Japan's Conspiracy

Japan's Conspiracy (1) P1
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HOME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BB CTRL 1 2 3 4 4-2 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Introduction The day the Japanese government wants to erase from the history The anniversaries of the past disgusting days that the Japanese government wanted ordinary Japanese to forget September 11, 2001 attacks Another September 11th Yasukuni Shrine and Religions in Japan (1) Catholic Churches Yasukuni Shrine and Religions in Japan (2) Buddhist temples The Latest Japan's Conspiracy Japan's pension and life insurance system Japan's enormous support for Myanmar Japanese are encouraged, and occasionally forced, to kill themselves. Most Japanese companies are virtually controlled by the Japanese government. Investigation on terrorism is now a controversy in Canada. Meditating Terrorism in 1985
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Introduction
2007/5/22 #1
Japan's Conspiracy (1) Introduction

I would like to pick up in random some suspicious events that I feel apparently has something to do with the Japanese government.
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Unfortunately, Japan has a consistent pattern in its conspiracy. (1) Japan tries anything in order to repaint the world history. (2) In order to erase people's memory in some inconvenient events, the Japanese government often tries to create some shocking events on the same day. If the inconvenient event has been scheduled beforehand, the shocking event is created on or around the same day. If the inconvenient event occurs suddenly, later some shocking events are created almost on the same day, sometimes around the same time in the future.
Mount St. Helens
It is not an easy task to create a event that surpasses some past event. A great amount of work and preparation is needed. Generally speaking, such event may be a disaster or large-scale terrorism. (3) If an event is predicted at a specific time and at a specific place, a bizarre event is usually created at almost the same time. (4) The Japanese government believes that few people have found out its conspiracy. But some events have turned out to have been conspiracies. There would be more conspiracy cases. It is really a surprise that such an event comes out one after another.
Some Examples
1. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell came to Japan on October 23, 2004. His agenda was to discuss North Korean issues. But on that day in the evening, the Chuetsu Earthquakes occurred. The then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi attended a movie festival, neglecting both the earthquakes and Mr. Powell. 2. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came to Japan on March 19, 2005. Her agenda was to discuss beef issues. But the next day when she flew from Tokyo to Seoul, the Fukuoka earthquake occurred almost below her airplane. The earthquake was really a greeting of "goodbye" to Ms. Rice from Japan. During the meeting, Japan had rebuffed her on lifting beef ban.
Parody and Fabrication

Most events and affairs are fabrications nowadays in Japan. In the past, the police and the media were much smarter and their fabrications were very complicated and refined. But today their skill has deteriorated and it is very easy to point them out. let me show one example. Paul McCartney, a former member of The Beatles, was arrested for possession of marijuana at Tokyo airport on January 16, 1980. Then, 10 years later, on January 16, 1990, Shintaro Kastu, a popular Japanese actor, was arrest at the Honolulu Airport for carrying pot and cocaine in his underwear. At the press conference, he joked that he intended to start a new business as a haberdasher and sell Katsu pants in which anything could be hidden. It was interesting that Hawaii was chosen for the parody venue.
Japan's Conspiracy (2)
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2007/5/22 #2

January January January January 17, 17, 17, 17, 1991 1992 1994 1995
The day the Japanese government wants to erase from the history
The Gulf War started at 8:38 am on January 17, 1991 according to Japan time. The operation of US-led allied forces with cutting-edge weapons was spectacular. They destroyed Iraqi forces immediately. CNN news occupied Japanese people with live video and reports. The Japanese government was totally marginalized. The world community's concerns toward Japan was only money. Although Japan paid some reasonable money to the world community through the US government, Japan was not appreciated at all. The day was really a disgusting day for the Japanese government. From the Gulf crisis through The Gulf War, oil prices skyrocketed and hit bitterly the Japan's bubble economy. The US Bush administration demanded Japan's financial contribution and joint action to the war. Japan was thrown into a panic. The Japanese government was confronted by adamant opposition groups and could not get a consensus from the nation. But I think it was simply a gesture.
Operation Desert Storm
Gulf War
Japan's conspiracies
The Japanese government has repainted the history on January 17 in later years, including its secret revenge. One year later, several days before the Desert Storm anniversary, the then Japanese Prime Minister Miyazawa invited US President Bush and his wife Mrs. Barbara Bush to Tokyo. It was really a bad journey for the couple. During the dinner party with Japanese politicians, including Miyazawa, President Bush suddenly fell sick. He was rushed to another room. But Miyazawa was unexpectedly clapping his hands, smiling silently. It was really an embarrassing moment. Mrs. Barbara Bush suddenly started some interesting small talks. She had intelligence to save both national leaders. At that time I watched the scene in the TV news and Miyawaza looked like a monkey clapping the cymbals. Later it was reported that the president had been infected with flu and had suffered from acute enteritis. Maybe he ate wrong food at the dinner party. This event seems to have been a Japan's preemptive punch against the Desert Storm anniversary.
January 8, 1992
An ashen-faced George Bush Senior, after vomiting in Japan (BBC News) When Mr Bush's father attended a state visit in Japan in January 1992, he responded to the arrival of Japanese beef steak (French-style) with a projectile vomit into the lap of
Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa. Suffering from flu at the time, George Bush Senior then slumped under the table before getting up a few minutes later and announcing he felt great. Now that George Bush Junior has apparently survived the dinner, he may be enjoying a good night's sleep before a gruelling Asian tour which takes in another five countries in a week. A Western-style bed may be more suited for this.
January 17, 1992

On January 17, 1992, Miyazawa visited South Korea and made a formal apology about Japan's atrocity against comfort women during World War II though he was not demanded by South Korea. South Korea and its people went wild with joy. But the later history has proved that it was simply a lip service. The Japanese government has ignored the formal apology. Now we cannot read any article about it. The aim was to make the headlines on that day's news and to make Japanese mass media ignore the Desert Storm operation one year ago.
January 17, 1994

The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:30:55 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California, falling on in 1994. The earthquake had a "moderate" moment magnitude of 6.7, but the ground acceleration was the highest ever instrumentally recorded in an urban area in North America, and it proved to be the most costly earthquake in United States history. For some Americans, the day January 17 reminds them of not the Desert Storm Operation but this earthquake.
January 17, 1995

Maybe by one of time's revenges, on the same day the next year, a big earthquake hit Kobe area. The Great Hanshin Earthquake disaster (, Hanshin-Awaji Daishinsai?), or Kobe earthquake as it is more commonly known overseas, was an earthquake in Japan that measured 6.9 to 7.3 on the Richter magnitude scale. It occurred on January 17, 1995 at 5:46:46 a.m. in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture and lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The focus of the earthquake was located 16 km beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km away from the city of Kobe with a population of 1.5 million. This area is in the middle of the fault zone of the Pacific, the Eurasian and the Philippine tectonic plates. The two earthquakes have one thing in common. Both are particularly shallow earthquakes. The timing of the Great Hanshin earthquake was arranged in accordance with the 50th anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. 1703 Genroku earthquake Chile Earthquake L'Aquila earthquake Sakhalin earthquake 2005 Sumatra earthquake Tokyo Meiji Earthquake 1964 Alaska earthquake
reference
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami US-Japan Alliance Talks and Haiti Earthquake Tangshan Earthquake Artificial Earthquakes Disasters and Economy 2008 Iwate earthquake
2007 Ch etsu offshore earthquake Mino-Owari earthquake a suspension bridge is suspicious 1906 San Francisco earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/5/22 #3

September 1, 1905 September 1, 1923 January 17, 1991 January 17, 1992 January 17, 1994 January 17, 1995 I have already described Great Hanshin earthquake at Japan's conspiracy(2). But this earthquake is often compared with 1923 Great Kanto earthquake in the size and also in their strangeness.
Both days are the anniversaries of the past disgusting days that the Japanese government wanted ordinary Japanese to forget.
1. 1923 Great Kanto earthquake September 1, 1923
Great Hanshin earthquake

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September 1, 1905 was the day when Japan made a truce with Russia. It was not Japan's real intention. The US intervened in the Russo-Japanese War and put great pressure on Japan to stop the war. Nowadays this day is not a very important day, compared to the ensuing several days. But at that time this day was the day the Japanese army could never forget. Since 1923, "September 1st", the anniversary of the end of the Russo-Japanese War, became the anniversary of the Great Kanto earthquake. The end of the Russo-Japanese War disappeared from Japanese history textbooks. 2. Great Hanshin earthquake January 17, 1995 The Gulf War started at 8:38 am on January 17, 1991 according to Japan time. The operation of US-led allied forces with cutting-edge weapons was spectacular. They destroyed Iraqi forces immediately. CNN news occupied Japanese people with live video and reports. The Japanese government was totally marginalized. The world community's concerns toward Japan was only money. Although Japan paid some reasonable money to the world community through the US government, Japan was not appreciated at all. The day was really a disgusting day for the Japanese government. From the Gulf crisis through The Gulf War, oil prices skyrocketed and hit bitterly the Japan's bubble economy. The US Bush administration demanded Japan's financial contribution and joint action to the war. Japan was thrown into a panic. The Japanese government was confronted by adamant opposition groups and could not get a consensus from the nation. But I think it was simply a gesture. Northridge earthquake and Great Hanshin earthquake occurred on the same day.
When these earthquakes occurred, there were no de facto leaders of the governments. Such situations seem to have been created intentionally.
1. 1923 Great Kanto earthquake September 1, 1923 There was no Japanese prime minister on that day. Eight days before the earthquake, Prime Minister Tomosaburo Kato suddenly died. He was quite unpopular among the military. He decided to withdraw the Japamese army from Siberia. At that time Japan was adamant to keep its army in Siberia though other allied powers had already withdrew their armies from Siberia. He also accepted disarmament plan demanded by other powers including the US. You may think that in every WIKIPEDIA the content different languages. But it is not. I have been really different contents both in English and Japanese. So, translate part of the Japanese WIKIPEDIA about the is exactly the same though written in surprised that WIKIPEDIA offers as you read English WIKIPEDIA, let me earthquake for clarifying the difference.
(1) World War I ended in 1918 and Japan's economy suddenly stopped booming due to the rapid recovery of European economy. The Japanese economy had been hard hit. (2) Before the earthquake, Prime Minister Tomosaburo Kato suddenly died on August 24. Until the time the earthqake occurred, there had been no prime minister in Japan. (3) It was unclear an acting prime minister was chosen or not. Japan's politics was already in emergency. When the earthquake occurred, a variety of false rumors got around. Some rumors had it that Korean riots were attacking Japanese. (4) Some army soldiers and military police officers took advantage of the confusion. Some prominent liberalists were killed. 2. Great Hanshin earthquake January 17, 1995 This earthquake occurred during the only period when there was no LDP prime minister since the end of World War II. It was fortunate for the LDP and most of the bureaucrats in the governments because they could pass the buck to the Japan Socialist Party. Soon after, the JSP almost collapsed. (Japanese Wikipedia)
Both earthquakes remind us of artificial earthquake.

Not only the days but also the periods of time were unusual. Both were very shallow earthquakes. 1. 1923 Great Kanto earthquake September 1, 1923 This earthquake occurred just around the noon on that day. Though the epicenter was far from Tokyo, Tokyo was almost destroyed in the ensuing fire. 2. Great Hanshin earthquake January 17, 1995 This earthquake occurred just around the time when the Operation Desert Storm started. OPERATION DESERT STORM CHRONOLOGY First US government statement of Operation Desert-Storm made. Marlin Fitzwater announces, "The liberation of Kuwait has begun..." The air war started Jan 17 at 2:38 a.m. (local time) or January 16 at 6:38PM EST due to an 8 hour time difference, with an Apache helicopter attack. This was the time when bombs were dropped. Strictly speaking the time when Apache helicopters took off was about three hours earlier: around at 0:00 a.m. (local time) or around 6:00 a.m. Japan time.
This earthquake occurred at 5:46 a.m. Japan time.
There was inexcusable negligence from the part of central and local governments in both cases. Fire fighting was insufficient and inappropriate.
1. 1923 Great Kanto earthquake September 1, 1923 More than 100 thousand people were killed. Most of them were burned to death due to wrong guidance by the army and the police. Many foreigners were killed during the confusion. Survivors' Record by Tokyo University (Japanese) 2. Great Hanshin earthquake January 17, 1995 After the earthquake, there was little fire fighting because of lack of water. Far from it, motorcycle gangs drove around the burning sites, impeding fire fighting. Many people were burned alive under the collapsed houses. In addition to that, a few days later, Kansai Electric Power Co. suddenly turned on electricity and caused fires one after another.
In both cases, location and timing seems to have been chosen in political and social convenience.
1. 1923 Great Kanto earthquake September 1, 1923 At that time, Tokyo was already one of the major cities in the world. But its modernization was far behind other major cities such as NewYork and London. Overhaul of Tokyo was as an urgent challenge for the Japanese government. After the earthquake, Tokyo was rapidly modernized. 2. Great Hanshin earthquake January 17, 1995 At that time, Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge was under construction. It had just connected Awaji Island with Honshu Island with its main cable. The fact that this main cable could withstand the earthquake could show off the superbness of Japan's construction technology. The tremors were shallow and occurred in different places. The impact on the suspension bridge that was under construction seemed to be small. The bridge was designed with a two-hinged stiffening girder system, allowing the structure to withstand winds of 286 kilometres per hour (178 mph), earthquakes measuring to 8.5 on the Richter scale, and harsh sea currents.
others
1. Great Hanshin earthquake January 17, 1995 After the earthquake, there were controversies about the research to improve earthquake prediction. Some professors argued that Japan should follow Greek earthquake prediction system. But the government finally dismissed the argument. It is widely known that Greece has an excellent earthquake prediction system. But it is invariably ignored in Japan. Earthquake Prediction in Greece (Japanese) The Great Hanshin earthquake was a parody which commemorated the fake suicide of General Anami and also commemorated the fake surrender of the Japanese government.
reference
World Trade Center Attacked Twice Aum Shinrikyo, Bank of Japan and North Korea Bullying Jews to the Last Artificial Earthquakes
Osama bin Laden Quotes Nobel Prize and Japan's Secret Fabricated Events on June 8 Japanese Politicians
Building Miniature Suspension Bridge Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami to be continued
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2007/5/29 #4
Japan's Conspiracy (4) September 11, 2001 attacks
[ Wikipedia ] The September 11, 2001 attacks consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist suicide attacks by Islamic extremists on the United States of America on September 11, 2001. It is believed that the attacks were originally planned to be executed between March and September 2000 but eventually occurred on the morning of September 11, 2001, when nineteen terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. Each team of hijackers included a trained pilot. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower, resulting in the collapse of both buildings soon afterward and irreparable damage to nearby buildings. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. Passengers and members of the flight crew on the fourth aircraft attempted to retake control of their plane from the hijackers; that plane crashed into a field near the town of Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. In addition to the 19 hijackers, 2,973 people died; another 24 are missing and presumed dead. The victims were predominantly civilians.
9/11: Press for Truth
In Japan, although this terrorism is occasionally called as "9.11. terrorism", For some time this teroorism was called as "Dojitahatuterojiken" in Japanese or "American Simultaneous Multiple Terrorist Attacks" literally in English. I was always skeptical about the Japanese name of this incident. This name is somewhat confusing. The reasons were as follows. (1) This Japanese name was never used in Japanese-English translation. This name was particularly used for the Japanese in Japan.
(2) This Japanese name was used at unity immediately after the attacks in all news and reports in Japan. Nobody knows who invented this phrase. Different names of this kind of incident are usually created independently, then gradually integrated into a unified name. This Japanese name seemed to have been prepared beforehand. (3) Why intelligible names such as "September 11 Incident" were not used in Japan. Such style of naming is not unfamiliar to Japanese. Two major coup d'etats in the 1930 were called as "May 15 Incident" and "February 26 Incident". There was no reason that this calling style should have been avoided. I felt that the Japanese government wanted its people not to be concerned about the date of this attacks but to remember the victory of terrorism against the US. (4) These attacks were often compared with Attack on Pearl Harbor. But the Attack on Pearl Harbor was never called by the date. Why? (5) Why did the terrorists attack in the early morning? At that time, the US was not on full alert. There was not particular reasons for carrying on these attacks in the early morning. Instead, the disaster would have become more serious if attacks were carried out around noon. (6) Immediately after the terrorist attacks, Chinese President Hu Jintao called President Bush, asking if there were anything he could do for the US. Russian President Putin called President Bush, saying that he didn't mind if the US was on full alert for war. On the other hand, there were few reports about Koizumi's reaction. He was the last leaders of developed nations who visited the ground zero and offered any help. He was marginalized by US mass media and Bush administration.
The Japanese government was the September 11 mastermind. There are so many doubts.
(1) Terrorists intended to keep the "DATE" of these attacks in people's minds and in the world history. The one thing I immediately wondered was the difference of the naming between the two notorious attacks. Why the terrorist attacks were particularly called by the date, while most other major global incidents were called not by the date but by their particular names. Soon I understood that global incidents are usually difficult to be called by the dates because dates are different according to the time zones. For example, the Attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out on December 7, 1941 in the US, and on December 8, 1941 in Japan. But there are very small hours when the time in the area around the international dateline in the Central Pacific Ocean is at midnight. That means around noon in the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), most areas have the same date around the world. American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767-200 wide-body aircraft, crashed into the northern side of the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC) at 8:46:30 a.m. local time (Eastern Daylight Time, 12:46:30 GMT) on September 11, 2001. For this timing, these attacks can be called by its date throughout the world. If there had been the mastermind, the mastermind must have been obsessed with a particular date. And the date should have been "September 11". If someone intends to carry out a huge scale incident, the date would be carefully chosen. When I checked the date in the world and Japanese history, I was stunned. (2) In the video after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Osama bin Laden, the founder of the organization called al-Qaeda, said, "The US that once dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in Japan does not have the right to condemn terrorism." Arab terrorists should not have been concerned about Japanese history. Many people would have been bothered by a feeling of strangeness. (3) September 11th was the day when Japan virtually surrendered unconditionally to the Allied Powers in 1945. I checked the Internet web sites that include the day "September 11th" and the information related to the revenge against the US. But the date I could find was only "September 11, 1945". It was really a surprise. I didn't know what happened on that day. Nothing is written in Japanese history books about what happened on that day. For the Japanese, the initial shock came with the first war arrest warrants by the Occupation Forces on September 11, 1945. When the U.S. forces sought to execute these warrants, former Prime Minister Tojo Hideki unsuccessfully attempted to take his own life. You may think that World War II ended on August 15, 1945. I thought so, too. But, from August 15 to this day, no Japanese government officials thought that Japan lost the war. Everybody could behave freely as usual. Ministers, officials and generals invited US officials and generals politely to their offices for negotiation for the future. Still now, August 15 is celebrated not as "the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II" but as "the anniversary of the end of the war" in Japan. The official expression "Shusenkinenbi" literally means "the anniversary commemorating the end of the war". Though it was beyond expectation for every Japanese, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur suddenly ordered to arrest key 39 Japanese generals and politicians who were designated as Class A War Criminals including Hideki Tojo. Frightened by the assault, some of them tried to kill themselves. Four persons killed themselves. Tojo failed to kill himself. He was injured but he survived. Some others had already committed suicides on August 15. The day was really "the Day of Betrayal" for the Japanese military. The Allied Powers seemed to arrest nobody. The Headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Army surrendered to the Allied Powers in exchange for the acquittal of all government officials. The September 11 assault was really a betrayal for those arrested. It is something like the situation in which the police promise the bank robbers who take bank workers hostage not to arrest them in exchange for the release of the hostages and in which the police later arrest them. It may be a betrayal. But it can't be helped. (4) During the September 11, rumors had it that some speculators got huge profit in anticipation of the terrorist attacks and ensuing sudden fall of share prices. The US financial authorities called on investors to be cool and later started full-scale investigation. But the result has not been revealed. (5) The Japanese government continued to be obsessed with the date "September 11th". Around September 11 2002, most headline news were Koizumi's visit to North Korea. This day the main news was that the government decided to fly the government plane to Pyongyang for the first time in preparation for Koizumi's visit.
Around September 11 2003, most headline news were election for president of the Liberal Democratic Party. But the date had been arranged beforehand. Around September 11 2004, most headline news were cabinet decision of privatization of the postal system. But the decision-making date had been set by the government. Koizumi visited New York and made a speech in the UN. He spoke nothing about the terrorist attacks in New York. His speech was nothing other than stillborn jokes. Around September 11 2005, most headline news were Lower House elections, sweeping LDP's victory and privatization of the postal system. Around September 11 2006, most headline news were presidential elections of both the major ruling LDP and major opposition DPJ. Most people were cynical. Around September 11 2007, there appeared surprises, one after another. Finally, the then prime minister Shinzo Abe resigned. Every year on this day, meaningless events were intentionally created. People forgot the terrorist attacks to some extent. (6) It is reported that quite a few people made a profit as the result of the dramatic fall of stock prices. Irregular future trading was active as if the 9.11 terrorist attacks had been predicted in advance. Actually, there were many stories about that on the Internet for some time after the 9.11 attacks. Most of them have disappeared. But, surprisingly enough, the doubt was argued in the Japanese Diet at the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense on January 10, 2008. A legislator asked the suspicious put option dealings with regard to stocks of relevant airline companies including American Airlines and United Airlines.
There is a strong impression on the alliance of Japan, France and Germany.

You may think that, during World War II, France was included in the Allied Powers. But France willingly surrendered to Germany. Hostility against the US and the UK was stronger than that against Germany. Still we always feel such attitude among French politicians. During World War II, in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam and Cambodia, French navy cooperated with Japanese navy and fought the Allied Powers. These countries seem to follow the same path they once went through in astray. reference The automobile industries of Japan and Germany collaborated in holding the motor shows, synchronizing them with the September 11 Attacks.
The September 11 attacks were the 100th anniversary of the assassination of US President William McKinley in the Japanese calendar. World Trade Center Attacked Twice to be continued Osama bin Laden Quotes Hypotheses are included.
Japan's Conspiracy (4-2)
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2008/2/26 #4B
Japan's Conspiracy (4-2) Another September 11th
I have already showed that this day became the day of turmoil in Japan after the 9.11 terrorist attacks. But there have appeared another September 11th. It is September 11th, 1985, the 40th anniversary of the arrest of Hideki Tojo by the allied forces. 1985 was really the year of turmoil in and around Japan.
Kazuyoshi Miura was arrested again.

He was a notorious person in Japan. He was arrested by the Japanese police in 1985. He was acquitted in 2003. This time he was arrested by the US police for another trial.
This day is the day of revenge for Japanese nationalists.

(1) Japan's miscalculation Japan had expected the defeat of World War II. But the US fell short of its expectations on several points. One of the worst unexpected events was the arrest, the court and the execution of war criminals. It had studied the US strategy on the war. For example, a defeated general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War had not been executed, but had become the president of Washington College after the war. The Japanese military was confident that it would be able to end the war and that its generals would be treated as heroes by the Allied Forces. So, it called the defeat simply the end of the war. In fact, the Allied Occupation Forces acted diplomatically rather than militarily after August 15, 1945. The Japanese Imperial Headquarters were relieved. However, the initial shock came with the first war arrest warrants by the Occupation Forces on September 11, 1945. When the U.S. forces sought to execute these warrants, former Prime Minister Tojo Hideki unsuccessfully attempted to take his own life. (2) Kazuyoshi Miura has acted as the scapegoat of Hideki Tojo. Japanese nationalists thought the US betrayed them. To make matters worse, the execution was carried out on the birthday of the current Japanese Emperor, December 23, 1948. It was conducted by Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., the father of Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, became one of the pivotal leaders of the American civil rights movement. Later, he was assassinated. The assassination method was similar to those in most Japanese assassinations. Japanese military was going to indict and acquit Hideki Tojo by themselves. And they let Miura commit a murder in the US and blatantly arrested and acquitted him, later instead. They may have thought that they got their revenge. (3) The story didn't stop there. U.S. authorities in Saipan arrested him for the same charge on February 23. The US laws have no statute of limitations on a murder. This time the US court will return a verdict of guilty. This murder case is going to be another court battle between Japan and the US. (4)Another story has come out. When Miura killed himself, I wondered why he was chosen for this role. I looked for some information with regard to his name in the Internet search engine. I suspected the reason was that because the US forces had landed around Miura Peninsula near Yokohama. But I
was surprised when I found the name of Giichi Miura on the Japanese search engine list. Giichi is expressed "" in Japanese. It is pronounced either "giichi" or "yoshikazu". "Yoshikazu" is a pun for "Kazuyoshi". At that time, I didn't know anything about Giichi(Yoshikazu) Miura. But I was surprised again. He was a war criminal. He had special private relations with Hideki Tojo. In December 1945, he was imprisoned but later released due to illness. He was a crazy anticommunist as well as rightist. The Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers needed him to control confused postwar Japan. For some time he was treated something like a samurai lord in Tokyo under the auspices of the SCAP. For other nationalists, he was an absolute traitor. Now I believe that Kazuyoshi Miura was chosen to revenge a defeat with the pun of "Kazuyoshi" and "Yoshikazu(Giichi)". (4) The truth still remains to be seen. Nobody knows which country is behind the story. Maybe Miura has fled from Japan for his life. Nowadays there are a lot of eerie news in Japan. Now that he has been involved in a large scale conspiracy, it may be dangerous to stay in Japan. The same thing can be said in the case of a curry poisoning case in Japan.
Miura killed himself.

Kazuyoshi Miura hanged himself in a Los Angeles jail cell where he was awaiting trial for plotting his wife's murder here in 1981. He died at 10:00 PM on October (the 10th month). Just after his death, the Bush administration took North Korea off the list of nations considered to be sponsors of terrorism. To tell the truth, October 10 is an important day between Japan and North Korea. It is never be a coincidence. On September 11, 1985, a beautiful young actress, Masako Natsume, ended her life. But her death was suspicious. Persistent media reports about her death continued for some time. Maybe her beauty and her name were the cause of her death. On September 11, 2001, two typhoons landed Japan. One hit Tokyo and the other hit Okinawa. Typhoons are often manipulated to attract or detract people's attention. This is a typical example. Typhoon DANAS Typhoon NARI John Lennon was attacked twice . The Beatles went to Japan only once. On June 28, 1966, The Beatles were welcomed at first by a typhoon. Japanese xenophobia at that time is well-expressed on this article. The newspapers declared that as one typhoon had left, another had just arrived. Their arrival at Tokyo Airport was delayed and their concert was performed just during a typhoon's aftermath. John Lennon was assassinated on December 8, 1980. This day was the 39th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor according to the Japanese calendar. reference The automobile industries of Japan and Germany collaborated in holding the motor shows, synchronizing them with the September 11 Attacks.
The September 11 attacks were the 100th anniversary of the assassination of US President William McKinley in the Japanese calendar. World Trade Center Attacked Twice Osama bin Laden Quotes
to be continued
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2007/6/1 #5
Japan's Conspiracy (5) Yasukuni Shrine and Religions in Japan Catholic Churches
There has been no clear opposition against the war shrine worship. Instead, the Vatican recommends the faithful to visit Yasukuni Shrine. In the 1960s, the Vatican allowed the faithful to attend other religious ceremonies in Japan. But, in the 1930s, the Vatican's attitude toward Yasukuni visit was outrageous. But, there was a good reason for that. The Vatican became an independent country within Italy thanks to Benito Mussolini on February 11, 1929. On this day Japan also celebrated its own foundation because this day was also Japan's most important national holiday, the National Foundation Day. Benito Mussolini was Japan's passionate and persistent friend. Both countries were fascist states. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini seemed to have been supported secretly by Japan. It was not difficult for a crazy country to spread secret money to such crazy figures and to make them climb the political ladder to the national leader. The Vatican had no way other than to allow Japanese christians to visit Yasukuni Shrine. In 1922, Benito Mussolini became the prime minister. In 1929, Benito Mussolini recognized the independence of Vatican City. Oura Church
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Japan's Yasukuni Shrine 15-August-2007 image
Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine
The Vatican became an independent country within Italy thanks to Benito Mussolini on February 11, 1929. On this day Japan also celebrated its own foundation because this day was also Japan's most important national holiday, the National Foundation Day. It was obvious that the Vatican had something to do with Japan. In the 1930s, at a time when militarists had taken control of the Japanese government and society, Catholics in Japan faced a problem. Children had to go to Shinto shrines as part of their school activities. In 1932, Archbishop Jean-Baptiste-Alexis Chambon of Tokyo asked the Ministry of Education to clarify whether or not such visits were religious. The Japanese government said that such visits were a manifestation of patriotism and loyalty, not a religious activity.
In 1936, Cardinal Pietro Fumasoni Biondi, prefect of "Propaganda"(now the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) in Rome, sent word to Japan indicating that since visits to Shinto shrines were not religious activities, Catholics were allowed to make such visits. In 1939, World War II broke out. In 1940, the Tripartite Treaty was signed by Germany, Italy and Japan. In 1945, after Japan's defeat, the U.S. occupation authorities ordered the denationalization of Shinto shrines, including Yasukuni. In 1946, the bishops decreed that Catholics henceforth were not allowed to go to shrines in either a private or a public capacity. In 1951, the Vatican declared that the 1936 decision was still in effect. Still now the Japanese Catholic charches technically support Yasukuni Shrine. In 2008, critics accused Pope Benedict XVI of being insensitive towards Judaism. The two most prominent instances were the expanding the use of the Tridentine Mass and the lifting of the excommunication on four bishops from the Society of St. Pius X. Theses facts are surprising facts for me. I have never heard or read these facts. But, for many years, I have been skeptical about Japanese christians' attitude. They are mostly from rich families such as doctors, lawyers and professors. They are usually the bastion of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and also Yasukuni Shrine. Now I understand to the full. reference Yasukuni Shrine and Buddhist temples Yasukuni Shrine and the Japanese Red Army Bangladesh and Yasukuni Shrine to be continued Air India Flight 182 bombing Dewi Sukarno
Hurricane Wilma and Yasukuni Shrine Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/6/6 #6
Japan's Conspiracy (6) Yasukuni Shrine and Religions in Japan

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(2) Buddhist temples From the early 17th century to the late 19th century, Japan was governed by the samurai administration. The central administration was located in Tokyo. And there were local administrations in all regions. Those administrations were managed by the strong local families. However, samurai were just warriors. They mostly allowed Buddhist temples to hold large land and keep peasants. Buddhist temples were something like town halls. They handled a variety public jobs such as family registration recordkeeping. When Japan restored a monarchy system in 1868, still Buddhist temples held strong powers. The new government bullied Buddhist temples and took all public jobs from Buddhist temples. However, the new
government continued to allow Buddhist temples to keep large land. The revenue from the land was critical for those temples. For that reason, Buddhist temples were often more conservative and belligerent than the central government. In the feudal period, Buddhist temples often held many warriors and fought samurai warriors and each other for non-religious reasons. On this point, Japanese Buddhist temples were different from Christian churches and Buddhist temples in other countries. From 1868 to 1945, when Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces, Buddhist temples ardently supported Yasukuni Shrine and Japan's fascism. But, since Buddhist temples were deprived of their land and peasants by the Allied Forces, they have been increasingly weaker. But, due to the government's support, they are reviving to some extent. Japanese have a complex about their religions and their history. I don't think you can understand their feelings. They are not atheists, but they don't believe religious organizations very much. They really wish some authentic religions. But it would never be Yasukuni Shrine.
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2007/6/7 #7
Japan's Conspiracy (7) the Latest Japan's Conspiracy

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1. Feature (1) Dates of some events were adjusted beforehand in order to enhance insinuation effect to Japan's convenience. (2) Natural disasters are created. News are reported with some exaggeration in order to overshadow critical but unpleasant news for the Japanese government. They are usually reported at a targeted day. (3) Foreign major but corrupt politicians often cooperate. It is easy to buy their performance and statements. 2. The aim of conspiracy this time. It was urgent for Japan to cover up Japan's isolation in the G8 meeting. The first priority was to let ordinary Japanese citizens to look the other way. The second priority was to humiliate major competitors. Japan often regard some major countries as competitors or even enemies, though in reality they never think that way. The Japanese government tries to let its spies, ministers, bureaucrats and mass media work with all their force. Victories at the Cannes Film Festival in France and Miss Universe pageant were actually auspicious occasions, though they were foregone conclusion. Japan attended the IWC meeting in triumph, but the result was devastating. Angry Japan turned face about. From being auspicious to being ominous.
Usually, under such circumstances, shooting incidents and mysterious confinement cases are created. But, this time, this strategy was not chosen. Russian politicians are easy to bribe. Mr. Boris Yeltsin blatantly begged money from the Japanese government behind the stage on the Northern Island issues. Rogue demonstrators, paparazzi and mischievous hooligans are often mobilized by the Japanese government through secret agents. Japanese have been good at manipulating poor people for many years. Some people are their third generations. Former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui is a second generation collaborator. His older brother is enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine. He doesn't happen to be such a person. The Japanese government has raised and educated him with money to let him climb up the political ladder. 3. Scenario 2007/05/28 Monday Mogari No Mori (The Mourning Forest)," the Japanese film won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival. Amid political funds scandals, Farm Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka committed suicide. 2007/05/29 Tuesday IWC annual meeting opened on May 29th in Anchorage. MEXICO CITY A 20-year-old dancer from Japan was crowned Miss Universe 2007 on Monday, marking only the second time her country has won the world beauty title. Miss USA Rachel Smith slipped and fell to the floor. She was booed and heckled by an audience in Mexico. 2007/06/01 Friday IWC annual meeting opened on May 29th in Anchorage. "We have to be realistic, and we can't continue this process for 10, 20 years," Joji Morishita, Tokyo's representative to the conference, said. "Unless there is a move toward a next step at Anchorage, we must consider what we will do next." When asked if he meant the country would withdraw from the IWC, he said: "The option has been on the table for several years now." 2007/06/03 Sunday (CNN) -- Two people were killed and more than 200 others injured early Sunday when a strong quake rattled southwestern China's Yunnan Province, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. In Japan, some earthquakes took place on Sundays, recently, too. Some Japanese reports are exaggerated. "A strong quake in southwestern China's Yunnan Province tortured a million people." 2007/06/04 Monday The Russian leader warned in an interview released on Sunday that Russia would revert to its Cold War stance of aiming missiles at Europe if Washington pursued its plan to site parts of its planned shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. ROSTOCK, Germany (AP) -- Masked demonstrators showered police with grapefruit-sized rocks and beer bottles, then were driven back with water cannon and tear gas during a protest march Saturday against the upcoming Group of Eight summit in Germany.
2007/06/07 Thursday Reuters) -- Leaders from the world's major industrialized nations meet in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm on Wednesday for a Group of Eight (G8) summit. Below are some of the key issues surrounding the meeting, which is being hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel: TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui, despised by Beijing for asserting the self-ruled island's sovereignty, paid his respects at a Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine on Thursday, despite China's objections. The Japanese government tries to take advantage of his visit to Yasukuni Shrine for reassuring some Taiwanese about Taiwan's reunification not with the continental China but with Japan in the future. As usual, an earthquake occurred in Oita, Japan.
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2007/6/9 #8
Japan's Conspiracy (8) Japan's pension and life insurance system

Japan's pension and life insurance system. 1. Japan's pension system was a copy of the Nazi Germany's pension system. The real purpose was to collect money that is not included in the national budget and can be used freely by the government until the people retire. The Japanese pension system was implemented in 1941 when the Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. 2. Kamikaze suicide corps seem to have committed suicide attacks not for Japan or the Japanese Emperor but for their families or their debts. Tokyo Governor Ishihara says the same thing. But this critical point is lost in the Japanese history books or in the journalists' comments. It is somewhat secret. But, insurance money was paid for the dead soldiers. Many soldiers took out insurance policy, and insurance companies made a lot of money. 3. There is no information about where the pension asset is. Nobody knows how much money the government has for the future payment. It seems that the government owes the people hundreds of trillions of yen. Where is the asset? Is it money, stocks, bank deposits, land or buildings? 4. Japan's insurance and pension systems were implemented for waging war. If Japan wins, pension would be paid from the compensation from its enemies. If it loses, pension system would be confused, and inflation can reduce the government's burden. It is the basic scenario. Tokyo governor Ishihara said, "There is no denying that kamikaze suicide corps committed suicide attacks for their life insurance money."
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2007/6/10 #9
Japan's Conspiracy (9) Japan's enormous support for Myanmar

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Since 1954 when both countries established a diplomatic relationship, Japan offered enormous amount of assistant money to Myanmar. Still now, Japan supports the military junta behind the stage. And the relationship between the military junta and Aung San Suu Kyi is delicate. This country's flag also reminds us of the national flag of Japan. It is almost the same as the flag of a defunct government that used to be Japan's puppet country. Yes, it is similar to the flag of the Wang Jingwei Government in China. This naturally means that the flag of Myanmar is Japanese-made. As long as Myanmar hoists this flag, we cannot deny that Myanmar is still waging the Greater East Asia War. Then we can understand what is going on in this country and what is the real purpose of the Japanese government as well as the military junta. In 1961, U Thant, then Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Secretary to the Prime Minister, was elected SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations; he was the first non-Westerner to head any international organization and would serve as UN Secretary-General for ten years. Among the Burmese to work at the UN when he was Secretary-General was a young Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar flag
Flag of a Japanese puppet state Wang Jingwei Government
Myanmar is the only country that plays Japanese defunct military march.
There is a response by a Burmese about the military march on a messageboard.
Japanese Rising Sun flag
A defence minister of the Japanese puppet regime

The capital of Burma, Rangoon, fell to the Japanese in March 1942 (as part of the Burma Campaign in World War II), and the Japanese military administration took over the country. In July, Aung San reorganised the BIA as the Burma Defence Army (BDA). He remained its commander in chief this time as Colonel Aung San. In March 1943, he was once again promoted to the rank of Major-General. Soon afterwards, he was invited to Japan, and was presented with the Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor. On August 1, 1943, the Japanese declared Burma to be an independent nation. Aung San was appointed War Minister, and his army was again renamed, this time as the Burma National Army (BNA). His cooperation with the Japanese authorities was to be short-lived: Aung San became sceptical of their promises of true independence and was displeased with their treatment of the Burmese people. He made secret plans to drive the Japanese out of Burma and made contact with the British authorities in India, with the help of Communist leaders Thakins Than Tun and Soe who had anticipated and warned the independence movement of the more urgent threat of fascism before the Japanese invasion. On March 27, 1945 he led the BNA in a revolt against the Japanese occupiers and helped the Allies defeat the Japanese. March 27 came to be commemorated as 'Resistance Day' until the military regime later renamed it 'Tatmadaw(Armed Forces) Day'.
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between
British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, the Burmese Independence Army and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from the United Kingdom, British India and Africa. A notable feature of the campaign was the use of air transport to move troops and to supply them. Large numbers of American and Canadian transport aircraft were in the region to deliver materiel to China and, at times, these were diverted to sustain allied offensives in Burma, thus heavily tipping the regional logistical advantage to the Allies' favour.
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2007/6/11 #10
Japan's Conspiracy (10) Japanese are encouraged, and occasionally forced, to kill themselves.
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The results and those statistics are covered up, often deceived, by the police, doctors, lawyers, coroners and bureaucrats. You may think that you don't know the reality with it in Japan because you are not Japanese. But ordinary Japanese also are unaware of their unusual situation different from those in other countries. JapanTimes Editorial Despite economic recovery, suicide rate remains high While the economy has recovered strongly, analysts say the fruits of that have been enjoyed only by major corporations and their employees, rather than workers of small and midsize companies, which have dominated recent bankruptcies. Nishihara said those who commit suicide are often hardworking, serious people. Because they are diligent, their workload gets ever more demanding until they break down with health problems or depression. Medically speaking, hard and serious workers rarely kill themselves. Generally speaking, famous people such as politicians, celebrities, actors rarely commit suicide, just for their business or seriousness, in other countries. In Japan, there are two major reasons for the mysterious figures.
Window Dressing
I don't mean figure window dressing. I mean that the facts are fabricated.
apparently murder cases

When a body is found, the police try to identify the dead. Then they make contact with the family of the dead and say, "One of your family is dead. Do you have any idea about the cause of the death?" They continue, "If you want us to investigate the reason, news and rumors about your family would quickly spread throughout Japan. It would be disadvantageous for you. If you submit an investigation describing that the person committed a suicide, we would dispose the case as you hope." In Japan, to be involved into a criminal case is always disadvantageous for anybody regardless of their jobs, even if they have nothing to do with the crime or they are absolutely innocent. This is absolutely advantageous for the police for their future promotion. Nowadays, the central government has introduce a tight evaluation systems. They seem to evaluate workers (policemen) only with the numerical results. Police chiefs are always concerned about the figure. They are eager to
decrease the number of the murder case. Finally, the result turns up to be absolutely advantageous for the central government which declares that Japan is a beautiful country.
apparently suicidal case

When a body is found, the police try to identify the dead. Then they make contact with the family of the dead and say, "One of your family is dead. Do you have any idea about the cause of the death?" They continue, "If you want us to announce the suicide, news and rumors about your family would quickly spread throughout Japan. It would be disadvantageous for you. If you submit an investigation describing that the person died for illness, we would dispose the case as you hope." In Japan, to be involved into a suicidal case is always disadvantageous for anybody regardless of their jobs, even if they have nothing to do with the suicide or they are absolutely innocent. This is absolutely advantageous for the police for their future promotion. Nowadays, the central government has introduce a tight evaluation systems. They seem to evaluate workers (policemen) only with the numerical results. Police chiefs are always concerned about the figure. They are eager to decrease the number of the suicidal case. Finally, the result turns up to be absolutely advantageous for the central government which declares that Japan is a beautiful country.
Another one is compulsion and encouragement.

Historically speaking, Japan has a long history of suicide. It is somewhat cultural, but mostly systematic. Japan's life insurance system is I think pretty unique, compared to other countries. After the RussoJapanese War(1904-1905), The Japanese government ordered all the life insurance companies to pay the life insurance to injured and dead soldiers. Since then until now, although a person commits a suicide just for money (often for repaying their huge debts), insurance money has been paid to the full. Nowadays, since this system has been criticized by a variety of people, insurance companies have introduced some conditions for the payment. For example, in some cases the life insurance is paid for a person who committed a suicide only if the person continued to pay the insurance premium at least two years. But there are still different loopholes. During World War II, this insurance system worked very well to encourage soldiers to wage suicidal attacks to their enemies. And also this system worked very well to bring their bereaved families into silence, something like silence money.
There are cover-ups everywhere.

Even among Japan's Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnels, there are many suicidal cases. But we can't know the exact figures, who and why. To make matters worse, the number of news and information has been dramatically decreased recently.
Japan's Conspiracy (11) Japan's Conspiracy (11)
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2007/6/15 #11
Most Japanese companies are virtually controlled by the Japanese government.

You may think that most major Japanese companies are
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originated by the founders with legends and are inherited by their heirs and that through that process some noble families are created. But, unfortunately, it is not the reality. Most of the cases, those processes are just farces staged by the Japanese government. Taxes are paid accordingly, shareholders and directors control the company and individual assets are inherited accordingly. But for all the performance, they are controlled by the government. Everybody knows what will happen if someone defies the government's request. And, for sure, such a person is always alienated. In Japan, there is no perfect individual company without the government's control. In most developed countries, you see a variety of biographies or autobiographies of famous businessmen. But, in Japan, when we see some such books, they are usually books of full of compliments and decoration. It is easy to distinguish such decorated stories and honest ones.
Daiwa Taxi
Japanese Empire Created by Major Taxi Companies

(2008/6/29) In Tokyo, there are four major taxi companies; Daiwa Taxi, Nihon Kotsu Taxi, Teito Taxi and Kokusai Taxi. As the top Chinese characters of these four companies' names are combined, the four Chinese characters literally represent "the Japanese Empire". "" "" "" "" "" "Daiwa Taxi" "Nihon Kotsu Taxi" "Teito Taxi" "Kokusai Taxi" "The Japanese Empire" The Japanese military combined many taxi companies in Tokyo into four major taxi companies during World War II. Each of the four taxi companies was named, following the Chinese characters literally meaning "the Japanese Empire". They have led the Japanese sightseeing industry. They own large pieces of property in prestigious downtown locations. It is apparent that they are state-owned companies. They operate in and around Tokyo. Their target passengers are foreign dignitaries including important diplomats and politicians. I believe that foreign dignitaries are under constant surveillance. I was born and brought up in Japan. I am never a Japanese dignitary. However, I know that I have been under strict surveillance for many years. Unfortunately I was unaware of their secret activities for many years. One day several years ago, I realized that I was under strict supervision. I protested them in many ways but in vain. So, it is almost impossible for a foreign dignitary to realize the secret activities of Japanese agents. In the Japanese taxi, cans of beer and some snacks are never offered to elite bureaucrats. Everybody knows that they are never pleased with such cheap food. In fact, such entertainment is carried out mostly to foreign dignitaries. The real purpose is to elicit critical or private information by making him or her drunk.
Nihon Kotsu Taxi
Teito Taxi
Kokusai Taxi
US yellow cabs
In the past I commuted by taxi at my own expense. I was harassed by groups of stalkers. At that time, a taxi driver was prepared for me for no reason. He was eerily kind. I now think that he was a police spy. A 4WD jeep followed just after the taxi. I thought that someday he would talk about the eerie jeep. but he never talked about it to the end. Now I seldom take a taxi. But some taxi cabs park on the road all day long near my house, though my house is located in a residential district and all the roads are included in a no-parking zone. They often deliberately harass me and my family members. I protested them and the police but in vain. Yellow cabs are popular in the US. Japanese yellow cabs easily attract foreigners for sure. On the other hand, Japanese elite bureaucrats never take yellow cabs in Japan. Such pro-American bureaucrats are shunned by their bosses for sure.
Like Moth
(2008/6/29)
to a Flame
I would like foreigners in Japan to know the Japanese unique history very well. For example, it should be noticed that the four taxi companies were created not after the war but during the war. In fact, such taxi control was not necessary during the war. The Japanese government prepared a variety of things for the upcoming unconditional surrender. So strict information network was critical under such circumstances. After the war, occupation forces might have thought that Japanese were under strict surveillance, but in fact their commanders were under perfect surveillance by the Japanese secret police. In a sense they were like moths to a fire. Such situation has continued until today. Recently the government has started a taxi scandal campaign. However they only beat around the bush and try to cover up the real story. Precaution may be necessary for foreign dignitaries including diplomats and politicians.
Chongryun Tokyo HQ sale

In the case of Chongryun (General Association of North Korean Residents in Japan), its Tokyo headquarters have been offered by the Japanese government free. Its virtual owner has been the Japanese government. But, now that both countries have to prepare for the unexpected events such as sudden diplomatic normalization, they are now trying to put things in order. But, since many people and entities watch carefully what is going on between them, the Japanese government could not claim the headquarters' ownership. Then the Japanese government ordered Shigetake Ogata, former director general of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, to buy the Chongryun headquarters' property only on the official register. No money was paid. It is an ordinary practice for the Japanese government. It is, for sure, illegal, but no one claims against it. It is actually an official money laundering. There are many cases and many people that have been involved in similar cases. Let me take two well known cases.
Matsutaro Shoriki
There are English and Japanese Wikipedia pages. The English one offers simply formal information. But, as the Japanese one offers some unusual information, I would like to translate some of it, though it is not unusual in the Japanese history. 1921 He worked at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Agency. 1923 During the Great Kanto Earthquake, he spread false rumors that Korean people's riots broke out. Due to these false rumors, thousands of Koreans were murdered. And nobody was accused of the crime.
1924 He was fired from his job due to his failure to protect the imperial family. But he suddenly bought Yomiuri Newspaper, one of the major newspaper companies in Japan. It was beyond imagination that a police officer could buy such a major company and became the president. 1945 He was imprisoned by the Allied Forces of the United Nations as a Class-A War Criminal. 1947 He was not indicted. He was finally released from the prison. Some people say that there would have been secret deals between CIA and him. A professional baseball team, Yomiuri Giants, is sponsored by the Yomiuri Newspaper Company.
Yasujiro Tsutsumi
He was a money-oriented entrepreneur and politician. He did every illegal things to climb up the business and political ladder. He should have known what had happened in Germany just after the end of World War I. He predicted future humongous inflation after Japan's surrender. The Japanese government should have supported and guaranteed any risks for his buying spree during World War II. This manipulation can be said to be a money laundering or asset hiding by the Japanese government. Tsutumi family is one of the richest families in Japan. Some major department stores, major hotels and major railway companies are actually owned by them. But I don't believe that they are the real owners.
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2007/6/17 #12
Japan's Conspiracy (12) Investigation on terrorism is now a controversy in Canada.

