, according to Onaga.

A pancreatic tumor about 3 centimeters in diameter was found in the governor's pancreas during a reexamination following a comprehensive medical checkup in April. After the successful operation, Onaga underwent rehabilitation at the hospital. Jiji Press