1. Continuing gaping holes in Canada's security arrangements are revealed at an inquiry into the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight from Toronto. Air-India Flight 182 was a Boeing 747 that exploded on June 23, 1985 while at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9500 m) above the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland; all 329 on board were killed, of whom 82 were children and 280 were Canadian citizens. Up until September 11, 2001, Air India Flight 182 bombing was the single deadliest terrorist attack involving aircraft. It is also the largest mass murder in Canadian history. It occurred within an hour of the Narita Airport Bombing in Japan.
Air Crash Investigations Explosive Evidence Air India Flight 182
The BC Crown's trial of those accused of the bombing, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, is known as the "Air India Trial". The investigation and prosecution took almost twenty years and was the costliest in Canadian history at nearly CAD $130 million. On March 16, 2005, the accused were found not guilty by Justice Ian Josephson and were released. The only person convicted of involvement in the bombing was Inderjit Singh Reyat. On February 10, 2003, Reyat pled guilty to manslaughter in constructing the bomb used on Flight 182 and received a five-year sentence. The length and cost of the
trial, and subsequent verdict have been a source of great controversy in Canada. October 27, 2000 ? Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are arrested by the RCMP. They are charged with 329 counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the people on board Air India Flight 182, conspiracy to commit murder, the attempted murder of passengers and crew on the Canadian Pacific flight at Japan's New Tokyo International Airport (now Narita International Airport), and two counts of murder of the baggage handlers at New Tokyo International Airport. And I was concerned about the coincidence between Canadian and Japanese terrorism. But I was stunned again.
the Day of the Collapse of the Japanese Army Headquarters in Okinawa

June 23rd was the day when the Japanese super commander Mitsuru Ushijima committed suicide and the headquarters of the Japanese army finally collapse according to the Japanese official record. Originally, the Japanese government said that the day was "June 22nd", but the day was later changed to "June 23rd". On the other hand, most foreign historians continue to regard the day as "June 22nd". At least in Japan, every ceremony concerned has been held on June 23rd. Most Japanese now believe that the day was "June 23rd". -----------The island fell on about June 21, 1945, though some Japanese continued fighting, including the future governor of Okinawa prefecture, Masahide Ota. Ushijima and Cho committed suicide by seppuku in their command headquarters on Hill 89 in the closing hours of the battle. Major Yahara had asked Ushijima for permission to commit suicide, but the general refused his request, saying, "If you die there will be no one left who knows the truth about the battle of Okinawa. Mitsuru Ushijima was the Japanese general at the Battle of Okinawa, leading the primary resistance in the south. Ushijima refused a personal plea from the American General Simon Buckner to surrender. Instead, hearing the sounds of the systematic destruction of positions nearby on Hill 89, Ushijima and General Cho committed Seppuku (ritual suicide) for atonement, each disembowling himself with a short sword followed by his beheading by his principal aide. June 23 Ushijima and Lt. Gen. Cho Isamu, chief-of-staff of 32nd Army, commit suicide. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell assumes command of Tenth Army. Today, the Mabuni hill and its surroundings are improved as the Okinawa War Memorial Quasi-National Park, and many memorial institutions, cenotaphs, peace memorial towers, such as the Mabuni Hill Memorial Park, the sobering Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, the Okinawa Peace Memorial Hall, the National Cemetery for the Okinawa War Dead, Heiwa-no-ishiji the Cornerstone of Peace are stood. Every year, the Okinawa prefecture-sponsored Okinawa memorial ceremony for all the war dead is held in the Mabuni Hill Memorial Park on June 23. Ushijima committed suicide at 4:00 am on June 23, according to the Japanese record. Air-India Flight 182 exploded in the air on the Atlantic Ocean on the same day early morning. Almost the same time, an explosion in the New Tokyo International Airport baggage terminal killed two baggage handlers, and injured four. As I had a hunch that something was ominous, I checked the Yasukuni Shrine record for confirmation. Then I was stunned again. Since 1951, prime ministers visited Yasukuni Shrine almost once a year (privately). But the year was an outstanding year. Since the end of World War II, the official visit by the prime minister took place only once. The then Prime Minister Nakasone paid an official visit to Yasukuni Shrine on 15 August, 1985. Since then, due to the criticism from across the world, prime ministers have paid no official visit.
Explosion and Okinawa Anniversary

Just at the time of explosion, a ceremony of the 40th anniversary of the end of Okinawa war was being held in Okinawa. I think some people should have felt that the coincidence was somewhat grotesque.
9.11 Terrorist Attacks and Koizumi

In 2001, when 9.11 terrorist attacks occurred, Koizumi was an outspoken worshiper of Yasukuni Shrine, frequently confusing the mass media and the nation. I see some similarity between such politicians and some rogue stalkers. For example, peepers often insinuate or expose their secret to the people, even to the people concerned. When a newly married couple moved to an apartment room next to a peeper's room, the peeper enjoys watching the couple through a small hole in the wall. He often throw flies and cockroaches into the couple's room through the hole. But, the joy gradually gives way to the agony...... The couple continues to enjoy their lives unaware of the peeping and harassment. When they meet on the corridor, the couple are always happy, though the peeper is always embarrassed. The peeper finally becomes a "loser", though he initially hoped to become a "winner". There are only two ways for him to recover the loss. One is insinuation and the other is spreading rumors. He would say to the couple, "There are more cockroaches, aren't there? Last night, a cockroach was on the TV screen." The next evening, he would hear the couple's conversation. "The man next room often says strange things. Don't you think he has something to do with cockroaches?" "Forget it, Honey? You are a little nervous about him." Then, the peeper can make sure that he becomes a "winner". Generally speaking, this kind of harassment continues until it becomes so much fuss. Then, it suddenly stops. Yasukuni shrine visits and terrorism have somewhat similar relations with those between harassment and insinuation by peepers. reference Meditating Terrorism in 1985 Olympic Games, the Ultimate Goal of Conspiracy
Olympic Games, the Ultimate Goal of Conspiracy (2) The bombing of Air India Flight 182 was the parody which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the assumption of office by Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, as the British Prime Minister. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/6/20 #13
Japan's Conspiracy (13) Meditating Terrorism in 1985

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In the former posting No. 12, I analyzed the bombing of an Air India Flight 182 in 1985. But I found
that the story didn't stop there.
Questions derived from the story No.12

1. Why did another bombing occur in Japan? Japan should have had nothing to do with the conflicts in India at that time. 2. Why was the day chosen? If Japan was concerned about Yasukuni Shrine, the day should have been August 15th, the end of World War II. Why was the scenario so complicated?
Analyzing the Terrorism

I would like to analyze the terrorism with which Japan seems to have something to do. But the facts were very complicated and sometimes my story goes backward and forward. So, I think it would be more understandable if I talk the story according to a hypothesis. Then, I think you can examine every part of my hypothesis. Some stories are based on the real facts, and others are part of my hypothesis. I would like you to check my hypothesis using other source of information.
Conspiracy of Nakasone and Japan

The conspiracy of Nakasone and Japan in 1985 when Japan marked the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II. 1. A Scenario Well-written by the Japanese Government The key-words were revenge, winner, peace and terror, victory in the election, money-making and national interest, and official Yasukuni Shrine. The first priority was the terrorism (act of revenge) and an official visit to Yasukuni Shrine (report of revenge) by the prime minister. Particularly with regard to Yasukuni Shrine, priority was the fact, not the propaganda. Historians knew that facts gradually surpass the propaganda. But they also knew that a fact never worked without confirmation. For example, if the prime minister visits Yasukuni Shrine completely secretly, people and other countries would never believe the story though it is an official one. So, small amount of controversy was necessary, but it would be more convenient if the event was overshadowed by a more shocking event. Then, an overshadowing terrorism was considered. The terrorism that included all the keywords was the terrorism against a jumbo jet airplane. It was a shame that Japan was far behind in building airplanes. Japan was denied to build warplanes, warships and aircraft carriers by the US. Japan developed and produced passenger airplanes (YS-11s) domestically. Its designer was Teruo Tojo, the second son of Hideki Tojo, a Class A War Criminal. But it was not a success. Some Japanese watched Boeing Jumbo Jets, feeling the sting of defeat. During World War II, there used to be a variety of collaborators, spies, sympathizers and friends all over the world, even in the enemy countries. Some of them continued to have connection with the Japanese government. The Japanese government continued to support them, remitting some money through mostly money laundering. Some were already the second and the third generations. Most of them secretly worked as spies, terrorists, policemen, businessmen, politicians, doctors, journalists at the mercy of the Japanese government in their countries. In India, there were already conflicts between some groups. If some of them committed terrorism in other countries, it could be natural. Several Indian collaborators were chosen. Then, the next question was the date.
But some bureaucrats created unusual scenario, that could maximize the consequence to the Japanese government's advantage. If the aircraft accident is regarded as the simple accident, mostly due to mechanical failure, victims and their country can accuse Boeing and the US government. If the aircraft accident turned out to be the act of terrorism, victims and their country can accuse the aviation authority and airway company in charge. But they finally found that under these logics, Japan could not accuse Boeing, the US government by a mere terrorism. So, finally, two aircraft accident was planned: one was a blatant terrorism, the other one was apparently a mere mechanical failure. To make sure, Indian terrorists should be killed as soon as possible before they confess everything inadvertently. August 15th was too much direct. So August 12nd, three days before the day of Japan's surrender, was chosen as the execution date. June 23 was chosen as the other execution date. This day was the second most important day for the Japanese. The Okinawa prefecture-sponsored Okinawa memorial ceremony for all the war dead was held in the Mabuni Hill Memorial Park on June 23 every year. This day (June 23rd) was the day when the Japanese super commander Mitsuru Ushijima committed suicide and the Okinawa headquarters of the Japanese army finally collapsed according to the Japanese official record. Originally, the Japanese government said that the day was "June 22nd", but the day was later changed to "June 23rd". On the other hand, most foreign historians continue to regard the day as "June 22nd". At least in Japan, every ceremony concerned has been held on June 23rd. Most Japanese now believe that the day was "June 23rd". The first attack was set at June 23rd around the US, but not in the US. The then Japanese prime minister, Nakasone, had seemingly a good relationship with the US president Ronald Reagan. Insinuation would be more effective than direct attacks. Then Canada was chosen for its location. But, in this case, the plane crash site would be in the ocean. In the terrorist attack, evidence should be difficult to collect. The cost of searching and investigation should be enormous. The more mysterious the result is, the more scary the incidence would become. The next attack was a suicidal airplane crash with a jumbo jet and many passengers, pretending to be a complete mechanical failure. It should occur in Japan on August 12. The plane should have been the one that was repaired by the Boeing in the past. Mechanical failure should be exaggerated during and after the crashing process. The jumbo jet should not crash suddenly, but it should gradually be disintegrated, and then crash into the sea. Pilots were chosen. Throughout the history, there are many Japanese who commit suicide if they are asked or ordered. Some people even can involve many others with their suicides. No problem at all. They are actually crazy . Mostly they are those who have huge debts and are ready to die in exchange for a lot of money, including insurance money. At that time, jumbo jets flew mostly between Tokyo and Osaka. Then the plane was to crash off the coast near Mt. Fuji. But this scenario was later changed. After the Indian airplane crash, the Japanese government learned that incredible amount of money was spent for searching, investigation and compensation. Particularly, searching in the ocean turned out to be costly. So, the next crash site in Japan was changed from the ocean to the mountainous area. Then, some
bureaucrats recommended that the crash site should be within the electoral district of the then prime minister, Nakasone, about 100 km northwest of Tokyo. And the crashing time should be in the evening. Because of the darkness and steep topography, the rescue operation would not begin until the next morning. Most victims would be dead until then. 2. The result of the conspiracy.(June 23, 1985) On June 23, 1985, Air-India Flight 182, a Boeing 747, exploded while at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9500 m) above the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland; all 329 on board were killed, of whom 82 were children and 280 were Canadian citizens. Up until September 11, 2001, the Air India bombing was the single deadliest terrorist attack involving aircraft. It is also the largest mass murder in Canadian history. It occurred within an hour of the Narita Airport Bombing. Timeline of the Incident On June 22, 1985, the bags of a passenger named L. Singh were checked in at Vancouver for Canadian Pacific Airlines (CP Air) 003 to New Tokyo International Airport (now Narita International Airport) in Narita, Japan, near Tokyo. This bag was interlined to Air India Flight 301 leaving for Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. L. Singh was assigned seat 38H. At 2037 GMT, Empress of Australia, flying CP Flight 3, departed Vancouver without L. Singh on board. At 0541 GMT (now June 23), Empress of Australia (CP Air 3) arrived in Tokyo 14 minutes early. At 0619 GMT, a piece of luggage that had come from CP Air 3 exploded as it was being transferred to Air India Flight 301; the explosion killed two baggage handlers in Narita and injured four other people. At 0805 GMT, Air India Flight 301 left Narita and arrived in Thailand unscathed. February, 1988 - Inderjit Singh Reyat is arrested by British police in England. December 8, 1989 - The British government agrees to extradite Reyat to Canada following a lengthy court battle. May 10, 1991 - Inderjit Singh Reyat receives a ten-year sentence after being convicted of two counts of manslaughter and four explosives charges relating to the Narita Airport bombing. 3. The result of the conspiracy.(August 12, 1985) Japan Airlines Flight 123 was a JAL domestic flight from Tokyo International Airport in Haneda to Osaka International Airport in Itami. The Boeing 747-SR46 that made this route, registered JA8119, crashed into the ridge of Mount Takamagahara in Gunma Prefecture, Japan 100 km from Tokyo, on Monday August 12, 1985. The crash site was on Osutaka Ridge, near Mount Osutaka. All 15 crew members and 505 out of 509 passengers died: a total of 520 deaths. It remains the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in history, and the second-worst aviation accident of all time, after the Tenerife disaster. The four female survivors were seated towards the rear of the plane: an off-duty JAL flight attendant who was jammed between a number of seats; a woman and her daughter who were trapped in an intact section of the fuselage; and a gir who was found wedged between branches in a tree. Among the dead was the famous singer Kyu Sakamoto. 4. The result of the conspiracy.(August 15, 1985) The then prime minister, Nakasone, paid an official visit to Yasukuni Shrine. It was the only official visit by the prime minister since the end of World War II. After his official visit, there has been severe criticism in and around Japan and no prime ministers have dared to follow him. In 2001, the then prime minister, Koizumi declared to visit Yasukuni shrine on August 15. But he faced a severe criticism again in and around Japan. He suddenly visit Yasukuni Shrine on August 13, fending off
criticism and still trying to express his obsession for Yasukuni Shrine. His attitude toward Yasukuni was unusual that year. Then 9.11 terrorist attacks occurred. 5. Comments (1) The Japanese government abandoned all the victims to their fate. There was some confusion about who would handle the rescue in the immediate aftermath of the crash. A U.S. Air Force helicopter was the first to the crash site, some 20 minutes after impact. The crew radioed Yokota Air Base to assemble rescue teams and offered to help guide Japanese forces to the site immediately. Japanese government representatives ordered the U.S. crew to return to Yokota Air Base because the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) were going to handle the rescue. Some survivors later said that there had been many survivors but that they had died one after another throughout the night. The next morning, only a few of them were rescued. (2) JAL123 CVR (cockpit voice recorder) transcript The Japanese government refused to release any of the JAL123 CVR to the public. This attitude provoked victims' families and the Japanese government finally released it fifteen years later. But its authenticity was doubtful. It wasn't very difficult to fabricate a voice record. All the wreckage, bodies, flight records had been collected until the CVR was released. (3) Until the next morning, the government and the mass media continued to convey wrong information about the location of the crash site, though they learned it precisely. A U.S. Air Force helicopter was the first to the crash site, some 20 minutes after impact. Still now, there has been no explanation about the betrayal. Still now, the Japanese government continues to say that they didn't refuse any help from the US Air Force. (4) There are quite a many candidates for suicidal terrorism involving many innocent people in Japan. This situation may be unbelievable for foreigners. But it is true. Most Japanese can understand the situation. I'd like to talk about this matter later. (5) The crash site was within the electoral district of the then prime minister Nakasone. He owned a luxurious cottage near the crash site. Some people say that he was there at the time of the crash. I can't believe it was simply a coincidence. (6) The chief of the village of the crash site led aggressively the rescue operation. He soon became famous. But later people knew he had been a pilot of a suicidal zero fighter plane. He was one of Nakasone's friends. (7) Victims' families were never satisfied with the government's attitude and treatment. (8) Still now, the government and mass media try to keep ordinary citizens away from the crash site. On August 12 every year, many victims' families try to climb the mountain to reach the crash site. But they are harassed and intervened by many luxurious vehicles of mass media. Nowadays there is little news about the crash. But I can't understand why so many cars are parked along the mountain path neglecting old and weak people who are desperately walking up the path. (9) Indian terrorists were not captured alive. They were killed by the Indian police. But I think it was another conspiracy. Even in India there are many collaborators. It was not so difficult to make the terrorists to move to a specific place and to let the collaborators, the police, to murder them. In the Japanese crimes it is not unusual that murderers are later murdered by another murderer in order
to silence them completely. Even in the US some mysterious murderers are killed or die soon, also mysteriously. Most of the cases, the facts continues to be unclear. Go to next page
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HOME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BB CTRL 14 14-2 15-1 15-2 15-4 15-5 16 17 18 18-2 19 19-2 20 20-1 20-2 20-3 20-4 20-5 20-6 June 23rd is the day when the headquarters of the Japanese army in Okinawa finally collapsed. The landslide was the government's conspiracy. Japan's Money Laundering the Japanese Food Production System Latest "Trojan Horses" July 7th July 14th Typhoon (Tropical Storm) Man-yi Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake in July 2007 was Conspiracy. Another Timely Earthquake Polonium, Peacock and Japan a Nobel laureate and 300 million yen robbery Japan is a Demon Nation. Bangladesh Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan Bangladesh Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan Bangladesh Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan Arsenic poisoning A new typhoon is going to hit Kagoshima City again. This time, the name of the typhoon is "Usagi".
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20-1B Bangladesh Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan
2007/6/26 #14
Japan's Conspiracy (14) June 23rd is the day when the headquarters of the Japanese army in Okinawa finally collapsed.
http://book.geocities.jp/japans_conspiracy/01/p002.html#page14[03/04/2013 11:42:13]
June 23rd is the day when the Japanese super commander, Mitsuru Ushijima, committed suicide and the headquarters of the Japanese army finally collapsed. On this day Air-India Flight 182 exploded above the Atlantic Ocean. This year, things went strange on that day.
U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill left Japan to Pyongyang.

But he ignored the Japanese government. There was no consultation with or notice to the Japanese government. And he returned to Japan on Jun 23, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Okinawa.
Battle of Okinawa
Controversy over School Textbooks

The Japanese government and Japanese mass media say that Okinawans are angry about the education ministry's instructions to textbook publishers to modify statements that Okinawa residents were forced by the military into committing mass suicide during the Battle of Okinawa. But the real issues are not such simple ones. The real problem is that the Japanese government supports terrorists only to retaliate its enemies during World War II including the US. And this process is a very convenient one. Rogue politicians, bureaucrats and merchants actually take advantage of this rotten scheme to the full.
General Mitsuru Ushijima
Okinawa and Kagoshima

The Japanese super commander, Mr. Ushijima, was born and brought up in Kagoshima. Kagoshima is located in the Southern tip of the Southern proper island of Kyushu. Geographically, this prefecture is the nearest prefecture to Okinawa. Most people in Kagoshima know that they are hated by Okinawans. But they are completely misled. They believe that Okinawans hate people in Kagoshima because of their exploitation of Okinawa's agricultural product during the feudal period. But it is wrong. Okinawans still hate the enforced mass suicide during World War II. Most Okinawans believe that Mr. Ushijima ordered it. But in reality he was also a victim. Everything was ordered by the Tokyo headquarters. Visit Shuri Castle and you will find the closed entrance of Japanese Army Underground Headquarters behind it. In a different place, there was a Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters. It is one of tourist destinations in Okinawa. But nobody is allowed to step into the Japanese Army Underground Headquarters though it is located beneath Shuri Castle. This blatantly shows that the Japanese government wants tourists not to know that the Japanese army used Shuri Castle as a shield and hoped that the US navy would destroy it completely. Shuri Castle was never useful for shielding Japanese army from bombs and artillery shells just because it was a castle. There was an important and blatant challenge for the Japanese government. It has never been changed. It is to go "Toward a Beautiful Nation." This is the title of a book published by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. One of the biggest obstacles to this goal is the existence of neighboring dynasties. Japan virtually destroyed Chinese, Korean and Ryukyu Dynasties. But Japan also wanted to destroy their historical relics and their histories. It was apparent that Japanese army intentionally chose Shuri Castle as its shield. In the South China Sea, there were islands suitable for the location of headquarters, such as Taiwan, Amamioshima Island and Tokunoshima Island. The final battle location between the Japanese and the US armies was not chosen by the US but was
chosen by the Japanese government. The US army usually tries to avoid residential and historical areas for the war target. But Japanese army often take advantage of such areas as shields. They also take advantage of this opportunity for letting their enemies destroy historical relics that they want to destroy. This is why the entrance of Japanese Army Underground Headquarters is closed. The Japanese government cannot explain why the headquarters were located beneath Shuri Castle. Their evil didn't stop there. They also wanted Okinawans to be killed by the US army or kill themselves. But in this conspiracy, the Japanese government thought about the future grudge. So, they chose Mr. Ushijima as the super commander in Okinawa. Kagoshima once rebelled against the government. People in Kagoshima was marginalized since them. It was apparent that the government hoped that people in Okinawa and Kagoshima would hate each other. In Japan strong people often let weak people harass and bully another weak people. They rarely fouls their hands. In addition, they later take advantage of it. They later bully those who bullied others and say that they are the knights in shining armor. Mr. Abe cannot help laughing at it. His family is included in famous clans that created and originated the modern Japanese government. At that time Okinawa and Kagoshima were their enemies. Shuri Castle was completely destroyed by the US bombing. As is often seen in the Japanese society, some complicated tricks are used to deceive ordinary citizens. Gang organizations, gang motorcycle riders and Aum Shinrikyo Cult often bully people only to be arrested by the police. They are usually made-up crimes and crackdowns. The Japanese government let the US navy destroy Shuri Castle and later reconstructed it. The Japanese government is proud of its great contribution to Okinawa though they know the imitation is meaningless as a historical heritage. "Hate America and thank the Japanese government" "Hate Kaogoshima and thank Tokyo"
North Korean Abduction Issue

Families of victims who were abducted by North Korea nowadays rarely appear on the TV news. I am always skeptical of their attitude, scenario, the motives of North Korea. For the Japanese government. North Korea always help them in variety of issues. The world would forget Japanese army's atrocity during World War II, concentrating on Japanese abductees issues. The world would finally allow the Japanese government to equip itself with nuclear arms, as North Korea has nuclear arms and threaten Japan with the weapons. The world would finally allow Japan to intervene in the internal affairs of Korean Peninsula. So far, Japan has been able to do any kinds of illegal and evil activities throughout the world through North Korea. The entry from Japan and to North Korea and vice versa is almost unchecked. The Japanese government has no formal relationship with North Korea. Japan doesn't recognize North Korea. And, for that reason, people who come from North Korea are technically treated as those who come from a desert island.
Miki Nakasone
(added on December 19, 2008)
Miki Nakasone is a Japanese popular singer. Particularly in the 1960s she attracted many people. Her name remained at the back of my mind for many years. But her name always reminds me not of her
songs but of a scam I was involved in many years ago. The scam was so complicated that I would like to talk about it later. In fact one of the scammers was a local leader of the Nakasone Beauty Salon Chain. He was accused of swindling money from a general contractor on building a school building. I do not necessarily blame her on his crime, but I want to talk about her birthday. The problem is again the birthday. The Japanese prime minister is often accompanied by a popular female actor with the same family name. She is used for the purpose of enhancing prime minister's image. Miki Nakasone is one example. I have been wondering if she has something to do with former prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. But now I am convinced that they share an important thing, the Olympic Games. Mr. Nakasone became Minister of Science and chairman of the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission in 1959. The next year, Miki Nakasone made a debut and won the New Artist Award. Miki Nakasone was born on June 23, 1944. One year later, on the same day, General Ushijima committed ceremonial suicide in Okinawa. I thought Mr. Nakasone asked bureaucrats to look for young female singers with the family name of "Nakasone" who had been born on June 23, 1945. She sang songs of Okinawa. In general, a special person who was born around a particular date is selected (Kyu Sakamoto). And I wondered why Miki Nakasone who had been born one year earlier was chosen. But the question was solved soon. On her birthday, June 23, 1944, Showashinzan erupted (Wikipedia). I suspected that the eruption of the volcano had been artificially created. Then I examined why it erupted on that day. The answer was easy. Fifty years earlier, on 23 June 1894, at an international congress at the Sorbonne in Paris, Pierre de Coubertin proposed a revival of the ancient Olympic Games. The congress led to the establishment of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), of which he became the general secretary. Then, how can we explain the consequences? To tell the truth, at the end of the battle of Okinawa, The Japanese Imperial General Headquarters ordered Genereal Ushijima to kill himself. But the Japanese GHQ appointed a particular date for it. He killed himself on June 23 as scheduled. It cannot be denied that, during World War II, Japan was obsessed with France and the Olympic Games. Just for that reason Miki Nakasone, who had been born on June 23, 1944, one year earlier than the end of the Battle of Okinawa, was chosen. Japan and France are really bizzar countries.
Battle Continued until September 7, 1945
(added on September 9, 2009)
In fact, the battle ended on September 7, 1945. Both Ushijima's suicide on June 23, 1945 and the broadcast of the voice of Japan's Emperor Hirohito, on August 15, 1945, which indicated the end of the war were mere ceremonies for people and soldiers who were struggling to survive. Memorial days in Japan have been created by the government. They never represent the actual conditions of the lives of people. This is how the history is rewritten. reference Battle of Okinawa Was Synchronized with Battle of Iwo Jima. Pearl Harbor Attack Was Parody on Mongol Invasions of Japan Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami to be continued Ultimate Goal of Conspiracy Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/6/27 #14(2)
The landslide was the government's conspiracy.

(a story of coincidence of a political upheaval and disasters in Japan) Disasters that took place around southern part of Japan on August 6 in 1993 seem to have been a conspiracy. At 2 pm Friday on that day, I was traveling northbound from Kagoshima Prefecture to Miyazaki Prefecture on Route 10 in Kyushu Island. I was driving my company's car through Ryugamizu district in Northern Kagoshima City. Of course, I was on business. One of my colleagues was sitting in front with me. A gangster was on the back seat. Everything was unusual at that time. I knew that the company was having a problem with a criminal syndicate, but I never thought that my boss would order me to deal with the syndicate. We were going to negotiate with the gangster at his office. My boss, however, suddenly told me to pick up another gangster on the way to the office. Since I hated to act in collusion with gangsters, I persistently refused to do so. I said, "I want to pay my own money to the gangster and ask him to take a taxi." But my boss said to me, "Please do so once and for all." Somuta Kagoshima City
Ishiki Kagoshima City
(It was the first and the last time that I have ever driven with a gangster in my life.) I finally agreed with his proposal. I left Kagoshima and drove to Miyazaki Prefecture. I picked up the gangster on the way. He didn't act strangely. I was relieved to some extent. It was not raining at that moment. Though we had had stormy days on and off for a few months and saw bizarre clouds on that day, I never predicted on that moment that a disaster would occur later. It began raining soon. It rained off and on. But there was no problem for driving. But when I came to Ryugamizu district, traffic suddenly started congestion. Route 10 was a double lane road. I remember that cars on both lanes almost stopped. I thought that there might have been a traffic accident on the moment. But it was strange a little bit because cars on the oncoming lane also stopped. It was raining gently. I clearly remember that it was raining only GENTLY because I could open the window. I shouted to the drivers ahead of my car, "Get out of my way! Clear the way! We are in a hurry." Nobody seemed to listen to me. No cars moved. My voice might have been not loud enough. The gangster at the backseat shouted at last in a loud and low voice, "Clear the way!!" Cars on the both lanes began to pull off the road. I drove ahead almost on the centerline between the congested cars. I had a good reason to shout in a loud voice. (1) I wanted to part with the gangster as soon as possible. I didn't want to stay at the place for so long. (2) Those days I was often annoyed by some unknown cars. They often chased my car. Sometimes they interrupted my car. Some cars were vehicles like jeeps. At that moment, I had a hunch that something bad might happen. I decided that I had better leave the site as soon as possible. I drove through congested cars for about 1 kilometer. Then there were few cars on both the lanes.
Suddenly it began to rain torrentially. I couldn't see ahead. Windshield wipers moved in vain. Though visibility was almost zero, I drove at the speed of 30 to 40 kilometers per hour with few cars around us. Suddenly I saw a train moving toward us. Route 10 was a double lane road with a steep cliff on the left side and a bay on the right side. There was a railway between the cliff and Route 10. I shouted, "Look! A train is moving. The railway is full of water. Why doesn't the train driver stop the train? It's dangerous." I thought that the railway could not withstand the weight of the train and that the train would be derailed and overturned. I could hardly see ahead while driving. But I could see the left side of the road through the window beside the passenger seat. I knew that the train was overturned later from the TV news. We arrived at the gangster's office in Miyazaki Prefecture behind schedule. We were surprised at the TV breaking news. We tried to call to the headquarters of our company. But the there was a problem with the telephone connection. We gave up driving back to our office in Kagoshima on that day. Roads to Kagoshima were severed at several places. We stayed at a hotel in Miyazaki. The next day was Saturday. Though our office was closed on Saturday, I drove back to Kagoshima with the colleague. Kagoshima City was devastated by the flood. But I managed to drive the colleague his home. After giving the colleague a ride home, I was driving on Route 3 to the center area of Kagoshima City around 3 pm on August 7. There was traffic congestion after the flood. Roads were covered with mud. Traffic lights were flashing as usual. I saw two small police cars. I thought they were just controlling traffic. But, to tell the truth, I had an ominous foresight that something wrong might happen. Those days I often came across bad things when there were policemen. Suddenly a motorcycle passed at the left side of my car. Its driver knocked my car's hood, shouting something. I could hardly understand what he was saying. I watched him for a while. He got off the motorcycle and began to intimidate me, saying, "Your car trod on my foot." I was struck dumb and watched his face. He stretched his hand into my car, grabbed my necktie and choked me. I realized that it was not a trifling matter. I listened to him out of my car. He was furious. I tried to stay calm. I said, "Are you all right? Let's go to see a doctor." He said, "I don't need to go to see a doctor. You should apologize first." (I thought it was blackmail. Though it was Saturday, the car I was driving was owned by my company. I knew I had to behave very cautiously.) There were four policewomen in the two police cars. I asked them to deal with this accident. But they were actually coward and try to leave the site. I felt that things were unusual and asked them about their names and what I should deal with the accident. They said, "Go to the Central Police Station and consult the policeman in charge." I wondered what they were trying to do without on-the-spot inspection. But I decided to go to the police station to know the intention of the police. The motorcycle rider also went to the police station. There was a policeman in charge of traffic accident at the first floor of the police station. The motorcycle rider and I were told to show our driver's certificates and car registrations. I said to the policeman, "This motorcycle rider demands compensation but I can't find any damage on his body or on his motorcycle. He refuses to go to see a doctor." The motorcycle rider simply spoke nonsense. I again told the rider that, if he wants to get compensation, he must go to see a doctor or show the damage on the motorcycle. I took my car's registration back to the car and returned to the police station. But the rider and the policeman were talking in whispers.
(It was not an unfamiliar scene. When I called the police, policemen often spoke with troublemakers in whispers. I felt that their attitude against troublemakers were almost the same in my case.) The policeman finally told me to negotiate with him at the lobby of the police station. I argued that doctor's certificate was necessary for an insurance claim. But the policeman said, "I have never met such a defiant man like you. What a man!" I was the person who really wanted to say the same thing against him. The rider was in his 20s and the motorcycle was registered at the registration office in Miyazaki Prefecture. Extortionists usually use borrowed vehicles. Car registrations have often nothing to do with his identity. Since the counterpart with whom I had negotiated the day before in Miyazaki had been a gangster, I wondered if the rider had something to do with the gangster. I asked him about the company he worked for. He said he worked for a major electricity company. I doubted his reply because, when there were a lot of blackouts, he should have had no time to ride around the city When I said that I had several acquaintances in his company, he suddenly changed color and said, "That's good!" and ran away. After all, I didn't know either if the rider was a phony or if there was a conspiracy among the rider, the gangsters, the police and my company. There was no time for that then. The next Monday I talked to my boss about events I mentioned before. But nobody showed any interest. Generally speaking, it is very important for a company or a boss to know troubles with gangsters and the police for the future. It should have been much more important because the rider had said he worked for a major electricity company. -(Since then, time has quickly passed. I almost forgot these events. However, recent unusual weather, events and natural disasters including earthquakes have gradually reminded me of my past experiences. Now I am almost skeptic about some coincidences since the end of World War II.) First of all, rumors around artificial precipitation and carbon dioxide. And then earthquakes..... Speaking of rainfall, there have been quite a many unusual rainfalls these days. Colors and shapes of clouds are sometimes bizarre. We often have slightly cloudy days, on which it may rain at any moment. Though I thought I worried too much, I tried to investigate the landslide and flood disasters in Kagoshima that occurred on August 6 in 1993. I was surprised when I found some web sites relating the first change of government since the end of World War II under Hosokawa administration. The day just before the disastrous day, long-powerful Liberal Democratic Party regime collapsed. But I could hardly remember the remarkable political upheaval. This is no wonder, since the disaster blew off most auspicious memories. I immediately delved into the history around that period. And I finally reached a conclusion that the disasters that had occurred during that period were mostly the result of conspiracies by the Liberal Democratic Party with bureaucrats, the Meteorological Agency, the Self-Defense Forces and the police. basis of argument for the conspiracy theory (1) LDP's Miyazawa administration was so unpopular that the collapse of LDP regime was a matter of time. But political tug of wars among political parties made the political drama unpredictable. Nobody would have been surprised the LDP regime collapsed at any moment. Typhoons, long spells of rainy weather and disasters hit southern Kyushu Island one after another. But the 8.6 disaster was the
hardest. To make the disaster more serious, it was necessary to keep it raining as long as possible. (2) We have witnessed quite a many disasters that seem to have been created artificially. (3) Considering Japan's technical level, it would be less costly and less dangerous for Japan to develop natural disaster weapon systems rather than to develop nuclear weapons. It is no wonder a country should develop such weapon systems. And like nuclear weapons, natural disaster weapon systems need quite a many experiments. Such a country would like to know the limit of the scale of such weapons. (4) Recently, there are more bizarre events and news in Japan. Most cases seem to have been fabricated by the government, the police and mass media. In the case of large disasters and serious crimes, they seem to make the most of the catastrophes in order to torture their enemies. That can be the reason why I was involved in the disaster so deeply. (5) Southern Kyushu was the then new prime minister, Mr. Hosokawa's homeland. He worked as a journalist in Kagoshima. The collapse of the LDP's regime was a world breaking news. LDP wanted to disrupt the news within Japan, intimidating their enemies. But LDP didn't want to spread the news worldwide. So, the location of the disasters seems to have been carefully chosen. Mr. Hosokawa would have thought that they got him. Later He resigned his post just after escaping a shelling attack by a gangster. (6)At Ryugamizu, there was traffic congestion before the landslide for no reason. At first, traffic congestion was created on both lanes though it didn't rain hard enough. Then a train came and stopped. Then, a large scale landslide hit the area where many cars and a train had already stopped. I had a hunch and could get rid of the disaster. It was not very difficult to do so. Why did they stop for no reason? I now remember the strange move of some group of cars was similar to current stalking cars. At that time I was occasionally harassed by some cars. But I didn't recognize organized stalking vehicles. But now I believe that some of the vehicles were stalkers. (7) It is now an open secret that the police organize illegal stalkers though they argue that there is no evidence on their illegality. (8) We often hear some improper words such as "bomb tropical depression" and "weather terrorism" from Japanese mass media. (9) Nowadays we see more forest fires, floods, unusual earthquakes, large hurricanes and large typhoons throughout the world. Some of them apparently seem to be somewhat artificial. (10) In 1997, Kyoto Protocol was adopted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But it is somewhat a mystery why Kyoto was chosen as its venue. Japan has been quite reluctant to follow the deal. Maybe Japan intentionally invited the conference. Maybe International community intentionally chose Kyoto for its venue just in order for Japan to stop such conspiracies. (11) Thanks to the goal set by Kyoto Protocol, there are increasing amount of dry ice available for controlling the weather. Factories try to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emission through their chimneys by creating more dry ice. There are more needs for spreading large amount of dry ice into the air. (12) At some outdoor sports events, we occasionally see some sudden weather changes during the games. It sometimes suddenly begins to rain. Some are natural, but some seem to be unusual. (13) The events I have experienced were a combination of coincidences. Strangely enough, all the parties such as gangsters, the police, the company and disasters were there. It sounds too bad to be true. (14) Later I heard some my colleagues say that they predicted the flood, put their old cars near the river and received the insurance after the flood. I could hardly forget their grinning faces. It was unbelievable.
These stories were just according to my memory. As I wrote in a hurry, there would be lack of talk. Please excuse me. I sincerely hope that my story is too much imagination and that there is no conspiracy at all. Nevertheless, if you want to make sure that our world is safe, I would like you to investigate in detail. I would like related international organizations in the world to realize these facts. reference In 1993, the arrogant Japanese government bullied regions of ethnic minorities, manipulating evil combinations of date puns. Hurricane Paranoia Japan Japanese Red Army The Police Show its True Color. the Japanese Food Production System Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Weather Terrorism (Summery 1)
No Difference between the Left Wing and the Right Wing Toyota is pulling the strings of organized stalkers. Weather Terrorism Corrupt TOYOTA to be continued Okinawa and Kagoshima Artificial Eruptions in Japan
2007/7/3 #15
Japan's Conspiracy (15-1) Japan's Money Laundering History

Money laundering is a new word for most Japanese, but its idea itself is a familiar one. As far as we can know now, a variety of money laundering has being made in the form of fraud, corruption, embezzlement and bribery since the fourteenth century. Such conspiracy was not only made in the domestic commercial society but also in the foreign trade. And the money laundering was made through the piracy in the East China Sea. Some historians say that they were not Japanese, but their activities apparently were closely connected to the Japanese affairs.
The Failure of Anti-Money Laundering Laws (US)
Even nowadays, you hear that some rogue Chinese and Koreans are said to commit serious crimes in Japan, but most of the cases, their news are just exaggerations and such people were often masterminded by more rogue Japanese. Since the modern Japanese government was established, the money laundering fraud was developed in both the underground societies and official secret organizations.
Types of Money Laundering

1. Embezzlement of official money 2. Handover of official money to criminal organizations
This kind of practice has been conducted for a long period of time in every society in Japan. Samurai lords, thriving merchants, politicians, police officers, doctors, artists, professors and monks are often known that they have gained their powers and positions with the help of illegal money and criminal organizations. 3. support for an individual by governments and companies In order to glorify the nation and the company, special secret money is spent. For example, in the sports competition, money is often handed over to the athlete's competitors in exchange for making a fixed result or default. 4. On the face of it, Japan has been ruled under clear rules. For all these strict rules, illegal money flow has been officially tolerated. I think there are more cases with money laundering. And let me stop here and explain detailed cases later. reference Japanese Food Production System Sanehiko Yamamoto
Most Japanese companies are virtually controlled by the Japanese government. Two Men Named Kazuyoshi Miura with Different Kanji Characters Shinginko Tokyo bank
The real truth about the Japanese police system and its psychological espionage Hitler and Seven Samurai Spam Mail and Terror Organizations (2) Cup noodles and Taro Aso Death Merchant The Kyoto Protocol, a Blatant Lie Spam Mail and Terror Organizations (3) Japan's International Strategy
French Revolution, and Contact between Japan and Russia to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/7/6 #16
Japan's Conspiracy (15-2) the Japanese Food Production System

I feel that there are no food production companies that produce and distribute food in complete compliance with the rules in Japan. Once we look into the food industry, every kind of fraud can be seen, including false labeling, false ingredients, false origins and false displays of agricultural chemicals. I am not a professional. But it was not difficult to know the fact. That means that many managers and workers are knowingly engaging in such dubious work. However, they have no sense of guilt at all. What happens there? ------------Behind the stage, there are traps in common with
Kagoshima green tea
those in money laundering and organized stalking----------1. False food production is forced by the government to some extent. PURPOSE (1) to increase the number of people who blindly follow the government including the voting in the elections. pickled Japanese radish
In Japan traffic regulations are a little bit unique. Usually, the police give silent approval to speeding, up to 10 kph. But this is always at their mercy. For that reason, companies pay money to police-affiliated organizations periodically in order to make sure that their business goes smoothly. In the food industry, there are similar practices. One of them is false labeling. Although this fraud is a serious crime and betrayal against the consumers, there are no hygienic and diagnostic problems on them. You may think these frauds are committed by individual immoral managers, but, in reality, most of those frauds are forced by the government. The degree and level of frauds differs case by case. The real purpose of such illegal abetting is not money making but "the increase of the number of blind followers" Immoral, even illegal, misdemeanors can be crucial proof for blind obedience. People who dare to conduct such misdemeanors when they are asked are much more trustworthy than those who simply say that they promise. Sometimes people who promise whatever they do if asked often resist to do illegal things at the last moment. In most Japanese organizations, workers are several times asked to do such misdemeanors. But the moment is usually a critical one for the workers' future promotion. If a worker shows a smack of anger or reluctance, the boss would regard him or her as a would-be whistleblower or even a traitor. Such a worker usually begins to be harassed not only by bosses, but also by colleagues and even his or her subordinates. Those subordinates are mostly guaranteed for their future promotion by the management behind the stage. Such workers can't quit the company. They know what happens next. When they go to job interviews at another company, the company's job interviewer always calls to the worker's former company, asking their opinion about them. If the former company says that they don't like him, the worker can never find a new job in Japan. All the organizations are monolithic under the government in Japan. Economically and seemingly this system works, but it turns out to be a complete debacle as you know. This kind of conspiracy works very well to maintain the same party's rule for mostly 60 years in Japan in particular. It has deepened the conspiracy network and made the whole society obscure and incomprehensible. Such obscurity also works very well to deceive foreign mass media and politicians. Related News: Pork Disguised as Ground Beef
Uji Green Tea and Kagoshima Green Tea (added on December 12, 2009)
There have been many cases of origin fraud in my region. But I have been wondering why this kind of unnatural tradition continues. Generally speaking, every kind of fraud ends up in scandals. But this
Japanese tradition works very well. Japanese origin fraud is somewhat opposite. Usually, retailers who sell products of inferior quality try to sell them in the name of other products of high quality. But farmers in Kagoshima try to sell their green tea under the name of Kyoto green tea though Kagoshima green tea is in higher quality. The reason is that there is a government-led discrimination in the market. Farmers in Kyoto actually rake off some profits from farmers in Kagoshima through this system. However, this system is carefully arranged and naive farmers in the rural areas don't know this trick. And most people are afraid of the consequent purge by the government. But some daredevils complain in the Internet. This taxi driver in Kyoto is one of them.
Pickled Japanese Radish

One day, I saw a pile of cardboard boxes that were printed with "Pickled Hokkaido Radish". I asked the worker why other region's name was printed. The worker said that the Osaka wholesaler ordered them to use the cardboard boxes. Their fraud was somewhat full-fledged. I complained about the fraud to the people concerned, but everybody turned a deaf ear to my words. But nowadays I have realized that executives in agricultural organizations are puppets of the central government. Their task is to strangle the industry in Kagoshima. Unfortunately, there are quite a few traitors in my region. For many years, the Tokyo government has changed Kagoshima from the most prosperous region in Kyushu Island into the poorest region.
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2007/7/8 #18
Japan's Conspiracy (15-4) Latest "Trojan Horses"

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There have been so many news insinuating conspiracy that I can't write all of them. But I pick up some of them. 1. This US petty officer is a Japanese collaborator. When the Japanese government is angry against the US, some US officers commit funny crimes coincidentally. Usually their families are all Japanese collaborators. Since before World War II, there have been a variety of Japanese collaborators in most countries, particularly the US. Check the officer's family. But you should know that it is very difficult to find evidence. They are wellprepared. Behind this case, the victims, the police, doctors, prosecutors, lawyers and judges are also collaborators. some of them are forced and others are willing collaborators. ---JAPAN TODAY---------------TOKYO Police arrested a U.S. Navy sailor Thursday on suspicion of attempting to murder a Japanese girl and a woman who were found stabbed in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the morning. The 19year-old petty officer 2nd class, from the frigate USS Gary stationed at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base, was taken into custody by police after he was found at a department store in the city at around 11 a.m.
-------------------------------2. These policemen are also Japanese collaborators. This kind of coincidence is impossible without conspiracy. Sometimes American celebrities fall into such complicated traps. Those conspiracy often occur at the time which is very convenient for the Japanese government. Al Gore's Live Earth concert in Shanghai on July 7th was a damned occasion for the Japanese government. Kyoto Protocol has revealed its defect. He has ignored Japan. On the day of the concert, Kyushu Island, one of the nearest islands in the Japanese archipelago to Shanghai, was hit by torrential rain. Somebody might have spread carbon dioxide above the East China Sea as a mockery against the concert. -----CNN-------------------------LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) Former Vice President Al Gores son, Albert Gore III, was arrested early Wednesday morning in Orange County, California on suspicion of possessing marijuana and prescription drugs, Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriffs Department told CNN. --------------------------------3. Every summer the UK see terrorism. Radical Islamist cause has nothing to do with the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament. The mastermind has something to do with it. The UK is an obstacle for the Japanese government's dream to rule the world. (1)Noble British Monarchy (2)Prevailing English language (3)Anti-corruption campaign (4)Pro-developing country attitude (5)Substantial business and financial control Those terrorists are the same kind of people I mentioned above. ---Economist---------------------------SOGGY days at Wimbledon, the tinkle of ice-cream vans and now a terrorist plot: a typical summer in Britain. A year after police foiled an alleged plan to blow up ten transatlantic flights, and two years after four suicide bombers killed 52 people in London, two new attacks in the capital and one in Glasgow have pushed the tennis and the new prime minister off the front pages. For all their efforts to disrupt the British way of life, such annual conspiracies are instead becoming part of it. -------------------------------4. The day is very special. Japan, again, interrupted the UN efforts by launching an irrelevant campaign on the same day. This time, it was "the seven wonders of the world" campaign. Japan successfully excluded Egypt, Brazil and other poor countries. Japan recommended its "Kiyomizu Shrine" for the wonder. But who knows. The Japanese government really hope that developing countries continue to lag behind for ever, because
its aim is to become the world No.1 country. I sincerely hope to hear the argument from the people and organizations concerned. And I also hope that every country will be more careful about these conspiracies. I hope this hypothesis will end up to be just a pipe dream. ---Economist--------------------------------MAKE poverty history is a compelling slogan. Halve it by 2015, in contrast, is a measurable commitment. That is the logic behind the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a host of targets in the struggle against global deprivation, disease and illiteracy, set by the worlds leaders at a United Nations jamboree in 2000. Quick to spot a resonant date in the calendar, the UN has declared Saturday July 7th as the official halfway point towards these 2015 deadlines. --------------------------------------
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2007/7/10 #19
Japan's Conspiracy (15-5) July 7th

Japan often sticks to the date too much. Even when they go to war, they carefully choose the date that is particularly auspicious for their enemy. This day is celebrated as the Star Festival in China, like Valentine's Day, though it is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Of all things, Japan provoked the war against China on July 7, 1937 (Asahi Shimbun). But the cause of the war was unclear. In a war between two countries, it is usually not the case which country's soldier shoots first.
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
But I think the date should be the case. I believe that Japan conspired because they do the same thing this year. This year marks the 70th anniversary of Sino-Japanese War. The organizers of Live Earth concerts on July 7th hoped that the entire world would hear a crystal clear message: Climate change is the most critical threat facing the planet. Planned by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was the biggest, most mass-marketed show of celebrity activism in history. I believe he also thought about the Chinese anniversary. Japan was very busy on that day for the selection of world's seven new wonders. The campaign to find the new wonders was started in 1999 by a Swiss adventurer, Bernard Weber. But Japan supported the campaign with UNESCO behind the stage. You believe it or not, UNESCO used to be a bastion against the US and the UK. Its headquarters are located in Paris. Japan did what they wanted in this organization for a long time. France was a Japanese ally in Indochina area during World War II.
I am surprised that Japan goes all the way like this. Fronted by former U.S. Vice President and environmental campaigner Al Gore, the concerts was held at eight locations including Shanghai, China on July 7. It was just cloudy there, but, around Shanghai, there were disastrous floods. In addition, there were also floods across the East China Sea in Japanese Kyushu Island. Aso region in Kyushu received more than 400 mm of precipitation from July 6 through July 7. reference Hong Kong administrator Tung Chee-Hwa was born on the day when the Battle of Lugou Bridge started. The first sumo wrestling death match was held in Japan on the 7th day of the 7th month in the 7th year of the Suinin Era. "Seven" means "death" in the Japanese language, in which "seven" is pronounced "shichi" and "death" is pronounced "shi". 7 July 2005 London bombings Epicenter of Conspiracy, "Star Festival Club" July 7, 2007 was a day of warfare. Ringo Starr was born on July 7, 1940.
A thoroughly Western style dance hall, Rokumeikan, was completed on July 7, 1883. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (16) Japan's Conspiracy (16) July 14th
2007/7/15 #20
Though I'm not sure why Japanese sticks to something so much, Japan's terrorism has distinctive features. I now remember three factors. 1. They are obsessed with particular dates. 2. They try to fabricate the fact through tricky translation. 3. Convenient new words and phrases are coined by some individual. On July 14th, a typhoon hit Kagoshima City, where I live. Though I thought it was a weather terrorism, I didn't check the date. I was surprised, however, when I read an article in the Economist. Nowadays, strangely enough, some articles insinuate some particular dates that have something to do with Japan. What?? Isn't this day "Paris Festival"? I couldn't believe my eyes. I knew that an attack on the Bastille prison led to the French Revolution. But I didn't think that "Paris Festival" had something to do with the French Revolution. Typhoon Man-Yi
Bastille Day
You may be confused. I think you have not heard of "Paris Festival". You are right. Soon, I understood that July 14th was not called as Bastille Day but that Japanese coined a new phrase instead. The new phrase was "Paris Festival", or "Pari-sai" in the Japanese language. But the explanation still didn't make sense to me.
Why was the name of the day changed? Why don't Japanese call the Bastille Day as it is?
Pari-sai Represents Day of French Revolution

I checked Wikipedia. Wow, Japanese coined the word "Pari-sai" or "Paris Festival" in English. And a mere translator did it and the government and mass media followed. Few Japanese know that "Pari-sai" represents the day of the French Revolution. I used to think that Pari-sai was something like Cannes Film Festival. I translated part of the Japanese article into an English one "Pari-sai" is a national holiday, Fete Nationale, that is celebrated on July 14th in France. It originated from the National Foundation Celebration, Fete de la Federation, in 1790, a year after the French Revolution. And this day is simply called as "Quatorze Juillet (July 14th)" in France and the Japanese translation "Pari-sai" was coined when a movie whose title was "Quatorze Juillet" was translated by some Japanese translator. Japan promotes a pro-France campaign, tempting the nation to regard France as a beautiful nation with superb food, wine, fashion, movies, music and so on. The Japanese government always adores France while it bullies most foreign firms very harshly. It praises AXA Life Insurance Co., Ltd. and Renault. On the other hand, Schindler elevator manufacturing company (Switzerland) and Bombardier aircraft manufacturing company (Canada) have been bullied harshly. Japanese, particularly Japanese women are poor at expressing their love. It is an ordinary way for ordinary Japanese women not to say, "I love you", but to say, "I hate you a lot", when they want to show their love. They rarely say, "I hate you," against the men they really hate. Far from it, they behave themselves as usual. But this indifference is a clear message of dislike. Japanese women try to attract their favorite men not by acting kindly but by harassing them to draw their attention. The Japanese diplomacy is very similar to such behaviors. Japan desperately needs Russian oil and gas. Russia gives a big gift to France. It is a good thing. Japan has to give more surprising gift to Mr. Sarkozy. The typhoon is a good gift for Japan to show its love, envy and anger. I think Japan secretly told the two politicians the time and the place the typhoon hits. Japan believes that they can't tell this to anybody. They are embarrassed and depressed to some extent. This could bring a great advantage to Japan in the future negotiations. But, in reality, the world has changed and this kind of intimidation and insinuation would not work as Japan expects. The birthday of Deputy Prime Minister of Japan Katsuya Okada is the 100th anniversary of the day when Matthew C. Perry, the Commodore of the U.S. Navy, visited Japan (July 14, 1853). Perry was Japanese descent. They look alike. So, Okada is probably Perry's Descendant. French Revolution And Japan
reference
Baiji Yangtze Dolphin And Seal Called Tama-chan in Tokyo Napoleon's Secrets Hamid Karzai Coming of Age Day
Japan's First Simultaneous Attacks
Tokyo Sky Tree And Tohoku Earthquake
to be continued
2007/7/16 #21
Japan's Conspiracy (17) Typhoon (Tropical Storm) Man-yi

Japan often sticks to the date too much. Even when they go to war, they carefully choose the date that is particularly auspicious for their enemy. This day is celebrated as the Star Festival in China, like Valentine's Day, though it is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Of all things, Japan provoked the war against China on July 7, 1937 (Asahi Shimbun). But the cause of the war was unclear. In a war between two countries, it is usually not the case which country's soldier shoots first.
Typhoon Man-yi
Few Japanese know that the typhoon No.4 is called as typhoon Man-yi in Asian countries. Even if they know any of it, they may think that it is natural for foreigners to call the typhoon in their ways. They are awfully mistaken. Since the end of World War II, Asian countries followed American navy rules about how to call typhoons. In Japan typhoons were also called by American women's names, such as Kathleen and Ruth. At that time Americans had major responsibility for the observation of typhoons. In 1951, Japan restored its virtual independence with San Francisco Peace Treaty. Japan restored its original way of naming typhoons by their yearly numbers though all the other Asian countries continued to follow the American system. Then, Japan attempted to weaken American influence. But the attempt was almost conspiracy. 1. All the related nations including Japan and the US stop calling typhoons by the American names and agree to introduce the unified name table for the typhoon. 2. The unified name table includes all the languages of participating countries in a fair manner. In 2000, a treaty for the unified typhoon name table was signed. I now remember that, at that time, I thought it was wonderful. For the first a few months, Japan used unified typhoon names as well as Japanese original typhoon names. But I wondered which way the Japanese government would take at the end. The end soon came. A few months later, Japan gave up using the unified typhoon name. Since then I have not heard any unified typhoon name in the TV weather forecast program. It is a kind of betrayal. Other Asian countries may not have known the betrayal. But, even if they knew, they couldn't be helped. The US had already given up their original typhoon naming system, expecting all the countries would use the unified system. Japan ignores the unified system while other Asian countries use the unified name table that includes even Japanese names. This is none other than a betrayal.
Japanese names that are used in the unified name table Japan ignores the unified system while other Asian countries use the unified name table that includes even Japanese names. This is none other than a betrayal. This is one example of the reason why Japan is hated by many Asians. The table includes some Japanese words, such as Tenbin, Usagi, Kanmuri, Koppu, Tokage, Yagi, Kaziki, Kujira, Kompasu, Washi. That's nothing new. Japan abetted Asian countries to go to war against Western powers during World War II. But Japan's scale of robbery, carnage and rape against Asian countries was no comparison. Comfort women's case is just a tip of the iceberg. Japan is walking the same path and I believe Japan is resolute for continuing it. This is the reform that Koizumi and Abe talk of. People may begin feeling that Japan smacks of conspiracy. Japan has had it. Russia suspended the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe on July 14, 2007, when Typhoon Man-Yi landed on the Osumi peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. reference Some political major incidents in Russia coincide with disasters in Kagoshima, where the editor of this site lives. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/7/21 #22A
Japan's Conspiracy (18) 2007 July Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake was Conspiracy
First of all, I have to talk about 2007 March Noto earthquake. The following topic will remind you of the conspiracy theory about the earthquake. At that time, I was actually intimidated with an earthquake notice by a Japanese net stalker. Intimidation was nothing new. But an earthquake notice was an unusual one.
2007 July Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake
Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake
I. Location near Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant One of the conspicuous figures related to the nuclear power plant is Toru Hasuike. He was born and brought up in this city. He is the leader of a group of Japanese relatives of people abducted by North Korea. In 1977, He entered the Tokyo Electric Power Company. In 1978, his brother, Kaoru Hasuike, was abducted by North Korean agent. In 2002, he was transferred to Japan Nuclear Fuel as a vice manager of the fuel production department. In 2006, he was promoted to the manager of the nuclear fuel cycle department. II. Timing : July 16, 2007 10:13 AM North Korea announced that it shut down and sealed off its 5 nuclear facilities including those at Nyongbyon and that it allowed IAEA inspectors to examine them.
III. Characteristic : A fire broke out at the nuclear power plant. IV. Conspiracy theories 1. Japan was isolated and took a beating in the six-country negotiations. The earthquake symbolizes anger and intimidation against North Korea as well as menace to other countries. 2. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant has a lot of things with North Korea including abductees' issues and problems around Mangyongbong-92, a mixed passenger-cargo ferry running between Wonsan in North Korea and Niigata. This earthquake is particularly suspicious. 3. When 2007 Noto earthquake took place on March 25, the adjacent nuclear power plant had already shut down. There was a doubt that it might be a conspiracy. This time, there is a possibility that the fire was intentionally set, that the extinction activities were conspicuously slow and that the news coverage was exaggerated. I have to wonder how long the government intends to continue this funny series of conspiracy. reference Mino-Owari Earthquake and End of Statue of Liberty Great Kanto Earthquake
Obama's Visit to Iraq and L'Aquila earthquake
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami
Chile Earthquake was a conspiracy created by Japan and Fujimori 2008 Iwate earthquake and Treaty of Lisbon Northridge Eearthquake and Great Hanshin Earthquake 2008 Sichuan earthquake 2005 Sumatra Earthquake 1906 San Francisco earthquake Artificial Earthquakes Meiji Tokyo Earthquake 1703 Genroku earthquake Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
US-Japan Alliance Talks and Haiti Earthquake to be continued
2008/1/31 #22B
Japan's Conspiracy (18-2) Another Timely Earthquake

A quake hit the Noto peninsula on the west coast of Japan's main island of Honshu at 4:33 am (1933 GMT) on January 26, 2008 at a depth of 11 kilometers (seven miles), the agency said, adding there were no reports of casualties and no risk of a tsunami. Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who will chair the annual Group of Eight (G8) summit in July, was scheduled to deliver a speech on the same day at the annual gathering of world business and political leaders in Davos. Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda at Davois
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A quake hitting the Noto
This earthquake is probably an artificial earthquake that was created for the purpose of distracting people's attention from Mr. Fukuda's speech in case it ended up a failure.
Peninsula
People are already familiar with these kinds of artificial earthquakes in Japan. Media reporters seemed to get turned off. Japan calls for environmental protection while using its technology for conducting violence behind the stage. Both Prime Minister Fukuda's proposal, "Cool Earth 50" at the Davos conference, and the Noto Peninsula earthquake were probably parodies which ridiculed the new President of South Korea Lee Myung-bak. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
2007/7/24 #23
Japan's Conspiracy (19) Polonium, Peacock and Japan Japan is a peacock

Because it's a signal to countries of its power, beauty and general good quality and desirability. Japan is saying to any country that might be watching, "Look at us! We are so powerful. We can afford to grow this gigantic ornamental tail. Come and follow me, countries!" This is just what the Japanese prime minister is saying. This attitude is almost the same as that of peacocks. It's original sentence is as follows. Look at the most famous of wasteful traits -- the adult male peacock's tail. This huge, elaborate structure is no use for flying. In fact it hinders him, and makes it easier for predators to catch him. And he has to expend a significant amount of energy just growing the thing. So, in evolutionary terms, why do they do it? Because it's a signal to females of the species of his power, beauty and general good quality and desirability. The peacock is saying to any peahen who might be watching, "Look at me! I'm so powerful, I can afford to grow this gigantic ornamental tail. Come and get me girls!" Japan's conspiracy is so humongous, stupid and unimaginable that you can't believe it. I understand your objections. Although I am a Who Killed Litvinenko?
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Itsu sushi restaurant
very sceptical person, I couldn't realize Japan's conspiracy for many years. Some of my acquaintances claimed that there was conspiracy, I often failed to understand the whole perspective. The following sentence is part of a Japantimes article. There is another hypothesis. Some speculate that the real beneficiaries of Mr. Litvinenko's death are those who want to see Mr. Putin put on the defensive. I don't want to talk much about Litvinenko's case. But Japan has hated Mr. Putin. Japan tried to buy not Northern Territories (Kuril islands) but to buy the concession by the then Russian President Yeltsin about the territories' handover to Japan. The Japan's attempt seemed to be almost successful. But the next President Putin suddenly stopped the negotiation.
Indian Blue Peacock
Polonium
When Mr. Yeltsin died on April 23. Most countries sent the then leaders of them. But Japan ignored this opportunity. I can't find any articles about who represented Japan and attended the funeral.
Litvinenko was Japanese
(added on November 3, 2010)
I'm ashamed to say that I have been completely deceived by Japan's precisely the opposite conspiracy. Though my previous explanation above should be deleted, I want to dare to keep it on this page as it shows the development of my idea. Please forgive the confusion. Now that the whole story is very long and complicated, let me describe the conclusion here and explain the detailed story later. First of all, there are two different birthdays about Litvinenko on the internet. Even Google gives two birthdays. But the confusion indicates further conspiracies all the more. Litvinenko's birthdays related events August 30, 1590 Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle. August 1, 1590 (Japanese calendar) Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle. August 30, 1962 (exactly the same day) The YS11, a turboprop airliner, first flies. August 1, 1962 (exactly the same day: Japanese calendar) The YS11, a turboprop airliner, first flies. These coincidences happen once in about 25 years. birthday (2) December 4, 1962 (Japanese calendar) November 8, 1962 December 4, 794 The Japanese capital is moved to Kyoto (Heian-kyo). November 8, 794 (Japanese calendar) The Japanese capital is moved to Kyoto (Heian-kyo). This coincidence happens once in about 25 years, too.
birthday (1) August 30, 1962 (Japanese calendar) August 1, 1962
In both cases above, Litvinenko's birthdays strongly indicate the actual change of the Japanese capital. poisoning related events November 1, 110 Yamato Takeru goes to war. He was one of the heroes of the emperor's ancestors. November 1, 1966 "Self Defense Forces Day" is established. September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks take place in the United States. September 11, 1966 (Japanese calendar) Roman Abramovich is born. He is a Russian oil magnate and the owner of Chelsea Football Club. It is said that he has something to do with Litvinenko's death.
November 1, 2006 (Japanese calendar) September 11, 2006
Russia is actually the Tokugawa samurai regime

To tell the truth, the assassination was a Russo-Japanese collaboration. It can be said that the assassination was a mock suicidal assassination just for the purpose of silencing the dissident. Not only the former Soviet Union but also Russia has been controlled by the Tokugawa samurai clan. In fact Both Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev are Japanese. birthday August 19 Vladimir Putin Putin was born on August 19, 1952 in the Japanese calendar. Dmitry Medvedev Medvedev was born on August 19, 1965 in the Japanese calendar.
Putin and Medvedev share the same birthday in the Japanese calendar. This makes them all the more suspicious. They probably celebrated the advance of Augustus to Rome. Their detail will be later described.
Suspicious Name of Sushi Restaurant

Though I don't know the origin of the name of the sushi restaurant, "Itsu", the name reminds me of a Japanese word "itsu". I imagine that the policemen who were investigating the crime would first say, "When? (When was he poisoned?)". To tell the truth, "itsu" means "when" in Japanese.
Positive Attitude of British People

At first I was reluctant to investigate this case. The venue was the Japanese sushi restaurant. The location didn't seem to give any advantage to Japan. Instead I thought that the restaurant would suffer some negative implications. But unexpectedly British people were more cheerful. In fact the restaurant was not stirred by the Litvinenko incident. Far from it. The Polonium Restaurant (a Polish restaurant in Sheffield, England, named after a folk band in the late 1970s) experienced increased interest and business as a result of internet searches for the phrase polonium restaurant. Then I thought that the Japanese government had expected such positive result because of British characters and had prepared the Japanese restaurant for the incident. reference Putin is Japanese because he is a descendant of Russian Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin. Putin is well-known for his advanced-level of judo. But his black belt is probably a parody on the coincidence between his birthday and barcode. Bombing of Train in Russia Japanese Secret Funds to the Russian Revolution
Collusion of France, Russia and Georgia St. Louis Olympics 1904 and Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War and Jews Russian Arms Dealer Viktor Bout Japanese Women around Stalin
Ainu people and Ethnic Cleansing Vladimir Putin and Funny Japanese Politics Russia is Japan's Precious Friend Stalin and Ringo Starr Stalin's Secrets
Japanese passenger on Ocean Liner RMS Titanic
Japan's Conspiracy on Suez Canal and Russian Baltic Fleet Russian Revolutionary Lenin and Kato Hayabusa Fighter Wing to be continued Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/7/26 #24
Japan's Conspiracy (19-2) a Nobel laureate and 300 million yen robbery
One day, I happened to read a book, " Snow Country", written by Yasunari Kawabata, a Japanese Nobel laureate. But the book was desperately dull and I began to examine his history. His books were written before and during World War II. When he made a speech at the Nobel Prize award ceremony, the title of his speech was "Beautiful Japan". At that time, this catch phrase was unusual. But this phrase is just what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks of. I couldn't recognize why he was given the prize. But my story ended there.
Drama "300 Million Yen Robbery"
Later, I watched a TV special program about the 300 million yen robbery affair in 1968. I suspected that the incident was a conspiracy. I examined the back ground of the affair. When I read the next morning's newspaper at a newspaper stack in a library, I found that the Nobel Prize was given to Mr. Kawabata on the same day. But I ignored the coincidence. I almost forgot these stories. Later again, as many suspicious things were around us, I tried to examine the relationship between the two cases. I soon found that the robbery was a conspiracy. At the Nobel Prize award ceremony, laureates have to wear tailcoat. Mr. Kawabata tried to ignore this tradition by wearing Japanese formal kimono (See Note 3). Until the moment of the ceremony, it was unclear for Japan to be able to see him at the ceremony stage. It was a brinkmanship that the Japanese government often takes. On receiving the nobel prize for literature in 1968, Yasunari Kawabata appeared before his audience dressed in Kimono, to present (in Japanese) his lecture Myself of Beautiful Japan. In it he made reference to the classical Japanese poetry of the 12th Century, and the female-penned Heian texts which are to this day regarded as the finest works of Japanese fiction. He was a staunch traditionalist, his attitude summed up with just two words Inheritance and Preservation. Even in the late sixties, Kawabata had observed the degradation of what he felt was Japan - Distinct, unique and unfaltering in its sense of pride as an Island nation set
apart from its continental and global neighbours. 1968 The Japanese government believed that Sweden would give up. But they also had to prepare for the worst, cancel of the prize. The Japanese government was concerned about the next morning's headline news. I believed that the 300 million yen robbery was a fabrication by the government. The reasons are as follows. 1. The robber pretended to be a policeman. It was easy for a policeman to pretend to be a robber pretending to be a real policeman. 2. The police could not arrest any suspects. 3. A son of a policeman who live near the robbery site killed himself with potassium cyanide. There were some reports that he was the true culprit. But it was also a red herring. 4. There are increasing number of cases in which it is unclear whether the arrested are really culprits or not. 5. This kind of conspiracy represents the Japanese government's attitude very well. 6. The mass media's coverage was unusual. There were such robberies too, but others were ignored. 7. Mr. Kawabata killed himself later, but the reason was unknown. He might have killed himself on a day whose order of number was opposite to the order of the number of his birthday. He killed himself on the 16th day of the 4th month (1972.4.16). He was born on the fourteenth day of the sixth month (1899.6.14). reference Nobel Prize and Japan's Secret Manipulation of Information on the Internet Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
to be continued
2007/7/28 #25
Japan's Conspiracy (20) Japan is a Demon Nation Floods in Bangladesh and the case of poisoned curry in Japan
A surprising combination has come out. I was stunned. Bangladeshis have been poisoned with arsenic. At first, I couldn't understand the situation at all. But I gradually recognized the whole perspective.
Floods in Bangladesh
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For almost 30 years, Bangladeshis have been suffering from arsenic-related diseases. It is a man-made disaster. I remember that Americans often told me not to eat fish in the river in the US. But now I don't think it is natural. Who poisoned fish? Is it a community's failure?
Then, I thought about the possibility that Japan had been involved in the poisoning. For the past 20 years, there was only one poisoning case in Japan, as far as I know, : the mass poisoning of people celebrating a festival in Wakayama Prefecture in July 25, 1998. At that time, there was extensive media coverage on this case for quite a long period. I believe that all the Japanese still remember the case even today. The development of the event was extremely unusual and eerie. I checked the date when the poisoning occurred for confirmation. Again, I was astounded. On that very day, the impact of an unprecedented scale of flooding reached to the peak in Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital. Almost two-thirds of the whole nation was flooded. At least 730 people were killed. The number of victims reached more than 20 million. Rivers in Bangladesh are so big that the scale and period is very extensive in general.
Bangladesh floods: rich nations 'must share the blame'

Today, climate modelers are unable to make accurate predictions about such extreme events. But in the short term, they can say that floods are likely to become more frequent, even if not necessarily more severe. For example, 'once-in-20-year' events, such as the current flood, could occur every five years. This prediction was supported by the fact that such violent floods did not occur 20 years ago (as we might have expected without global warming) but that they had only six years ago in 1998. Of course, this does not necessarily prove that the flood is due to global warming. But the modelling work of climate scientists does suggest that the frequency of such floods will be much greater in future than in the past. And it means that we need to be better prepared for such floods in future.
Why Bangladesh floods are so bad?
(BBC News)
Since then until October, the extensive flooding continued to inundate Bangladesh. During this period, The media hoopla about the arsenic poisoning was unusual in Japan. The suspected woman, TV reporters, the police and juvenile gangs tried to harass and provoke each other. Most Japanese were fed up with watching such funny and stupid news day after day. The suspected woman splashed water against TV reporters several times. But the scene was televised time and time again. Now I believe that the unusual behavior was just an insinuation to the Bangladesh flooding. This turmoil suddenly ended when she was arrested on October 4, 1998. In Bangladesh, floods began to recede then.
Evidence of Conspiracy
1. These periods were almost the same. 2. Both cases had a lot of things to do with arsenic. 3. The culprit was a woman. In Japan, Ms. Hayashi was arrested. In Bangladesh, the then female prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed was arrested this month. 4. Ms. Hayashi insinuated floods by splashing water against TV reporters. 5. Curry was poisoned during a summer festival. Rice and curry was the staple diet in Bangladesh. Curry poisoning was just an insinuation. 6. Weather terrorism and contamination terrorism were combined and seen in both countries. 7. In Japan, as usual, there was a variety of red herrings. 8. On August 15, 1975, the then Bangladesh president was assassinated. Sheikh Hasina Wajed was the president's daughter. Ten years later on the same day, Japanese prime minister paid an official visit to Yasukuni Shrine. It was the first official visit by the prime minister since the end of World War II. This day was the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II. 9. On August 12, 1985, there was a terrible aeroplane accident. But the cause and consequences were suspicious and eerie. 10. An Indian airplane was exploded in the air by terrorists on June 23, 1985. On that day, Japan held an 40th anniversary of the fall of Okinawa and the suicide of Lieutenant General Ushijima.
11. On August 20, 2000, a Japanese prime minister visited Bangladesh. He wasted his time visiting the place where the former Bangladesh president was assassinated on August 15, 1985. I sincerely hope that this hypothesis is just a nightmare. But I am still afraid that they may be the tip of the iceberg. reference It is obvious that the mass poisoning was carried out in commemoration of the oldest blood signature in Japan. Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (2)
Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (1)
A Mass Poisoning in Japan and the Father of Pakistan. Mumbai Attacks on "Tamil Eelam Heroes Day" to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/7/29 #26
Japan's Conspiracy (20-1) Japan is a Demon Nation.

Bangladesh Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan I wrote that the then Bangladesh prime minister was Hasina and that Japan's female suspect poisoner was Hayashi Masumi. But these names rang a bell . Their pronunciations were very similar, particularly in Japanese. Hasina Wajed Hayashi Masumi (Hayashi Masumi is called in English as Masumi Hayashi. In Japanese, they put the family name first and then his or her first name.) That means Masumi Hayashi was ordered to commit the poisoning crime just because she was female and just because her name was similar to the then Bangladesh prime minister. Japanese Rising Sun Flag Flag of Bangladesh
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In Japan there are quite a many people who engage in secret jobs. They are said to be 100 percent loyal to a special organization. There are many such people around me. They are sometimes three generations such as grandparents, parents and children. For that reason, it is thought that they are guaranteed to be given special treatment after arrest.
Masumi Hayashi was shot to death.

Though it was really a conspiratory coincidence, but an American photographer who shared the same name was killed in the US on August 17, 2006. Strangely enough, on the same month in the same year, Japanese Masumi Hayashi published her private papers. The title of the book was, "Death Sentence with the Music of 'Silhouette Romance'". This book was published with the wrong title at the wrong time.
Japan's Conspiracy (20-1B)
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2008/7/27 #26B
Japan's Conspiracy (20-1B) Japan is a Demon Nation

July 25th marked the 10th anniversary of the Wakayama festival curry poisonings. I wanted people to remember the Bangladesh disasters. But nowadays there are too many conspiracies. I read some news for a change of scene. I found an article in which Indian People's Party (BJP) said that blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad were a conspiracy. I was forced to read it with a bitter smile. Nowadays I see the word "conspiracy" frequently. But the anniversary suddenly came to my mind. It was not a coincidence. Japan continues its terrorism. They never give me a break. Blasts in Bangalore in Southern India on July 25, 2008 Blasts in Ahmedabad in Western India on July 26, 2008 The first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War on July 25, 1894 On this day, the Japanese and Chinese warships exchanged fire. The Japanese flagship under the command of Captain Togo Heihachiro was the cruiser Naniwa. Naniwa is the former name of Osaka. Wakayama is next to Osaka. And I believe that Wakayama was chosen as the venue for the festival curry poisonings in order to commemorate the anniversary of the first naval battle of the First SinoJapanese War. It may be quite absurd, but Japan often does such strange things. reference to be continued Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (1) Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (2) Hypotheses are included.
Blasts in Bangalore
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2007/7/29 #27
Japan's Conspiracy (20-2) Japan is a Demon Nation. Bangladesh Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan
On February 16, 2000, the suspect, Masumi Hayashi's house was set on fire, burnt down and demolished. The site is now a garden park. To tell the truth, the site was auctioned off by the community. It seems that the community has arranged the site for gardening. The progress of the case was very unusual. Hayashi resolutely refused to answer at the court. And, in the first trial, the judge solely expressed general comments that were apparently made for Poisoner Masumi Hayashi is arrested.
media coverage.
Suspicion
1. At the summer festival held by the community, 67 people were poisoned and taken to the hospital. Four people including the community leader died at the hospital. It is unusual that the community itself bought the site and enjoys gardening at the site. 2. Hayashi's house was a critical property for both the prosecutors and the accused with regard to the detected arsenic. They can't avoid being accused of destroying evidence. 3. The arsonist was later arrested by the police. But the day of the arson was the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Toyota Motor Sales Co. (February 16, 1950 in the Japanese calendar). And the day was January 12 in the Japanese calendar and was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Josei Toda, one of the founders of Soka Gakkai (January 12, 1900 in the Japanese calendar). The Japanese government (including the police and the military) has an odd tradition with regard to the date pun. In addition, it has been discovered, through conspiracy investigation, that Toyota and Soka Gakkai have particular relations with some conspiracies. And the date pun above is still just the tip of the iceberg in their conspiracies. United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice was born on the day when Komeito, or Clean Government Party in Japanese, was founded by the Buddhist society Soka Gakkai. The crime of Soka Gakkai is said to be constructed so that it is not told by the people. Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (1) to be continued Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (2) Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
2007/7/30 #28
Japan's Conspiracy (20-3) Japan is a Demon Nation Bangladesh Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan
<<< Urgent Terrorism Alarm >>> Unfortunately, this story doesn't stop here. At today's news, a commentator talked about the 1998 Upper House election. Stories come one after another. I am a little tired of writing. On July 12, 1998, the Liberal Democratic Party suffered a humiliating setback in the Upper House election. The then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto was forced into a corner. Current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in almost the same situation. Bangladesh Floods 1998
On July 25, 1998, there occurred a mass poisoning of people celebrating a festival in Wakayama, Japan. The impact of an unprecedented scale of flooding became decisive in Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital. Two-thirds of the whole nation was flooded. At least 730 people were killed. The number of victims was more than 20 million. On July 30, 1998 the then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto resigned. He continued to refuse to resign for some time. But the Japanese political circles and mass media were already running toward a political realignment. The reason for the terrorism alarm 1. The circumstances around the current Upper House election are very similar to those around the Upper House election in 1998. 2. Past terrorism in Japan often occurred around a change of government. The timing would be more convenient for the government to evade its responsibility. 3. In the UK, the US and the Middle East, terrorism is most active from July through September. 4. So far, my prediction was often accurate. The devil seems to show off its strength. 5. I live in Kagoshima City. For the past week, Kagoshima City alone was hit by a heat wave with the temperature of 36 degrees Celsius. Considering the past typhoon disaster, I can't help thinking the unusual weather as part of weather terrorism. 6. I have nothing to do with any politicians. I hope that my suspicion will end up a nightmare. reference It is obvious that the mass poisoning was carried out in commemoration of the oldest blood signature in Japan. Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (2)
Poisoner Masumi Hayashi (1)
A Mass Poisoning in Japan and the Father of Pakistan. Mumbai Attacks on "Tamil Eelam Heroes Day" Japan is Demon Nation. to be continued Japan's Conspiracy (20) (20-1) (20-1B) (20-2) (20-3)
2007/7/31 #29
Japan's Conspiracy (20-4) Arsenic poisoning BBC News

Arsenic is known best as a deadly poison, although in small doses it does have medical benefits. BBC News Online looks at the workings of the chemical infamous for its deadly effects. A new typhoon is going to hit Kagoshima City again.
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2007/7/31 #30
Japan's Conspiracy (20-5) A new typhoon is going to hit Kagoshima City again. Details will be posted here later.
Typhoon Usagi storm surge waves, Japan
reference
Typhoons Are Manipulated.
Hurricane
Typhoon and Hurricane Another September 11th
Manipulation of Typhoons Weather Terrorism Ultimate Ethnic Cleansing
Typhoon (Tropical Storm) Man-yi Teresa Teng
Ethnic cleansing is the purpose of war. Disaster and Economy (2)
Disasters and Economy
Mt. Pinatubo Eruption was Revenge against US. to be continued
Typhoon Punishing Parliament Building Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/7/31 #31
Japan's Conspiracy (20-6) This time, the name of the typhoon is "Usagi".
This name is a Japanese name meaning "rabbit". This is REUTERS weather forecast 20:36 July 30, 2007.
A Rabbit Moving A Cushion
Japanese Preschool Rabbit Dance Performance
reference
Typhoon Man-yi
A new typhoon is going to hit Kagoshima City again. Weather Terrorism
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2007/7/31 #32
Japan's Conspiracy (21-1) Typhoon and Hurricane

I read articles on the site of WIKIPEDIA about hurricanes.
Artificial dissipation
In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States government attempted to weaken hurricanes through Project Stormfury by seeding selected storms with silver iodide. It was thought that the seeding would cause supercooled water in the outer rainbands to freeze, causing the inner eyewall to collapse and thus reducing the winds.
Hurricane Wilma Video Miami Beach, Florida
The winds of Hurricane Debbie, a hurricane seeded in Project Stormfury, dropped as much as 30%, but Debby regained its strength after each of two seeding forays. In an earlier episode in 1947, disaster struck when a hurricane east of Jacksonville, Florida promptly changed its course after being seeded, and smashed into Savannah, Georgia. Because there was so much uncertainty about the behavior of these storms, the federal government would not approve seeding operations unless the hurricane had a less than 10% chance of making landfall within 48 hours, greatly reducing the number of possible test storms. The project was dropped after it was discovered that eyewall replacement cycles occur naturally in strong hurricanes, casting doubt on the result of the earlier attempts. Today, it is known that silver iodide seeding is not likely to have an effect because the amount of supercooled water in the rainbands of a tropical cyclone is too low. Other approaches have been suggested over time, including cooling the water under a tropical cyclone by towing icebergs into the tropical oceans. Other ideas range from covering the ocean in a substance that inhibits evaporation, dropping large quantities of ice into the eye at very early stages of development (so that the latent heat is absorbed by the ice, instead of being converted to kinetic energy that would feed the positive feedback loop), or blasting the cyclone apart with nuclear weapons. Project Cirrus even involved throwing dry ice on a cyclone. These approaches all suffer from the same flaw: tropical cyclones are simply too large for any of them to be practical. I think that Americans are too honest in a sense. I understand they are honest just because they are born and brought up honest. Most of them live honest. On the other hand, unfortunately, there is a variety of countries and regions in the world. Some people are born and brought up dishonest. They mostly live dishonest. Some of them are even hypocrites by nature. I think that critical tests, such as disaster prevention tests, should be conducted behind closed doors. These tests can be easy targets of sabotage for terrorists. For example, if a farmer has developed new variety of strawberry and tries to show the strawberry to his customers about the process of growth in the field, malicious rival farmers could hamper the growth of the strawberry by a variety of means including scattering pollutants and pests even at night. Economically speaking, sabotage is cheaper than fair competition. In these cases, the honest farmers are usually criticized by the third party for the failure. It's totally unfortunate. reference Hurricane Artificial Rain Weather Terrorism Typhoons Are Manipulated
Disasters and Economy.
Verification of Weather Manipulation (2)
World Trade Center Attacked Twice to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/8/1 #33
Japan's Conspiracy (21-2) Typhoon and Hurricane

to leaders of nations
to leaders of international organizations to meteorologists (particularly, to the secretary general of the United Nations, the US president, the UK prime minister, the Chinese president and the Russian president ) I sincerely hope that nations will conduct large scale research on generation, manipulation and prevention of typhoons and hurricanes immediately. I know for sure that I am not qualified or in a position to ask such an administrative issue.
weather manipulation machine
But things are urgent now. I suffer from weather terrorism. I know many other Japanese are in the same situation. The number of people who are tortured throughout the world is beyond imagination. I am taking the liberty of asking this sudden request. I believe that the research would benefit your country and your people to a large extent. Things victims including me can do are only to express gratitude. But gratitude to your country can be a great asset for your country for the future. It has been already clear enough that unusual weather throughout the world is not only the result of global warming but also the result of artificial weather manipulation. At first, I thought that this kind of weather manipulation was conducted just against some specific individuals or specific areas. I know little about weather system. But I studied meteorology privately a little just in the circumstances in which weather manipulation was carried out. Some data I have may be critical. As I don't have enough time to summarize it, let me talk about it later. The reason why I make such a request was already said. There is a common saying that offense is the best defense. I think that the US keeps a excellent missile defense system just because it has the technology enough to develop an ICBM system. The same thing can be said in the case of a hurricane prevention system. I believe that some rogue countries have already developed complicated disaster manipulation systems. I hope that the world community will conduct a research on the generation, manipulation and prevention of disasters such as tropical cyclons, heavy rainfalls, heat waves and dry weathers. The research can be a double-edged sword for sure. Needless to say, it would be conducted in secret and with great morality. reference Hurricane Artificial Rain Weather Terrorism Typhoons Are Manipulated
Disasters and Economy.
Verification of Weather Manipulation (2) World Trade Center Attacked Twice Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
1993 Kagoshima Flood to be continued
2007/8/3 #34
Japan's Conspiracy (22-1) Japan won World War II.

I was surprised when I knew that Japan was a victorious nation for the Japanese government and for some nationalists. Unconditional surrender was a foregone conclusion for Japan. Unconditional surrender was dissimulation.
As early as World War I, there were events that smelled of conspiracy.
World War I Documentary
Elisabeth of Bavaria (the Austrian queen) and her son Archduke Rudolf (the Crown Prince of Austria) were assassinated in 1898 and in 1889, respectively. Finally, a great battleship with the name of the queen, Kaiserin Elisabeth, had been invited by Japan to a Japanese port at the start of World War I, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated by a Bosnian Serb student on June 28, 1914. Being attacked by the Japanese navy, the battleship Kaiserin Elisabeth blew up itself. On September 10, 1898, in Geneva, Switzerland, Elisabeth of Bavaria, the Empress consort of Austria and Queen consort of Hungary, was stabbed to death with a needle file by a young anarchist named Luigi Lucheni, in an act of propaganda of the deed. Bleeding to death from a puncture wound to the heart, Elisabeth's last words were "What happened to me?" Reportedly, her assassin had hoped to kill a prince from the House of Orleans and, failing to find him, turned on Elisabeth instead as she was walking along the promenade of Lake Geneva about to board a steamship for Montreux with her lady-of-courtesy, Countess Sztaray. As Lucheni afterward said, "I wanted to kill a royal. It did not matter which one." At his trial, Luigi Lucheni openly admitted to his crimes, and at the age of 25, was sentenced to life in prison. After his memoirs were confiscated by prison guards, he was found hanged in his cell by his belt, apparently from suicide. The bodies of Elisabeth's son, Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and his mistress were discovered at Mayerling, Rudolf's hunting lodge, in Lower Austria on January 30, 1889. Before her death in 1989, Empress Zita, widow of the last Austrian emperor, Karl (r. 1916 - 1918), repeated the claim, on March 11, 1983, that the young couple had been murdered as part of a conspiracy to silence Rudolf after he had refused to take part in a French plot to depose his pro-German conservative father and assume the control as a pro-French liberal Austrian emperor. Elisabeth of Bavaria
Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria
Upon an urgent message from its homeland, the cruiser "Kaiserin Elisabeth," which was again on the way to a friendship visit to Japan, was turned toward Tsingtau. After the declaration of war by Japan, German youths became part of the volunteer corps to Tsingtau under Governor Meyer-Waldeck. They fought bravely in isolation, and against violent assaults from the Japanese troops. The crews of the Austrian cruiser "Kaiserin Elisabeth," together with the German gunboat "Jaguar," made a suicidal explosion on November 2, 1914. The beautiful ship, the symbol of friendship, disappeared into the depth of the night sea of Tsingtau. Japan eliminated imperial families in China and Korea. A conspiracy theory can not be denied in this case.
World War II was thought to be a great success for Japan's next 100 years.
(1) The Meiji Restoration was successful thanks to the support of Western countries. But Japan was afraid of the modernization of other Asian countries. It was a matter of time before other Asian countries caught up with Japan. Japan took advantage of the global confusion during World War II and expanded its battle line. It was expanded toward South America and South Asian countries in the 1950s, Middle East in the 1960s and Africa in the 1990s. Now we can see its battle line at every corner of the world. (2) the Japanese death toll was 3.1 million, the US death toll was 290,000 On the other hand, the death tolls of Soviet Union, China, Germany, Poland and Indonesia were 23 million, 20 million, 7 million, 5 million and 4 million, respectively. Historically speaking, the number of death tolls does count. The result is just a nominal one. In this sense, Japan might have reached some important goals at the war. (3) During the war, experiment on human bodies and ethnic cleansing were carried out. Such information is never acquired in the normal circumstances. Inside Japan, some of the nuisance were eliminated through suicidal attacks, battles in Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Saipan and so on. Some were deserted on board the battleship Yamato. Some were given to the Soviet Union as pawns for the security of Japan proper. This ethnic cleansing enabled Japan to develop rapidly after the war. (4) Predicting a rapid inflation, the Japanese government spread yen bills to the people and bought property and foreign assets including dollar bills. Government contractors borrowed money from the bank as much as possible and bought up property. They tried to buy up even agricultural land. This is the reason why the occupation forces carried out emancipation of farming land. Nowadays, wealthy politicians and companies are the result of these past tricks. (5) North Korea is neither a foreign nation nor part of Japan, according to Japanese laws. North Korea is probably something like an island with many people and with no government or autonomy. Japan may negotiate with a would-be leader of the region. It is easy to go into and come back from the country. Once Japan establishes diplomatic relations with North Korea, it will lose any possibility of recovering it. (6) Japan believes that it will be able to recover its past territory some day. The US, Australia and other countries know it very well. For ordinary Japanese, immigration to those countries is very difficult. (7) Both Japanese and German armies were defeated. But there was a difference between their processes of getting on the run. German army was in disorder. But Japanese army withdrew in order with enough time. In Manchuria, Japanese army withdrew quickly leaving ordinary citizens including little babies. The nuisance were handed over to the Soviet Union as pawns for the future cooperation. Japan had enough time to organize local and ethnic underground agent groups before withdrawal. If I had been a army general, I would have organized local underground organizations in foreign countries. (8) Unit 731
Many former members of Unit 731 became part of the Japanese medical establishment. Some of them became bureaucrats in governments. Dr Masaji Kitano led Japan's largest pharmaceutical company, Green Cross. Green Cross failed to distribute safe blood to hemophilic patients. Many of them were infected with AIDS. It was a serious human error. But I suspect that they took advantage of the circumstances for both carrying out perfect human experiment and eliminating the nuisance. They had the same criminal record. (9) After the end of WWII, Japan could keep the war regime. Under occupation forces, Japan continued terrorism warfare as well as economic warfare. It bought foreign politicians, police and mass media. Now there are quite a few foreign celebrities who apparently speak in favor of Japan. (10) The US was surprised at the obedient and peaceful attitude of Japanese. But, in reality, it was natural. Japanese were obedient and peaceful not because they respected Americans, not because they were afraid of Americans, but because they were ordered by the government simply to pretend to be obedient. Some blindly followed the government's order. Some knowingly pretended to be obedient. Nothing has changed. Even if North Korea returns to the global community, nothing will change in reality as far as the current regime continues. reference The day when cases of AIDS were recognized for the first time was the day when Japan had signed the Red Cross convention. The date of the implementation of "AIDS prevention Law" marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of "Banzai" cheers. The coincidence epitomizes the character of Japan's conspiracy very well. Government-run Lottery, Final Decisive Battle Scheme and Manhattan Project (Trinity) were Actually "Trinity". World War II Was Fake War to be continued Alive and Safe, Brutal Japanese soldiers Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/8/10 #35
Japan's Conspiracy (23-1) Verification of Weather Manipulation (1)

Today is the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. I remember that the weather is usually fine on this day. And I looked into weather records in Hiroshima. In the weather records from 1945 to 1986, I could hardly find any abnormality. But, since 1987, the amount of precipitation has clearly decreased. How about the weather on August 15th, the anniversary of the end of the Pacific War? It frequently rains on August 15th in Tokyo. The Aerosol Crimes
annual Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead is held on this day in Tokyo. But the ceremony is held inside the building such as the Nippon Budokan. But this does not necessarily mean that rainfall is welcome.
I looked into it further. Finally, I found that it rains more during the bon holiday particularly in Tokyo. Tokyo is a large metropolis. Keeping nice weather during business period and having rainy days during holidays is cost-effective to a large extent. In the case of the Emperor's Birthday, December 23rd, it has been conspicuously fine in Tokyo since 1988, when the Emperor Akihito ascended to the throne. In Okinawa, the weather is usually fine on June 23rd, the Memorial Service Day.
Precipitation Data
These weather manipulations seem to be legal at a glance, but I think it runs counter to the Constitution. The weather belongs to the people. Nobody is allowed to manipulate the weather on his own. In order to do it, special laws and information disclosure are needed. No matter how many people expect a fine weather, there can be some people who expect a rainfall, for sure. Not only that, the impact of this weather manipulation can be maximized with maximum volume of energy and chemical agent. Naturally, it is more cost-effective to inflict damage to its enemy or competitor rather than to enjoy the benefit of manipulating the weather. The phenomena I mentioned above are yet the tip of the ice berg. I have experienced some terrible and tiny weather manipulations. So, there must be more complicated weather manipulations that are not easily identified. There can be a variety of weather manipulation requests; public events, bargain sales, concerts, athletic meetings, group tours and so on. As far as I have known, the weather manipulation has been gradually used for national events, economic benefits and other private purposes. I don't know the exact scale of the manipulation, but I believe that there is a considerable scale of manipulation under the circumstances. I hate myself for having been too serious about the weather forecast. I have been a simple soul. I now believe that the Meteorological Agency announces the weather forecast after discussing the manipulation effect with the Air Self-Defense Force. If you want to be a prestigious meteorologist, I suggest that you develop your skill in convincing others of your close-mouthed character and that you set up contacts with the Air Self-Defense Force. It cannot be denied that this manipulation technology is used for terrorism. Because, I am also the person who has little confidence in controlling the impulse to manipulate the weather for evil purposes. reference Director of Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer, was Japanese Verification of Weather Manipulation (2) Floods in Bangladesh and Poisoned Curry in Japan Kyoto Protocol, Blatant Lie Rainfall Artificial Rain Landslide Conspiracy Typhoon and Hurricane Typhoons Are Manipulated
Hurricane to be continued
Japanese Secret Weapons
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/8/13 #36
Japan's Conspiracy (24-1) Manipulation of Information on the Internet

National power is more exerted overseas than in the country. It happens on the Internet, too. It was not until I criticized the Japanese government that I realized this fact. In Japan, I clearly feel that there is political interference on the Internet, from major providers to smaller ones. Some free bulletin board providers even took down my bulletin board. It was really a surprise. Major message board providers often delete my threads. But their criteria are uncertain. Deleted threads are probably those that are placed high in search engines and that are inconvenient for the government. Nowadays, people come to a message board not from the top page of the message board but through a search engine. Now that there are quite a few abusive but undeleted comments in some message boards, it is apparent that deleting criteria are biased.
Zeitgeist - The Movie: Federal Reserve
But there is so much more to foreign providers than that. For example, most of the comments I posted on Asian message boards have been deleted at once. I was amazed at their quickness. Even Bangladeshi providers and administrators delete comments criticizing the Japanese government. What happened to Asian people? Is Japan loved by Asian people? Is Japan respected? Don't Asian people want to hear Japanese scandals? I was confused. But I finally reached a conclusion, after my comments were deleted. Asian providers take the side of the Japanese government much more than Japanese providers do. Though I don't have much information about Asian Internet systems, let me put some of my hypotheses here. 1. Among Asian countries, Japan has built Internet network systems in which providers affiliated with the Japanese government censor internet content on behalf of the Japanese government. This is a very tricky manipulation. Postings criticizing other countries are occasionally grave and critical ones. But such censorship is inconspicuous because their number is small. 2. Japan can use its influence with overseas providers through ODA, investment and Japanese companies. For example, inconvenient comments on message boards can be deleted with a mere telephone call from Japan. 3. Japan has created complicated human networks also in foreign countries. Japan's foreign ministry officials can call any foreign government officials. Deleting some internet comments is a piece of cake for them. But censorship is seen not only in Asian countries but also among Western countries. Some Western forum administrators often delete my comments at once and without notice. Some administrators even intimidate me, saying, "Your comments are nonsense." But such message boards share similar themes.
Their themes are related to global warming and environmental issues. What happened? Regular members of such message boards are mostly academic people. Why do they dismiss my comments? Generally speaking, academics are supposed to be tolerant of different opinions. I tried quite a few message boards and I reached a conclusion. 1. Global warming campaigns fall into two main categories. One is purely academic discussions and another one is seemingly academic discussions used to camouflage some weather manipulation. The latter discussions prevail for sure. They have a lot of financial background. 2. In search engines, such hypocritical message boards are usually placed higher. 3. Japan often buy foreign celebrities, scholars and analysts in order to propagate advantageous opinions. Though I remember several cases, let me put one example. In the past, a Japanese tobacco manufacturing company once bought an American analyst, who was finally accused of his inappropriate comments. I synthesized these hypotheses into another hypothesis. Kyoto Protocol is an imitative deception camouflaging weather manipulation. Most major environmental disruptions and natural disasters are caused by weather terrorism, though there are some natural environmental changes. This is an amazing hypothesis. Unfortunately, such camouflaging attitudes are commonly seen in the Japanese society. For example, the president of a Japanese company may assume the chairman of a crime prevention association just to camouflage collusion with gang organizations. The Japanese government may advocate alliance with the U.S., while getting in the way of the US behind the stage. The list goes on and on. Facebook was founded on the 100th anniversary of Japan's decision of war on Russia in the Russo-Japanese War. Its founder Mark Zuckerberg was born on the 100th anniversary of the enactment of Japan's first trademark law. Is media mogul Rupert Murdoch a big gun in the Japanese conspiracy? Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Japanese Secret Funds to the Russian Revolution
reference
The real truth about the Japanese police system and its psychological espionage Blatant Conspiracy of the Public Security Intelligence Agency 2008 Iwate earthquake and Treaty of Lisbon to be continued Japanese Red Army Artificial Rain Weather Manipulation Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (25-1) Japan's Conspiracy (25-1)
2007/8/14 #37
the Baiji Yangtze Dolphin and a seal called Tama-chan in Tokyo

Japan's mass media are often obsessed with something. Although their reports are often blatantly hypocritical, it is difficult to learn
about their plots. It is something like outfoxing the foxes. A few days ago, a media hoopla over a dolphin in Tokyo suddenly came out. I instinctively knew something was up. I have criticized Japanese mass media as a symbol of protest. But now I feel that it is my duty to investigate their plots. That's enough. Let me bypass specific explanations this time. It would be understandable.
Their Plots In Chronological Order

On July 14, 2002, the only white-finned dolphin in captivity in the world died in Wuhan, China at the approximate age of 24. It was a surprise since the dolphin was normal on the previous day. It is said that dolphins could live to 50 years. On August 7, 2002, The first sighting of the seal was reported heavily in the Japanese media amid speculation as to whether the normally arctic seal could survive in a Tokyo river during summertime. I remember that I was fed up with the news and that I frequently changed channels. On August 8, 2007, Liu Qi, BOCOG president, said, "The year ahead is a crucial year for preparation for the Beijing Games. We will carry out the instructions of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, and focus fully on preparing and organizing the 2008 Games. On August 8, 2007, in Internet news in Japan, the US and the UK, the extinction of Yangtze river dolphins was reported with some exaggerations (CNN, BBC). I can't see any related news in Chinese media sites (See Note 4). On August 8, 2007, extensive media coverage on a dolphin in Tokyo suddenly began. This coverage spree reminded us the coverage on a seal called Tama-chan in 2002. On August 10, 2007, a Chinese researcher quickly refuted their claim that Yangtze river dolphins were extinct. At 10:35 AM on August 13, 2007, I posted a question about the Baiji Yangtze Dolphin on the CHINAdaily message board. At 11:31 AM on August 13, 2007, a report that a dolphin was found dead in Northern Tokyo around 9:40 AM was reported. Chunichi Newspaper 2007/08/13 ( A dolphin was found dead in Tokyo.)
( A dolphin was found dead in Northern Tokyo around 9:40 AM on August 13, 2007. ) The Yomiuri Shimbun Aug. 14, 2007 Dolphin found dead in Tokyo river A dolphin, believed to be the same one spotted earlier this month in the Arakawa river in
Tokyo, was found dead Monday in an adjoining river in Kita Ward, Tokyo, local officials said. Earlier this month, a pacific white-sided dolphin was often spotted in the Arakawa and nearby rivers in Tokyo.
Conclusion (Hypothesis)
Japan has something to do with the extinction of the Baiji Yangtze Dolphin. Japan made up Tama-chan seal hoopla after the death of the only white-finned dolphin in captivity in the world died in China in 2002. This time, a declaration of the extinction of the Baiji was made up at the very day of celebration in China. This declaration was made by American, British and Chinese researchers as well as British and American reporters. They had been got into Japan's camp. Japan is good at getting scholars and journalists into its camp. Japan tries to use such people in countries that have little to do with targeted issues. It is very hard to prove that they acted in malice. For that reason, they readily assume the role. Again, Japan dramatized a discovery of a dolphin in a river in Tokyo. It is familiar sarcasm by the Japanese government. This attitude represents a monomaniac character of Japanese top-officials. China wanted to refute the claim, but China gave up because it knew that it would play into Japanese hands if it simply refutes in China. So, China refuted only on a Japanese site in Japanese. It was a deliberate policy. But once I found some conspiracy and made a question on a Chinese message board, a news about the death of a dolphin suddenly came out at 11:31 AM. In addition, it said that the dead dolphin was found at 9:40 AM, earlier than my posting. It is apparent that they made up a cover story. All I can say is that they are organized monomaniacs.
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2007/8/16 #38
Japan's Conspiracy (26-1) Bombing of Train in Russia

On the night of August 13, 2007, an express passenger train was bombed between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Terrorism in Russia smells of Japan's conspiracy. Japan has a persistent pattern of attitudes. Let me make a hypothesis in chronological order once again.
timeline
On August 11, 2007, the SCO military maneuvers got underway. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin were going to meet twice the next week, both at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgystan, and at the SCO joint maneuvers near the Russian Ural city of Chelyabinsk. Nevsky Express bombing
Security cooperation and joint energy projects were on the agenda. The SCO nations, which include China, Russia, and the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, were to sign a "long-term good-neighbor treaty of friendship and cooperation" in Bishkek, aimed at strengthening ties between the SCO nations.
St. Petersburg
At 9:38 PM on August 13, 2007, a Russian express passenger train was derailed by an improvised bomb in northwest Russia. Bomb derails train in northwestern Russia; criminal investigation launched The CNN Wire: Tuesday Aug 14 The Russian Prosecutor's Office launched a criminal investigation Tuesday after the derailment of a Russian express passenger train by an improvised bomb in the country's northwest. "The incident happened near the village of Malaya Vishera in the Novgorod region north of Moscow," according to Russian Railways representative Natalya Olegovna Akafyeva. She said the derailment took place around 9:38 p.m. Monday. Authorities said at least 60 people were injured in the incident, with around 25 still hospitalized. About 1,300 feet (400 meters) of track were destroyed when the train derailed. Malaya Vishera is located about 300 miles (500 km) northeast of Moscow, or about 100 miles (160 km) southwest of St. Petersburg. At 7:02 AM on August 14, 2007, the Japanese Cabinet put off the decision about whether the vice minister of defense is dismissed or not. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki and Defense Minister Yuriko Koike cut each other's throats over the issue. NIKKEI NET at 7:02 AM August 14, 2007 The Japanese Cabinet put off the decision about whether the vice minister of defense is dismissed or not. Defense Minister Yuriko Koike failed to dismiss Vice Defense Minister Takeaki Moriya. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki and Ms. Koike cut each other's throats over the issue. Finally, the cabinet put off the decision about whether the vice minister of defense is dismissed or not. On August 14, 2007, Russia suddenly changed its attitude and accepted Japan's aid supply (See Note 4). nikkansports.com August 14, 2007 Russia suddenly changed its attitude and accepted Japan's aid supply. Russia had refused to receive Japan's aid supply to Nevelsk in Sakhalin, which had been affected by an earthquake on August 2nd. But, on August 14th, Russia suddenly accepted Japan's aid. On August 14, 2007, Russia returned Zuisho Maru, a Japanese fishing boat, to Japan (See Note 5).
Hokkaido Newspaper 2:00 PM August 14 Russia returned Zuisho Maru to Japan On August 14, Russian maritime security authorities returned Zuisho Maru, a Japanese fishing boat, which they had seized on January 21 off the coast of Kunashiri Island. Since August 14, 2007, President Hu Jintao has paid state visits to Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Kazakhstan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China 2007/08/07 President Hu Jintao To Visit Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Attend the SCO Summit At the invitation of President Bakiev of Kyrgyzstan, President Putin of Russia and President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, President Hu Jintao will pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, attend the 7th Session of the Council of Heads of States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, observe the SCO joint anti-terrorism military exercise in Russia, and pay a state visit to Kazakhstan from August 14 to 18. Conclusion (Hypothesis) Japan is a potential enemy of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The formal purpose of the SCO is to fight terrorism. But Japan can't stand their joint exercise because Japan is somehow close to terrorist countries. Russia immediately responded to the bombing of a train. Japan took a precaution on the same day as well. Japan orchestrated a political knockabout in the Ministry of Defense. Russia immediately made concessions on two pending issues with Japan. It is unusual for a country to dispatch aid without request and to get a refusal. Mr. Hu Jintao would have felt a chill going down his spine. Most foreign politicians go out to St. Petersburg when they visit Russia. The two fuel trains' collision in North Korea celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birthday of "the father of the atomic bomb", J. Robert Oppenheimer.
reference
When the Olympic torch arrived at Pyongyang, a train collision occurred in China. A train was involved in the landslide disaster in Kagoshima 2004 Madrid train bombings
A train collision in China coincided with the death of a former Sudanese president. The Eschede train disaster in Germany was Japan's conspiracy in combination with the curry poisoning incident. 7 July 2005 London bombings to be continued Hypotheses are included.
Japan's Conspiracy (26-2) Japan's Conspiracy (26-2) Bombing of Train in Russia (follow-up report)
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2007/8/17 #39
In the previous posting (26-1), I introduced the news that Russia returned Zuisho Maru, a Japanese
fishing boat, to Japan. But Russia again returned another fishing boat to Japan. Hokkaido Newspaper 2:00 PM August 14 (Russia returned Zuisho Maru to Japan) (On August 14, the Russian maritime security authorities returned Zuisho Maru, a Japanese fishing boat, which they seized on January 21 off the coast of Kunashiri Island.) Nikkei Newspaper August 16th 16 88 (The Japanese Foreign Ministry announced that a Japanese trawler, Hoshin Maru number 88, which had been seized by the Russian maritime security authorities, set sail from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Russia for Japan.) THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS August 17th Japan seeks release of trawler seized by Russia TOKYO: Japan said Wednesday it hoped Russia would promptly implement an international maritime tribunal order to free a Japanese fishing trawler it has seized. The Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on Monday ordered Russia to free the trawler, Hoshin Maru number 88, on a bond of 285,000 euros (393,000 dollars). The two countries have never signed a peace treaty formally ending World War II, as Japan claims four islands off its northern coast which Soviet troops seized days after Tokyo's surrender. http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=27198
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2007/8/19 #40
Japan's Conspiracy (26-3) harakiri aesthetics

We frequently hear the word "suicide bombing" in the news. Even on some TV programs, we occasionally hear this word used as a metaphor. Japan has a unique philosophy called "harakiri aesthetics". I thought that most Japanese and some pro-Japanese foreigners knew harakiri-related culture well. But I have recently known that some Japanese and few foreigners understand this philosophy. So, let me explain about the philosophy a little, though it is too much to well-informed Japanese. For some time in the past, I was a typical "ideal Japanese". And I know so Samurai Seppuku
well how Japanese bureaucrats feel.
Hypothesis
1. I think that Vice Defense Minister Takeaki Moriya is an excellent bureaucrat. If I had been him, I would have done the same thing. Mr. Moriya invented the knockabout in the Defense Ministry and the defense minister and the prime minister simply acted and spoke according to the scenario. 2. The scandal in the defense ministry had an impact on the Japanese politics. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe replaced the defense minister. Shortly after that, the Abe administration lost the Upper House election. 3. Once again, the leadership of the prime minister is questionable. Was the replacement of the defense minister a failure? Is Prime Minister's leadership in question? The government did need some scapegoat. Then, the vice defense minister, a person in the turmoil, got an idea of resignation. 4. The important difference between excellent bureaucrats and ordinary bureaucrats begins here. The outgoing vice defense minister thought of the way of resignation as his final, biggest and best contribution to the central government. He was obsessed with how to boost the approval rating of the Abe administration. His conclusion was as follows. He raises an ugly quarrel with the defense minister about his own dismissal. The minister is calm but cannot control the turmoil. Finally, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intervenes and makes a courageous decision like a knight on white horse. 5. There have been quite a many similar cases, but now I remember only one case. It is a political knockabout over the replacement of the then Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka in January 2002. As far as I know, this kind of knockabout began there. A. the facts about Ms. Tanaka's dismissal From April 2001 to January 2002, Tanaka was the first female foreign minister of Japan, but was fired from the cabinet after making remarks critical of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. In September 2001, Ms. Tanaka inadvertently leaked classified information of the US to journalists just after the 9/11 attacks. But Mr. Koizumi failed to dismiss her and the scandal lingered. In January 2002, Ms. Tanaka antagonized the then vice foreign minister over the participation of some NGOs to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Conference. She also quarreled with Mr. Suzuki, Chairman of the Lower House Committee on Rules and Administration. On January 29th, 2002, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dismissed all the three persons all together. From February 17th to 23rd, 2002, President Bush officially visited Japan, South Korea, and China. He had postponed this visit due to the 9/11 attacks. (Japan was a mere country that deserved lip service for Mr. Bush. It was clear that Japan was never an American
diplomatic counterpart.) B. the aim of the knockabout replacement After the 9/11, some people looked at Japan suspiciously. Mr. Bush finally decided to visit Japan. Japan wanted to avoid a serious debate. Japan tried to convince the Bush administration that there were no alternative prime minister other than Mr. Koizumi. Mr. Koizumi replaced problematic politicians and plunged stock prices and his own approval ratings just before President Bush's visit. He emphasized a Japan in turmoil. But he absolutely had to avoid people's impression that he made an arrangement for Mr. Bush. So, he staged the political knockabout. In Japan, performance of politicians and bureaucrats is always conducted following some scenarios. Those scenarios are made for making arrangement in favor of its counterpart and for letting people feel that Japan never bows to its counterpart. This is the root cause of the elusive politics. 6. the aim of the knockabout this time This time, Defense Minister Yuriko Koike was called to the US and the head of the leading opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, Ichiro Ozawa, was called to the US Embassy in Japan. The current situation is very similar to the situation in which the then foreign minister was replaced in 2002. This time, former Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma was replaced with Yoriko Koike due to a slip of the tongue. The vice defense minister was replaced due to internal bickering. This time again, arrangement was made in favor of the US and few people felt that Japan bowed to the US. Stock prices fell again. The world would think that Japan is in turmoil and that it could really be a disaster to force Japan into a corner. Japan really hopes so. Nikkei shed 874 points on August 17, 2007. reference Battle of Okinawa September 11, 2001 attacks Feudalistic Democracy Japan won World War II. Funny Political Puns
Japan's pension and life insurance system
Japanese are encouraged, and occasionally forced, to kill themselves. 7 July 2005 London bombings Hitler and Seven Samurai Hitler's Secrets
Ultimate Ethnic Cleansing Stalin and Ringo Starr Hypotheses are included.
Michael Jackson and Japanese Cult to be continued
Japan's Conspiracy (27-1) Japan's Conspiracy (27-1) "I love you." is an artful excuse.
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2007/8/20 #41
It is natural for a man to say to his girlfriend, "I love you." But, when we think about it carefully, we find that it is a well-made expression. He says it in the present tense. Therefore, however he loved another woman yesterday, or he will love another woman tomorrow, the man will be able to say, "I didn't tell a lie." On the contrary, if the man once says, "I love you forever," he bears the risk of being accused of telling a lie or betraying his girlfriend. So, a smart man rarely adds the word "forever". But, if the man who once said, "I love you forever," changes his mind, loves another woman or gets divorced, what will happen to him? Naturally, he will be regarded as a betrayer and will lose credibility. The same thing happens in the social agreement. But, on this point, Japan made a mistake in the past. The mistake is a really serious mistake for some people, but is a major relief to others.
Constitution of Japan
It is Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution (Wikipedia). Article 9: Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. Japan forever renounces war and use of force. If Article 9 of the Constitution is devised as the Abe administration hopes, Japan's credibility will come into question. Then it will be meaningless to read the Constitution carefully, because it can be changed into any kind of Constitution at any time. But the real problem doesn't stop there. The Japanese military understands the circumstances and orchestrates a conspiracy of dominating the world without the use of force. It can be easier to defend a frontal attack, but not easy to defend a conspiracy in the seamy side of the world, let alone a largescale conspiracy by a country. Japanese politicians and mass media make little reference to the issue. Most Japanese are unaware of the conspiracy. The Constitution would be revised in the confusion at the moment, for sure. But, if Japan crosses the line, it would never be able to come back as a leading advanced country. reference "I love you." is an artful excuse. (2) Definition of Family Origin Hitler and Japanese Constitution
Definition of Family Origin (2)
Japan won World War II. to be continued Hypotheses are included.
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2007/8/22 #42
Japan's Conspiracy (27-2) "I love you." is an artful excuse. (2)
In the previous posting, I said that if a man promises his girlfriend he will love her forever, he bears the risk of being accused of telling a lie or betraying her. However, there can be yet some tricky loopholes. 1. Female helpers can be employed as necessary. 2. The range of work for the helpers will be decided later. 3. If neighbor females are in trouble with their household burdens, or in emergency, I can help and support them. I always think about my wife. 4. Criteria for the help and support are set later.
Politics under the Postwar Constitution
These four clauses above are figurative expressions for part of the constitutional amendment proposed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (below).
self-defense military
(Article 9: 2) Japan maintains its own self-defense military.

(Article 9: 2-2) Approval of the Diet is necessary for the activities mentioned above.

(Article 9: 2-3) Coordinated activities with other countries

(Article 9: 2-4) Control and organization

The constitutional amendment proposal doesn't delete nor revise the war renunciation clause. But it adds some clauses. I compared the political agenda to the agenda of a womanizing man and I put figurative expressions above, because it is easier to read the figurative expressions to understand the major point of the constitutional amendment. If a man tries to make such a promise to his wife, he will get a slap for sure. It is apparent that these clauses presuppose some romance.
On the contrary, when it comes to the Constitution, things go on smoothly. It's strange. I've read the amendment proposal carefully for the first time. Mass media rarely show the full text or rarely give an explanation of the amendment. Even in the Internet, it is confusing, because vertically written Japanese context is expressed horizontally on the web site. Some may misunderstand. I think few Japanese understand correctly. The basic idea for Japan's Constitution and laws is similar to the figurative analogy below. "Now that I love you in my mind, I never betray you whatever I do." Once the Constitution is amended in this way, Japan will be able to forge a military alliance as it did with Italy and Germany before World War II. It's scary. reference Constitution of India Constitution of Hawaii Public Prosecutor's Act Iranian Constitution Hypotheses are included.
Russian Constitution to be continued
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2007/8/23 #43
North Korea and a Mongolian sumo grand champion

Asashoryu, a Mongolian sumo grand champion, has been bullied by the Japanese mass media for more than a month. This time, it is unusual. It smells of conspiracy. I examined the news. Then I found a conspiracy related to North Korea. But I'm no more surprised. I'm already bored with such a conspiracy. Sumo Wrestler Asashoryu
Time line
From July 10 to July 17 Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito visited Mongolia. July 19 N. Korea warns Japan of consequences if it presses abduction issue.
North Korea on Thursday accused Japan of "abusing" the issue of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s to scuttle the six-party denuclearization talks, warning that if Japan fails to fulfill its commitments to provide energy aid, the nuclear issue will remain unsettled. July 20 North Korea's second-most senior leader, Kim Yong-nam, arrives in Ulan Bator. July 22 Mongolian yokozuna (sumo grand champion), Asashoryu, wins battle of yokozuna, 21st title. August 1 Sumo champion suspended for playing football while 'injured'. Since then the Japanese mass media began to criticize Asashoryu day after day. August 6 Asashoryu nearing depression August 9 Mongolian president to attend SCO summit as observer Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar is scheduled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan in late August as an observer, according to the press office of Mongolia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday. Mongolia hopes to boost economic cooperation with SCO nations in the fields of electric power, infrastructure, transit and transport. It also wants to obtain information about related cooperation projects at the SCO summit, said the press office. Mongolia became the observer nation of the SCO in 2004, while its president, prime minister and ministers have attended the SCO conferences in recent years. Founded in China's economic hub of Shanghai on June 15, 2001, the SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Iran as observers. August 22 Japan Sumo Association won't allow Asashoryu to return to Mongolia.
Japan Sumo Association Chairman Kitanoumi is not ready to allow Asashoryu to return to Mongolia despite suggestions by his association's chief doctor that the grand champion receive treatment in his native country.
Hypothesis
In the past, the relationship between Mongolia and North Korea was strained. But the two countries have boosted their bilateral ties. Japan lost control over North Korea. Japan was confused. North Korea's second-most senior leader visited Mongolia. Japanese Crown Prince visited Mongolia and Mongolian sumo wrestler won the tournament. For all the efforts Japan has made, Mongolia went to SCO and North Korea. Then, Japan began bullying Asashoryu. reference to be continued Asashoryu to Contest Presidency Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/8/24 #44
the strange relationship between Japan and North Korea

In the previous topic, I talked about the relationship between Japan and North Korea. Once again, suspicion appeared. In the Seoul National Capital Area, there are 27 bridges across the Han River. One of the bridges, the Seongsu Bridge, collapsed on October 21, 1994. On the very day, the US and North Korea signed an important agreement on nuclear issues in Geneva. === chronology === North Korea accedes to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) on December 12, 1985. North Korea announces its intention to withdraw from the NPT in 1993. In response, the US declares sanctions. The relationship is strained at once. On June 15, 1994, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter negotiates a deal with North Korea in which Pyongyang confirms its willingness to freeze its nuclear weapons program and resume high-level talks with the United States. Everything seems to go well, but leader of North Korea Kim Il-sung suddenly dies on July 8. Some believe that he was killed. His son, Kim Jong-il, succeeds Kim Il-sung. North Korea again reaches an agreement with the US on the nuclear issue on October 18. The signing ceremony is scheduled for October 21, 1994. On the day of signing, the Seongsu Bridge collapses. If the death of Kim Il-sung had been Japan's conspiracy, there would have been many things which explain a lot. The date has nothing to do with historical chronology. But, on that day, Naples summit opened. Chiaki Mukai went to space. She was the first female Japanese astronaut who had ever gone to space. Leaders of developed countries were confused. The date would have been the perfect time to draw people's attention away from the conspiracy. Seongsu Bridge in Seoul
The VERY Suspicious 1985 Plane Crash of Arrow Air Flight 1285 in Gander, Newfoundland (December 12, 1985)
== To tell the truth, I happened to find this topic when I tried to investigate the collapse of I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis. Let me talk about how I reached this topic. === Hypothesis === Japan had no patience for North Korea's embarkation on a new opening to the West. North Korea was the last bastion of Japanese colonialism. Japan was afraid of losing its clout in the Korean Peninsula. Unified Korea would surpass Japan in the future. Both the agreement framework between the US and North Korea, and the collapse of the Seongsu Bridge took place on September 17, 1994 in the Japanese calendar. And the day was the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Yalu River in the First Sino-Japanese War. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
2007/8/27 #45
Japan's Conspiracy (28-3) Japan-Palau Friendship Bridge

I found this story while I examined the collapse of I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis. This bridge is well-known for its collapse.
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=== chronology ===

In 1914, Japan invaded the islands, then formally took over under the Treaty of Versailles after the WWI German defeat. Flag of Republic of Palau
In 1944, the US forces fought the Japanese forces to capture an airstrip on Peleliu, an island in the island nation of Palau, during WWII. The battle cost about 13,000 lives on both sides. In 1947, Palau became a UN trusteeship, administered by the U.S. In 1977, a balanced cantilever prestressed concrete box girder bridge with a main span of 240.8 m and total length of 385.6 m (1265 ft) was built by Socio Construction. It was designed by Dyckerhoff & Widmann AG (German construction company). It was called "Koror-Babeldaob Bridge". In 1994, the UN terminated the trusteeship. Palau attained independence. On September 26, 1996, Koror-Babeldaob Bridge collapsed. In 1997, its construction began by Kajima Corporation, a Japanese construction company, and was completed in December, 2001. Koror-Babeldaob Bridge (English Wikipedia) (Japanese Wikipedia) "Socio Construction" 1994 "Socio Construction"
( The construction company "Socio Construction" is also known as the company which got involved with the construction of the Seongsu Bridge in Seoul. But "Socio Construction" was a Palauan company and the relationship between the company and South Korea is obscure. ) The collapse of Koror-Babeldaob Bridge ( Comments are groundless and biased. )
=== Suspicions ===

1. Quite a many Japanese web sites explain the collapse of this bridge. But, as Wikipedia explains, most of the explanations are false and exaggerated. Their criticism against South Korea smells of hidden intention. There are many web sites that blatantly express false information in Japanese particularly with regard to certain countries. Japan has had such history for many years. Japan knows that false written information becomes the evidence of history in the future, because there will be less evidence that can be used to vindicate the truth in the future. search in Japanese "KB" or "KB Bridge" I began to investigate the collapse of the Seongsu Bridge in Seoul when I read the false Japanese information on Palau. 2. The climate is rather calm in Palau. But a gust occasionally blows. According to the Guam observation point, the nearest observation point to Palau that offers weather information in the Internet, the strongest wind last month was 51 mph. Under these circumstances, it is natural that a bridge which gradually erodes collapses during storms or typhoons. It is unusual that such a bridge suddenly collapses on an ordinary day. History for Guam, weather in July 2007 Gust Wind 51 mph 3. The name of the new bridge is too good to be true. It is unusual for a donor nation to be pleased to see its name in the name of the new bridge. 4. I don't think that the collapse of Palauan bridge have anything to do with the collapse of the bridge in Seoul. 5. Before the collapse of the KB Bridge, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) carried out an inspection. It cannot be denied that Japan is also responsible for the collapse. Since Palau's independence, Japan's influence has been increased. 6. At that time, Japan was eager to show the power of the Japanese construction industry. South Korea was catching up Japan in some industries. Japan had a motive for the conspiracy. Burj Dubai a supertall skyscraper currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates 7. September 26, the day of the collapse, was the date, 11 days after the amphibious operation in the Battle of Peleliu, when fierce battles were fought between the US and the Japanese forces. 8. The Palauan national flag is very similar to the Japanese flag.
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2007/8/28 #46
Japan's Conspiracy (28-4) A glorious battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy

In the previous posting, I talked about the JapanPalau Friendship Bridge. Many websites say that Koreans built the bridge. But their comments are untrustworthy just because they are Japanese and just because they say in favor of Japan. Japanese know that they will be bullied in their society if they say in favor of foreigners such as Koreans, Chinese, Americans and British. There are few people who talk back like me because they know they will be ill-treated by their employers. The international community may think that most Japanese spontaneously behave that way. This misunderstanding contributes to the hidden suppression of free speech. The trick is so subtle that they are doubly guilty. Japanese battleship Yamato
image
Battleship Yamato Memorial Tower

This time, let me show one understandable example of fabrication. Yamato and her sister ship Musashi were the largest, heaviest, and most powerful battleships ever constructed, weighing 72,802 tons at full load. There are many things to talk about this ship. But the problem is the location where she sank. Since 1945, it has been said that Yamato sank near Tokunoshima Island. The Battleship Yamato Memorial Tower was erected in April 1968 on Cape Inutabu, located in the southwest part of the small island of Tokunoshima. Most Japanese websites give almost the same information. I don't know a nation where people are so indifferent to the facts except Japan. Once I made a complaint to the local worker about the falsification of important information. He said, "It's OK. Japan is a country of myth." I am surprised at Japanese anachronism. They don't distinguish mythology from historical facts. For them, not the facts but what others say is important. Battleship Yamato Memorial Tower on Cape Inutabu
The wreck of Yamato was discovered and explored with an underwater submersible in 1985. Today Yamato lies at 30-22 N, 128-04 E in the depth of 1,410 feet about 50 miles southwest of Kyushu, Japan.
No Simple Mistake
1. On April 1945, Yamato was dispatched to Okinawa for her final mission. But she was already chased by American submarines. The Japanese codes were deciphered by the US navy. The US navy staged a fierce attack on Yamato off the southwest coast of Kyushu Island. She sank there. She didn't reach the sea area off the coast of Tokunoshima Island.
2. After the wreck of Yamato, it was easy to identify her location because the US navy had the accurate information. 3. The mushroom cloud of Yamato was seen from Kagoshima, which is 200 kilometers from the site. 4. More than 200 Japanese sailors on Yamato survived. They knew the location of the wreck site. 5. In 1985, the location was announced. But I think that it was announced just because it became possible to explore the reck due to the development of submarine technology. 6. The government couldn't inform the people about the wreck of Yamato, the flag ship of the Japanese Combined Fleet off the coast of Kyushu Island. So, the government built the memorial tower on Tokunoshima Island. I know their excuse. They would say, "Yamato sank off the coast of this island for sure." They are eager to let the people think that Yamato sank near Okinawa Island. (added on January 4, 2010)
Battleship Yamato and Prefectural Governor Chiba
Kensaku Morita is the governor of Chiba Prefecture. He shares the same image with the battleship. He used to be an aggressive actor who played the role of a young hero. In fact he was born on December 16, 1949. The battleship was commissioned on December 16, 1941. It cannot be a coincidence. His father was a policeman at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He is a good example of Japanese militarism. The story of a drama in which he played the role of a hero was a sarcastic parody against the US. reference Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was born on the same day with the day of the commissioning of the Japanese battleship Musashi. Japan won World War II. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/8/30 #47
China is beyond and above Japanese argument.

There are many Japanese websites that slander the Korean construction industry. But they don't reflect major Japanese opinions. In Japan, many people are mobilized to manipulate public opinions and opinions in the Internet are not the exception. "Petronas Twin Towers" search in Japanese :
This time, I talk about the problem later. Let me introduce a Chinese skyscraper under construction. This building surpasses Japanese argument against a leaning building.
Competition between Japan and South Korea

Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur is the second tallest building in the world. These towers were completed in 1998. The twin towers, with 88 floors, rise to 452 m. It was surpassed by the Taipei World Financial Center in 2003. The structural engineer for the Petronas Towers was Thornton Tomasetti and Ranhill Bersekutu Sdn Bhd of Malaysia. In an unusual move, a different construction company was hired for each of the towers, and they were made to compete against each other. Eventually the builders of Tower 2, Samsung Constructions (the Construction Division of Samsung Corporation), Kukdong Engineering & Construction (both of South Korea), won the race, despite starting a month behind Tower 1, built by Hazama Corporation (Japan), although Tower 2 ran into problems when they discovered the structure was 25 millimeters off from vertical.
Petronas Twin Towers
CCTV skyscraper
I'm not sure why Wikipedia provides this information only on its English site. But I examined the leaning problem of a skyscraper a little. A surface of a building can be hotter than another surface by more than 10 degrees C due to the strong sunshine. There can be some thermally expandable deflection. Strong winds and earthquakes could shake a building even a little. So, leaning of 25 millimeters would be negligible. Such minor leaning can be modified during the construction by adjusting the thickness of the surface concrete. But Japanese websites invariably slander the Korean construction company.
A Chinese skyscraper leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

But a novelly designed skyscraper in Beijing blew away the minor claims. A headquarters building of CCTV (China Central Television) is under construction. This building leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is not a mistake. Its leaning is part of the whole design of the building. While Japanese slander Koreans, Chinese rise above the controversy. This situation starkly reflects the political and economic circumstances among the three countries. reference to be continued When The Petronas Twin Towers was officially opened, a series of the apartment bombings started in Russia. Hypotheses are included.

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2007/9/1 #48
Japan's Conspiracy (29-1) semantic manipulation

There was a bribery scandal between a bureaucrat and an entrepreneur. The bureaucrat said, "He is my relative. So, I accepted his gift." The next news ; "He is my cousin." The next news ; "His wife is my cousin." The next news ; "His wife is my wife's cousin." The next news ; "His common-law wife is my wife's cousin." The next news ; "His ex-common-law wife is my wife's cousin." The next news ; "His deceased ex-common-law wife was my wife's cousin." The comment changed one after another. The Yomiuri Shimbun Aug. 31, 2007 Mainichi Shinbun August 30, 2007 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN 08/31/2007 Some people say he told a lie, but others say he didn't. Then, what is the problem? The problem is that his comment lacks critical information in terms of communication. For example, at the news, 1. Two animals ate food at Disneyland. 2. Two men ate dinner at Disneyland. 3. A Japanese man and an American man ate dinner at Disneyland. 4. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President George W. Bush ate dinner at Disneyland. 5. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President George W. Bush discussed North Korean issues. These different news represent the same problem. There are quite a many dubious news in Japan. They sometimes seem to be true, but often seem to be untrue. They lack critical information, sometimes intentionally. This kind of manipulation is not done only in the news. Semantic manipulation is often seen even in the more important cases.
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2007/9/2 #49
Japan's Conspiracy (29-2) semantic manipulation Antiterrorism Law

The name of this law isn't really "Antiterrorism Law". This name is just an abbreviation of a Japanese law in English. I have never seen a law whose name is so long in Japan. Japanese Antiterrorism Law (the full name of the law : my translation) "Special law related to the measures taken by the Japanese government in collaboration with the activities of foreign countries for the purpose of achieving the goals of the Charter of the United Nations and against terrorist attacks including September 11th terrorist attacks in the US, and the humanitarian measures based on the resolutions including UN resolutions." This kind of law always has a hidden intention. First of all, the abbreviation of this law is doubtful. I feel sick every time I hear the abbreviation at the news. The abbreviated name of this law in Japanese is "special terrorism measures law". This abbreviation in Japanese seems to be not against terrorism but for terrorism. I wonder why such confusing abbreviations are used. I think this is because Japan is a terrorist supporting country behind the stage. If it is not, the government and mass media should give up using this confusing abbreviation in Japanese. There should be no problem. There is a variety of alternative names for the law such as "Anti-terrorism law", "terrorism defense law" or "law of cooperation with US forces" in Japanese. These abbreviations would be much more comprehensible. I read the name and content of the law again and again but I couldn't understand the meaning though I'm well-informed of laws and legal activities. Laws which are too complicated to understand would not deserve to be laws. It is apparent that few voters and parliament members understand the law. It is possible to form a military alliance even with North Korea when the law is perverted. The law is so well-crafted. Terrorist groups such as North Korea, al-Qaeda or Taliban say that their purpose is world peace in accordance with the UN Charter. Japan once went to war with the same logic during WWII. This is a hypothesis. Japan Self-Defense Forces
Lower House plenary session
reference
Semantic Manipulation
Semantic Manipulation (Transport Ships That Carry Aircraft) Ethnic cleansing is the purpose of war.
The Kyoto Protocol, a Blatant Lie
The Japanese Communist Party is a detachment force of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Effect-cause Reversal Conspiracy to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (29-3) Japan's Conspiracy (29-3) semantic manipulation Transport Ships That Carry Aircraft
2007/9/3 #50
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) has transport ships. What are those ships? In general, they are transport ships for military use. But in the MSDF, the definition of a transport ship is a little different. But in reality it is doubly different. "transport ship" Wikipedia in Japanese (There are no naval categories in English) Some amphibious assault ships are a little similar to transport ships, but they are strictly distinguished from each other in other countries. Technically speaking, the MSDF has no amphibious assault ships in Japan, though some of its transport ships are virtually amphibious assault ships. Far from it. Japanese transport ships carry aircraft. Aircraft can take off and land the ships. MSDF's aircraft carrier building plan (Wikipedia in Japanese) They are virtually aircraft carriers. I hear that there have been voices of protest. But the MSDF and defense analysts talk back. "Although those ships seem to be aircraft carriers, they are never aircraft carriers because their equipment is insufficient as qualified aircraft carriers." This logic is something like the sophism below. Channel Tunnel Osumi-class tank landing ship
1996 Channel Tunnel fire
"My automatic rifle is not a weapon but a toy because not bullets but peas are loaded into the rifle." I want to stop here. It is too absurd to continue. Of course, it is against the Constitution. Aircraft carriers are not needed for defending Japan. In Japan, there is no place in which there are no airports. Amphibious assault ships cannot defend Japan. The Japanese government may hope that they will attack Pearl Harbor again.
By the way, transport ship Osumi went to the Indian Ocean to support Afghan operation (Japanese site). The purpose was said to be fuel supply. But I wonder how many aircraft they actually carried.
Channel Tunnel Fire Occurred when Japanese Tank Landing Ship Was Launched.
Both events took place on November 18, 1996. They were not a mere coincidence. The Japanese government has an evil propensity to carry out secret terrorism in order just to enhance its jubilation according to date puns in the calendar. reference Collision with a fishing boat was military propaganda of the state-of-the-art destroyer. Commandant of Japan Coast Guard Nagashi Yamamoto is suspicious. Japanese whaling fleets are the detachment force of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Gold medalists fought at Iwo Jima. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (29-4) Japan's Conspiracy (29-4) Definition of Family Origin
2007/9/4 #51
The family is an important unit for Japanese. But when it comes to the definition in Japanese, it is very confusing. The current Constitution of Japan was established in 1947. Article 14 of the Constitution provides that all of the people are equal under the law and that there shall be no discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin. The problem is the word "family origin". In 1947, the Japanese word that was frequently used to mean "family origin" was "monchi" or "" in the Chinese character.
Constitution of Japan
In the original Japanese Constitution, " was used to express the meaning of "family origin". Strangely enough, this word has now become completely obsolete. The word "" is rarely used in the news. Some people don't know the word. Some people misunderstand the word even though they can pronounce it. Now most Japanese use "kazoku" or "" in Chinese character as the alternative Japanese word. This word "" is now rarely used in the newspaper. It is unusual that the word which was used in the Constitution has become obsolete very soon. I believe that the government has killed the word instead of amending the Constitution. It is virtual constitutional amendment. In Japan the control by the government is so strong that bureaucrats could force companies, local governments and schools to follow them without messages.
Just think about the situation in which all the people forget the word "family" and in which they read the Constitution. And you could imagine what will happen next. I'm not sure if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe knows this word or not, but he often proudly says, "My grandfather and my uncle were prime ministers. My father was a foreign minister. And my brother is a Diet member." reference Martin Luther King Jr. Jews and Japanese Japanese Food Production System
Vancouver Olympics Exposing IOC's Problems to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/9/7 #52
Japan's Conspiracy (30-1) Japanese Red Army Hijack of Japanese Plane in 1970
Japan Airlines Flight 351 was hijacked by nine Japanese extremists on March 31, 1970 while flying from Tokyo to Fukuoka, in an incident typically referred to in Japanese as the Yodo Hijacking. Strictly speaking, the perpetrators were not members of the Japanese Red Army, but they were actually Japanese ultraleftists. Japanese ultraleftists are all government agents. The Japanese government moved a variety of agents in and around Japan, sometimes throughout the world. The tradition of government agents stems from the ninja system in the feudal period. Japanese ultraleftists, extreme rights and cults are mostly government agents. They share something in common. 1. The government's control over them is always loose though they pretend to crack down on them. 2. After their arrest, indictment or imprisonment, very little information is available. Some are released at some time or other. Some enjoy going on an extravagant spree before people's eyes. Nobel Prize Laureate Hideki Yukawa
Japan Red Army hijackers out of the shadows image
3. The victims, the time and the place of their crime has often something to do with the Japanese government's domestic and international affairs. Their crime often benefits the government, local governments and politicians. 4. Though they assume varied forms such as extreme rights, ultraleftists and religious cults, they have neither substance nor unified theories. 5. Activity funds that are crucial for maintenance of the syndicates is obscure. 6. They are often treated as criminals but often seem to be heroes. The attitude of mass media and
intellectuals is doubtful. Journalist don't ask politicians about their reality. 7. The leaders of these groups are often stupid males or impudent females. But everybody knows that they are simply puppets. The leader of the Japanese Red Army was a female Japanese, Fusako Shigenobu. She declared the dissolution of the group from the prison in April 2001. This year, when 9.11 terrorist attacks occurred, it seems that al-Qaeda replaced the Japanese Red Army. Now, let me talk a little about the ultraleftists who hijacked the Japanese airplane. Today, North Korea hopes that the US will remove North Korea from its list of terrorism-sponsoring states. Japanese hijackers are now an obstacle for North Korea. But Japan sees the hijackers as if they were a liaison between the two countries. From the very start, the hijacking was committed for the purpose of driving a wedge between China and North Korea. Until the resolution of the hijack case, Pyongyang felt an increasing political tension with China. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was supposed to arrive in Pyongyang. He was waiting in Beijing. He finally arrived at the airport in Pyongyang in the afternoon just after the hijacked Japanese airplane took off for Japan on April 5. In the communique between China and North Korea, harsh criticism against the revival of the Japanese militarism was included. Japan had no patience for such a criticism. Japan Airlines Flight 351 hijacking was a mere parody which was fabricated by the government. The Japanese government wanted to commemorate the glorious achievement by Hideki Yukawa, the first Japanese Nobel Prize laureate. To tell the truth, on the same day, he retired. Battle between Japanese Red Army and Police was Complete Deception Poisoner Masumi Hayashi to be continued Artificial Eruptions in Japan Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
2007/9/9 #53
Japan's Conspiracy (31-1) Manipulation of Typhoons

I collected weather data and verified the weather manipulation on August 9. But unusual weather has continued (See 19, 20, 23-1). Typhoon Fitow hit Tokyo. And it is a good opportunity to verify past typhoon data. The reasons for the argument are as follows. 1. I have been suspecting that there are some patterns in tracks of typhoons. 2. In and around Japan, there are many events and cases in which there may be some weather manipulation. Typhoon Fitow
3. I have recently known that some disasters may benefit a country or its economy. Typhoon Fitow made landfall near Tokyo and went North through Honshu Island. It is often said that typhoons are supposed to go through the Japanese archipelago, but it is impossible to explain the reason only by topography and meteorology. First of all, I processed some past typhoon information. Then I found that more typhoons pass through metropolises than other rural areas in terms of probability. It is conspicuous in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sendai. Let me talk about the concrete reason for the typhoon manipulation later. Tracks of Typhoons
Numbers of Passing Typhoons
Japan's Conspiracy (31-2) Japan's Conspiracy (31-2) Artificial Earthquakes

While there are conspiracies in typhoons, there are another conspiracies in earthquakes. The reason is as follows.
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2007/9/12 #54
1. Massive earthquakes such as 1923 Great Kanto earthquake and Great Hanshin earthquake are suspected of conspiracies. 2. I used to live in Tokyo. I thought there were unusually many earthquakes in Tokyo. The situation cannot be explained only by earth science. 3. While I examined the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in the US, I knew that earthquakes as well as typhoons can be beneficial to the society in a sense. Let me talk about it later. Today, let me stop here. As I don't have enough time, my information may be insufficient. So, I would like you to check it in the Internet. The Japanese Archipelago is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is natural that there are a lot of earthquakes in and around it. Yet, its biased seismicity distribution is unusual. Metropolises, particularly Tokyo, have many earthquakes (data base).
Japan earthquake 3/11/11
The numbers of earthquakes (from 1951 to 2007)
As the scale for the earthquake, the Richter Scale is popular. In Japan, another scale, the Japanese intensity scale, is also used. reference Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami The End of the Statue of Liberty
Suspicious Suspension Bridge Great Earthquakes Landslaide Conspiracy
Building Miniature Suspension Bridge Tokyo Meiji Earthquake and First Sino-Japanese War Suspicious Eruption of Mount Fuji
2008 Iwate Earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake
Mt. Pinatubo Eruption was Revenge against US
Sakurajima's Eruption was Artificial Eruption
Great Kanto Earthquake and Great Hanshin earthquake to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/10/8 #55
Japan's Conspiracy (31-3) Disasters and Economy I-35W Mississippi River bridge
The collapse of a freeway bridge over the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis gave me a critical clue to the solution of the Japanese government's conspiracy on disasters. In the past, I had a vague image about the relations between disasters and economy. I thought that disasters were always beneficial to construction companies and that Japanese construction companies always looked forward to natural disasters. Even a child can think of this kind of idea. But this logic cannot explain why the nation manipulates disasters from the viewpoint of economic rationality.
I-35W Mississippi River bridge

image
collapse of the bridge
On the other hand, the disaster at Minneapolis defied my common wisdom. In the US, bridges are classified into several stages through periodic inspections. I had a vague idea about building inspection, but I had never heard of periodic inspections at that time in Japan. Why? Does Japan have such sophisticated technology? At first, I thought that way. But the number of bridge collapse is too few. I examined in detail the climate and geography of Minneapolis. As the result, I found that some normal data themselves had something to do with the collapse of the bridge. Minneapolis rarely has earthquakes. Hurricanes rarely reach that city. The climate is relatively mild. And one day, I finally got one unusual idea. Natural disasters bring benefits. They occasionally save lives. Fortunately or unfortunately, earthquakes and typhoons destroy ramshackle buildings in Japan. They actually play the role of the strength test. Buildings that could endure big earthquakes or typhoons are regarded as safe afterward. Thanks to the natural test, human periodic inspections could be omissible. In addition, thanks to their endurance tests, buildings can be used without human inspection until they
are destroyed by natural disasters. When they are destroyed by natural disasters, nobody is to blame. Nobody complains. They bring enormous economic benefits. This logic also helps government bureaucrats and construction companies. Building inspection is problematic. If they say they passed the inspections, they bear the responsibility for future accidents. Otherwise, they become embroiled in arguments on the waste of the budget and the preservation of the tradition. Natural disasters cut enormous costs, but they help some people and organizations escape from responsibility at the same time. Periodic building inspection is very important in countries where the climate is mild. But in some countries where natural disasters often occur, this is not an important topic. The Japanese government had known it for some time. Some other countries had known it, too. But only Japan tried to manipulate natural disasters. In a sense, typhoons may save lives. Typhoons often destroy bridges in Japan, too. But there are few victims. Most people have already taken shelter. On the other hand, in Minneapolis, where the climate is relatively mild, quite a many people and cars were involved in the disaster. I have never heard of this kind of tragedy in Japan. Since dangerous bridges have been already destroyed by typhoons or earthquakes, bridge collapse is improbable under normal weather in Japan. In Japan, some major earthquakes kill and injure many people, but their magnitude, place and time are artfully adjusted. In metropolitan areas, most earthquakes are appropriate in magnitude for building inspection. After Minneapolis tragedy, periodic bridge inspection became a major issue in Japan. But as I expected, most bridges are not inspected. Only 13 percent of municipalities conduct regular checks of bridges. But this figure is yet unreliable. This is the major reason why earthquakes and typhoons frequently hit metropolitan areas in Japan. Some disasters are apparently artificial ones in their place and timing. This conspiracy brings huge profit to the nation in total. But however they produce profit, how many people are fortunately saved, artificial disaster control is never justified. It is a heinous crime against humanity. The date of the collapse of the bridge was the pun on the dates of rain disasters in Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan. And the circumstances were somewhat suspicious, and were indicating Japanese conspiracies. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
2007/10/18 #56
Japan's Conspiracy (31-4) Suspicious Suspension Bridge

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge is located near Kobe. The building of this bridge went smoothly from the start of work in 1986 to the completion in 1998. I thought it
was a wonderful bridge when I drove through it several years ago. But I became suspicious of another thing when I wrote my opinion about the Great Hanshin Earthquake. The reason was simple.
Most earthquakes in Japan seem to be artificial ones usually with political and economic purposes.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred on January 17, 1995 at 5:46 a.m. The date was the same as the dates when Operation Desert Storm started and when Northridge earthquake occurred in Los Angeles. These three events occurred early in the morning in their local times. When I knew the coincidence, I was amazed. Yet I couldn't explain why the very place of the earthquake, the area around Kobe and Awaji Island, was chosen. Japan's conspiracy is mostly characterized by a special combination of a specific time, place , people and the kind of event. The best combination produces maximum effect. It is quite natural. The maximum effect is an important point for bureaucrats to be promoted. For several weeks, I was considering the reason. But it was not until I examined the collapse of I-35W Mississippi River bridge that I suspected there had been a reason why Kobe area had been chosen. There was only one construction project around Kobe at that time. It was the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge.
Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge
Chernobyl disaster incident
Japanese Military 2007
I started investigation. I was surprised again. reference When the Chernobyl disaster occurred in Russia, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge was held in Japan. Both the Chernobyl disaster and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge marked the 100th anniversary of the creation of the navy and army bureaus in the Japanese military government. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/10/23 #57
Japan's Conspiracy (31-5) Building Miniature Suspension Bridge

Intensive attention is necessary for building a suspension bridge. We can know it when we make a miniature suspension bridge.
1. erecting two suspension bridge towers 2. setting two main cables on the two towers 3. putting bridge beams suspended by hanger ropes one by one During these processes, we are the most nervous when putting bridge beams. If a bridge tower falls, or a main cable is cut, we must start from the beginning. Quake Proof bridge
So, after setting two main cables, we want to examine the strength of the bridge by shaking it. It is a reasonable try. We can continue to hang the beams one after another at ease. On the other hand, shaking the bridge after the completion is extremely dangerous.
The same thing should have been done with the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge
I mean the bridge was artificially shaken by the earthquake just after the setting of two main cables. The reasons are as follows. 1. In fact, the Great Hanshin earthquake occurred in the two islands which the bridge connects. The focus of the earthquake was located 16km (shallow) beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km away from the city of Kobe. But the figures are yet doubtful. 2. There were actually at least two predictions about the earthquake. Such prediction was quite unusual. One was by Aum Shinrikyo cult and another one was reported by a major weekly magazine. 3. The scale and damage of the earthquake was exaggerated. A shortage of water hampered the fire brigades efforts. A resumption of power distribution by Kansai Electric Power later caused fires one after another. I remember that motorcycle gangs impeded fire fighting. I think the resumption of power distribution was a serious failure. But the seemingly great disaster helped to promote the superbness of Japanese architectural technology. A Study of Damage Cause by Fire Based on lessons learned from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the fire prevention measures taken against fires that could have been triggered by a resumption of power distribution in the Niigata quake seem to have led to a decrease in the rate of fire breakouts. 4. Though Kobe was a major city, some opposition party politicians complained that there had been no ruling party politicians in Kobe at that moment. They said some of them had been in Kobe at that time. 5. The time of the earthquake was the best period of the day to adjust the damage of the quake. Only a few Shinkansen bullet trains were moving in the early morning around Kobe. 6. NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) suspended its national TV programs more than one hour and people in other areas didn't know what had happened. I knew the earthquake around noon. I was really surprised for the late information. The government and mass media complacently said that they had been unable to get the information since communications had been knocked out. But some people freely communicated by using mobile phones and the Internet communication system. 7. After the earthquake, earthquake prediction became a big issue for Seismological Society of Japan. But it finally decided not to make a study on earthquake prediction.
http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/ssj/FAQ/FAQ2.html#2-2 (Seismological Society of Japan FAQ) , 8. There were unknown risks about soil stiffness, strength of the bridge, and so on. Architectural calculation could not solve all the unknown problems. The easiest examination was to shake the bridge. The size, the depth and the place of its epicenter were almost the best for the examination. The government was confident of the safety of the bridge but they wanted a perfect completion. 9. A theory of peacocks 10. There are a lot of evidence of conspiracy with regard to the date of the earthquake, the political background, and so on. But I only talked about the relations with the suspension bridge. The Japanese imperial clan celebrated the new Bank of Japan governor Yasuo Matsushita and the listing of Kyoto as UNESCO's world heritage site, by carrying out the large scale earthquake in Osaka and Kobe area, one of the potential enemies of Kyoto and the imperial clan. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
Japan's Conspiracy (32) Japan's Conspiracy (32) Gambare!! Ibrahim Gambari. Funny Political Puns
2007/10/27 #58A
The Japanese government is obsessed with sarcastic allusions. This country often cherishes some children from the cradle to the grave. This is something like training young boys into terrorists. They are often smart, healthy but poor children with few close relatives. Japan hopes that they will play a critical role in the international political arena in the future, particularly for Japan. Among them, name puns are funny. I have heard some politicians, often African politicians, with such names. I don't remenber all of them, but let me take three politicians who I now remenber. But this is my hypothesis.
Surrender of Japan
Korechika Anami
Kofi Annan
When the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, he was the UN Secretary General. Another diplomat with the name of "Anan" was Koreshige Anami, the Japanese ambassador to China. His family name Anami or "" is formally pronounced "anami", but it is mostly pronounced as "anan" among Japanese. His father was a top army general at the end of WWII. He committed suicide by seppuku. I
Kofi Annan
thought that Kofi Annan's nomination was just a joke. Mr. Annan won a Nobel prize after the 9/11. I don't think that he achieved a successful result as the secretary general. Most UN PKOs were failures. His son was involved in the UN Oil-for-Food Programm scandal. Mr. Annan criticized the US government to the end. Mr. Anan was the Japanese ambassador to China for 6 years though the bilateral relatios were very bad.
Koreshige Anami
Kenyan former president Daniel Arap Moi

He was one of Japan's most favorite African politicians at the time when Yoshiro Mori was the prime minister in Japan. Mr. Mori met Mr. Moi in 2001. I remember that their meeting was specially celebrated by Japanese mass media. But I was suspicious of the similarity of their names. Yoshiro Mori and Daniel Arap Moi
UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari

When I heard his name for the first time, I couldn't help laughing. "Gambari" literally means "working hard" in Japanese. "Gambare!!" or "Ganbare!!" means "Go for it!". When he meets the Myanmar military regime leaders, he seems to encourage them just because of his name. He is a critical diplomat for Japan. Japan has a special political connection with the regime. He has been in Japan for a few days. No wonder the UN chose him as this special envoy. Aung San Suu Kyi and Ibrahim Gambari
It is very convenient to raise such children. If they are unaware of the reason why they were chosen, the situation is more convenient. They may know the reason later, but they can not distance themselves from Japan. Their names cannot allow them to do so. Their names reveal their adoptive father. And, more conveniently, except themselves and Japanese, who knows. Both the name and the birthday of Kofi Annan were puns on those of Japanese General Korechika Anami. It is apparent that Kofi Annan is Jew and the Japanese imperial clan is also Jews.
reference
The Great Hanshin earthquake was a parody which commemorated the fake suicide of General Anami and also commemorated the fake surrender of the Japanese government. reference Funny Political Puns (2) Funny Political Puns (3) Funny Political Puns (4)
2008 Iwate earthquake and Treaty of Lisbon Reading Comics as Prime Minister's Hoby Minister as a Parody of a Samurai Lord US Presidents and Japan's Conspiracy Coubertin's Secret
The End of the Statue of Liberty Strange Recruitment Policy
Another September 11th
A Mass Poisoning in Japan and the Father of Pakistan Shoko Asahara was Napoleon Hitler's Secrets
Brighton Hotel Bombing
TV Drama Insinuating Assassination Stalin and Ringo Starr Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Obama's Visit to Iraq and L'Aquila earthquake to be continued

2008/1/10 #58B
Japan's Conspiracy (32-2) Funny Political Puns (2)

Previously I talked about three cases of politicians below. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Kenyan former president Daniel Arap Moi UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari And this time, let me pick up two cases more.
Olusegun Obasanjo
His last name "Obasanjo" sounds very funny for Japanese. "Obasan" literally means "an old woman" in Japanese. But it is in fact a funny and insulting expression. If you use this word to a Japanese young woman, I'm sure she will go mad. Mr. Obasanjo is a retired Nigerian Army general and former President of Nigeria. He has visited Japan more than 10 times. He is not only a Japanophile, but also a good friend with former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. He rushed to Japan to say "Thank you" to Koizumi when Koizumi was going to resign in September 2006. A growing number of critics within Nigeria have accused Obasanjo's government of selectively targeting his anti-corruption drive against political opponents and ethnic militants, ignoring growing concerns about wide-scale corruption within his own inner political circle. Junichiro Koizumi (former Japanese PM) impersonating Presley Olusegun Obasanjo former President of Nigeria
Barack Obama
There are at least nine places whose names are Obama. It literally means a small beach in Japanese. Obama is a good old name. Obama city in Fukui is near Kyoto. It has many historical relics related to emperors. Obama hot spring is another old tourist destination. Japanese borrow the word "barrack" and pronounce "baraku" in Japanese in the same meaning. So, his name is very easy for them to remember. He came from Hawaii. Hawaii is a place which has complicated history with Japan. Japanese TV and newspaper companies obviously support him. His word "Change" always reminds me of the same catch phrase Koizumi once used.
US President Barack Obama
Bill Clinton
The name of Hillary Clinton, another presidential candidate, is a little difficult for Japanese to pronounce. And some Japanese confuse her last name with Japanese sweet "kurikinton", mashed sweet potato with sweet chestnuts. By the way, there was a funny episode between Bill Clinton and Japanese former prime minister Yoshiro Mori. in July 2007
street of Obama City
Prime Minister Mori was given some basic English conversation training before he visits Washington and meets with President Bill Clinton. The instructor told Mori, "Prime Minister, when you shake hand with President Clinton, please say 'how are you'. Then Mr. Clinton should say "I am fine, and you?" Now you should say 'me too'. Afterwards we, translators, will do all the work for you." It looks quite simple, but the truth is .... When Mori met Clinton, he mistakenly said "Who Are You?" Mr Clinton was a bit shocked but still managed to react with humor: "Well, I am Hillary's husband, ha ha..."Then Mori replied confidently "Me too, ha ha ha.." Then there was a long silent moment in the meeting room. I have little information about the presidential candidates in the US. Yet I know that its process is much better than that of Japan. As the history of Greece and the Roman Empire shows, progressive political systems often suffer interruption and subversion. I hope the election will go smoothly. I respect US presidents simply because they are really elected by Americans. former US President Bill Clinton
Japanese sweet "kurikinton"
Clinton and Mori in 1993
reference to be continued
Barack Obama is probably a descendant of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, And Amundsen was probably a Japanese descendant, as well. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/1/31 #58C
Funny Political Puns (3)

Previously I talked about five cases of politicians below. Kofi Annan, Daniel Arap Moi, Ibrahim Gambari Olusegun Obasanjo, Barack Obama And this time, let me pick up four cases more. Sarkozy and Bush
French President Nicolas Sarkozy

Though I don't dare to insult Mr. Sarkozy, his surname is pronounced "sarukoji" in Japanese. And this pronunciation seems to represent him very much. He often broke up with his girlfriends. "Saru" means "monkey" (). "Saru" has one more meaning; "to leave" (). "Koji" means "orphan" (). So, "Sarukoji" means a "lonely monkey orphan". Strangely, this Japanese pun represents his current political situation very well.
Sarkozy and Gordon Brown
Former French President Jacques Chirac

"Shiraku" is also a traditional Japanese word. In Japan, there is a comic storyteller whose name is Tachikawa Shiraku. Jacques Chirac became president in 1995, and the same year Tachikawa Shiraku was promoted to a full-fledged master. According to the Japanese Wikipedia, he was named after Jacques Chirac in terms of the stage name. Japan and France have had close relations, and this closeness was accelerated during Koizumi's period to a large extent.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

His name is quite difficult for Japanese to remember. And his name sounds me something like "Ahojanezo" in Japanese, meaning, "I'm not a fool". Though I don't mean to be rude, his beard seems to make him look like a beggar. His Anti-Israel statements with holocaust denial and accusations of antisemitism may make Japanese Red Army wild with joy.
Ahmadinejad It is said that Ahmadinejad is around 5 feet 4 inches tall. The picture shows that he is shaking hands with a foreign politician. But the picture shows a stepstool. In the case of Sarkozy, few pictures show his whole figure. And few pictures show him standing with other taller politicians.
Osama bin Laden

This terrorist is usually pronounced "USAMA" instead of "OSAMA" in Japanese. Why have Japanese media chosen the unnatural pronunciation? Because, OSAMA means "the king" in Japanese. So, they obviously try to avoid the people's misunderstanding. Yet, I wonder why there are so many names that are similar to some Japanese words in the world.
In addition, the name of Bin Laden includes the names of two Japanese national treasures. (added on May 3, 2011) Bin - Dragon-head pitcher. It is one of National Treasures of Japan. The
pitcher (bottle) is now called "bin" in Japanese. Laden (Raden) - Raden is one of valuable, traditional and imperial treasures of Japan. It has been preserved in the Shosoin. Bin Raden
Bin Laden's birthday
related events (added on November 8, 2010) March 10, 1905 Japanese Army Day. The Battle of Mukden is fought between Japan and Russia in Manchuria. Japanese forces defeat Russian forces in the end (the Russo-Japanese War). March 10, 1928 (birth) James Earl Ray, American assassin. He kills Martin Luther King Jr. February 9, 1199 (death) Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shogun. February 9, 2001 Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision. Greeneville accidentally strikes and sinks Ehime Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School.
March 10, 1957 (Japanese calendar) February 9, 1957
Not Only Sarcastic Puns (added on January 22, 2009).

Today, I have been investigating a different event. But I have often been annoyed by unnecessary date coincidences. And I inadvertently checked Sarkozy's birthday. On his birthday, there was a political event. Then, Chirac's birthday, another political event. Though I didn't expect the same result in Ahmadinejad's birthday, another coincidence came out. As far as I know, Japan is the only country that chooses a prospective politician based on his or her birthday and pours a lot of money to foster a future national leader. Maybe France and Iran are Japan's puppet countries. I don't want to discuss this kind of sensitive issues. But the fact is strongly suggesting it.
name birthday date of the event Nicolas Sarkozy January 28, 1955 January 27, 1973 in Western countries including France January 28, 1973 in Asian countries including Vietnam and Japan Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Accords were the accords that intended to establish peace in Vietnam and an end to the Vietnam Conflict. The accords ended direct U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. However, North Vietnam neglected the accords and later invaded South Vietnam. The accords were an intolerable humiliation for the US. The accords were signed in Paris. But to tell the truth, Japan secretly supported North Vietnam and France only offered Paris as the signing venue. The First Indochina War between the French army and the Vietnamese army broke out in 1946. Many Japanese soldiers participated in the Vietnamese army. At that time, 766 Japanese soldiers stayed behind. Some Japanese created a military school and trained 200 Vietnamese military officers. Among them, 8 Japanese soldiers were awarded later for their contribution by the Vietnamese government. While 150 Japanese left for home, others continued to stay in Vietnam (according to the Japanese Wikipedia). (Please refer to Masanobu Tsuji and Japanese soldiers with the Viet Minh.) When the Paris peace accords were signed, Mr. Sarkozy was 18 years old. He was chosen as a prospective political leader. Everything was prepared for the purpose. Three years later, the Rally for the Republic was founded by Jacques Chirac. Sarkozy joined it at the same time. More importantly, Sarkozy was chosen based not on European calender but on Asian calender. The difference strongly suggests that some people not in Western hemisphere but in Asian hemisphere chose Sarkozy. Not people in France, but maybe people in Vietnam, probably in Japan. name Jacques Chirac
related event
causal relationship

birthday date of the event November 29, 1932 November 29, 1932 Soviet-French Non Aggression Pact related event The Soviets were also quick to develop their own relations with France and its main ally, Poland. This culminated in the conclusion of the Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact on July 25, 1932, and the Soviet-French non-aggression pact on November 29, 1932. Chirac was originally inspired by General Charles de Gaulle. Along with Gerhard Schroeder, Chirac emerged as a leading voice against the Bush administration's conduct towards Iraq. He was always pro-Russian. His political stance has been always part of Japan's hidden agenda. Chirac graduated from the university after the end of World War II. It is obvious that he was chosen around that period and that he was trained thoroughly toward a political career ladder. name birthday dates of the event Ahmadinejad October 28, 1956 October 28, 1886; the unveiling ceremony of the Statue of Liberty October 28, 1891; The Mino-Owari earthquake On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was unveiled by President Grover Cleveland in front of thousands of spectators. related events The Mino-Owari earthquake struck Gifu Prefecture on October 28, 1891. It is one of the largest earthquakes in the world's history. There were approximately 7,273 deaths and 17,175 casualties, as well as complete destruction of over 140,000 homes. Ahmadinejad is a critic of the George W. Bush Administration and supports strengthened relations with antiAmerican countries including Russia and Venezuela. The earthquake was obviously an artificial one indicating ugly anti-Americanism. The relation between the statue and the earthquake is explained in detail on this page.
causal relationship
causal relationship
France practices a weather terrorism, too.

I have been translating the Japanese contents into English. Usually, it takes two or three days, but this time, I have needed more time. I stopped editing it on February 22. I began to edit a different urgent topic in Japanese on February 26. But I heard a BBC news about a storm around France. But I believe that, like Japan, France is practicing a weather terrorism. There have been quite a few cases, but I can't explain fully as I don't speak French and as I can't penetrate French insinuation. And I have been hesitating to talk about it. If I had uploaded this page as I scheduled, it would have coincided with the terrible storm in France. One of the purposes of the creation of a violent storm is to let the nation and the media look the other way, a familiar strategy used by the Japanese government. There is more to it than that. My internet connection is completely monitored by the government. My personal information related to this site is conveyed to the Sarkozy administration, for sure. to be continued Hypotheses are included
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2008/2/17 #58D
Japan's Conspiracy (32-4) Funny Political Puns (4)

Previously I talked about nine cases of puns of politicians' names. But I found another politician's name.
John McCain
He is winning Republican presidential nomination. He has been serving the US Congress as a legislator for over 20 years. Both his grandfather and his father were Admirals in the United States Navy. While generally adhering to American conservatism, he established a reputation as a political maverick for his willingness to defy Republican orthodoxy on several issues. Just on this point, he seems like Japanese former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. Unfortunately, for all his aggressiveness, his name represents an underdog, particularly in Japanese. The pronunciation of McCain is almost the same as that of makeinu in Japanese. Make means a loss and inu means a dog in Japanese. There are quite a few Japanese web sites that ridicule his name. If he is elected president, some illicit Japanese will take the opportunity and ridicule him. Incidentally, some Japanese even say that the name of another presidential candidate, Obama, is often confused with the name of Osama bin Laden. Arrest of Tatsuya Ichihashi, Japanese man who murdered UK teacher Lindsay Hawker.
image
Murder of Lindsay Hawker

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Strange Puns in Japanese Crimes

Japanese crimes often look like individual ones, but they are often backed by the government behind the stage. They include the 300 million yen robbery affair in 1968, the poisoning in Wakayama in 1998, two Kazuyoshi Miuras, Aum Shinrikyo, only to name a few.
Moero Attack
Recently, I have found a strange pun in the murder of British teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker. When I heard the name of Lindsay Hawker in the Japanese TV news, the Japanese pronunciation of her name sounded very strange to me. For a moment I thought that the news announcer said, "A-HO-KA", which means in Japanese "Are you a fool?". It was really a provocative pun. So, I checked the Google search engine, looking for the pun. Then , as I had expected, I found the following site.

This site is operated by Nippon Television Network Corporation, one of Japan's largest television broadcasting companies. This site introduces an entertainment TV program in which an exploration story about albatrosses.
Albatrosses are often called gooney birds or foolish gulls. Japanese call them "a-ho-do-ri", but the pronunciation is similar to "Ann Hawker", particularly when they ask if you are a fool in Japanese. "A-ho-do-ri" literally means "a foolish bird" in Japanese. To make matters worse, the name of the British actor in the TV program is Lindsay. The story is very confusing and strange. And I tried to look for another pun. In some strange Japanese events, I often find more than one puns. And finally I found another one in this case, too. The criminal is Tatsuya Ichihashi. In Japanese, he is called "Ichihashi-Tatsuya". The first Chinese character of his family name is "". This Chinese character is pronounced either "ichi" or "shi" in Japanese. When we use different pronunciation, we can call him "Shihashi-Tatsuya". This is a provocative pun with "Shi-Ashita-Tsuya", literally meaning "death tomorrow funeral". And, strangely enough, in Japanese Wikipedia, the name of the criminal is not described, instead an alias is used. I never know the reason. These puns are never a coincidence. Nowadays, there are quite a few ugly, strange and provocative puns in Japan. This case is just the tip of the iceberg. May she rest in peace. And the criminal should face the justice. reference to be continued Tatsuya Ichihashi's birthday coincided with the appointment of Masayoshi Ohira as prime minister in the Japanese calendar. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (33) Japan's Conspiracy (33) The Kyoto Protocol, a Blatant Lie
The Kyoto Protocol was doubtful from the start. 1. The theory of global warming has often backtracked. 2. The reason Japan was the chair country was vague.
2007/11/4 #59
3. Some provisions were obviously against the US and rapidly developing countries. 4. Utilization of nuclear energy was advantageous for Japan, which has been developing the fast-breeder nuclear reactor. Japan wish it would be a nuclear super power.
Why the Kyoto Protocol Failed
5. Japan's target was determined without clear reasons. Japan was reluctant to reach the target from the very beginning. Now some analysts say that the amount of carbon dioxide emission in Japan will increase 14 percent till 2010 though the original target was 6 percent reduction. 6. Trading of carbon dioxide emission rights is almost money laundering in some cases.
7. The enormous amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted by vessels and airplanes used for international transportation is not counted in the Kyoto Protocol. It is said that it is almost impossible to determine the amount of country-by-country carbon dioxide emission. But it is in fact a trick. The amount of carbon dioxide from international airplanes and vessels is huge. Japan is one of the nations which have the highest international transportation ratio. And the US has higher domestic transportation ratio. Japan imports a lot of crude oil from Middle East by tankers. But their carbon dioxide emission is excluded. On the other hand, many domestic cargo ships move between the East and the West coast through Panama Canal in the US. But their carbon dioxide emission is not excluded. There are enough reasons why the US does not join the Kyoto Protocol. In the EU, most airplanes and ships move between countries. Their carbon dioxide emission is excluded. It is said that European countries have advanced measures to conserve energy. But you had better take their words with a grain of salt. There are some crazy opinions among Japanese web sites. They say that they can kill two birds with one stone by carrying the garbage into the international petroleum tanker to burn it in the ship incinerator. They say that the incinerator can produce power. All the carbon dioxide emitted by the ship is excluded for sure.
Global Warming Theory Includes Lies

1. Forests don't absorb carbon dioxide in total. On the one hand, forests absorb carbon dioxide. On the other, forests emit carbon dioxide through plants' breathing, decomposition, forest fires, and so on. Forests have maintained almost the same amount of carbon from ancient times. 2. In the Antarctica, the ice is melting about the edge of the continent. But in the center, it snows more due to the moisture than in the past. The amount of ice in the Antarctica is actually increasing. 3. In the Arctic, floating ice is really melting. Yet the sea level never rises. When ice melts, the volume shrinks. You can examine this phenomenon by throwing a piece of ice into a cup in which there is full of water. After melting of ice, the water will never spill over. 4. Some areas in the Southern hemisphere is cooling. 5. The increase of the amount of carbon dioxide causes the rise of the temperature. But the rise of the temperature also causes the increase of the amount of carbon dioxide. The ocean emits carbon dioxide when the temperature rises. 6. The increase and decrease of vapor in the atmosphere has a greater impact than that of carbon dioxide on the change of the temperature of the atmosphere. 7. The rise of the temperature promotes the growth of plants and increase the amount of carbon in the forest. Even a slight increase of carbon in the forest could decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Then the balance of atmosphere is kept automatically.
Japan's Interest
1. Japan tries to distract people's attention by relating the damage, caused by the environmental terrorism, to the global warming phenomena. 2. Japan bogs down to the economic recession. It wishes that it would recover the position of economic power by disrupting other nations' economic activities.
Japan wins the Fossil-of-the-day Award in December 2008.

Nowadays, Japan is opposing the Kyoto Accord principle. It is getting shameful awards. reference Weather Terrorism (Summery 1) Bangladeshi Flooding and Curry Poisoning in Japan verification of weather manipulation Typhoons are manipulated Hurricane
Typhoon and Hurricane Manipulation of Information on the Internet the manipulation of typhoons
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
Paranoia Japan
The landslide was the government's conspiracy to be continued
September 11, 2001 attacks Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/11/8 #60A
Japan's Conspiracy (33-2) Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

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This well-known saying is part of a phrase attributed to Benjamin Disraeli and popularized in the U.S. by Mark Twain: There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. The semi-ironic statement refers to the persuasive power of numbers, and succinctly describes how even accurate statistics can be used to bolster inaccurate arguments (See Note 1). === One Example === 1. Smokers live longer than non-smokers. This is really a problematic question. The more correctly we take statistics, the more untrue results come out. Smokers in their 70s have higher rates of life expectancy than non-smokers in their 70s have. It neither means that smokers become healthier nor that non-smokers become ill. The fact is quite opposite. Healthy people smoke more often than ill people. Ill people are often prohibited from smoking. They sometimes voluntarily refrain from smoking. Some of them are already bed-ridden. That's why statistics often fall short of expectations. Human beings are animals not machines. Their behaviors can not be explained from single aspect. The same thing can be said about the natural phenomena. 2. That's why bean counters pick up convenient statistical results. Nobody knows the accuracy of such statistics other than themselves. But they themselves are often deceived by the statistical results. === It is natural that there is criticism against my opinion. ===
Specific counterarguments would be beyond the scope of this topic. I think you can know what is right in the internet. But I would like to show why I say that the Kyoto Protocol is wrong. 1. Governments and administrations in Japan often prepare distractions before they do bad things. For example, when the government plots crimes, they make gangsters commit crimes. They want citizens to watch the police arresting gangsters. They wish people would think the government is right and perfect. One good example was the put-up fight between then-president Alberto Fujimori and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement in Peru (See Note 2). It was obvious that Fujimori used the guerillas in order to recover his popularity among Peruvians. The scenario may have been written by the Japanese government. The Kyoto Protocol was used to establish a public image of Japan as a developed nation on the environmental affairs before conducting weather terrorism. 2. Some famous professors and analysts have close relations with Japanese organizations. Some of them were already revealed that they received bribes from Japanese organizations. Even in the Internet, some sites are too much pro-Japanese. So far, Japan's campaign seems to have been successful. 3. Weather manipulation and weather terrorism in Japan are unpardonable. Such a country can abuse the international agreement but will never use it for world peace. -----------(Note 1)---------------------------Lies, damned lies, and statistics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics ------------(Note 2)---------------------------Japanese embassy hostage crisis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_embassy_hostage_crisis ------------------------------------------------
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2007/12/29 #60B
Japan's Conspiracy (33-3) The Kyoto Protocol, a Blatant Lie (See Note 1)
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The other day, I heard a chemistry professor criticize the global warming theory. He said as follows. ---The statistics of the world temperatures are based on the total data of yearly average temperatures of many places of the world. But, unfortunately, observation points are mostly located in urban areas. Urbanization and motorization has been rapidly advanced particularly in developing countries for the past 20 years. In such cities, average temperatures of some local areas have rapidly risen. For example, although the average temperature has risen in Tokyo, average temperatures have not changed in some remote places in Japan for the past 20 years. In some agricultural areas in the US, average temperatures have even
fallen. Exactly speaking, temperature rise in statistics is somewhat groundless. ---I am a skeptic. I couldn't agree more. -----------(Note 1)------------Japan's Conspiracy (33) http://japansconspiracy.hp.infoseek.co.jp/01/p004.html#page59 -------------------------------Go to next page
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HOME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BB CTRL 34 35 35-2 36 37 37-2 38 39 40 41 41-2 42 43 Japan became a member of the International Criminal Court. Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy assassination
2007/11/6 2007/11/12 2007/11/15
Aum Shinrikyo, Bank of Japan, Public Security Intelligence Agency, 2007/11/22 Japan Federation of Bar Associations, and North Korea North Korea and Sinking of the Titanic Refueling Mission in the Antarctic Ocean. Paranoia Japan the rehearsal of September 11, 2001 attacks Strange Recruitment Policy Toyota pulls the strings of organized stalkers. Japanese Communist Party turned is a detachment force of the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party. An assembly is a sanctuary for lawmakers what I think about at Christmas
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2007/11/6 #61
Japan became a member of the International Criminal Court.

It was not until yesterday that I knew Japan had become a member of this court. Though I thought I was aware of critical news, I didn't know about it at all before yesterday. it can't be denied that few Japanese know it. Even if they know it, most of them don't understand what the court is and what will change in Japan. This news was read by a newscaster for a few seconds and I had to check the information in the internet to make sure of it. I don't understand why Japan, a monolithic nation, became its member. For the current political organizations, it is suicidal.
I think that Japan needs further attention from the world. Japan acceded to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on October 1, 2007. Five days before it, the then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned. He might have been afraid of the court procedure.
Probably Japan has come up with the logos of Vancouver and London Olympics. Particularly, the London logo seems to be the combination of 2 Chinese characters representing the "Penal Code". It is obvious that the logo commemorates the 100th anniversary of the promulgation of the Penal Code of Japan. We can't deny Japan's ill intention to include the ominous words in the Olympics logo which is supposed to be very auspicious in any circumstances. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
2007/11/12 #62
Suspicious Japan's Influence in Assassinations in the US

1. Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech was really a wonderful speech. In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. Then, he made a declaration against the Vietnam war. On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated at a motel's 2nd floor balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. Two months after King's death, a white man, James Earl Ray, was captured. he made a confession about the assassination (though he recanted this confession three days later).
Martin Luther King Jr.
He was an escaped convict. It was obvious that he was set up by some criminal organization. He didn't seem to be a lone murderer. The scenario seemed somewhat Japanese. It would be more interesting to investigate further. But the problem was not the case itself. The problem was his father, Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. He was Japan's enemy. He had executed Japan's top military officer, General Hideki Tojo. Tojo was going to be executed by an American executioner. But no one didn't dare to execute Tojo. They were afraid of future revenge by some crazy Japanese. When he heard Tojo's short shrift before execution, he proposed to execute him on behalf of the executioner. This story suddenly made him popular. His son took his father's name. This is the information I have got so far from the Internet and from books in the library. But most related sites in the Internet has disappeared and I don't remember the titles of related books.
I'm not confident of the credibility of this story very much. If you know something about it, I'd like you to let me know.
It is highly probable that Martin Luther King, Jr. was Japanese and that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the American-style Coming-of-Age Day. reference The first Coming-of-Age Day was celebrated in Japan on January 15, 1949, which was King's 20th birthday. U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on November 2, 1983. But the signing coincided with the new Constitution in South Africa in the Japanese calendar. The assassination occurred on the 100th anniversary of the reopening of the Gakushuin Peers School in Japan. The assassin was born on the Japanese Army Day and died on the Japanese Navy Day. Olympic Games and Japan's Conspiracy to be continued Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (2) Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/11/15 #63
Suspicious Japan's Influence in Assassinations in the US John F. Kennedy assassination

John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dalas, Texas on November 22, 1963. The site of assassination is the place where Japanese businessmen often visit. I was taken to the building. I couldn't understand the reason why I was taken there. This was really a shocking event for Japanese, too. But there was another confusion in Japan. The day was a holiday (Labor thanksgiving Day) in Japan. Many families in cities looked forward to watching the first satellite TV broadcast between Japan and US. Some families had bought a new TV set for the broadcast. Kennedy cooperated with the broadcasting staff by allowing them to take the video record for his congratulatory speech to Japanese. Everything was ready. Then, the news of Kennedy's death suddenly stopped the broadcasting of his recorded speech. The first satellite broadcast between the two countries started with the live broadcast from the assassination spot. At that time, Japan's control over domestic mass media was flawless and nobody suspected Japan's connection with the JFK Assassination Digitally Remastered
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JFK assassination: Secret Service Standdown

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crime. But now we can't be unaware of the conspiracy theory when we think about other related affairs including the connection between Oswald and Japan. Around that time, the prime minister was Hayato Ikeda and the finance minister was Kakuei Tanaka. Tanaka rapidly gained strength and later became the prime minister. Takeo Fukuda, the father of the current Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, was after the next prime minister. The then prime minister, Hayato Ikeda, was attacked by a rightist during his political campaign on November 5, 1963, two weeks before the assassination. Extremists rarely attack ruling politicians but they often attack opposition politicians in Japan. This case seems to be a kind of camouflage attempt, a familiar attempt in Japan. Oswald was killed by another man, who later died in prison. This story is somewhat a familiar one in Japan. Hit men are often killed or seem to kill themselves just after the assassination. Such crimes are rare in other countries. This kind of combination of conspiracy, the combination of an auspicious occasion and a catastrophe, is often seen in Japan.
Lee Harvey Oswald Assassination

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Lee Harvey Oswald
In Kennedy's assassination, Japan took advantage of this combination by exaggerating American stupidity and tarnishing American superbness in technological development. This conspiracy seems to be one of the most successful attempts since the end of WWII. Though I'm not completely confident of this theory, I wonder why few people have talked about this coincidence.
November 22, 1943 (added on November 22, 2008)

I was vaguely looking at the calendar. I was beginning thinking seriously that people's political and military impulse was influenced by seasons as we see fewer historical events, particularly those including puns Japan often uses in October and November. But again I found an ominous evidence. Kennedy was assassinated just 20 years after the Cairo Conference started. The meeting was a really insulting one for the Japanese military who believed that they were invincible at that time. The topic of the Cairo Conference was how to share the Japanese colonies. It was a clever prediction. Without the agreement among the allied forces, there would have been another world war after Japan's surrender. Actually, soon after the Japanese surrender, the whole world became peaceful. It was really the result of the Cairo Declaration. Nonetheless, the whole story is inexcusable for the Japanese military.
Another Surprising Figure

Maybe, I am going too far, but let me talk about the funny coincidence here. The day above is the birthday of Paul Wolfowitz, a former United States Ambassador to Indonesia, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, and President of the World Bank. Sumatra Earthquake was created for the purpose of intimidating related people with regard to the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz as president of the World Bank. I feel that there are a lot of Japanese conspiracies.
One More Decisive Fact (added on February 25, 2011)

November 22, 1963 was October 7, 1963 in the traditional Japanese calendar. However, there was an epoc-making event Kennedy was significantly involved on October 7, 1963. The event was Kennedy's signing of the ratification of the Partial Test Ban Treaty. I don't think it was just a coincident. People who planned the signing schedule would have had something to do with Kennedy's assassination. The assassination marked the 22nd anniversary of the Imperial Japanese Navy's final decision on the Pearl Harbor attack. reference Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered the meeting of the Imperial Japanese Navy strike force for the Hawaii Operation attack on Pearl Harbor, in Tankan or Hitokappu Bay, in Iturup Island, South Kurils. Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Teresa Teng to be continued
2007/11/22 #64
Aum Shinrikyo, Bank of Japan, Public Security Intelligence Agency, Japan Federation of Bar Associations, and North Korea
These five organizations represent the double standard of the Japanese society very well. On the face of things, they contend with each other or have nothing to do with each other. But, when we look into them further, strange connections among them emerge. Japanese seldom feel the strangeness. Domestic information control has been successful. Even in foreign countries, the foreign ministry harasses foreign mass media.
Aum Shinrikyo and Bank of Japan

March 20th in 1995 is a critical day for both organizations. On that day the religious cult conducted a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. The real purpose of this terrorism was to dispel the doubt why there were no terrors in Japan. The Bank of Japan previously had known this attack. It established its subsidiary company, the Resolution and Collection Corporation (RCC: at first, the name of this company was "Tokyo Kyodo Bank"), on the very day. The company's real purpose was to buy bad debts from Japanese banks and to gradually smother them up.
America: Freedom to Fascism Director's Authorized Version This film describes the corrupt figure of the Federal Reserve Bank (US central bank). But now I'm convinced that the financial problem in the US is Japan's problem, too, and that the US problem is the problem that Japan has built up since before the independence of the US.
Bank of Japan Governor Yasuo Matsushita Was Central to Problems

(added on January 25, 2011) On further investigation, outrageous facts have come out. But here let me describe the summary by a run of the item. Since 1964, the governors of the Bank of Japan have continuously taken office on December 17. But Matsushita changed the tradition probably because of awful events that happened on related days. Even so, he had some nerve. He chose March 20 for the alternative date. Events below are some conspicuous ones. For details, please refer to the Conspiracy Calendar. Megumi Yokota is said to have been kidnapped by North Korea in 1977 at the age of thirteen.
Calendar Gregorian Japanese Gregorian
Date December 17, 1994 December 17, 1994 January 17, 1995
Events Yasuo Matsushita becomes the governor of the Bank of Japan . The Great Hanshin earthquake . A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits near Kobe, Japan, causing extensive property damage and killing 6,434 people. A sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway kills 12 and wounds 1,300 persons. The Resolution and Collection Corporation (RCC: at first, the name of this company was "Tokyo Kyodo Bank") is established by the Bank of Japan. Oklahoma City bombing. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, is bombed, killing 168. Bad odors fell train riders in Yokohama, Japan . At least 51 people are taken to hospitals. The dollar hits the postwar low of 79.75 in the Tokyo foreign exchange market. The Japanese embassy hostage crisis takes place. Masaru Hayami becomes the governor of the Bank of Japan . Invasion of Iraq: The United States and three other countries begin military operations in Iraq. Toshihiko Fukui becomes the governor of the Bank of Japan . Masaaki Shirakawa becomes acting governor, the de facto governor, of the Bank of Japan .
Gregorian
March 20, 1995
Japanese
March 20, 1995
Gregorian
April 19, 1995
Gregorian Gregorian
December 17, 1996 March 20, 1998
Gregorian
March 20, 2003
Gregorian
March 20, 2008
Bank of Japan and Public Security Intelligence Agency

Shigetake Ogata is a man who symbolizes the relations between the two organizations. He had many things with them, from the establishment of the RCC (BOJ's subsidiary) in 1995 to his arrest this year. When the RCC was established, he was the head of the Public Security Intelligence Agency. He was arrested this year on suspicion of fraud related to a Chongryon's building, which had been seized by the RCC.
Public Security Intelligence Agency and Japan Federation of Bar Associations

PSIA always tries to create spy networks within enemy organizations (nations) and to get intelligence. Its activity is exactly "the spy activities". It is natural that PSIA controls JFBA. PSIA is part of Ministry of Justice, which controls lawyers.
JFBA and North Korea

Chongryon lawyer Koken Tsuchiya is a former president of the JFBA. Police raided his office in June for suspicious transactions related to a lawsuit between Chongryon and the RCC. He always champions North Korea.
Aum Shinrikyo and the PSIC

On March 30, 1995, Takaji Kunimatsu, then chief of the National Police Agency, was shot by an unidentified gunman and seriously wounded as he left his condominium in Tokyo. It occurred after the sarin gas attack by Aum Shinrikyo and subsequent police raid on it. The police determined that Aum Shinrikyo organized the shooting. But the next day was an accounting date for banks. It was obvious that the PSIC wanted people to look the other way on that day. It was also obvious that the police played it by themselves. Kunimatsu later left Japan as a special ambassador to Switzerland.
PSIC and North Korea

The PSIC keeps classified information on North Korea. The PSIC president directly informs the prime minister about North Korean information.
Bank of Japan and North Korea

Quite a few Japanese abductees are said to be printing engineers. I suspect that they were not abducted but that they voluntarily went to North Korea. I hear that Japan imported special printing machines from a Swiss manufacturing company. Japanese Wikipedia says that they probably work for printing counterfeit dollar bills. A brother of an abductee, Toru Hasuike, works for a Japanese atomic power plant. The father of a well-known abductee, Megumi Yokota, worked for Bank of Japan.
BOJ and JFBA

The president of the RCC, Kohei Nakabo, was formerly the chairman of the JFBA. When we look back at his history, he has been always supported by the government. But when I once read his homepage, the content was disgusting. He talked about the election campaign for the president of the JFBA. It is absolutely legal to buy votes in the case of so-called private organization. He was really a snobbish man. The nation was completely taken in. reference Megumi Yokota's birthday is the same day with the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the Islamic calendar.
The Tokyo Olympic Games commemorated the 100th anniversary of the formation of the General Council of the International Workingmen's Association. (Timeline) Shinginko Tokyo bank My Computers Attacked Japanese Politicians to be continued Hypotheses are included. Tokyo Olympic Games
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2007/11/26 #65
North Korea and Sinking of the Titanic

The relations between them are beyond imagination. Kim Jong-il's father, Kim Il-sung, was the North Korean Communist leader from its founding. He was born on April 15, 1912, the very day of the sinking of the Titanic. He wasn't born exactly on that day, but he did set the date as his birthday. The birth record in those days was inaccurate. Quite a few people say that Daisuke Ikeda, president of a Japanese religious group, Soka Gakkai International, is Korean Japanese. He established a political party called New Komeito Party in Japan. In Japan, when two groups are in collusion, they often attack each other in order to hide their cozy relationship. And their attack is often propaganda in the end. some example cases 1. Liberal Democratic Party and Democratic Party of Japan 2. major company managements and labor unions 3. police and gangster organizations 4. police and Aum Shinrikyo cult 5. The Ministry of Education and Japan teachers' union 6. New Komeito Party and Aum Shinrikyo cult Mr. Ikeda was once attacked by Aum Shinrikyo cult, but he escaped unharmed. Nobody knows this man's private assets. In 2001, when a Swiss bank stopped accepting personal deposit, he was reported to send about 10 billion dollars to banks in the US and in Brazil. Large amount of financial assets of Japanese major companies, wealthy families and celebrities can be regarded as part of backdoor money of the Japanese government. Titanic Tragedy DPRK Army the Great Spirit of Unity The Korean War
Fall of the West and Rise of the East

It is said that Kim Il-sung set the date as his birthday in order to symbolize the fall of the West and the rise of the East. It is implausible that the dictator liked the ominous date. But, in those days, the nation that was concerned about the global hegemony was Japan rather than Korea. This story tells very well that Kim Ilsung was a Japanese-made puppet monster. The Titanic story didn't stop there. The passengers on the ship included a Japanese man. And he was not an ordinary tourist. His name was Masabumi Hosono. I believe he was a Japanese spy. In those days, quite a few Japanese spies were committing sabotage in
Kim Il-sung Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-un
Russia. Japan poured a lot of manpower and money. These attempts produced results through WWI and the Russian Revolution. The Russian Royal family was destroyed.
This man boarded the ship on the way from Russia to Japan. He shoved old people, women and children and jumped onto a lifeboat, while other men stayed on the deck until the ship sank. I think that he had to survive and report this successful sabotage to the government. Later, he was accused of it for sure. He was rehabilitated later. But this kind of rehabilitation is a familiar story in Japan. History is often fabricated here. At that time, Japan formed a military alliance with Britain. But their relations had been always strained. Japan gave Britain a serious blow. There are full of question marks from the collision with an iceberg to the sinking.
Another Japanese man on the Explorer in the Antarctic

Please refer to " Japanese Secret Funds to the Russian Revolution around 1910".
Kim Jong-il and the fall of Singapore

British forces surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore on February 15, 1942. The next day, on February 16, 1942, Japanese troops marched through the streets of Singapore, celebrating the victory. In Japan, there held celebrations in many places. Kim Jong-il was born on the very day. This is another coincidence. This is why I argue that North Korea is a Japanese puppet state. Nowadays in Japan, the doctor usually issues a birth certificate. But it is not compulsory. So, some parents may notify the birth with a different birth date for the baby at the registration office. At that time in Korea, parents rather than doctors wrote the birth certificate. So, Kim Jong-Il's birthday was not a coincidence but just the arrangement in accordance with the celebration of the fall of Singapore.
North Korean Surprise Attack was Tit-for-Tat Battle

The Japanese army in Okinawa finally collapsed on June 23, 1945. But the day when the Japanese government officially admitted the defeat was June 25. And five years later, on June 25, 1950, North Korea started a surprise attack on South Korea. The Chinese communist party synchronized the election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the birth of Kim Il-sung, President of North Korea. Japanese Red Army Fusako Shigenobu
reference
North Korea and a Mongolian sumo grand champion the strange relationship between Japan and North Korea
Aum Shinrikyo, Bank of Japan, Public Security Intelligence Agency, Japan Federation of Bar Associations, and North Korea 2007 July Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake was Conspiracy Japan is a Demon Nation Terrorism in Japanese diplomacy September 11, 2001 attacks Korean Air Flight 858
Why did the Tokyo Olympic Games open on October 10th?
No Pencils on Writing Desk in North Korean Voting Stations Driving a Wedge between China and North Korea by a Train Collision
Successor of North Korea, Kim Jong-un North Korea, Firm Supporter of Japan to be continued
Poisoner Masumi Hayashi Mongolian Sumo Wrestlers Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (37-2) Japan's Conspiracy (37-2) Refueling Mission in the Antarctic Ocean
2007/11/29 #66
Japanese supply vessels are refueling ships not only in the Indian Ocean but also in the Antarctic Ocean. Here, they support fleet of whalers. It is impossible for them to sail into ports around the Antarctic Ocean. Whaling makes no business sense. The Japanese government says that whale meat is good for beauty care and that grilled whale meat with curry is popular. But I have never heard of it. This is just a propaganda for foreigners.
I like whales but I hate whale meat.

I ate whale meat at the school lunch. Its taste was terrible. I felt as if I was eating something like shit. I remember the agony which I felt when I swallowed it.
The MS Explorer sinking on November 23, 2007
Japanese people ate 2,000 gm of whale meat a year 40 years ago, but by 2005 that had fallen to just 50 grams. The government intended to clear away leftover whale meat and to encourage children to eat more whale meat.
Slaughter rather than Meal

Japan is obsessed with fishing. Resources monopoly in the high seas is the biggest national interest. And the Japanese government compels people to eat more sea food. Demanded by the IWC, Japan stopped commercial whaling and began research whaling in 1988. Since then sardine catches have been dramatically decreased.
Labor Party's Overwhelming Victory

The overwhelming Labor Party victory in Saturday's general election bewildered Japan. The Labor Party is considering mobilizing the Australian Navy to chase and watch Japanese whaling ships in the Antarctic Ocean. Their opposition is no joke.
The Explorer Sank near Antarctica's South Shetland Islands

The Explorer hit a submerged piece of ice and sank near Antarctica's South Shetland Islands on November 23, 2007. This event seems to be an ordinary accident, yet there are some suspicious coincidences. 1. There was a Japanese on board like the sinking of the Titanic. 2. Japan could hardly miss the result of the Australian general election.
3. The ship sank just a day before the election.
HYPOTHESIS
Let me venture a hypothesis, though it is too early and some information is unconfirmed. The Japanese government intimidated Australian voters and Labor Party into giving up their opposition to the Japanese whaling. It was really a ridiculous conspiracy. But the Japanese government has a extreme propensity of conspiracy. It is something like the story of the adult male peacock's tail. I hope my hypothesis will turn out to be wrong. It is highly probable that the sinking of the MS Explorer was Japan's conspiracy. reference American psychological thriller movie "The Number 23" was released in Japan, too. The movie explains the enigma about the sinking of the Titanic. But, to tell the truth, the movie was released on the very day when the MS Explorer sank. The sinking of MS Explorer was very similar to the sinking of the Titanic. Olympic games and the sinking of the Titanic to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (38) Japan's Conspiracy (38) Paranoia Japan
2007/12/4 #67
I live in Kagoshima City in Japan. But the central government's Kagoshimabashing is beyond common sense.
Flood Disaster on August 6, 1993

On that day and the next day, I had a terrible time. I had a narrow escape, but the police persistently harassed me. I was unaware of the weather conspiracy though I was suspicious about the strange situations. As the weather manipulation in my region became obvious last year, I started investigation on the events that had occurred around me. Now, I believe that the day, August 6, 1993, was a day that the whole government (the Liberal Democratic Party, bureaucrats and the police) staged a terrible attack at Kagoshima City. Landslides in Kagoshima
The day was the day of collapse for the LDP, though the period was short. The next prime minister from the opposition camp was Mr. Hosokawa. He was a former governor of Kumamoto, which is located next to Kagoshima. The floods killed 49 people in Kagoshima while people in Kumamoto celebrated the first prime minister from their region. It was a systematic abuse against Kagoshima. The miserable end of Hosokawa's political career well explained his role. He was simply utilized by the government and was discarded at the end.
Rainfall on January 21, 2007
At that time, I had been harassed by the weather conspiracies. When I left my office for a while, it frequently began to rain suddenly, usually in 30 minutes, though the weather had been fine. This means that it takes about 30 minutes to make a rainfall though everything is prepared well enough. On that day, January 21, 2007, I had expected the weather conspiracy in advance because the situation was almost the same as the day, August 6, 1993. I remember it rained quite heavily. Today, I checked the official weather record and I knew that it had rained the most on that day in January this year. This day was the day when Mr. Higashikokubaru was elected Miyazaki governor. Miyazaki is another region next to Kagoshima. The central government and Japanese mass media fervently support him though he is a mere stupid entertainer. He was again simply utilized by the government and the day of discard will come soon.
Japanese Style Gerimander

Kagoshima City, with the population of 605,000, is divided into three constituencies. Two of them was integrated into other areas. As the result, though the city accounts 35 per cent of the total voters of the 5 single-seat constituencies, no candidates from it has been elected for some years. The government again utilizes two tarnished politicians. Both of them are from Southern islands. They are actually elected through this conspiracy. Their region accounts only 10 percent of voters of 5 constituencies. They are never popular outside of their region. The utilization of people in Southern islands is not only seen in the political arena, but also in the mass media. Japan Broadcasting Corporation is actually a state-run broadcast. Nowadays, most news announcers of JBC Kagoshima are from the Southern islands. Their performance is very poor. I often give up watching their news. TV fees are compulsory. People in Kagoshima pay about 100 million dollars in total as fees. But their performance doesn't deserve the fees. All of these are part of Kagoshima bashing by the government.
Puppets of the government

So far, the governor of Kagoshima Prefecture, the mayor of Kagoshima City, the police chief of Kagoshima and the public safety commissioners are all puppets of the central government. Japanese Wikipedia says, "It is often said that all the local police are virtually part of the national police." But, unfortunately, when it comes to a critical issues for the Japanese government, it is difficult for even Wikipedia to describe the facts. Particularly in English Wikipedia, I see different and completely official comments. Some people say, "The Japanese government's harassment is so serious that most foreigners have to yield to its demand."
Climate Change
The world community has been already aware of strange phenomena that may be intentionally and artificially caused by somebody. Environment ministers from around the world are meeting in Bali to decide what are the next steps to take in the fight against climate change on December 3, 2007. On the same day, Japan held the Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Japan, collecting representatives from 35 countries. This seems as if Japan tries to ignore the Bali Conference on Climate Change. Japan is suspicious about many things including floods in Bangladesh. The first thing Japan has to do is
to clear itself of the charge.
Japanese Judge in the ICC

Fumiko Saiga, Japanese ambassador in charge of human rights and a member of the U.N. Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, was elected Friday to fill one of three vacant judge seats on the International Criminal Court. Japan officially joined the ICC on October 1. But there can be two conflicting views on this. 1. The world community demanded Japan's participation to the ICC. 2. Japan decided to join the ICC only to control the organization for its convenience. It is a Japanese government's usual practice. By buying foreign diplomats, Japan reduced the UN to a corrupt organization. The money power is enormous. I mean not the buying of judges but the buying of politicians and bureaucrats of a certain country who are in charge of selecting a judge candidate from the country. The torrential rain on August 1 and the Heavy rains and debris on August 6 were the conspiracy of the Japanese government in which the two rainfall disasters were synchronized with the past samurai incidents in 1333. The Japanese government celebrated the new prime minister on the one hand while they bullied the region of ethnic minorities on the other. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
Japan's Conspiracy (39) Japan's Conspiracy (39) the rehearsal of September 11, 2001 attacks
2007/12/4 #68
I watched the terrorist attacks on the live breaking news. Though I could hardly understand what was going on, I gradually recognized that they were suicide bombings. And a hijacking of an ANA plane that had taken place two years earlier went through my head. This hijacking was the rehearsal of September 11, 2001 attacks. ANA JA8966 (ANA flight 61)
All Nippon Airways Flight 61

ANA Flight 61 is a flight from Tokyo International Airport to New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan. On July 23, 1999, the Boeing 747 on this route was hijacked by a Japanese man soon after it took off, at about 11:25 A.M. The jet was flying near Tokyo. It was carrying 503 passengers and 14 crew members. The hijacker used a knife to force the flight attendant to let him into the cockpit.
ANA JA8966 (Google Earth)
He then made the copilot leave the cockpit, remaining in the cockpit with the captain, who managed to notify the air traffic controllers about the hijacking. The hijacker then stabbed the pilot and took control of the plane, at one point descending to an altitude of 300 meters. At 12:09 P.M., crew members subdued the hijacker. The copilot got back into the cockpit and told the ATC, "It's an emergency. The captain was stabbed. Prepare an ambulance." The plane made an emergency landing at the Tokyo Airport at 12:14 P.M. The hijacker was arrested on the spot and later charged with murder. The death of the pilot was confirmed later. During investigation, it was revealed that the hijacker had taken a large dose of SSRIs before the episode, and he said that he hijacked the plane because he wanted to fly it under the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo. On March 23, 2005, he was found to be guilty, but of unsound mind and thus only partly responsible for his actions. He was consequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
Basis for This Hypothesis

1. A rehearsal is necessary to carry through large scale terrorism like 9.11 attacks. And it was very rare that a hijacker himself moved the control lever of a passenger plane. As far as I know, this hijacking was the first case and the 9.11 was the last one. They needed to convince the terrorist supreme leader, as well as actual terrorists, that the hijacking will be perfect and successful. 2. The hijacker avoided the death penalty using somewhat technical trick. He intentionally created a mental treatment record and pretended to have swallowed a lot of drugs just before the hijacking. Situations were too well-prepared for a mere crazy man. Stories were too good to be true. 3. The period of two years was almost appropriate. The shorter the period was, the more conspicuous the conspiracy was. The longer the period was, the less convincing the rehearsal was. 4. When a Boeing 747 was exploded above the Atlantic Ocean on June 23, 1985, an related explosion at Japans Narita Airport killed two baggage handlers. Japan often pretends to be a victim nation. It is a simple trick that is widely seen in crimes in Japan. 5. There happened to be another pilot among the passengers. He helped the copilot. The control of a passenger plane by the copilot alone is technically problematic. It was too good to be true. 6. It is doubtful that the pilot really died. As you see strange criminal cases, the police can do anything. Once a person is carried by an ambulance, any kind of story can be written. 7. The next explanation in Wikipedia is almost confusing. Most Japanese tend to recognize that "life sentence" indicates only "life sentence with no possibility of parole" so that many mistakenly believe that "muki-choeki" is not equivalent to "life sentence" and Japanese punitive law does not allow "life sentence" as other developed countries' do. Although "muki-choeki" in Japanese is often interpreted as "indefinite sentence", "muki-choeki" has legally the same meaning as "life sentence". The reasons why it is often wrongly interpreted are following. As a strange exception, upon the death of the emperor a life sentence is often reduced. my opinion : the general understanding in Japan
"Muki-choeki" is literally and technically understood as "imprisonment for unconfirmed period". The imprisonment period can be from "only a short period of time to the whole life". The period actually depends on the mercy of judiciary bureaucrats. Some convicted criminals may be playing pachinko at a pachinko parlor. How can we trust the prison when highest defense ministry's bureaucrats are corrupt? my opinion : English writers are often misled by the Japanese bureaucrats. The explanation above is a good example. Amnesty is often applied, when the emperor dies. But the shortening of the period of sentence has nothing to do with the amnesty. The period is originally unconfirmed and changeable. 8. Shoko Asahara seems to enjoy his prison life. He was the cult leader who organized the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. The government has promoted the privatization of the prison system. Now the government may be building a variety of prisons, from something like a capsule hotel to one like a suite room of a luxurious hotel according to the prisoner's family and previous vocation. 9. In Japan, unfortunately, few media companies refer to the similarity between the two terrorist attacks.
reference 1
King Mohammed VI of Morocco and two plane accidents. The Royal Family of Morocco is probably Japanese descents.
reference 2
Japan Airlines Flight 123
September 11, 2001 attacks Meditating Terrorism in 1985 Latest "Trojan Horses"
Investigation on terrorism is now a controversy in Canada Takeshi Okamoto British Airways Flight 38
Japanese Red Army
June 23rd is the day when the headquarters of the Japanese army in Okinawa finally collapsed Olympic Games, the Ultimate Goal of Conspiracy Continental Connection Flight 3407 to be continued The DAY of the Pearl Harbor Attack Coubertin's Secret Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Korean Air Flight 858
Japan's Conspiracy (40) Japan's Conspiracy (40) Strange Recruitment Policy
2007/12/13 #69
Japan has a tendency to recruit or promote someone following his or her name. Japanese are often named after real people. Some of these names are puns.
Seiji Ozawa
( September 1, 1935 - )
Oazawa is a famous Japanese conductor. But his music doesn't show any extraordinary talent. His father named him after his two friends, Seishiro Itagaki and Kanji Ishiwara. But they were not ordinary people. Itagaki was a class-A war criminal and Ishiwara was a former lieutenant general of the Japanese army in Manchuria. There is no doubt that he became famous thanks to his name. Once a musician is backed by the Japanese government, concert tickets sell infinitely. Ozawa was born on the day when the first Akutagawa Prize and Naoki Prize are awarded in Japan. They are two of the most prestigious literary
awards in Japan.
Hideki Matsui
He is a Japanese major-league player. The pronunciation of his first and second name is the same as that of the first name of Hideki Tojo and the second name of Iwane Matsui, respectively. Both of them were class-A war criminals. His nickname is " Godzilla". This monster's theme is "radioactivity". In its movies, nuclear weapons are depicted as evil as if they were the symbol of revenge. Matsui is a government-made hero. He may have been helped by his own name. Matsui was born on June 12, 1974. But on that day in the Japanese calendar, the Watergate Scandal reached a critical point in the US politics.
Hideki Saijo
Saijo is a Japanese singer. It is obvious that his name was named after Hideki Tojo, a class-A war criminal. "To" in Japanese means east, "Jo" means "a branch" and "Sai" means "west". So, "Saijo" is a pun for "Tojo" in Japanese. He was born in Hiroshima and has been supported by the government. His total record sales reached 10 million in 1981. The figure is beyond his popularity. Money launderers often take advantage of large sales in music in Japan. A title of his popular music, "YMCA", obviously seems to be a sarcasm against America.
Takemasa Moriya ( Japanese)

Takemasa Moriya is a former vice defense minister. He was outstanding in job promotion. There seemed to be a good reason for that. His family name, Moriya, literally means a defense house in Japanese, which is the same meaning as "the defense ministry". Probably, some minister loved this coincidence. His father, Eifu Moriya, was a legislator. His uncle, Waro Moriya, was the envoy to Afghanistan. He was a consul general to China in the early 1930s. At that time, most Japanese diplomats were government agents who expanded the networks of spies and sympathisers for Japan. Probably, Takemasa Moriya was promoted to the highest position in the defense ministry in 1998 thanks to his uncle's contribution. Three years later, 9.11 terrorist attacks occurred. Waro Moriya ( Japanese) ( Chinese) Eifu Moriya ( Japanese) Last month, Takemasa Moriya was arrested for bribery.
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2007/12/19 #70
Japan's Conspiracy (41) Toyota is pulling the strings of organized stalkers.

Since I started to complain about stalking, stalker minions have gradually disappeared and pivotal players have gradually appeared. The transformation was stunning. Neighbors Gangsters Taxi drivers School teachers and students Policemen Toyota Motor Corporation
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I recognized their attack against my family more than 30 years ago. Now I finally realized that the consistent harassment has been conducted on a national level through not only my father's time but also my childhood and adulthood. Let me talk about it in detail later. Instead, I would like to inform you about some urgencies today.
The Public Safety Commission Chairman turned ou to be a weasel. Yoshiharu Shimoyama was
I made efforts to meet the public safety commissioners of my region. I tried to ask them to carry out the audit and to exercise leadership over the corrupt performance of the police. However, I could know neither their addresses nor their telephone numbers. On the homepage of the Kagoshima Public Safety Commission, only their names, their ages, and the names of the companies they work for are described. I live in Kagoshima Prefecture. The chairman of the PSC is Mr. Hideharu Suwa. He is also the president of Kagoshima Toyota Corporation, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation.
indicted for stalking a woman. He was the presiding judge in a trial at a district court in 1999 over a case in which a female university student was murdered by several men who had persistently stalked her. This court case led to the enactment of the antistalking law.
The prefectural police as well as their companies refused to allow me to meet them. They never told me the public safety commissioners' telephone numbers or addresses. In other words, Kagoshima police is controlled by Toyota. Recently, there was an election of the chairman of the Kagoshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry. There were only two candidates. One was Mr. Hideharu Suwa and the other was the president of another Toyota affiliated company. Most people believe that votes are bought in the election of the chairman of the C.C. in Japan. In the end, Mr. Suwa was elected chairman of the chamber of commerce, too.
Toyota as a Police-industrial Complex

Now Toyota completely controls the police and industry of Kagoshima. I have never heard of this kind of busuiness monopoly before. The story doesn't stop there. There is a secret organization called "Children 911 Call System" in Japan (Toyota). But I couldn't know the fact of this organization though I asked the police or the school about it. I only recognized that some cars with large stickers that read "Children 911 Call System" often chased me on the road. They sometimes chased me just from my house. And I often saw small stickers, with the same words, at the entrance of a house of people who repeatedly harass my family. Toyota blatantly support this secret organization.
Japan is an underdeveloped country.

Among advanced countries, Japan may be the only country in which ordinary people neither can meet nor can send letters to the public safety commissioners. The prefectural police tell me to send the letter to them. But It is unlikely that they hand the letter to the public safety commissioners. In fact, the police have no obligation to tell the result to the people.
It is the reality of the Japanese law enforcement system. I sincerely ask the world organizations to apply diplomatic pressure on the Japanese central and local governments and Toyota into stopping the attack against innocent citizens in Japan. It is actually the offense against human rights. The more I complain, the more the attack against me, and my family, intensifies. And I have realized, through recent activities, that there are quite a few victims who suffer from stalkers' attacks like me. They don't know how to complain and protest. In a sense, I may be lucky. I speak English. I can ask foreign people for help. Reference National Public Safety Commission NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN
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2007/12/24 #71
The Japanese Communist Party is a detachment force of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
I began to collect signature for presenting a petition to the prefectural governor and the mayor with regard to the police corruption and human rights violations against me and my family members.
Crank Calls
I decided to answer the phone only after checking the telephone number on the liquid crystal display and the caller's voice and business.
Unnecessary Direct Mail and Annoying Pamphlets

I started to send e-mail, or to make a call, to the advertisers of annoying pamphlets as well as the senders of unnecessary mail that had been thrown into the mailbox of my house. In addition, I put a warning sign on the mailbox. The sign read "a
fine of 2000 yen against an unnecessary or annoying pamphlet ".
Blatantly Provocative Act
Akahata Shimbun (Red Flag, Newspaper of the JCP)
As early as the next day of the day when I put the sign, I was surprised to find a blatant provocation. I found pieces of newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party that had been thrown into the mailbox. I had never read such newspaper before. I had thought before that those unnecessary pamphlets had been deliberately thrown into the mailbox to annoy me. And I also believed that they would stop such harassment soon because they knew for sure that, if the fine was not paid, I would inform the public about their names. But the pamphlet from the JCP really confused me. I couldn't understand the situation. But, when I entered a protest against them, I finally recognized the reason why they threw the pamphlet into the
mailbox.
Message that Says "Don't Talk to Our Party"

At first, I couldn't understand their intention. I demanded a fine against the communist party, but they were not sincere. Far from it! They provoked me again. In a word, they behaved as if they wanted to say to me, "Don't talk to us." I thought that my protest against the government was a welcome story for the opposition communist party. But it is obvious that my action was a nuisance against the communist party, too.
Result
I disclosed the incident on the Internet. Then, I called the communist party and demanded a fine again, but they suddenly changed their attitude and said that a ranking member would visit my house soon. But the person who actually came to my house was a mere porter. He paid 2000 yen but refused to say his name and said, " Sorry, I don't know anything at all."
Past Events
When I look back at the past, I remember that for some time some communist sound trucks frequently chased me with a loudspeaker noise. At that time, I thought that some of organized stalkers were communist party members. But this time I finally understood the whole perspective of the communist party. The communist party really wants me to speak ill of them in the Internet more and more. In short, The communist party gives people an impression that they are the last resort and final bastion against the government. But, at the same time, they attack people who really oppose the government on behalf of the ruling party, the LDP. The Japanese Communist Party turned out to be a detachment force of the government and the ruling party. Like gang organizations are detachment forces of the police, the JCP was a detachment force, and a supporter, of the ruling LDP behind the stage. I had been sceptical about the communist party for some time, but I was really amazed when I knew that the communist party was such a dirty party. Both the JCP and the LDP may be glad to read my story. The approval rate for the government will soar for sure. Shimbun Akahata, the daily organ of the Japanese Communist Party in the form of a national newspaper, was started on February 1, 1928. It is obvious that the party commemorated the Mongol invasion of Japan. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
Japan's Conspiracy (42) Japan's Conspiracy (42) The Diet is a sanctuary for lawmakers
2007/12/20 #72
Nowadays, the Diet session is frequently extended. And it is often extended time and time again. On the face of it, it seems to be the reflection of seriousness of lawmakers. But I recognized the reason at last. Lawmakers regard the Diet as a sanctuary from the whole society. The Diet is also a convenient excuse for refusing to meet unwelcome people. Once citizens begin to act aggressively or to say some aggressive opinions, heated debate suddenly breaks out and the session is immediately extended.
Democratic Party of Japan News Network
Currently, not only the Diet but also the prefectural assembly and city assembly are in session in my region. They don't want to meet some people. Some corrupt people around politicians don't want politicians to meet people. Legislators continue to stay in Tokyo. Both prefectural and mayoral assembly members refuse to meet ordinary citizens, saying that they are too busy to meet some one. It is apparent that all the Diet members, including both ruling and opposition party politicians, are colluding. reference to be continued Japan's Main Political Parties Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2007/12/25 #73
Japan's Conspiracy (43) what I think about at Christmas

Christmas is the symbol of Western culture in Japan. And, on this day, there have been historic clashes of cultures. But most Japanese have forgotten them long before. Nowadays, Christmas cake is somewhat tasteless. To eat Christmas cake just after the Emperor's birthday is something like eating it with pickled Japanese apricots on it. === the Emperor's Birthday === The current emperor, Akihito, was born in 1933. There had been an attempted military coup in 1932. Japan withdrew the League of Nations in 1933. Those days, fascism rapidly escalated. At that time, birthdays were often changed for convenience. Emperor Taisho's birthday was later changed due to the hot weather. December 23 is the current emperor's birthday. The birthday must have been set on this day in order to wipe out Western influence in Japan. === Execution === At the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, the accused were indicted on April 29, 1946 (Emperor Hirohito's birthday), and the execution was carried out on December 23, 1948 (current emperor's birthday). Since most national holidays in Japan had been related to the imperial family, the Allies carried out court
procedures on the days. But Japan, neglecting their hope, designated one national holiday, related to the imperial family, after another. === Dissolution of the House of Representatives === The Japanese government dissolved the Lower House, which distracted people's attention from the execution of war criminals on December 23, 1948. It was a kind of suicidal dissolution. The noconfidence motion against the Cabinet was intentionally submitted in order to dissolve the Lower House. Currently, politics remains in a limbo and made-up events take place one after another. A similar scenario may happen again.
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HOME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BB CTRL 44 44-1 44-2 44-3 44-4 44-5 44-6 44-7 45 45-2 46 47-1 47-2 48 49 no difference between the right wing and the left wing Assassination of John Lennon Sanehiko Yamamoto Yoshitaka Yotsumoto Takeshi Okamoto Kozo Okamoto Fusako Shigenobu (1) Fusako Shigenobu (2) ugly coincidence between China and Pakistan Is it a coincidence? Government's Responsibility Japanese Empire within Brazil Religions of Japanese origin in Brazil Collusion in Political Parties the Death of Princess Diana in a Car Accident
HOME INDEX TOP C 2007/12/27 2007/12/30 2008/1/2 2008/1/3 2008/1/4 2008/1/6 2008/1/31 2008/1/31 2008/1/1 2008/1/31 2008/2/4 2008/1/11 2008/1/12 2008/1/13 2008/1/13
2007/12/27 #74
No Difference between the Left Wing and the Right Wing Kagoshima Prefecture and the Underground Community in Japan
Samurai in Kagoshima and Yamaguchi pushed ahead modernization and westernization of Japan through Meiji Restoration in 1868. Since then Kagoshima has had many things with the underground community in Japan. If Yamaguchi is said to be the front side, Kagoshima should be said to be the other side of Japan.
Politics Cross Party
Japan's Underground Community and Government Agents
Collusion and Corruption
Rightists and leftists in Japan are specially treated by the administration and invariably admired by mass media, and part of the public. They are often big-shot masterminds and virtually government agents. When I was a child, I met such a man. He was an eerie person. I hear he got married with a minority woman in a Western country and came back to Japan alone, like Alberto Fujimori and Yoko Ono. Some well-known figures who were born and brought up in Kagoshima are as follows Fusako Shigenobu Yoshitaka Yotsumoto Sanehiko Yamamoto Kozo Okamoto Takeshi Okamoto
Rightists and Leftists in Japan, and Government Agents

There have been rightists and leftists in Japan all the time. Nevertheless, those who appeared in mass media were always included in fanatic groups. In these groups, government agents carry out political propaganda in disguise of rightists or leftists. Their purpose is to tarnish the image of antigovernment activists in Japan and to glorify the current regime. Another purpose is to increase the number of pro-Japan terrorists throughout the world in order to conquer the world without war. These tactics seem to be successful. Opinions of the Japanese and the world community are up to the Japanese government's expectations. reference The Japanese Communist Party is a detachment force of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The Japanese Communist Party commemorated the Mongol invasion of Japan, which was related to Adolf Hitler. to be continued hypotheses are included HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (44-1) Japan's Conspiracy (44-1) Assassination of John Lennon

It was a conspiracy of Japan and Yoko Ono.
2007/12/30 #75
Attack on Pearl Harbor

He was killed on December 8, 1980. On the same day in 1941, according to the Japanese calendar, Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. The air portion of the attack on Pearl Harbor began at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian Time (3:18 a.m. December 8 The John Lennon Assassination
Japanese Standard Time).
Japanese Style Assassination

The behavior of the assassin, Mark David Chapman, was similar to that of Japanese assassins. 1. He had met Lennon before he killed Lennon. It is important for an assassin to confirm the target. It is also important to let the victim know his face beforehand. 2. He said something to Lennon just before the shot. When a person is suddenly talked to by an acquaintance, he or she usually stops off-guard for a moment. But the moment is a critical one for an assassin.
Samurai Hitmen Hissatsu Shigotonin
3. After the shooting, he tried to pretend to be somewhat crazy. In Japan, criminals often pretend to be crazy for the purpose of avoiding the indictment 4. He knew that he would not be executed. In fact, he maintained an exemplary disciplinary record in the prison and requested parole, which was denied in 2000. 5. Gloria Hiroko Chapman was married to Chapman at the time he killed Lennon. She still lives in Hawaii, visits once a year on average, sometimes more often. According to her name and appearance, it is obvious that she is JapaneseAmerican. 6. Though I don't mean this case, huge amount of secret reward is kept on the premise of future parole, in general. However, if the criminal dies in the prison, the secret money goes to his or her heirs-at-law. So the criminal should be married. In addition, the spouse must be another conspirator. This scenario is often seen among Japanese extremists.
John Lennon
Yoko Ono
Suspicions
There are also suspicions for the part of Yoko Ono. 1. Her great-grandfather, Zenjiro Yasuda, was the founder of the Yasuda zaibatsu, the predecessor of Mizuho Bank. In those days, zaibatsu were actually owned by the government. He was assassinated in the end. We often see cases in which children of assassinated or executed parent assume special duties in the future. Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan are two examples. 2. Yoko Ono's father worked for a Japanese bank in the US before and after WWII. In those days, most Japanese businessmen working overseas were almost government agents. 3. Her grandmother was born in Kagoshima, where many terrorists including
Mark David Chapman
Gloria Hiroko Chapman
Japanese Red Army members were born (refer to the following pages). 4. Yoko Ono was born on February 18, 1933, the first anniversary of the establishment of the State of Manchuria. Manchuria was a symbol of the Greater East Asia War. 5. They were a remarried couple. But the way they began to love each other was unusual. 6. Yoko Ono walked before Lennon. This action is a formula for leading a target. 7. The assassin didn't run away. As a result, Yoko Ono got off with the indictment. 8. For Yoko Ono, who had suffered miscarriages, it was timely that Lennon was killed after the first childbirth. A biological child has the priority for succession of property. 9. There had been negotiations for divorce between them before the assassination. 10. At exhibitions which Yoko Ono mounts in Japan, there are few mementos that commemorate Lennon's death. Exhibitions are mostly related to peace and atomic bombs. Attendants are eerie and are something like prison officers. Visitors seem to be mobilized. 11. She is said to have been reluctant to bring the assassination to light. There have been suspicions around members of Beatles such as Ringo Starr and George Harrison.
reference
Japanese media synchronized John Lennon's assassination with two TV dramas. The first live concert of The Beatles in the US on February 11, 1964 reveals that Beethoven, George Washington and The Beatles were Japan's conspiracy. On John Lennon's birth day, the Nazis bombarded St. Paul's Cathedral
to be continued
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2008/1/2 #76
Japan's Conspiracy (44-2) Sanehiko Yamamoto

Sanehiko Yamamoto was born into a poor family in 1885. He went to Tokyo relying on a politician. He was employed by a newspaper company. He stayed in London as a newspaper correspondent for two years. It was unusual for a poor man to be transferred overseas on business. He was sent overseas as a correspondent just because he was a government spy. At that time most Japanese businessmen working overseas were government spies.
He suddenly bought a newspaper company and ran for the Diet, but failed due to a bribery scandal. Then he went to Vladivostok, where he was given 600 dollars (equivalent to the current 6 million dollars) by Fusanosuke Kuhara, the founder of Hitachi, Ltd. With the fortune, he had a crowded life. No company gives a lot of money to an unknown quantity. So, it's safe to say that this was part of the money laundering by the government. Even now we often hear that bold money laundering is carried out through the flow of the business fund. After WWII, he led the Japan Cooperative Party and became the chairman of the Lower House. One of his private secretaries was Susumu Nikaido, who later became a chief cabinet secretary. Japan Cooperative Party, chaired by Sanehiko Yamamoto, was formed on December 18, 1945. Like this, there is no difference between politicians and spies. They become politicians by some chance, and become spies by other chance. In ordinary countries, these two occupations are totally different. But they are somewhat similar in Japan. They are just performing their roles. On this point, they are no different from each other. In other words, politicians are spies who pretend to be politicians.
Yamamoto
Monument of Yamamoto
Kuhara
Nikaido (right)
Japan's Conspiracy (44-3) Japan's Conspiracy (44-3) Yoshitaka Yotsumoto
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2008/1/3 #77
Japan has not yet overcome the failure of WWII. On the contrary, the political world in Japan is still haunted by zealots who fueled war during WWII. Yoshitaka Yotsumoto, a member of the League of Blood, was one of them. chronological order
1908 ------1932 He was born in Kagoshima, Japan. He dropped out of the Tokyo University. He was the secretary of Foreign Minister Hidehara, a sonin-law of Iwasaki Yataro (the founder of Mitsubishi zaibatsu). He was arrested for the League of Blood Incident and was sentenced 15 years in prison.
February 26 Incident
Yoshitaka Yotsumoto (center)
Japan's Conspiracy (1) P6 He was freed under an amnesty. Then he became a strategist of prime ministers. He became the president of a construction company. He was a mentor on political matters for prime ministers after WWII. He became a director of the Anzen Credit Union, which later went bankrupt. Yotsumoto died.
1940 1955 ------2004
It is very strange, but mysterious class systems have been maintained among rightists, nationalists and zaibatsu. This is something like the relations between feudal lords and ninjas in the samurai period. Yotsumoto can be said to have been a czar of the modern ninjas. He seemed to work for both zaibatsu and the government.
Members of League of Blood Yoshitaka Yotsumoto (bottom right)
There are class systems within zaibatsu and within the modern ninja society. The number of such modern ninjas has increased and now they form part of stalker organizations. reference to be continued February 26 Incident hypotheses are included HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (44-4) Japan's Conspiracy (44-4) Takeshi Okamoto
2008/1/4 #78
Takeshi Okamoto was a member of the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction which hijacked Japan Airlines Flight 351 on March 31, 1970. He was an elder brother of Kozo Okamto, who was a member of the Japanese Red Army. Kozo Okamto and his two comrades carried out a terrorist attack at Lod Airport in Tel Aviv on May 30, 1972. chronological order
194? 1970 1976 1978 1982 Takeshi Okamoto was born in Kagoshima. The Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction, which included Okamoto, hijacked Japan Airlines Flight 351. They went to North Korea in the end. He married a Japanese woman who was abducted by North Korea. They published a magazine titled "Oh Japan". It was actually a propaganda of North Korea. Takako Doi met the hijackers in Vienna. She contributed special articles to the April 1982 issue of the magazine.
Japan Red Army hijackers out of the shadows Takahiro Konishi and Moriaki Wakabayashi
2003 ----
The Social Democratic Party, headed by Takako Doi, suffered a crushing defeat in the election. It is said that Takeshi Okamoto and his wife were killed by a landslide.
"Yodo-go" hijackers currently placed on the international wanted list by Japan
It is strange, but Japanese terrorists in North Korea have been openly supported by many Japanese. The Social Democratic Party, which supported North Korea and the Japanese hijackers, treaded the path to self-destruction. The Japanese security police rarely crack down on them. It is said that Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of Kim Jong-il, made clandestine visits to Japan, and had spent most of his time consorting with prostitutes in expensive bathhouses in Tokyo's Yoshiwara district. North Korea is an important beachhead for Japan to recapture Korean Peninsula. Japan has unique duplicity. If you penetrate its disguise, you can understand the whole inexplicable events. Why North Koreans Were Kidnappers U.S. delinks JAL hijackers, North Korea terror status 1. The police seem to crack down on gang organizations, but they are colluding with each other in Japan. 2. The opposition parties seem to stand against the ruling party, but they are comrades who have the same purpose in Japan. Japan Airlines Flight 351 hijacking was a mere parody which was fabricated by the government. The Japanese government wanted to commemorate the glorious achievement by Hideki Yukawa, the first Japanese Nobel Prize laureate. To tell the truth, on the same day, he retired. Sanehiko Yamamoto Fusako Shigenobu (2) Yoshitaka Yotsumoto Japanese Red Army.
reference
Japanese political extremists Kozo Okamoto Fusako Shigenobu (1)
America versus Japanese Red Army leader Fusako Shigenobu to be continued hypotheses are included HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/1/6 #79
Japan's Conspiracy (44-5) Kozo Okamoto

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I have been interested in history, but I have only slight memory about Japanese extremists. This is because there is little information about them in the Japanese mass media. ----==chronological order== 1968 Okamoto entered the Kagoshima University. 1972 Okamoto and other two Japanese Red Army members undertook a terrorist attack for the Liberation of Palestine at Tel Aviv's Lod airport. 1985 Okamoto was released as part of a prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant factions. He finally returned to Lebanon with other members of the Japanese Red Army. 1997 Lebanon detained five Red Army members, but it granted political asylum to Kozo Okamoto. 2008 Kozo Okamoto is still wanted by the Japanese government. ---There is a strange story about Okamoto. In 1937, an auditorium was built in the Kyoto University to celebrate the current emperor's birth. But, of all things, the three stars of the constellation Orion are now shining on the roof of the Kyoto University West Auditorium. The three stars were depicted in remembrance of the three members of the Japanese Red Army who undertook a terrorist attack at Tel Aviv's Lod airport in 1972. A British three-piece rock band, the Police, once held a concert at the auditorium. Its name is strange and it consisted of three members. And they were out of place. I feel that they are suspicious because sometimes sales of records and concert tickets are laundered by terrorists. The Imperial Household Agency and the university authorities openly allow them to display such an inhuman symbol. For Japan, Yasukuni Shrine and the Japanese Red Army are the same because they are heroes who devote themselves to the national interest. The Japanese Red Army actually brought a huge national interest, such as the increase of export to Arab countries, the sabotage against competing countries and rival companies, and the obstruction of development in advanced countries (See Note 7). I studied economics at a national university, but the learning was almost brainwashing. Once I talked back against Marxism, my classmates made absurd arguments and said, "Have you ever read 'the Capital'? The capitalism ends up with the revolution." Yet, I made retorts. I refused lectures. But I could graduate from the university without attending classes. I simply gave a box of sweets to the professor. The diploma was no more than a sheet of paper. This is Japan's educational situation. A Nobel Prize is awarded to a Japanese not because he or she has achieved a breakthrough in some field but because the Japanese Foreign Ministry demands it.
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2008/1/31 #80
Japan's Conspiracy (44-6) Fusako Shigenobu (1)

Shigenobu led the Japanese Red Army, an armed militant organization.
chronological order
1945 Shigenobu was born in Tokyo. Her father, who was originally from Kagoshima, was a member of the League of Blood. ---- After graduating from a senior high school in Tokyo, Shigenobu entered Kikkoman Corporation but she studied in the evening session of Meiji University as well. 1971 She faked a marriage to Takeshi Okudaira, another Red Army member who died during an attack in Tel Aviv in 1972. ---- Red Army was eliminated in Japan. Shigenobu went to Europe, where she came in contact with the PFLP, and established the Japanese Red Army. She married a Palestinian. 1973 She gave birth to a female baby. Now, she has two daughters and a son. 2000 She was arrested in Takatsuki, Osaka. 2001 Shigenobu declared that she was disbanding the Japanese Red Army. 2007 The Tokyo High Court upheld a 20-year prison term for Shigenobu. Japanese Red Army Leader Fusako Shigenobu 1970 Japan Airlines Flight 351 1972 Asama-Sanso incident 1973 Exclusive Interview with Shigenobu 1974 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries building bombing 1975 AIA building hostage crisis 1977 Japan Airlines Flight 472
Why Shigenobu?
Japan Red Army hijackers out of the shadows
I had a basic question about why Shigenobu was the leader of the Japanese Red Army. There should have been many young people whose father was rightists originally from Kagoshima. I searched in the Internet, but I could find nothing except for the contents in Wikipedia. I thought the information was manipulated. But, I found one reason at last. It was again her birthday. She was born on the date of Japan's defeat. Japanese may think that the war ended on August 15. But the day was the day when Japan decided to give in. Japan actually surrendered on September 2. And main American troops landed on Japanese soil on September 3. The day was really the day of humiliation for Japan. To tell the truth, Japan intentionally chose August 15 as its surrender day. August 15 was Napoleon's birthday. Napoleon has been one of Japan's most important persons. Probably, the Japanese government looked for a would-be vendetta hero, a rightist's child who had been born on September 3, 1945. Fortunately or unfortunately, Shigenobu was chosen and she was raised to be a leading extremist. Under such circumstances, Japanese could hardly resist it. Even more hardly they could resist, if supported by the government.
reference
Japanese Red Army was actually a detachment force of the Japanese army and police. hypotheses are included HOME INDEX TOP C
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2008/1/31 #81
Japan's Conspiracy (44-7) Fusako Shigenobu (2) Another Example of Inheritance

But the chain of misfortune didn't stop there. Shigenobu gave her three children special names. If their names are combined, they literally mean "victory of revolution" in Japanese. Her eldest daughter Mei Shigenobu is a regular commentator of a TV program broadcast by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation. But she seems to reiterate her mother's belief. They may think that it is their destiny. However, giving a baby a name which is offensive to public order and morals should be illegal. Even if it is given by the parent, it is still a serious violation of human rights. Babies have no ability to choose their names. If they hope so, they can change their names when they become adults. This epitomizes the Japanese tradition of succession. Bad things as well as good ones are succeeded. The roles of stalkers and government agents are inherited as well.
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Mei Shigenobu
Timely Arrest
There was a controversy about the recount process in the presidential election in Florida in December 2000. Shigenobu's arrest was suddenly announced on December 8 when there were a lot of US news about the election. She returned to Japan almost without people's knowledge. This coincidence was created also to ridicule the US. This year is also the election year. I hope nothing bad will happen.
Okinawa University
In Okinawa University, there were two professors who supported Japanese Red Army, Environmental scholar Jun Ui and Guest Professor Kyoko Otani. Ui had a connection with a hijacker, Takeshi Okamoto. Ui died on November 11, 2006. Okinawa is a very important place for the anti-American movement. These are hypotheses.
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2008/1/1 #82
Japan's Conspiracy (45) Ugly Coincidence
Japan-China relations have developed greatly in 2007. But ugly terrorist attacks continued behind the stage. If they are conspiracies, the following hypotheses can be made. 1. Terrorists throughout the world are monolithic and form the common command structure. And the organization goes against the interest of Japan and China that try to improve their friendly relationship. 2. Not China but Japan may have something to do with the terrorist organizations.
April 22, 2004

A train disaster occurred in the town of Ryongchn, North Korea near the border with China on April 22, 2004. The disaster occurred when a flammable cargo exploded at the railway station at about 1300 local time. Up to 3,000 people had been killed or injured in the blast and subsequent fires. The North Korean government declared a state of emergency in the region, but little information about the accident has been made public. The incident reportedly happened nine hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il passed through the station on his way home from a visit to Beijing. Mr Kim had been in China to meet Hu Jintao and to discuss North Korea's nuclear programme.
April 11, 2007

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made an address at the Japanese parliament. The deadliest attacks in Algeria's capital in a decade killed 24 people and injured 222.
December 1, 2007
Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura visited Beijing. He held a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Koumura and Yang also signed agreements on mutual cooperation in criminal investigations and on Japan's final batch of yen loans to China after their talks.
ETA killed, in France, two Spanish Civil Guards on counter-terrorist surveillance duties in Capbreton, Landes. This has been its first cold blood killing after it ended its self styled "permanent ceasefire" and the first killing committed by ETA in France of an Spanish police agent ever since 1976, when they kidnapped, tortured and assassinated two Spanish inspectors in Hendaye.
December 27, 2007

Japan's Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, has visited China for the first time since he took office last September. He had talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, and President Hu Jintao. He called for increased co-operation with China in the future, at the end of a four-day trip to the country. Benazir Bhutto was killed whilst leaving a campaign rally for the PPP at Liaquat National Bagh, where she had given a spirited address to party supporters in the run-up to the January 2008 parliamentary elections.
January 17, 2008

Gordon Brown has told the BBC there is a "huge opportunity" for British businesses in China, on his first visit to the country as prime minister on January 18. He said trade was not "one way" - while Britain would import more goods, it would export its financial services. He and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao have agreed to boost trade by 50% by 2010. Mr Brown has also offered China 50m to help the country tackle climate change. A British Airways flight from Beijing to London with 152 people on board has landed short of the runway at Heathrow airport near London on January 17. The incident has delayed the flight carrying UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is flying to Beijing today on a visit to China and India.
April 28, 2008

The Olympic flame arrived in North Korea early Monday for the first torch relay in the country to be held later in the day. The torch arrived at Pyongyang's international airport after midnight on a plane from the South Korean capital of Seoul. Seventy people were killed and 420 injured early Monday when a passenger train from Beijing careered off the rails and slammed into another train in eastern China. The first train was travelling to Qingdao -- the coastal city that will host the Olympic sailing competition in August -- when it derailed, causing a train coming in the opposite direction to leave the tracks.
reference
The birthday of Chinese President Hu Jintao coincided with the day when the imperial conference which decided the implementation of the "New China Policy" was held in Tokyo. Thus, it is highly probable that Hu Jintao is included in the Japanese imperial family. hypotheses are included
to be continued
Japan's Conspiracy (45-2) Japan's Conspiracy (45-2) Is it a coincidence?
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2008/1/31 #83
At the moment when I heard the death of Sir Edmund Hillary ( Wikipedia) in the TV news, I thought Hillary Clinton had been dead. I had thought the climber who had first reached the summit of Mount Everest had been a British man. I once had heard of his name, but I had forgotten it completely. At that time, Hillary Clinton was waging a presidential campaign in a desperate mood.
Another Coincidence in the Past

As I was concerned about the coincidence, I examined their articles further. Soon, I found an article about the emergency hospital admission of Sir Edmund. He had been admitted to an intensive care unit with a lung infection on February 11, 1998. And I examined articles about Hillary Clinton, too. I was surprised. She had been in desperate mood because of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Bill Clinton denied having had "a sexual affair," "sexual relations," or "a sexual relationship" with Lewinsky while under oath, and on 26 January 1998 claimed "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" in a nationally televised White House news conference.
The couple had been in such a terrible pinch that British Prime Minister Tony Blair had hurried to their aid several days before.
Lewinsky and Japanese Red Army (added on January 26, 2011)

In fact, Lewinsky was born on the day of Japanese terrorism. She was born on
July 23, 1973. On that day, Japan Air Lines Flight 404 was bombed by the Japanese Red Army. In 1999, the love affair led to a period of pop culture celebrity for Lewinsky as a younger-generation focus of a political storm. In early 1999, Lewinsky declined to sign an autograph in an airport, saying, "I'm kind of known for something that's not so great to be known for." However, on her birthday in that year, a crazy hijacking occurred in Japan, again.
Another Coincidence with the National Foundation Day in Japan

Though I did not find the day on purpose, the day was, again, National Foundation Day in Japan. Vatican and the Workers' Party in Brazil -------------I respect all the celebrities on this topic. I have no intention to tarnish their reputation. I pray for the soul of Sir Edmund. Sir Edmund Hillary was probably Japanese. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 successfully made the first manned landing on the Moon. The day was Hillary's 50th birthday. On February 11, 1998, Hillary was admitted to an intensive care unit with a lung reference infection. But on that day, a Japanese freestyle skier, Tae Satoya, won gold in women's moguls at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. The day was Japan's National Foundation Day. On January 11, 2008, Hillary died. But on that day, the Replenishment Support Special Measures Law was enacted in Japan. Japan Airlines Flight 123 to be continued hypotheses are included
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2008/2/4 #84
Japan's Conspiracy (46) Government's Responsibility

Japanese don't understand the meaning of government. In fact, they are misled.
This is the definition of the government in English Wikipedia.
A government is the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit, the ruling power in a political society, and the apparatus through which a governing body functions and exercises authority.
But the definition in Japanese Wikipedia is different as follows.

(my translation) In a democratic country, the government is controlled according to the idea of the people. The sovereignty is based on the people's trust. In Japan, different forms of government are not taught. At schools, it is not taught that there are countries with different political systems. Japanese may think that there are no countries with a political system better than that of Japan. Most Japanese think that even autocratic states in Africa have the same political system we have in Japan.
Japan's problem
1. Corporate Japan In Japan, the government is regarded as an enterprise which operates the people's assets. They don't say so, but they think so from the bottom of their hearts. 2. Winners and Losers While companies pursue profits, the government naturally pursue profits. While there are shareholders, customers and other citizens around the company, there are special people (politicians, their supporters, bureaucrats and government workers) and other ordinary citizens around the government. Former prime minister Koizumi once called them "winners and losers". 3. Ignored Losers Companies run business always with their eyes set on shareholders and customers. Outside citizens are ignored. For the government, outsiders are simply tax payers. In foreign countries, Japan thinks of its profit first and mostly ignores foreigners. 4. Strange Democracy The election systems function well in Japan. As even narrow majority shareholders can control the company, a narrow majority is enough to control Japan. With the more losers, the stronger can be winners. On this point, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been successful. It still enjoys its narrow majority in the Diet. Yet the election result is suspicious. 5. Japanese have no idea about public relations They don't know the meaning of PR though they are familiar with the word. When Japanese say, "pi-a-ru", they mean advertisement or announcement. 6. Social Security Plan and Foreign Assistance Japanese companies organize charities such as donations, for sure, but they are part of benefit maximization. Expenditures for charities are planned in consideration of cost-effectiveness. In the same way, social security plan and foreign assistance are planned by the government in consideration of cost-effectiveness. The most important profit is acquisition of foreign money and foreign assets. For that purpose, Japan needs a good reputation. Social security plan and foreign assistance are carried out just because Japan has many customers in developed countries, where they have strict attitude for that policy. 7. No Ethics
Japanese companies have little ethics. They think it prevents from making profits. If a worker achieves a big sales increase with unethical activities, but without revelation and lawsuit, he is admired. This ability is a must to become an excellent businessman in Japan. The same can be said in the case of the government. When I was a junior high-school student, there was a subject of ethics. But the teacher was often absent. Students just killed time. There was no evaluation in the subject of ethics. 8. Polite Japanese Japanese are all the more trained to be polite. If the lack of ethics were to be revealed, the whole scenario would collapse. Japan has been admired as the safest country with the best policemen in the world. At least Japanese think so. In the world history and politics, the more autocratic a country is, the less crimes it has. This is not because people are ethical but because people are too fearful to commit crimes. Relatively high crime rate may be the reflection of real democracy. 9. Embezzlers work the hardest. When I worked for a Japanese company, I heard some embezzlement cases among my colleagues. They were fired at last. But I blamed myself for having failed to find out the embezzlement. I thought that criminals always displayed suspicious behavior. But in fact their job performance was perfect. They worked harder than everybody. They were kind to everybody. In comparison to these workers, you can understand Japan very well.
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2008/1/11 #85
Japan's Conspiracy (47-1) Japanese Empire within Brazil

Brazil is far away from Japan, but it has a very close relationship with Japan.
chronological order
1895 Brazil entered into a commercial treaty with Japan. 1897 The two countries exchanged legations. 1908 Japanese migration to Brazil started. 1942 They broke diplomatic relations. 1952 They resumed diplomatic relations. 1980 PT(Workers' Party) was founded. (led by Lula da Silva until 1994) 1982 PT was legally recognized. Japanese-Brazilians go 'home' to tap economic boom
Flag of the Workers' Party
2001 The first World Social Forum was held. 2008 The eighth WSF won't be organized at a particular place.
Japanese Brazilian
A Japanese Brazilian is a Brazilian citizen of Japanese ethnic origin, or a Japanese immigrant living in Brazil. Brazil is the Latin American country that has received the most ethnic Japanese immigrants, as well having the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, numbering an estimate of more than 1.5 million considerably bigger than that of the 1.2 million in the United States. Nowadays most of them have been assimilated into Brazilian society. But the purpose of migration was originally the expansion of Japan's influence. So, Japan allowed their descendants to go back to Japan as migrant workers in 1990.
PT (Workers' Party)
Here, there is also the Japan's national foundation day. The Vatican became an independent country within Italy thanks to Benito Mussolini on February 11, 1929. On this day Japan also celebrated its own foundation because this day was also Japan's most important national holiday, the National Foundation Day. It was obvious that the Vatican had something to do with Japan. The Workers' Party was founded on February 10, 1980, and legally recognized on February 11, 1982. Sometimes the date of other country is a day behind that of Japan. And it is obvious that the Workers' Party has something to do with Japan.
World Social Forum

The World Social Forum is a summit that was created to counter the World Economic Forum. It tends to meet in January when its "great capitalist rival", the World Economic Forum is meeting in Davos, Switzerland. This is not a coincidence. The date was chosen because of the logistical difficulty of organizing a mass protest in Davos and to try to overshadow the coverage of the World Economic Forum in the news media. This is a media manipulation which we often see the Japanese government carry out. It interrupts unwelcome media coverage by making up events and accidents. The WSF was established with the support of the Workers' Party. Anti-American movements often seem to include Japanese tricks. reference Religions of Japanese origin in Brazil Presidential Election in Brazil.
Foro de Sao Paulo to be continued
The End of the Statue of Liberty hypotheses are included HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/1/12 #86
Japan's Conspiracy (47-2) Religions of Japanese origin in Brazil
There are many Japanese religious organizations in Brazil. But let me introduce three of them here. 1. Seicho-No-Ie Seicho-No-Ie means "The Home of Infinite Life". This religious organization has about 2 million believers. It has many believers in Brazil. It was founded in Japan by Dr. Masaharu Taniguchi who was born in Kobe, Japan in 1893. He was a former staff member of Omoto-kyo, a fanatic and nationalistic religious group. Omoto-kyo was clamped down on by the government in the end. "Omoto-kyo" is written as "" in Japanese. And "Imperial Headquarters during WWII" is written as "". They are very similar. Some people say that Aum Shinrikyo Cult is a modern version of Omoto-kyo. In fact, in a sense, Omoto-kyo was renamed after the government's suppression. And Aum Shinrikyo Cult changed its name into Aleph as well. But nothing seems to have changed in Aleph. 2. Church of World Messianity It has 800,000 believers. It has many believers in Brazil, too. It separated from Omoto-kyo.
Soka Gakkai International
soka gakkai songs forever sensei
3. Soka Gakkai International It is said to have about 500,000 believers in Brazil. But in the light of its foundation day, it cannot be denied that the religious organization is controlled by the Tokugawa samurai clan behind the stage.
Soka Gakkai International establshment November 18, 1930 (Japanese calendar) September 28, 1930 related events: Japanese Emperor Kammu allocates residence of Nara, Nara to Kyoto. Tokugawa Ieyasu took over Osaka Castle. (birthday) Tokugawa Ienari, the eleventh and longest serving shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.
Japanese Associations
Japanese immigrants are controlled by prefectural associations which are under the auspices of the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Their network is similar to that of neighborhood associations in Japan. In Brazil, there are 44 Okinawa Associations of Brazil (Japanese, Portuguese). Now that there are 47 prefectures in Japan, there should be about 2,000 prefectural associations, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, in Brazil. Except for Japan, I have never heard of such cases in the world.
Extradition
Japan has concluded extradition agreements with just two countries, the United States and South Korea. There are many cases in which criminals who have committed crimes in Japan flee from Japan into other countries including Brazil. I wonder why Japan doesn't negotiate with other countries a treaty which is the nearest way to eradicate terrorism.
Infringement of Sovereignty
Japanese prefectural associations can be breeding grounds for money laundering or terrorism. If Japan needs organizations in a foreign country which support Japanese immigrants, it should increase legations or consulates. In a country, foreign organizations whose purpose are unclear may hurt the national interests of the country. I don't mean to restrict the foreign intercourse. It should be promoted instead. But there should be clear rules and purposes in it. United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice was born on the day when Komeito, or Clean Government Party in Japanese, was founded by the Buddhist society Soka Gakkai. The crime of Soka Gakkai is said to be constructed so that it is not told by the people. Japanese Empire within Brazil Foro de Sao Paulo Japan-Brazil Cooperation in Ridiculing Statue of Liberty Brazil and Japan's National Foundation Day
reference
Japan and Caracas
Presidential Election in Brazil to be continued hypotheses are included HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (48) Japan's Conspiracy (48) Collusion in Political Parties
2008/1/13 #87
In fact, there is no opposition parties in Japan. Politicians including the prime minister and the Tokyo governor are actually supported by all the political parties. Struggles among political parties are just gestures for foreigners and the media. This can be said in the case of Osaka, where the gubernatorial election campaigns have been kicked off, to say nothing of that of Tokyo. A lecture on FCCJ by Yasuo Tanaka (I'm not Mr. Tanaka's supporter. I only found this site as a good example describing "the collusion in Japan" written in English.) WIKIPEDIA in Japanese about "the collusion among political parties in Japan" In Japan, politicians are de facto comedians. Some politicians are professional comedians or professional wrestlers. Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto Shaking Hands with Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara
Osaka Governor
Osaka has 8.8 million people. It is the largest city in Western Japan. Welcome to Kagoshima
Former Governor Knock Yokoyama was a professional comedian. He was accused of, and indicted for, molesting a young woman who worked for his election campaign. He resigned in the end. Current Governor Fusae Ohta was elected in 2000 with the support of all the parties. Nowadays in Japan, it is not rare for all the parties to support the same candidate. I once heard that she had been chosen for the candidate as she had danced as well as a male politician at a drinking party. She is a symbol of corruption of Japanese women.
Kagoshima Mayor Hiroyuki Mori
Osaka is almost bankrupt.

Osaka is suffering from financial difficulties. The outstanding balance of Osaka prefectural government bonds was about 4.3 trillion yen in fiscal 2006, which ended in March 2007. Corruption is still spreading.
Laugh is the point of issue in the Osaka gubernatorial election.

Osaka is the center of food and comedy. Laugh is at issue in the election campaigns, too. The candidate of the ruling party says, "Let's make Osaka the place where children laugh, adults laugh and old people laugh." And the candidate of an opposition party says, "Let's make Osaka the place which is never laughed at by the people in the world." In the English newspapers, however, their topics are mostly serious.
Voter turnout stood at only 25 percent in Kagoshima.

The mayoral election in Kagoshima City on November 30, 2008 was devastating. There were only two candidates, incumbent mayor Hiroyuki Mori and a female fresh candidate, Michiko Katsurada. But the female candidate belongs to the Japanese Communist Party. She is little-known and seems to be no better than an ordinary woman. The election committee provides the information of the election on their website, but they give only the names of the candidates with no picture or with no related information. In the local elections in Japan, opposition candidates are only Communists. Other political parties are always supporting the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. However, as I described in another page, the Communist Party is a detachment force of the LDP. And their candidates are always little-known and dull. It's not an overstatement to say that the Taisei Yokusankai (Imperial Rule Assistance Association) has finally revived. The Japanese society is seemingly peaceful, but if they are deceiving the naive voters, they must know that they will face the justice in the future, for sure. reference Okinawa and Kagoshima The landslide was the government's conspiracy. Paranoia Japan Corrupt TOYOTA Traitor Politician Japanese Politicians
Japanese Red Army Leader Fusako Shigenobu Toyota is pulling the strings of organized stalkers.
2004 Madrid train bombings and High-speed Railway Line (Shinkansen) on Kyushu Island in Japan A glorious battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy Naples is a sister city of Kagoshima, Japan. Battle of Iwo Jima My Computers Attacked.
Russo-Japanese War and Jews Shimazu Clan and Japan's Conspiracy
Artificial Eruptions in Japan Policemen's Rebellion
Stalin's Secrets
Insulting Okinawa and Kagoshima Poisoner Masumi Hayashi
Chile Earthquake was a conspiracy created by Japan and Fujimori. Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami
Kagoshima Prefecture and the Underground Community in Japan Japanese Food Production System
to be continued
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2008/1/13 #88
Japan's Conspiracy (49) the Death of Princess Diana in a Car Accident

I have little information about Diana's death. But this case is similar to conspiracies which we see in Japan. === Hypotheses === 1. The purpose of the group of paparazzi was originally the assassination of Diana. (1) to disrupt the accident investigation to disrupt the investigation by revealing the pictures having been taken just after the accident to show the evidence that contradicts the police announcement (2) Those who took pictures just after an accident may be charged with assassination. But they can get away with it if they are regular paparazzi. 2. The collision with a car ahead is doubtful. (1) If Diana's car had hit the rear left of a car ahead, its rear part would have been swung to the left and would have hit the pillar at the center of the tunnel. (2) The car ahead should have hit the right side of the tunnel with its rebound. But there are no marks there. (3) The pillars in the tunnel stand at intervals of seven meters (estimated from the pictures). Diana's car collided head-on with a pillar. So, the collision angle is estimated to be around 20 degrees. (4) In order to hit the pillar at 20 degrees' angle with the speed of about 80 kilometers per hour, a lot of lateral force to the left is needed. Simply hitting a car which is moving ahead cannot create a lateral force enough to let the car swerve. 3. The accident may have been caused by oncoming cars on the opposite lane. (1) Direct obstruction by vehicles moving abreast may have left evidence. Princess Diana Conspiracy The Accident image
(2) The evidences about vehicles which were moving parallel seem to be false information to disturb the investigation or confused information. (3) Oncoming vehicles on the opposite lane are often used to carry out assassinations in Japan. (4) Diana's car may have been pulled toward the center line of the tunnel by the large wind pressure created by a specialized vehicle moving on the opposite lane. ( creating a large wind pressure with powerful vacuum devices or using a combination of several vehicles ) ( When two large trailer trucks on both sides go by each other at full speed, they may create a large wind pressure at a moment. Small but powerful tornadoes may be created. ) (5) The wind pressure can be maximized inside the tunnel. (6) The wind pressure is not made in the tunnel which is separated with the wall. But it is made in the tunnel which is separated with the center line. But in this case, Diana's car may jump into the vehicle which creates the wind. Then a tunnel in which there are pillars on its center line is desirable to create the seemingly one-car accident. (7) A short tunnel may have been chosen for the assassination. At a short tunnel, the vehicles may not have been conspicuous too much. (8) Although their videos were taken, they may have got away with it because they were moving on the opposite side of the tunnel. (9) Paparazzi moving parallel with Diana's car were used to draw investigators' attention. (10) Midnight was chosen for the assassination. They wanted to avoid including innocent drivers. (11) There are few roads which meet all the conditions. 3. A tiny clue to the solution (1) to investigate similar traffic accidents at similar places. Rehearsals are done for a terrorism aimed at important people. (2) The place, time, car, and so on may have been carefully prepared for the assassination. People who had led Diana to that situation may be doubtful. Sometimes, such conspiracies have been prepared for more than a year. (3) to examine the vehicles which were moving on the opposite side of the tunnel at that time. This case may have nothing to do with Japan. But as I respect Princess Diana, I would like to offer even a tiny suggestion. If you think it is absurd or boring, please forget it. reference Death of Princess Diana in a Car Accident (2) Japan won World War II. 7 July 2005 London bombings Japan's Conspiracy in English History Brighton Hotel Bombing
Assassination of John Lennon
Tokugawa Ieyasu and Forty-seven Ronin Nobel Prize and Japan's Secret to be continued Go to next page
hypotheses are included
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2008/1/31 #89
Japan's Conspiracy (50) Rainfall

We rarely think seriously about rainfall. This attitude is something like the one we have toward a forest fire or an urban conflagration. But let me think about it a little seriously here.
Forest Fires
Nobody regards trees around the mountain as part of a powder magazine of the nature when he or she looks at them. In the same way, nobody thinks houses, offices and hotels as part of a powder magazine of the artificial construct. HAARP CBC Broadcast
But everybody understands that trees are really explosives when he or she sees people burnt alive in the forest fire or killed in an abrupt urban fire. The reason is that a mere strike of a match can start a forest fire which may have much more destructive power than the match. Under the normal circumstances, we rarely see ignitions caused by matches or thunderbolts. And we forget its awful fact in our daily lives.
The Sky is a Natural Dam.

If the floodgate of a dam full of water is opened, there would be a great flood down the stream. If a hole is made in the levee, it will be broken immediately. In the same way, the sky is a natural dam. It is often filled with a lot of water. Under the normal circumstances, we rarely see great floods from the sky because the dam in the sky is rarely destroyed. However, once it is destroyed, the result will be catastrophic. But human beings finally found the way to open the floodgate of the dam in the sky. This is something like starting a forest fire with a match. But in this case, a match is not used. Carbon dioxide is used, instead.
Ten Trillion Tons of Water

There is about ten trillion tons of water in the sky. The surface area of the earth is about 500 million square kilometers. If all the vapor in the sky is fallen evenly to all the surface of the earth, amount of the rainfall will be 20 millimeters. But in consideration with the fact that most of the surface of the earth is covered with dry air such as clear regions in and around deserts or oceans, there can be more than 200 millimeters of rainfall in humid regions such as the Japanese archipelago. There may be even up to 1000 millimeters in the case of a localized rain burst. Recently, I have found some interesting data in the Internet. I am preparing a topic in which you could confirm the impact of the artificial rainfall. reference Director of Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer, was Japanese Verification of Weather Manipulation (2) Typhoon and Hurricane Typhoons Are Manipulated Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Floods in Bangladesh and Poisoned Curry in Japan Landslide Conspiracy Artificial Rain to be continued Hurricane Kyoto Protocol, Blatant Lie Japanese Secret Weapons
2008/1/31 #90
Japan's Conspiracy (50-2) Artificial Rain

I have repeatedly pointed out the artificial rainfall as the cause of some disasters. And some related information has finally come out
since last December. But the scale of disaster is beyond imagination. This time, I take up one example. But let me say that you are the person who judges the credibility of my information.
Experimental Result
artificial rain
Sasebo City in Kyushu Island and an assistant professor at Kyushu University Faculty of Engineering made an announcement about experiments on artificial rainfall in the Internet newspaper. The announcement can be read in Japanese only. So, let me translate its outline into English as follows. Sasebo City has been suffering water shortages. It has carried out a research on artificial rainfall with Fukuoka Prefecture and the Self-Defense Forces since 1994. So far, they have confirmed the two results below. 1. Artificial rainfall requires a cloud which is at least one kilometer in thickness. 2. The temperature in the cloud should be below zero degrees centigrade. Under such circumstances, they have confirmed the rainfall result from five out of six experiments, since 1999.
Basic Data
1. The spray of 600 grams of liquid carbon dioxide in the air created 500,000 tons of precipitation. 2. The precipitation started 30 minutes after the spray. 3. Exact prediction about the move of clouds is necessary to make a rainfall at the targeted place.
Cost
1. the fare for a small plane and the price of liquid carbon dioxide (about a dollar per one kilogram) 2. the only Japanese website in English which I have found for the technical information about artificial rainfall A low-level penetration seeding experiment of liquid carbon dioxide in a convective cloud
Comments
1. Practical Application They say that the experiment started in 1994. But its practical application seems to have started after the end of WWII. In 1993, there were terrible weather terrorism (according to my opinion) in the Southern part of Kyushu Island. 2. The Scale of Artificial Rainfall If it should be the case, the scale of artificial rainfall can be enormous. If the area were to be 50 square kilometers, there would have been 10 millimeters of rainfall with mere 600 grams of liquid carbon dioxide (the price of only 60 cents). 3. Weather terrorism is feasible.
If 600 grams of liquid carbon dioxide can cause 10 millimeters of precipitation, 60 kilograms of it can cause 1000 millimeters of precipitation as well. This is a destructive amount of rainfall. 4. If this information is correct, it can be said that some riddles in the weather terrorism (artificial rainfall) have been answered. 5. Theoretical Evidence about Weather Terrorism The basic and important point is that, when thermal energy is transformed into kinetic energy, it becomes enormous. Actually, it does not increase its volume, but the transformation often causes some incredible phenomenon people can not imagine from their past experience. I think the person who put the phenomenon into practical use for the first time was Robert Stephenson. He moved a steam locomotive made from steel weighing about 10 tons at the speed of about 30 kilometers per hour. Today, we can drive a car at the speed of 100 kilometers per hour for several hours with about 50 litter gas. But how much does the temperature increase in a room when the equivalent amount of gas is burnt in a heater for several hours. When thermal energy is transformed into kinetic energy, it becomes powerful beyond imagination. On this point, there is a good reason why the difference of temperature is utilized in creating destructive power (strong wind and heavy rainfall ). 6. Information Control Nothing is more manipulated than the information about artificial rain. Countries conceal the information so that the information is not abused. It is reasonable to some extent. But nobody thought that there would be a country which itself investigates and abuses the information. People in charge would be astonished. But countries cannot criticize Japan diplomatically. So, the weather manipulation technology has become weapons of mass destruction. It is natural that Japanese prime ministers, ministers and bureaucrats have become complacent and have believed that Japan could take over the world. Nevertheless, they are invariably stupid and guilty. 7. Wikipedia Cloud seeding is a common technique intended to trigger rain, but evidence on its effectiveness is mixed. Critics generally contend that claimed successes occur in conditions which were going to rain anyway. It is used in several different countries, including the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Russia. In the People's Republic of China there is actually a perceived dependency upon it in dry regions, which believe they are actually increasing annual rainfall by firing silver iodide rockets into the sky where rain is desired. In the United States, dry ice or silver iodide may be injected into a cloud by aircraft, or even from the ground , in an attempt to increase rainfall; there are even companies dedicated to this form of weather modification. reference Director of Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer, was Japanese Verification of Weather Manipulation (2) Typhoon and Hurricane Typhoons Are Manipulated Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Hypotheses are included.
Floods in Bangladesh and Poisoned Curry in Japan Landslide Conspiracy Rainfall Hurricane Kyoto Protocol, Blatant Lie Japanese Secret Weapons
to be continued
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2008/1/31 #91
Japan's Conspiracy (51-1) Insiders' Paradise

Japan is an insiders' paradise. Laws regulating insider trading have a variety of loopholes. Financial Products Exchange Law (Japanese)
Politicians' Assets
After the recent stock price crash, Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama complacently said, "I lost four billion yen." In calculation, the total value of his stocks may be more than 40 billion yen. But according to the disclosure of his assets, he had 730 million yen of assets. What happened? In fact, the disclosure of Cabinet ministers' assets does not include stock assets. And, since it is a voluntary disclosure, it has no credibility. In addition, politicians and bureaucrats are exempt from the insiders' regulation. Japanese are always manipulated by the false information from the media. It is an open secret that politicians make money through short-selling of stocks. Thomas Edison's Inventions Yukio Hatoyama speaks English
Japanese-style collusion
Japan has a unique secret communication system. The information that stock prices will rise tomorrow is critical. But, even if a person knowing nothing about stocks says to a specialist, "I think stock prices will rise tomorrow," and the specialist buys and sells stocks accordingly, nobody suspects their insider trading. There is the Japanese-style collusion here. There was a typical collusive insider trading scandal in 1991. Financial dealers made Nui Onoue, a landlady of a high-class restaurant, into a fortuneteller and used her for their insider trading. Many investors and bank officers visited her and listened to her divine prophecy. She was actually the mentor on the bubble economy. In the end, she repudiated her 430 billion yen debt to the banks. It was unusual to lend such inordinate amount of money to an individual, but the recipe for insider trading took root in Japan at last.
Hatoyama and Ishibashi family tree
Now, there is no need for such a fortuneteller. Stock dealers can communicate with their counterparts. Some dealers are in the center of critical information. They win all the time, and others simply know that. All the dealers follow the winning dealers. Those winning dealers do not always participate in the dealing. They participate when they are needed. But once they appear in the stock market, the information spreads among dealers immediately. That's enough. Unfortunately, such dealers are usually promoted faster. In Japan, nowadays, most of the specialists, such as financial directors, financial managers and chief dealers are such people.
reference
Yukio Hatoyama's birthday is the 100th anniversary of Edison's birth. In the light of the strategy of Japan's conspiracy, it is highly probable that Hatoyama is Edison's descendant. His enormous amount of asset probably comes from Edison's legacy. Japan's Money Laundering Shinginko Tokyo bank Epicenter of Conspiracy, "Star Festival Club" Rebiya Kadeer is Another Dalai Lama Money-making Conspiracy Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Stock Market Debacle Napoleon's Secrets
Stalin's Secrets to be continued
2008/1/31 #92
Japan's Conspiracy (51-2) Stock Market Debacle

We also often see collusion among securities firms and dealers in foreign countries. And they have the same problem, too. The more honestly many dealers work, the more paid and promoted are illicit dealers.
Different from Doping

There is a similar fraud in sports. It is a doping. But doping is a private problem. On the contrary, insider trading is a fraud that is carried out in the global financial network. Insider trading is beyond a person's profit or loss. Particularly when it is conducted by a country, its destructive effect is enormous. The reason is that some countries collude like other insider cases. Capitalism and Fraud in the Current Turbulent Era
Press Reset Button of Society

In the past, wars solved all the problems when the society collapsed. But, though there are wars against terrorism, we have not seen major wars for more than 60 years. I never say that war is the right answer, but I think nothing may solve the social problems other than wars. When we look back at the history, we know that, while justice prevailed in the war, evil triumphed in the peaceful society. Some people may say that might is right. The fact of the history, however, is that justice prevails only in the war. Evil triumphs gradually and steadily in the peaceful society. Human beings are susceptible to temptation. It is not until they are faced with death that they really need justice. It is ideal to have a peaceful society in which justice prevails. But, due to the advancement of information society, the idea of the family and life has changed a lot. It seems that all of the socialism, welfare statism, capitalism, liberalism, individualism and democracy have become obsolete. But I have never seen or heard any ideal alternative society. reference Manipulating Trade and Market Disasters and Economy Money-making Conspiracy Death Merchant
to be continued
2008/1/31 #93
Japan's Conspiracy (52) The Police Show its True Color. Location
Murasakibaru 4 chome Kagoshima City, Kagoshima, Japan
The police
the South Kagoshima City Police Station in Kagoshima Prefecture (in fact, it is unknown what department they belong to.) Japanese Gangster August 27, 1984 Japan Broadcasting Corporation
Brief History
My family and I have been suffering group harassment and group stalkers for more than 40 years. And since I began to get at the truth, new facts have appeared one after another. There have been a variety of harassment, but I'd like to inform you about some of them in summary.
The police around me are really yakuza. I don't want to use this dirty word, but I can't find any appropriate words other than it to describe them. I am preparing a submission of petition to the governor for the investigation of the police crimes. I have collected hundreds of signatures so far. I would like all the people to realize the current situation and to support the people who are attacked by the police in Japan. Today, there was an urgent event. So, I inform you about it first. I sincerely hope that you will understand the police corruption in Japan. I'm not a native English speaker. So, please excuse me for the inconvenience in my expression.
What Happened ( in summary )

In the center of a bedroom suburb of Kagoshima City, there is a vacant lot where there used to be residential buildings for workers who are working for the Maritime Safety Agency. It is located near my house. Around my house, there have been harassing noises, stalkers and intimidation for a long period of time. I made an emergency call to police many times. But most of them were helpless. And it was about twenty years ago that I knew that they acted in collusion. I used my utmost knowledge and made utmost efforts to keep illicit people including stalkers at bay. Some good people helped me. Then the harassment has gradually decreased. And to my surprise, the police themselves began to harass us instead. The police finally revealed that they were the czars of organized stalkers.
bulldozers make annoying noises every day

The vacant lot is now owned by the central government. Bulldozers moved around there. They simply continued digging and burying. They didn't stop until somebody complains. A few months ago when I made a complaint, they said, "Now, we have finished," and disappeared. They have been making noises for several days with bulldozers. I asked them again. (around 16 pm, the 25th) .......... I : What kind of things are you constructing? the worker: I am dumping the earth here. .......... I : This is a state-owned land. What company are you working for? ...............When will it finish? ...............(The worker started to get on a mobile to someone.) the worker: The manager is coming. .......... I : Don't you know for what purpose you are working? I knew that if I waited, some unhappy things occurred. So, I came back home. In a few minutes, I heard footsteps of some people coming towards the door. The buzzer sounded. ......... I : Hello. policeman: The police are here. Open the door. ......... I : What are you asking? policeman: You had a quarrel, didn't you? Open the door. ...............(They tried to break the door open. The door seemed to be destroyed. I was scared.)......... ......... I : Last time, I asked the police to call me first. I always answer rightly. policeman: Just get out. ......... I : I'm on the job. Don't interfere with my work. policeman: You raised your hand against someone. ......... I : What? Don't be ridiculous. Who said that? policeman: You just get out. ......... I : Please bring here the person who called the police. .............(the argument continued.).......... Later, they went back. Usually, once I open the door, they keep blustering out at least 30 minutes. They frequently harass us these days. Once I make a complaint against someone or ask about the harassment to someone, immediately the police come. If I don't do so, they gradually escalate the harassment until I complain. They actually never stop the harassment.
A Trap in the Citizen Judge System (supplement)

The Japanese police seem to want to exclude the nuisance from the society at any cost. From now on, the police will train ordinary citizens for the judiciary service. There is no doubt but they are going to hold blatantly incoherent trials. They need blindly obedient citizens for the system. For that purpose, they have increased the number of organized stalkers. Such stalkers are the prospective citizen jury for them. The situation in which citizens work under the bureaucrats does not mean the separation of powers. It is the citizens' power to dismiss illicit bureaucrats. In developed countries, leading judges are elected among the people. It's enough. Without implementing the appropriate election system, the police complacently say that the system in which their minions are deployed is democracy.
I would like all the people to recognize that illicit attacks against tax payers are complacently carried out in every corner of Japan and that there are many people who, not knowing how to protest, are simply compelled to accept the injustice. reference to be continued Evil Harassment by Police Evil Harassment by Companies Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
Japan's Conspiracy (53) Japan's Conspiracy (53) Beautiful Woman Is Spy
2008/1/31 #94
Former Indonesian dictator Suharto died at 86 on January 27, 2008. After WWII, there were two presidents who had similar names in this country. Another man was Sukarno. There is, however, another well-known person in Japan. There have been a variety of government agents. They are not necessarily males. Japanese spies act just because of money. All the more reason, they talk about nationalism and ultrarightism. Before and during WWII, Japan actively organized spy networks. After the war, it has continued to organize such networks in complete secret in disguise of a peaceful nation. One of well-known female spies is Dewi Sukarno. When a man has a special relationship with a Japanese female spy, he often becomes unfortunate or dies. And his huge fortune including slush funds disappears. As I know only her later life, I hardly can believe that she was the beauty.
Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno, her late husband, Indonesian President Sukarno (left), and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai pose at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta in 1964.
Japan's key Country as Center Nation of Southeast Asia

Dewi got married with Sukarno in 1962. And, just after that, Vietnam politics suddenly changed. Coups were carried out. The US started the bombing of North Vietnam in retaliation of North Vietnam's attack against a US military assistance advisory group in South Vietnam. In Japan, it was reported that Vietnam war was the civil war in South Vietnam and the US unilaterally bombed North Vietnam. Many Japanese still believe this story.
Sukarno was Communist

Under Sukarno dictatorship, communists suddenly extended their influence in Indonesia. Sukarno established friendly relations with North Korea. He fathered a baby with Dewi and died leaving huge fortune. His death reminds me of John Lennon's death. She visited Yasukuni Shrine with Sukarno. She reiterates nationalistic remarks in Japan.
Class-A War Criminal and Japanese Trading Company
Sukarno and Dewi were brought together by Yoshio Kodama and Nissho Iwai Corporation. Kodama Yoshio had worked as a czar of spies during WWII. He had ended up a class-A war criminal. This man also worked behind the scenes in the Lockheed bribery scandals. He was still a czar of Japanese politics. Stories don't stop there, but let me stop here.
Vietnam War as Camouflage for Secret Operation in Indonesia

In 1959, just before Indonesia overtook Japan in population, Japan sent Naoko Nemoto, a hostess of a Japanese exclusive club, to Indonesian President Sukarno. She is now makes occasional appearances on Japanese TV shows as Dewi Sukarno. In order to prevent the economic development in Indonesia, Japan let President Sukarno establish a dictatorship, something like today's North Korea. The Vietnam War was just a diversionary operation. Dewi Sukarno was born on the 1000th anniversary of the Revolt of Fujiwara no Sumitomo. It strongly insinuates that she is included in the head family members of the traditionally powerful family of regents in Japan. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
2008/2/12 #95
Japan's Conspiracy (54) Feudalistic Democracy Feudalistic Democracy

Japanese history changes dramatically every time it meets Western culture. It met the West for the first time in the middle of the 16th century when Christian missionaries came to Japan, second time when British and US ships came and demanded the opening of Japan to the world. It met the West the third time after WWII and learned free competition. There has been, however, a consistent tendency toward powerful feudalistic centralization behind its free competition system.
Republic vs Democracy
Powerful Central Government That Slowly Strangles People

Around the 17th and the 18th centuries, local feudal lords and their families were ordered to stay in Tokyo. And gradually they were included in the central samurai government. The then Japanese samurai government found a new way to expand its influence. Generally speaking, the central government brings local powers to its knees with its political, economic and military power. But the samurai government gradually reduced the local powers' clout. They twisted local powers' children around their fingers.
Japan's Politics Is Not Democracy But Modified Feudalism

The same policy is still carried out in Japan. Legislators and their families are confined in Tokyo. Ties with their local constituents are cut and their next generations are tamed by the central government. They return to their constituencies and shake hands in front of TV cameras, only for election campaigns.
Legislators Are Born And Brought Up in Tokyo

This tendency is extreme nowadays. We can't see legislators out of Tokyo. Even in Tokyo, we can't meet them during the day. They officially attend the Diet almost throughout the year. It was a real surprise for me. But there is no information about how many days they actually attend the Diet. They can say that they are attending the Diet although they are traveling abroad or playing golf.
Ako Vendetta
This story tells the circumstances very well. In 1703, a feudal lord, Asano, was insulted by another feudal lord, Kira, in Edo(Tokyo) Castle. Then, Asano struck Kira with the sword. Unfortunately, any kind of violence in the shogun's castle was strictly forbidden, and Asano was ordered to commit suicide. Then Asano's 47 men killed Kira in revenge for the death penalty forced upon him. They also committed suicide afterward. The two feudal lords reigned over different regions far away from Tokyo. In addition to that Kira's wife was another feudal lord's daughter, and Kira's daughter married into another feudal lord. Officially, they lived in different regions, but they had known each other since they had been children. Nowadays the circumstances around legislators are very similar to those around samurai lords about 300 years ago. 6. Politicians of ruling and opposition parties are finally stay-at-homes. But the place they stay at is not their home but the Diet.
Politicians Are Finally Stay-at-homes. But Place They Stay at Is Not Home But Diet.
Diet deliberations are very slow with frequent session extensions and with little useful content. There are several reasons for that. 1. It costs about one million dollars per day in every session extension. It is somewhat lucrative for legislators. 2. Legislators can keep voters with petitions and complaints at bay. 3. The Diet session can be a good excuse for not meeting with disadvantageous people including foreigners. Notwithstanding legislators' stay-at-Diet symptoms, the media exaggerate the problem about stay-athome people. If things continue to be as they are, legislators' men would take over their territories as feudal lords' men did in the Meiji Restoration in the mid-nineteenth century. History changes all the time. reference to be continued Pearl Harbor attack was another Mongol invasions of Japan Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/2/18 #96
Japan's Conspiracy (55) Sakoku or Closed-door Policy is a false interpretation of Japan's foreign policy from the 16th to the mid-19th
century. Location
Murasakibaru 4 chome Kagoshima City, Kagoshima, Japan
The police
the South Kagoshima City Police Station in Kagoshima Prefecture (in fact, it is unknown what department they belong to.) Japanese Gangster August 27, 1984 Japan Broadcasting Corporation
Brief History
My family and I have been suffering group harassment and group stalkers for more than 40 years. And since I began to get at the truth, new facts have appeared one after another. There have been a variety of harassment, but I'd like to inform you about some of them in summary.
Dumpling contamination in China is being exaggerated in the Japanese media. But China's response was discreet. Wei Chuanzhong, deputy chief of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine said he hoped the Japanese instigators would tell exactly what they saw in China after going back to guide more impartial and rational media report, instead of reporting exaggeration on groundless speculation. Even for ordinary Japanese, it is disgusting. So, I examined the Sino-Japanese trade in the past. Surprisingly, almost everything has been unchanged. Japan was far from being completely isolated under the sakoku policy. Rather, it was a system in which strict regulations were applied to commerce and foreign relations by the shogunate, and by certain feudal domains (han). In Japan, it has been said that Japan took a sakoku or closed-door policy from the 16th to the mid-19th century. Now, I know that this theory is not true at all and that this theory was fabricated by the future Japanese government for their convenience. If it is said that Japan took a sakoku policy in the past it also can be said that Japan still takes the same sakoku policy. 1. Most historians have known this trick, and now the idea is completely reviewed. 2. Past closed-door policy was just the closed door policy toward ordinary people. It was practically a national monopoly in the foreign trade. 3. At that time, the national foreign trade monopoly was inconvenient for the government. It was inconsistent with the suppression policy against Christianity. The government allowed local feudal lords to engage in foreign trade secretly and exploited them. 4. This form of conspiracy has becom an unbroken tradition in Japan. 5. In Japan, we see few ordinary trading companies. Local trading companies are almost paper companies and most foreign trade is virtually monopolized by major trading firms. In the past, the Japanese samurai government allowed some local feudal lords and major merchants to monopolize its
foreign trade. The current Japanese government allows major trading firms to monopolize its foreign trade. 6. The government's money and trading firms' money is almost indistinguishable. And we can hardly know the actual condition of business in those firms. They often merge and expand at the mercy of the government's policy.
State-owned Enterprises rather than Major Companies

The Japanese government places virtually state-owned enterprises, particularly in the foreign trade division. More than half of their shares are owned by the central government while the rest of their shares are owned by other simila major companies. JTB Corporation is another de facto state-owned enterprise. It is an unlisted company. Its largest shareholder is a judicial foundation, Japan Travel Bureau Foundation. Japan Travel Bureau Foundation says as follows. JTBF is a non-profit, independent organization concentrating tourism research and marketing. Even though it is named as "JTB" our organization is completed from the JTB Corporation, which is the largest tour operator in Japan. We are working for the common welfare of the society including the interest of travel industry. The Government, autonomies are also our important clients. However, in fact, the purpose of JTB Corporation is not to promote the Japanese sightseeing industry but to regulate it. In other words, its real purpose is to keep foreigners at bay. I understand very well that foreigners often feel that their travel was a failure. Just for that purpose, major sightseeing companies have to be state-owned. The Japanese government doesn't want to see Japanese kowtow to foreign tourists. The government's attitude is totally ridiculous. The purpose for which Japan Tobacco moves on to the food trading business is not the promotion of foreign trade but the government's regulation on foreign trade. I doubt that they have carried out a nicotine test. I don't want to eat dumplings with the smell of tobacco smoke.
Reference
The Dutch arrested, tortured and executed English traders, Japanese mercenaries and a Portuguese at Amboyna in 1623. Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. Consequently, the English retreated from Indonesia and turned their effort to the colonization of India. At that time, many Japanese lived in Southeast Asia. There were quite a few Japantowns in some cities including Ayutthaya and Phnom Penh. In 1806, a Japanese ship was overtaken by a storm and went adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, 8 sailors were rescued by an American ship. They became the first Japanese who landed on a Hawaiian Island. During the mere 13 years, between 1797 and 1809, 13 American ships came to Nagasaki. During the Tokyo samurai government from 1603 to 1868, the number of foreign ships which came to ports throughout Japan would be beyond imagination. The term "Closed-door Policy" was coined in the late 19th century. reference Russian Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin, who visited Japan to negotiate trade, was in fact Japanese. Matthew C. Perry, the Commodore of the U.S. Navy, visited Japan to negotiate trade. But he was Japanese, too. to be continued Hypotheses are included.
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2008/2/23 #97
Japan's Conspiracy (56) Collision with a fishing boat was military propaganda of the state-of-the-art destroyer. Hindrance to Navigation
As the number of Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels has increased, the problem about hindrance to navigation by small fishing boats in Japanese waters has become more serious for MSDF ships. In the past after the defeat of WWII, fishermen paid little respect to MSDF ships partly because they were relatively small. Now that it has been upgraded to the navy, they can not allow small fishing boats to interrupt them. But, on the other hand, they can not tell them to stop everything when they see MSDF vessels. Opinions in Japan are not enough belligerent yet. The Japanese Navy euphemistically called the Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) due to Constitutional limitations has come into focus with the dispatch of Japanese naval ships to the Indian Ocean to aid US coalition forces involved in Afghanistan.? The Japanese Navy will be engaged in non-combat missions only.? (from an article in IPCS) Combat Capability of Atago class destroyer
JDS Atago
However, the MSDF is not going to withdraw.
Keeping everyone informed about the new state-of-the-art destroyer

Though Destroyer Atago is mostly called as "Aegis Atago" in Japanese, it is actually a Japanese variant of the United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. They call the vessel as "Aegis" just because they have the constitution that prohibits war. it is a kind of trick. If this kind of semantic abuse is allowed, an aircraft carrier can be said to be a patrol boat. The first Arleigh Burke Class Aegis destroyer was commissioned in 1991. Contracts for the destroyers have been split between the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (formerly Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding), based in Pascagoula, Mississippi and the General Dynamics subsidiary, Bath Iron Works, based in Maine. Atago class destroyer By the way, Atago is a spanking new destroyer which the MSDF is proud of. They are satisfied with the current event for its propaganda.
People's apathy should be avoided.

Nowadays, we see a variety of fabricated news. This accident is another fabrication. The two fishermen would not have been killed. Movements of people concerned are too unnatural and awkward. Fabricated TV programs I'm afraid that the value of the products is created by the media, not by the products themselves. To put it more simply, consider an election for example. The result of an election will greatly depend on how the media present it. Here is a good example in Japan. At the general election in 2005, lots of people followed the mass media repots, and the so-called "Koizumi children" who had no political experience, won the election. It was dreadful. It makes it possible to elect a monster like HITLER.
More confident rather than sorry

The MSDF will become more confident rather than sorry if the current event goes as expected. From now on, fishing boats will be forced to move out of the way for MSDF vessels. So, they will blatantly ignore fishing boats and get away with it, too.
Ministry of Defense Filled with Lots of Date Puns

events on the same day: Fidel Castro announces his resignation as President of Cuba. Serzh Sargsyan is elected President of Armenia. Toshiba announces it will cease developing, manufacturing and marketing HD DVD players and recorders. related events: Battle of Iwo Jima. About 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima (World War II). Battle of Okinawa. United States troops land on Okinawa in the last campaign of the war (World War II). Gold medalists fought at Iwo Jima.
The collision of MSDF DDG "Atago" and a fishing boat "Seitoku Maru" (February 19, 2008)
reference
Transport Ships That Carry Aircraft
Airlines Flight 123 and Commandant of Japan Coast Guard Japanese Whaling Fleets are Detachment Force of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/3/3 #98
Japan's Conspiracy (57) America versus Japanese Red Army leader Fusako Shigenobu
Campaign War for Presidency

The campaign war for presidency has progressed and the debates are heated up in the US. But there have been different heated media coverage in Japan. And I remember the nightmare that happened eight years ago in the US. I think the circumstances are somewhat similar. Some facts hint Japan's involvement. So, let me inform you about it in a hurry.
Hypothesis
1. Japan has been manipulating presidential campaigns and elections in the US. Shigenobu was arrested in 2000
2. Enormous funds, a lot of Americans, quite a few people in Japan and affiliated networks throughout the world have been mobilized.
Evidence
1. There were twists and turns in the vote counting process. And finally there came a clear conclusion on November 7, 2000. On the same day (Japan time: November 8, 2000), Shigenobu was arrested. 2. She had many things with the war between Japan and the US. It is safe to say that she has been an agent of the Japanese government. Shigenobu in 1985 3. Her custody was actually a protection rather than an arrest. If she had continued to wage terrorism as the leader of Japanese Red Army in Lebanon, the US would have targeted her group rather than Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. Japan could not allow such things to happen. And Japan arrested her about a year before the 9.11 terrorist attacks. She went out of her way to declare the dissolution of Japanese Red Army when she was in the prison. On April 14, 2001, During her trial hearing, Shigenobu stated that she was disbanding the Japanese Red Army, and said she would continue her fight through legal means. Judicial authorities usually don't care about the dissolution declaration by a prisoner unless it is a sincere message to his or her comrades. But, strangely enough, her message was reported by the media simultaneously. 4. When she was arrested, she was on a high like a general who makes a triumphant return. In fact, she looked exhausted after a long period of terrorism. But the incoherent combination was all the more eerie. But now I understand. She probably wanted to express the success in the sabotage of the American election, and the preparation for the next terrorist attack. 5. These days, Japan often harbors Japanese who committed crimes in foreign countries. They include Alberto Fujimori from Peru, and Kazuyoshi Miura from the US. 6. Shigenobu was thought to live in Lebanon. But she stayed in Japan. It is thought that the Japanese police knew her whereabout and they arrested her at a very timely moment. The Japanese government usually chooses the date and the time very carefully, particularly on the important cases. 7. It is almost impossible for heinous terrorists to move freely in Japan. They probably conspire with the Foreign Ministry and the police. 8. For many years, Japan has manipulated the American society. People below are somewhat suspicious. (1) the film industry (2) the sports world Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin Japanese major league players
(3) the music industry (4) political circles (5) the religious world
Seiji Ozawa, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson mobilization of a lot of voters. Ku Klux Klan, religious cults, terrorists
9. Since the US economy is the largest in the world, terrorists do all the money laundering they want to do. Money laundering is a piece of cake if it is supported by the government and major companies. 10. With regard to Hillary Clinton, there have been annoying cases Japan seems to have had something to do with since Bill Clinton was the president. 11. Some Japanese commentators have recently made inappropriate remarks below. (1) The amount of political contribution is limited in the US. But many people in Japan send money to Mr. Obama using credit cards through the Internet. He has collected a lot of money. Some of them are from Japan. (2) If Republicans are mobilized, it is easy to manipulate the Democratic election. 12. I have no intention to influence American politics. I simply hope that Japan will stop manipulating foreign country's politics. reference Japanese Red Army was actually a detachment force of the Japanese army and police. Japanese Red Army Monica Lewinsky and Japanese Red Army Fusako Shigenobu Plane Crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123
Poisoner Masumi Hayashi continued to the next page hypotheses are included
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2008/3/12 #99
Japan's Conspiracy (58) Weather Terrorism (Summary 1)

Japan has been conducting weather manipulation (weather control) for quite a long period of time. It is so complicated that I can not know when it was started. At least in my perception, it seems to have been started around WWII. Although it may be too early to summarize it, let me assemble some related information here. 1. Past Weather Terrorism Record On June 28, 1966, when the Beatles came to Japan, they were caught by a typhoon. They arrived at Tokyo Airport several hours later. On August 6, 1993, when Hosokawa administration was established, Kagoshima was damaged by huge flooding. It was a heavy sarcasm by the government. It congratulated the new prime minister from Kumamoto, which is located next to
Kagoshima, on the one hand, and attacked Kagoshima City on the other. Hosokawa Administration Map of Kumamoto Map of Kagoshima View Larger Map (Kaogoshima)
(3) On July 25, 1998, poisoned curry was served to about 100 people in Japan, killing four people . At that time, floods in Bangladesh had reached a dangerous level. If the poisoning was a sarcasm against Bangladesh, it was really a timely moment. (4) On September 11. 2001, terrorist attacks occurred in the US. But, on this day, two typhoons, DANAS and NARI, hit Japan. (5) On January 21, 2007, Higashikokubaru was elected governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, which is located next to Kagoshima Prefecture. I had already expected some weather terrorism against Kagoshima. And, as I had expected, on that day, it rained the most in that month. Both Hosokawa and Higashikokubaru were the puppets of the government. Their history has already shown their truth well enough. (6) On July 14, 2007, after I had expressed the government's conspiracy theory, a big typhoon came to Kagoshima soon. I'm not sure who actually had controlled it, but I'm sure they wanted to show off their excellent technology. Typhoon Man-yi landed at Kagoshima exactly. But I was not scared so much. This kind of weather terrorism was not the first experience for me. Instead I was surprised with the audacity with which they conducted a blatant weather terrorism. They seem to have sprayed liquid carbon dioxide at 60 degrees below zero. The cloud they created reached Kagoshima area exactly.
(7) On August 2, I had been expressing my conspiracy theory, ignoring the typhoon intimidation. And another typhoon, Typhoon Usagi, appeared in the Pacific Ocean. It was obvious that they targeted Kagoshima again. But they seemed to hesitate. The typhoon missed the mark a little bit. Maybe they could not let the typhoon land at Kagoshima again. It was blatant too much. Since then, no typhoons have hit Japan so far. Hurricanes in the US were smaller in 2007.
2. Data on Weather Manipulation << Verification of Weather Manipulation>> 1. Amounts of precipitation on August 6th, the anniversary of the atomic bombing, in Hiroshima Amounts of precipitation in every ten years for the past fifty years Amounts of precipitation for the past fifty years Amounts of precipitation during the bon holiday, from August 13th to August 16th, in Tokyo Amounts of precipitation in every ten years for the past fifty years Amounts of precipitation for the past fifty years . Amounts of precipitation on the Emperor's Birthday, December 23rd, in Tokyo Amounts of precipitation in every ten years for the past fifty years Amounts of precipitation for the past fifty years . Amounts of precipitation on the Memorial Service Day, June 23rd, in Naha, Okinawa Amounts of precipitation in every ten years for the past fifty years Amounts of precipitation for the past fifty years 3. Theoretical Verification of Artificial Rain We rarely think seriously about rainfall. This attitude is something like the one we have toward a forest fire or an urban conflagration. But let me think about it a little seriously here. I have repeatedly pointed out the artificial rainfall as the cause of some disasters. And some related information has finally come out since last December. But the scale of disaster is beyond imagination. This time, I take up one example. But let me say that you are the person who judges the credibility of my information. reference Hurricane As soon as I began to edit a new page, a typhoon developed and gained strength. the Tokyo Olympic Games and Weather Manipulation Teresa Teng and Typhoon Kalmaegi to be continued Hypotheses are included.
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2008/3/13 #100
Japan's Conspiracy (59) Hope for American Voters

to American voters I am Japanese. And I have neither the right nor the obligation for the US presidential election. But I have an important thing which I want you to understand. You are electing the president for your happiness. It is a good thing. But there is an important thing that I want you to remember. While you are electing the president, you are electing the world leader as well. You may not be aware of it, but people in the world are watching you carefully. In fact, Japanese watch the news about the US presidential election more frequently than the news about the election of the Japanese prime minister. As I describe it on this site, Japan's conspiracy is subtle and profound. Hypocrites are kinder and more diligent than ordinary people. As far as I know, Japan has been systematically disturbing the US society for more than 100 years.
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Example of Japan's Manipulation Nowadays

Let me show one example here. The Ethiopian marathon world record holder announced his decision to withdraw from the marathon of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But he is going to compete in the Olympics 10000 metres. guardian.co.hk March 10, 2008 The marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie has said he will not compete in the event at this year's Beijing Olympics because of concerns about the city's high levels of air pollution. The Ethiopian runner suffers from asthma, and the condition forced him out of last year's London Marathon. Gebrselassie will instead compete in the 10,000m event in Beijing. But, as I had seen some games manipulated or fixed by Japan, I was suspicious about his motive. In addition, his criticism against air pollution in China was an everyday criticism by Japan. So, I checked Japanese sports news soon. And I found the article below the next day. Asahi Shimbun (Japanese Newspaper) 03/11/2008 Also chosen Monday for the Beijing Games for the men's marathon were Atsushi Sato, 29, (third place, Fukuoka marathon), Satoshi Osaki, 31, (third place, Lake Biwa Mainichi marathon) and Tsuyoshi Ogata, 34, (fifth place, World Championships). Marathon is an important event for Japan. But nowadays Japanese athletes are not strong enough to win medals. Under such circumstances, Japan often buy medals in a variety of ways. I immediately wrote some critical comments on a Japanese message board for the confirmation of the information. Then I satrted to translate it into this English comment. But I was surprized again. He withdrew his comment the next day. BBC 12 March 2008 But he has now said he would consider running if the race was moved away from the city centre and a change to the start time was brought in. The Japanese government probably has asked Haile Gebrselassie to rewithdraw his announcement. I have the perception that the government is monitoring my internet usage.
( Excuse me, but I'm not a racist. I respect athletes. This article is just the latest one I could take as an example.)
Example of Japan's Manipulation in the Past

I think you know that there was a problem of Japanese immigrants before WWII. But the problem was not the number of Japanese but the way and the purpose of their immigration. They were actually the vanguard of the Japanese Empire for dominating the US. For example, many Japanese women got married with the Japanese Americans whom they had never met before. It was called " Picture Marriage". At that time, the US had already restricted the number of Japanese immigrants. However, there was an exception. Family members of Americans were allowed to migrate to the US. The Japanese government took the advantage of this loophole and fabricated the marriage certificate for them. But their immigration was not a spontaneous immigration. It can be said to have been the government sponsored smuggling.
Many People are Tortured

There are many people who are tortured by the corrupt government. I am one of them. That's why I am writing here. Those corrupt governments aim to silence and wipe out the nuisance in and around their countries on the one hand. But they act carefully not to provoke the displeasure of the US on the other. And one day they take an opportunity and suddenly attack the US. I am writing for myself. But, at the same time, I believe that my comments will contribute to the happiness and prosperity of American people. Good and strong America is the rising star for the people in the world.
Hope for American Voters

On the one hand, Japan seems to have harassed Hillary Clinton since her husband, Bill Clinton, was the president. But Japan supports Barack Obama on the other. I have little information about US politics, so I may not be qualified to talk about it. Nevertheless, I am confident that a politician who has overcome the difficulties caused by some conspiracies will be able to encourage the nation to weather the political storm, rather than a politician who is fortunately supported by other countries. I respect both candidates. Japanese politicians are nowhere near as good as them. I just criticize the policy of the Japanese government. Mr. Obama is not to blame for this point. I have consulted the police, lawyers, the government, local governments and human-rights counseling offices. But they fell short of my expectations. When I asked ordinary people about the problem, I finally knew that many people had the same experience. And the harassment against my family has been intensified. I'm will has can Japanese. And I have no intention to affect American politics. But I really hope that American voters know the fact in some country. Good America is the rising star for many foreigners. Good America a great impact to other nations. This can be a great national security for the US itself. I think you save the lives of young soldiers as well as the enormous military expenses.
I wish that American voters would remember the people like me who regard the US as their last hope.
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2008/3/15 #101
Japan's Conspiracy (59-2) Stop Japan from Buying Olympic Medals
The Ethiopian marathon world record holder announced his decision to withdraw from the marathon of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But he is going to compete in the Olympics 10000 metres. guardian.co.hk March 10, 2008 The marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie has said he will not compete in the event at this year's Beijing Olympics because of concerns about the city's high levels of air pollution. The Ethiopian runner suffers from asthma, and the condition forced him out of last year's London Marathon. Gebrselassie will instead compete in the 10,000m event in Beijing. But, as I had seen some games manipulated or fixed by Japan, I was suspicious about his motive. In addition, his criticism against air pollution in China was an everyday criticism by Japan. So, I checked Japanese sports news soon. And I found the article below the next day. Asahi Shimbun (Japanese Newspaper) 03/11/2008 Also chosen Monday for the Beijing Games for the men's marathon were Atsushi Sato, 29, (third place, Fukuoka marathon), Satoshi Osaki, 31, (third place, Lake Biwa Mainichi marathon) and Tsuyoshi Ogata, 34, (fifth place, World Championships). Marathon is an important event for Japan. But nowadays Japanese athletes are not strong enough to win medals. Under such circumstances, Japan often buy medals in a variety of ways. I immediately wrote some critical comments on a Japanese message board for the confirmation of the information. Then I satrted to translate it into this English comment. But I was surprized again. He withdrew his comment the next day. BBC 12 March 2008 But he has now said he would consider running if the race was moved away from the city centre and a change to the start time was brought in. Haile Gebrselassie
Samuel Wanjiru
Flag of the Government of Tibet in Exile
Japanese Ensign Flag
The Japanese government probably has asked Haile Gebrselassie to rewithdraw his announcement. I have the perception that the government is monitoring my internet usage. ( Excuse me, but I'm not a racist. I respect athletes. This article is just the latest one I could take as an example.) However, the story didn't stop there. In Tibet, Tibetans protest against the Olympic games suddenly broke out. The New York Times March 16, 2008 BEIJING Thousands of Buddhist monks and other Tibetans clashed with the riot police in a
second Chinese city on Saturday.
To tell the truth, the Government of Tibet in Exile has been secretly supported by Japan. The flag of Tibet was used intermittently between 1912 and 1950. It was introduced by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1912. But it is openly told that it was designed by a Japanese spy who penetrated Tibet in 1911. It is outlawed in the People's Republic of China. While we are on the subject of flags, permit me to note that while most people believe the Tibetan flag was designed by H.H. the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, it was in fact designed by the Japanese Buddhist priest Aoki Bunkyo in 1912, and transmitted to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama by Yajima Yasujiro, during his mission to Tibet 1913-1919. Yajima Yasujiro, a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War, came to Lhasa and, from 1913 to 1919, trained troops and advised on defense against the Chinese. Aoki Bunkyo, a Japanese Buddhist priest, translated Japanese army manuals into Tibetan.
Actually, Japan and Tibet tried to launch a pincer drive on China. And a Japanese crazy cult, Aum Shinrikyo, which carried out a Sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subways in 1995, took its name from the Hindu syllable Aum. Aum is actually the Tibetan Buddhist symbol. Its leader, Asahara, quoted Tibetan religious figures in support of these viewpoints. He also met the 14th Dalai Lama. It can be said that Tibetan monks are secretly mobilized by the Japanese government, which is frustrated with the rising China.
Samuel Wanjiru Won Gold Medal
(added on May 28, 2011)
In the end, Japanese athletes failed to win medals. However, there was another Japanese athlete. He was Samuel Wanjiru.
Samuel Wanjiru Was Jpanese

Wanjiru was destined to win the gold medal. He was born on the day of gold medal in Japan. But Wanjiru died from a fall off a balcony in a possible suicide at his home. Police said Wanjiru's wife, Triza Njeri, had come home to find him in bed with another woman. She locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside. Wanjiru then leapt from the balcony. Strangely enough, the day was the day when a famous Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, dueled his rival Sasaki Kojiro on the island of Funajima. Probably Wanjiru dueled his wife. related events: Commemorative gold coins are issued to celebrate the Samuel Wanjiru 60th year of the Japanese Emperor on the throne. (November 10, 1986 - May 15, 2011) Sasaki Kojiro engages Miyamoto Musashi on the shores (Japanese calendar) of Ganryu Island. Sasaki is killed at the duel. (October 9, 1986 - April 13, 2011 May 15 Incident. In an attempted Coup d'etat, the Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi is killed. reference Battle of Okinawa and Olympics Baiji Yangtze Dolphin and Olympics Air India Flight 182 Titanic and Olympics Tokyo Olympic Games Korean Air Flight 858
Olympic Games, Wars, Disasters and Incidents
Continental Connection Flight 3407
Vancouver Olympics
to be continued Go to next page
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HOME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BB CTRL 60 60-1 61 62 63 64 65 66 70 71 72 Typhoons Are Manipulated Hurricane Two Men Named Kazuyoshi Miura with Different Kanji Characters. Shinginko Tokyo bank, Paribas Trust Bank and Trinity Reform package Performance-based Conspiracy System is Revealed 2004 Madrid train bombings 2005 London bombings
Mar 17, 2008 Mar 20, 2008 Mar 28, 2008 Apr 01, 2008 Apr 04, 2008 Apr 04, 2008 Apr 04, 2008 Apr 08, Mar 28, 2008 Apr 03, 2008 Apr 13, 2008 HOME INDEX TOP C
July 7, 2007 was a day of warfare. Live Earth vs. New Seven Wonders of the World 2008 The real truth about the Japanese police system and its psychological espionage Blatant Conspiracy of the Public Security Intelligence Agency "Do I look like a demon?"Dalai Lama
2008/3/17 #102
Japan's Conspiracy (60) Typhoons Are Manipulated

I have been arguing against the Japanese terrorism. I have struggled to find objective and reliable articles, but I finally found this web site, which mostly supports my hypothesis. So, let me express my comment relating to the idea.
1. Typhoons can be manipulated in their creation, navigation, moving speed, precipitation, speed of wind, and atmospheric pressure to a large degree. There is some evidence that strongly indicates long period of manipulation.
Storms
2. The simulation of the typhoon manipulation is almost useless because there are many factors that influence each other. So, theoretical prediction of the typhoon is probably impossible. 3. Trial and error would be the last and the only solution. For example, if it is almost impossible to get the best method to make the canary sing the most beautifully, the best method can be acquired after trial and error including a variety of combination such as temperature, moisture, sound, wind, feed and water. to sing the most beautifully to sing the most loudly to sing for the longest time In the same way, the technology of artificially manipulating the typhoon has been gradually accumulated. Japan conducted experiments on creating and controlling enormous typhoons for some time after WWII. And it has recently conducted experiments in pinpoint typhoon manipulation. To maintain certain level of manipulation technology, periodical exercises are necessary like atomic tests. For that reason, typhoons often move through the Japanese archipelago, through Okinawa Island to Hokkaido Island. But nowadays, in other areas including North America, some huge hurricanes seem to be manipulated. 4. It is easy to move a spinning solid body because friction is generated only on the contact point. Mere puff of air can move a spinning top. Dynamic friction is far less than static friction. In the same way, friction between spinning mass of air and other object is far less than that between static mass of air and other object. It needs a lot of power to move a parked car by even 10 centimeters. However, if the car is moving very fast, a little finger can steer the car by 10 centimeters without using the power steering. 5. The Japanese Meteorological Office used a unique fan-shaped track forecasting pattern in the past. The design was convenient for artificial manipulation. The design has been changed a little, but the basic idea is the same. In Japan typhoons often move following the predicted courses. But in the US, it is almost impossible to predict correctly the course of a hurricane. Hurricanes are probably manipulated not by the US government but by the people with bad intentions. In Japan, the typhoon prediction is probably the target given to the Maritime Self-Defense Force. 6. From now on, disastrous weather such as typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones requires careful monitoring.
reference Rainfall
Verification of Weather Manipulation Artificial Rain
the relationship between the date and the amount of precipitation Hurricane Ultimate Ethnic Cleansing
Weather Terrorism
Japanese Living under Car Washing Machine to be continued Hypotheses are included.
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2008/3/20 #103
Japan's Conspiracy (60-1) Hurricane

I have explained that typhoons in and around Japan are almost artificially manipulated. But I also have felt that hurricanes in and around North America are also artificially manipulated. And I analysed the data and got the result almost as I had expected. I can't think of anything except for artificial manipulation. The theory of hurricane terrorism requires the following verification. 1. Hurricanes are likely to move along the course which could cause more damage. 2. The abnormality apparently should have started at a certain time. 2012 Hurricane Season
Then I looked through some past hurricane data and I realized that their numerical data were indicating some unusual phenomena. So, I picked up at random some observation points where hurricanes frequently land, divided them into the urban city group and the small town group and compared their average data. I also divided the data, according to the period, into two groups. I had a perception that the hurricane terrorism had become rampant since a certain time. And I tentatively set two periods, one is from 1969 to 1987 ( See Table 1 below) and the other is from 1988 to 2006 ( See Table 2 below). The data since 2007 are not available.
Conclusion
The total number of the hurricanes that hit metropolises has increased 3.5-fold from 6 during the former period to 21 during the latter period, while the total number of the hurricanes that hit small towns has slghtly decreased from 17 to 16 ( See Table 1 below).
Table 1
The number of hurricanes and tropical depressions that passed through the area within 25 miles from the city center. indicates a metropolis .
State Texas
City Houston Vinton
Louisiana
Abbeville New Orleans
Mississippi Alabama
Ocean Springs Mobile Niceville
the Number of Hurricanes from 1969 to 1987 the Number of Hurricanes from 1988 to 2006 3 4 3 2 3 2 1 7 1 3 1 6 3 4 3
Florida
Tavernier Miami Sebastian
1 1 4 4 4 the Number of Hurricanes from 1969 to 1987 the Number of Hurricanes from 1988 to 2006 17 16 6 21
State
small towns total metropolis total
City .
Table 2
The number of hurricanes and tropical depressions that passed through the area within 50 miles from the city center.
State Texas
City Houston Vinton
Louisiana
Abbeville
New Orleans Ocean Mississippi Springs Alabama Mobile Niceville Florida Tavernier Miami Sebastian
the Number of Hurricanes from 1969 to 1987 the Number of Hurricanes from 1988 to 2006 6 6 6 3 5 5 4 10 4 6 3 9 3 8 6 5 8 10 9 10
Observation Point Information

Lousiana Vinton 30.11N 93.34W 3,000 Lousiana Abbeville 29.58N 92.07W 11,000 Lousiana New O leans 29.57N 90.04W 1,319,000 Mississippi Ocean Springs 30.24N 88.47W 17,000
State Texas City Houston Latitude 29.45N Longitude 95.22W Population 5,539,000
State Alabama City Mobile Latitude 30.41N Longitude 88.02W Population 399,000
Florida Niceville 30.30N 86.28W 11,000
Florida Tavernier 25.00N 80.30W 2,000
Florida Miami 25.47N 80.13W 5,463,000
Florida Sebastian 27.46N 80.28W 16,000
Hypothesis
1. Hurricanes and tropical depressions have passed through metropolitan areas more frequently since around 1988. This is not a natural phenomenon. 2. There are no countries that are reported to have carried out weather terrorism except Japan. Its beginning period was almost the same as the period when Japan established the related technology. 3. Disasters caused by hurricanes in the US are probably Japan's conspiracy.
Reference site
Nationa Hurricane Center
Related Cases
Hurricane Katrina and Typhoon Ida reference Global Warming to Decrease Hurricanes, Study Says Verification of Weather Manipulation (2)
Verification of Weather Manipulation Rainfall Artificial Rain
the relationship between the date and the amount of precipitation Typhoons Are Manipulated Ultimate Ethnic Cleansing
Weather Terrorism
Japanese Living under Car Washing Machine to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/3/28 #104
Japan's Conspiracy (61) Two Men Named Kazuyoshi Miura with Different Kanji Characters. Performance-based Conspiracy Pay System in International Terrorism (1)
They share a name, but it is never accidental. They have quite a few things in common. Let me talk about the conclusion first. Kazuyoshi Miura (, businessman), a clothing importer who often traveled to the United States, was suspected of conspiring to kill his wife, Kazumi Miura on November 18, 1981, while visiting Los Angeles, California, United States. Kazuyoshi Miura (), a Japanese football striker, is often known simply as Kazu. 1. Businessman Miura is a collaborator of the security police who carries out a conspiracy campaign against the US. The reason why he had been chosen for this role is explained on this page. The strategy in which he played his own work is obviously the covert action. At first, there were two aims. Kazuyoshi Miura
The Japanese Legend, Kazuyoshi Miura
One aim was to detract the attention of ordinary Japanese and the world community from the Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone's official visit to Yasukuni Shrine. It was actually the first official visit by the prime minister on August 15, the anniversary of the end of WWII, since 1945. The execution of Tojo by the Allied Forces in 1948 was unpardonable for Japan. So, the Japanese government tried to get revenge. It created the situation similar to the Tojo's case by letting Miura commit a murder in the US and acquitting him in the Japanese court. 2. Footballer Miura's role was to remind people of businessman Miura all the time. Without the footballer, people would have forgotten the businessman. The government had prepared the second event. Japan's family registration system does not require the registration of the pronunciation of a person's name. So, people can pronounce their names in different ways regardless of their written names. Footballer Miura suddenly dropped out of high school and went to Brazil, just after the murder case in Los Angeles. Since then, he quickly stepped up the ladder as a professional footballer. There seemed to be the Japanese government's support for him. He came back to Japan with flying colors. It is inexplicable that a high school student suddenly goes abroad alone without any guarantee for his future job. It is apparent that the government gave him a promise for his future job. The footballer is the oldest professional player in Japan. It is because he had to keep outstanding until another Miura creates another incident. 3. This time, the businessman's role is money laundering. He intentionally went to Saipan. He was arrested in the island. His money may go to his lawyer, Armenia and a presidential candidate, Obama. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, is a criminal defense attorney who is well known for defending celebrities. He is Armenian-American. One of his clients, Michael Jackson, paid him a lot of money. His income and assets may derive from money laundering.
The money may go to Armenia, which is Japan's strategic beachhead to Russia and Central Asia. Armenia has dragon's teeth. Armenian expatriates are united. They send a lot of money to their homeland. Japan desperately supports Obama. But as money laundering came under scrutiny in the US, it may have returned to the orthodox way. Armenia is not a major financial center. Armenia has no offshore banks and few nonbanking financial institutions. Nevertheless, high unemployment, low salaries, corruption, a large shadow economy, and the presence of organized crime contribute to Armenia's vulnerability to money laundering. Armenia's large shadow economy is largely unrelated to criminal activity other than tax evasion, but schemes that are commonly used in Armenia to avoid taxation are similar to those used for money laundering, including the fraudulent invoicing of imports, double bookkeeping and misuse of the banking system. The large number of diaspora Armenians and those temporarily working abroad helps explain the large volume of money transfers and remittances into Armenia, mostly sent through the banking system. There are also about 30 casinos on the outskirts of Yerevan that will be subject to the new antimoney laundering regime that the Government plans to implement in 2005. This is hypothesis. I would like you to confirm my story by consulting other sources. I am simply criticizing the Japanese government. I have no intention to criticize any person on this page. I hope that my hypothesis will be wrong.
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2008/4/1 #105
Japan's Conspiracy (62) Shinginko Tokyo bank

Shinginko Tokyo bank is in financial difficulties. The management of this bank has been chaotic since it was established. I believed that this bank was established only to go bankrupt. And the reason why Tokyo Metropolitan Government accepted a French bank with financial difficulties was open to question. But I now know that there was give-and-take between them. 1. the Tokyo metropolitan government France
The Tokyo metropolitan government is in talks with Paribas International SA over the purchase of the French financial group's Japanese trust bank, Gov. Shintaro Ishihara announced Friday. The purchase of the French trust bank (=the establishment of the new bank) was part of the two countries' cooperation on the Anti-US and pro-terrorism campaign. The French bank, BNP Paribas, was the only foreign bank active in Iran and supported the terror sponsoring regime by funding its infrastructure and export projects. BNP Paribas bankrolled Iranian schemes. 2. the Japanese government the Tokyo metropolitan government
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
The Tokyo metropolitan government bore the cost of purchasing the French trust bank in return for the financial donation from the central government through the so-called Trinity Reform package, which involved the transfer of tax-raising powers to prefectural governments and the reduction of the central government subsidies for local governments and the review of the system under which tax grants are allocated to local governments. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara finally admitted its excessive revenue surplus through the Koizumi reform package. It was national money laundering. The Bank of Japan and the Ministry of Finance could not give financial aid to a foreign bank directly. The Tokyo metropolitan government artfully intervened the deal. Japan punished some foreign banks including Citibank N.A.'s Japanese unit over minor irregularities, while they themselves blatantly engaged in money laundering.. Few people know the meaning of the so-called Trinity Reform package. The Japanese government often uses puns with regard to names and dates in order to insinuate some different ideas. Why did they use the difficult and unfamiliar word "trinity"? But it was easy to understand. Koizumi ridiculed the US and the UK by using a Christian term and insinuated the three party; Japan, Tokyo and France. Trinity is a sacred idea for Christianity. The Trinity is a Christian doctrine, stating that God is one Being Who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three persons: the Father, the Son (incarnate as Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Thanks to Koizumi's trick, Japanese children will answer, "Junichiro Koizumi" rather than "Christianity" when they are asked about Trinity in the future. It is really ridiculous. Official meaning of Trinity Reform includes three measures below. To tell the truth, this catch phrase is a fallacy. I can't find any articles which give clear explanations. The following site will be understandable at best. Decentralization will finish road to democracy in Japan. This reform package by Koizumi devastated the local economy. The Tokyo metropolitan government was the only local government which actually benefited from this scheme. Tokyo Governor Ishihara recently proposed that the Tokyo metropolitan government provide 40 billion to bail out financially troubled Shinginko Tokyo, which was launched in April 2004. But few experts believe the rescue plan will solve the problems of the money-losing bank. Politicians and businessmen are often accused of their past blunders in developed countries. But nobody dares to stop their blunders even beforehand in Japan. It is one of Japan's worst maladies.
"Shinginko Tokyo, Limited" rather than "New Tokyo Bank"
I wrote the name of this bank not as "Shinginko Tokyo Bank" but as "Shinginko Tokyo bank". There is a reason. Its official English name is "ShinGinko Tokyo, Limited". And I put the "bank" at the end of its name so that you can understand it easily. It is unusual for a bank to use such a strange name. "Shinginko" literally means "new bank" in Japanese. So, every Japanese regards this company as a bank. However, it is impossible for foreigners to know from its name that the company "ShinGinko Tokyo, Limited" is a Japanese bank. Possibly, Japan prepared for its bankruptcy in the future. Maybe the bankruptcy had been already planned beforehand. reference Government-run Lottery, Final Decisive Battle Scheme and Manhattan Project (Trinity) were Actually "Trinity".
American Physicist Oppenheimer and German Nazi SS Senior Officer Reinhard Heydrich shared exactly the same birthday in the Japanese calendar. Japan's pension and life insurance system Emperor Meiji and Shoichi Nakagawa
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami to be continued Hypotheses are included.
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2008/4/4 #106
Japan's Conspiracy (63) Performance-based Conspiracy Pay System is Revealed Compensation is paid according to the performancebased pay system.
Recently I have found this system. So, let me talk first about the cases in which the conspiracy is performed against individuals. As I said before, there has been a variety of conspiracies against us. The perpetrators include ordinary citizens, the police, governments, the Self-Defense Forces and the media. And I have been concerned about their motives. I didn't think that they performed conspiracies with high moral values. I suspected that they were paid or benefited. But I wondered how their performance was evaluated and how much was paid.
Cincinnati Public School is 1st on performance-based salary
People with low moral standards often commit a fraud in an organization. In short, they cut corners and receive the full compensation. But when I observed them carefully, I often spotted supervisors such as unmarked cars around or behind them. This is no wonder, since we tend to waste money. So, we need supervisors and their evaluation. Naturally, there will be compensation standard. But as we see in any workplaces, they frequently follow some adroit handling, which characterizes their behaviors very well.
Neighbor carpenters who frequently harass and abuse us exploit this handling very well.
I occasionally do gardening in the yard at home, usually for about one hour. Then, the carpenters almost always park their truck with the motor idling on the road in front of my house. It is noisy. But whenever I say something to them, they ignore me and intimidate me in the end. The other day, one of them raised his hand, chased me, tried to hit me and finally kicked the gate violently. It is a crime, but it can't be helped. The police are always useless. Far from it. They participate in the abusing. But I finally noticed that they repeatedly did the same thing. When I finish gardening and begin to clean up gardening tools, they always come out of hiding and begin to harass me. And, after I enter my house, they leave. This means that their purpose is to force me back into the house. When I escape from their bullying, they get an evaluation point. Actually they choose the moment when they easily get the point.
In other words, they harass me just before I enter the house. They get a point though I escape from them just on the face of it. In fact, I am going to enter the house and my act has nothing to do with their harassment. At first, it was a real surprise. But I understood soon that their pattern is often seen in the group where the performance-based system is introduced. And this story doesn't stop here. So, I talk about another case of the performance-based conspiracy system in the next page. Japan created the property right of carpenters. And Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was the symphony which Japan concocted in order to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the fake patent system. Albert Einstein was Japanese, too. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
Nobel Prize and Japan's Secret to be continued
2008/4/4 #107
Japan's Conspiracy (64) 2004 Madrid train bombings Performance-based Conspiracy Pay System in International Terrorism (1)
I described a performance-based conspiracy pay system in the previous page and I remembered some conspicuous examples in some international terrorism. So, let me introduce some of them.
2004 Madrid train bombings

The train bombing consisted of a series of coordinated bombings against the commuter train system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of March 11, 2004 (three days before Spain's general elections), killing 191 people and wounding 1,755. Immediately after the bombing, leaders of the main political party, the People's Party, claimed evidence indicated the Basque ETA was responsible for the bombings, an outcome generally thought favorable to the PP's chances of being re-elected, while Islamist responsibility would have had the opposite effect, as it would have been perceived a consequence of the PP government's involvement in the Iraq War, a policy already extremely unpopular with Spaniards. The official investigation by the Spanish Judiciary determined the attacks were directed by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell although no direct al-Qaeda participation has been established. Surprisingly, the al-Qaeda flag seemed to be another Rising Sun flag. 1. The general elections were going to be held three days later, on 14 March. Some commentators 2004 Madrid train bombings
image
al-Qaeda flag
image
said that the opposition parties won the elections because they had promised to withdraw Spanish soldiers from Iraq. The terrorism seemed to have been successful. 2. In a sense, they may be right. But the Spanish politics has been constantly changing. The governing and opposition parties often replaced each other. Then Prime Minister Aznar had already announced his retirement. 3. At that time, there were several hundred Spanish soldiers in Iraq. Given more than two thousand terrorism casualties, their mission didn't pay. If Spain had dispatched tens of thousands of soldiers, they would not have withdrawn their soldiers so easily. 4. In other words, the terrorist organization had built up propaganda for the ruling parties' win through the media though they actually had expected a poll disaster for the ruling parties. In fact, in the 2003 local elections, the Socialist Party had received a larger popular vote and the party's leader Zapatero had claimed victory. The media would have been influenced by the power of money. The popular incumbent prime minister was going to leave. The terrorists took advantage of the circumstances and made people think that their terrorism marginalized the ruling parties. 5. Although it is widely accepted today that the attacks had an impact on the election, how it influenced the results is widely debated. At the time of the elections, the number of Spanish soldiers had been already reduced to several hundred.
High-speed Railway Line (Shinkansen) on Kyushu Island in Japan

The story continues to Japan. There was a reason that al-Qaeda's attack turned to the railway. Those days, Japan was desperate to sell their high-speed trains to neighboring countries. European countries were Japan's rivals. Japan set the date to 13 March, just two days before the opening of a new highspeed railway line. That is, Japan and Kyushu Railway Company had known the train bombing beforehand. I'll talk about the Japanese high-speed railway system later.
Performance-based Conspiracy Pay System

Japan's conspiracy is carefully planned in order to get the maximum result. And in fact their goal is often their supervisor's evaluation, which is not necessarily the same as their strategical goal. So, terrorism becomes more complicated. Al-Qaeda was established on August 11, 1988. But the day was June 29 in the Japanese calendar. And the day was the 119th anniversary of the establishment of Yasukuni Shrine.
reference
Madrid train bombings occurred on February 21, 2004 in the Japanese calendar. But on this day in the Gregorian calendar, the first European political party organization, the European Greens, was established in Rome. Nobel Prize and Japan's Secret to be continued Albert Einstein was Japanese, too. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/4/8 #107B
Japan's Conspiracy (65) 7 July 2005 London bombings Performance-based Conspiracy Pay System in International Terrorism (2)
A series of coordinated Islamist terrorist bomb blasts hit London's public transport system during the morning rush hour on July 7, 2005. At 8:50 a.m., three bombs exploded within fifty seconds of each other on three London Underground trains. A fourth bomb exploded on a bus nearly an hour later at 9:47 a.m. in Tavistock Square. The bombings killed 52 commuters and the four suicide bombers, injured 700, and caused disruption of the city's transport system and the country's mobile telecommunications infrastructure. The series of suicide-bomb explosions constituted the largest and deadliest terrorist attack on London in its history.
The National 2005 London Bombings Coverage image
This terror attack has something in common with the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2004 Madrid train bombing. One common thing is the time. Those attacks were conducted around 8 am. It was not a mere coincidence. The time was probably set by the mastermind. The coincidence strongly suggests that their dates were also carefully chosen. When an event occurs in the afternoon in Europe or the United States, its date is a day ahead in East Asia including Japan. In this case, people remember different dates about the event. So, when the terror attack has some important message in its date, it is carried out in the morning. And when the attack is conducted in the morning, there is probably a strong message in its date. In the 2004 Madrid train bombing, the terrorists adhered to the date of March 11, the date a half year after September 11. If anything, they didn't want the date of March 12.
Why was it July 7?

Then, what did the London bombings have to do with the date of July 7? In fact, they indicated the day of a traditional festival in East Asia. But the day is the day people can never forget in China. On this day, a Yangshan Port But Japan had China referred joint nautical exercise was conducted by China, Korea and Japan in the sea water off the in east China's Shanghai. It was apparent that the exercise had been planned by China. little patience. A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of to the 68th anniversary of war with Japan at the press interview on this exercise.
July 7, 1937 is the day Chinese people can not forget. In China, the incident is also known as 77 Incident. Some historians believe that the entire incident was fabricated by The Kwantung Army in order to provide a pretext for the invasion of central China. The date itself gives evidence to the fabrication. Japan intentionally chose the day. But it is unthinkable that China chose the day for the start of war. Japan actually disgraced the Chinese history.
Why was the target London, and why the railway?

The next question is the place. Why they targeted London and its railway system. Why didn't train bombings occur in Japan, Germany, France and the US? Because Japan is the mastermind and it is concerned with its high-speed train system and the Olympic games. The US was reluctant to sell its high-speed trains. France and Germany were Japan's rivals but they were Japan's partners for sure in terms of anti-US and anti-British cooperation. Japan couldn't accept a
compromise, not because Japan was concerned about China but because Japan could not allow Western countries to have close relations with China. It was really an inconvenience for Japan. The high-speed train campaign had an economic aspect, but Japan's main purpose was to raise the stakes in the Chinese economy, excluding Western countries, and establish a toehold in China. Japan's attitude had been unchanged since WWII. Spain and Britain were chosen as the target.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was in Britain on that day.

To tell the truth, at that time, Japan couldn't stand any longer. At the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, London won the right to host the 2012 Games on July 7, 2005. Of all things, one of Japan's allies, France, was defeated. To make matters worse, Koizumi was in Britain and he had to offer his congratulations to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. It was really a shame. In fact, thanks to the train bombings, Madrid had been already eliminated. From July 6 to July 8, 2005, the 31st G8 summit was being held in Scotland and hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Japan still continued with the day of July 7.
reference
The London bombings commemorated the 100th anniversary of Japan's invasion of Sakhalin in the Russo-Japanese War. On the previous day, on July 6, the 2012 Summer Olympics was awarded to London. In addition, the G8 summit was being held in Scotland, UK. Those upheavals were probably part of Japan's conspiracy.
Japan's first sumo death match was held on July 7, 23 BC in the Japanese calendar. The first national Sumo tournament in Japan was held on July 7, 734 in the Japanese calendar. The Rokumeikan, a Western-style guest house, is completed on July 7, 1883. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the commander of the Japanese garrison in the Battle of Iwo Jima, was born on July 7, 1891. Ringo Starr was born on July 7, 1940. Live Earth Concerts are held on July 7, 2007.
" New Seven Wonders of the World" is announced on July 7, 2007. News Corporation announced the closing of the News of the World on July 7, 2011. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/4/8 #107C
Japan's Conspiracy (66) July 7, 2007 was a day of warfare.

July 7, 2007 was a day of warfare. There were two camps.
1. Live Earth the US, the UK, China and so on

Kevin Wall, an Emmy Award-winning producer and new media entrepreneur, created and produced Live Earth -- The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis. He is a native-born American. 2007 marked the seventieth anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident (July 7, 1937) and the Nanking Massacre. Quite a few movies about the Imperial Japanese Army and Comfort women were produced. The U.S. Congress passes a resolution calling on Japan to make a fresh apology for forcing women into sexual servitude for the Japanese military The concert stage at Wembley Stadium during the war. Save Ourselves is the name of activists organized to raise awareness of global climate change. They are the organizers of the July 2007 Live Earth concerts and includes former US Vice President Al Gore. The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis reached people across the globe through Live Earth, a 24-hour concert on 7/7/07 across all 7 continents. Second Sino-Japanese War without a Declaration of War From marco Polo Bridge to Nanking There was no declaration of war, for Japan feared that such a declaration would activate the Neutrality Act of the United States, which would unavoidably result in a suspension of trade on raw materials for munitions and other war supplies. The ambiguity of the war aim and the unexpected expansion of the conflict made the Japanese troops restless both physically and mentally. In his memoirs, Japanese journalist Matsumoto Shigeharu, the Shanghai bureau chief of Domei News Agency, recalled a circulating rumor among his colleagues. "The reason that the Yanagawa Corps [the 10th Army] is advancing [to Nanking] quite rapidly is due to the tacit consent among the officers and men that they could loot and rape as they wish." From 1937 to 1941, Japanese army was by definition a terrorist organization, something similar to Al-Qaeda. When it comes to terrorists, we think about contemporary extremists. But Japan has conducted such warfare, exploiting rogue groups for many years. Since the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the US and the UK has been consistently sympathetic to China. The celebration of the day of July 7, 2007 signified their alliance all the more.
2. New Seven Wonders of the WorldJapan, France and so on

There is a lot of ambiguity about this project. According to the New 7 Wonders milestones page, Swissoriginated Quebecois filmmaker and aviator Bernard Weber launched the project in September 1999. His origin is doubtful. UNESCO supported the New 7 Wonders Foundation at the beginning of the campaign, with providing advice on nominee selection, but it has distanced itself from the undertaking in 2007. Its irresponsibility was too much to tolerate. The current Director-General of UNESCO is Koichiro Matsuura (born in 1937 in Tokyo). According to WIKIPEDIA, He studied law at the University of Tokyo. But he graduated from the university when he was a third-year student. It is quite unusual in Japan. His management is going to end up with a total waste of money according to Japanese WIKIPEDIA. UNESCO has been the centre of controversy in the past, particularly in its relationships with the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the former USSR. During the 1970s and 1980s, UNESCO's
support for a "New World Information and Communication Order" and its MacBride report calling for democratization of the media and a more egalitarian access to information was condemned in these countries as attempts to curb freedom of the press. UNESCO was perceived by some as a platform for communist and Third World countries to attack the West, a stark contrast to accusations made by the USSR in the late 40s and early 50s. In 1984, the United States withheld its contributions and withdrew from the organization in protest, followed by the United Kingdom in 1985 and Singapore in 1986. Following a change of government in 1997, the UK rejoined. The United States rejoined in 2003, followed by Singapore on 8th October 2007. Although New 7 Wonders is not connected with UNESCO, Federico Mayor, a former UNESCO Director General, was the president of project's expert panel. Since nothing prevented fans, government or tourism agencies from casting multiple votes, the poll is considered "decidedly unscientific". UNESCO is based in Paris.
The UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France
reference
The London bombings commemorated the 100th anniversary of Japan's invasion of Sakhalin in the Russo-Japanese War. On the previous day, on July 6, the 2012 Summer Olympics was awarded to London. In addition, the G8 summit was being held in Scotland, UK. Those upheavals were probably part of Japan's conspiracy.
Japan's first sumo death match was held on July 7, 23 BC in the Japanese calendar. The first national Sumo tournament in Japan was held on July 7, 734 in the Japanese calendar. to be continued Hypotheses are included.
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2008/3/28 #110
Japan's Conspiracy (70) The real truth about the Japanese police system and its psychological espionage
Conspiracy of the Japanese police was revealed in the TV program with the title of "Psychological Espionage" in the pay television system provided by TV Asahi Corporation in Japan. It was televised from 8:00 PM through 9:00 PM on March 19, 2008. Title : Psychological Espionage Guest : Hironari Noda, a journalist Host : Tetsuya Miyazaki, a commentator Subtitle: Conspiracy and opinion manipulation carried out behind the international politics Mr. Noda discloses the fact in conspiracies. He used to be an officer of the Public Security Intelligence Agency.
Japanese Police Harass Pedestrians
Conspiracy of the Japanese police was revealed in the TV program with the title of "Psychological Espionage" in the pay television system provided by TV Asahi Corporation in Japan. It was televised from
8:00 PM through 9:00 PM on March 19, 2008. Title : Psychological Espionage Guest : Hironari Noda, a journalist Host : Tetsuya Miyazaki, a commentator Subtitle: Conspiracy and opinion manipulation carried out behind the international politics Mr. Noda discloses the fact in conspiracies. He used to be an officer of the Public Security Intelligence Agency. I happened to watch the program and I pick up some of the conversation on this page. The original whole conversation can be read on another page in Japanese. ---------------------------Miyazaki : Noda : Miyazaki : Noda : Do you think that there is too much sectionalism in the polis? The security police have overwhelmingly strong power. But there is little transparency in the organization. For example, the Protection Department of the Prefectural Police seems to engage in protection operation, but their real purpose is espionage. Ordinary citizens cannot see their real activities. Yes, there is probably no country which has the intelligence organization that is as powerful as the Japanese espionage organization. I think the Protection Department of the Prefectural Police is too much strong. I think it is better to have balanced intelligence organization. So, you mean the Prefectural Police have much more power than the Public Security Intelligence Agency of the central government? That's right. Particularly with regard to manpower, the Public Security Intelligence Agency has now 1,500 personnel. It has reduced 200 workers for the past several years. Compared to the agency, the total number of the officers of the prefectural security police is overwhelming. Has the workforce in the Public Security Intelligence Agency been decreased? Yes, it is. But I don't know how many officers are there in the prefectural security police. Probably there are as many as around 50,000 officers in the prefectural security police if riot police is included. Their sizes are different at all. In addition, their authorities are different. The prefectural police have arrest warrants while the Public Security Intelligence Agency has only the power of investigation. Their power and authority is actually very different. You mentioned that there was little transparency in the security police. Are there any merit or demerit for the people? If anything, I should say there is demerit. People talk about it but, in fact, they
Miyazaki :
Noda :
Miyazaki :
Noda :
Miyazaki : Noda :
Miyazaki :
Noda : Tsutsumi : Noda :
know little about the police intelligence activities. Miyazaki : Noda : reference No Difference between the Left Wing and the Right Wing Japanese Politicians
Japanese Motorboat Racing and Myanmar Junta
Japan's money laundering
Japanese Whaling Fleets are Detachment Force of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Driving a Wedge between China and North Korea by a Train Collision Votes Closely Monitored by the Government Most Japanese companies are virtually controlled by the Japanese government. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/4/3 #111
Japan's Conspiracy (71) Blatant Conspiracy of the Public Security Intelligence Agency
The TV Asahi Corporation's TV program which I introduced in the former page is a blatant media manipulation by the Public Security Intelligence Agency and the broadcasting corporation. I explain the circumstances lest I should mislead readers. Japan's information manipulation level would be one of the best in its evilness. But I don't necessarily mean their ability to collect and analyse information is superb. For example, some thieves have more excellent technique than that policemen who crack down on them have. But it is only useful for the crime and never instrumental for crime prevention. Originally speaking, the security police is the organizations that brush up their crime prevention skill. Even if they brush up their criminal skill, their skill will only end up a social corruption. The Asama-Sanso incident Fake history and fake documentary films one after another
1. Double Standard (Equivocation) This is the skill the security police are particularly good at. It takes root in the Japanese society. People who are good at manipulating double standard are mostly promoted faster than others in Japan. (1) The PSIA seems to endorse the content in the televised conversation. The PSIA didn't interrupt the broadcast of the program though the journalist, a former PSIA officer, disclosed its internal affairs in the program. This means that the PSIA authorizes the information in a sense.
(2) The PSIA still can deny the content in the televised conversation. The PSIA can deny it just because the journalist once got involved in a scandal in the PSIA and because he has an arrest record, though these events are probably fabricated ones. They would ask, "Do you believe the ex-convict? (3) Hironari Noda This journalist's information is not found in English in the Internet. Wikipedia provides his information only in Japanese. But I believe that, as he is the government's spy, even the Wikipedia's information is too good to be true. So, I'd like to show you a newspaper article. But please take it with a grain of salt. Nowadays, most Japanese news are fabricated by the police. 2. But the double standard is the goal the PSIA has. They want people to have intangible fear for them. They want people to be convinced of their conspiracy though there is little crucial evidence. In other words, the PSIA want people to feel psychological stress. 3. This kind of trick is somewhat traditional in Japan. Obedience to the nation has been ingrained in people's mind in the school for so long that they can not understand the trick. They may realize the reality at last, but they find themselves having had hands in the conspiracy or they find themselves having been victims of the conspiracy. But unfortunately it is too late in most cases. They are too old to make a fresh start in life. (1) the government, government workers and the police gangsters, extremists, rightists, cults, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and terrorists (2) Japan North Korea, Tibet, Myanmar, Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Islam extremists (3) the police foreign criminals, particularly in the case of crimes committed by American soldiers opposition parties (the (4) the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito Party Democratic Party of Japan, the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party and so on ) 4. I don't know why they perpetrate such childish farces. They probably think people are stupid. The Asama-Sanso incident (the battle between the left wing extremist group and the police in Japan) was the government's fabrication. The day was the 100th anniversary of the installation of the Ministry of War and Ministry of the Navy in the Japanese calendar. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
2008/4/13 #112
Japan's Conspiracy (72) "Do I look like a demon?" Dalai Lama No, you look like an idiot.
Dalai Lama has been speaking with a double tongue at every opportunity. As his attitude was similar to that of Japanese, I have thought about the reason for a long period of time. But finally I think I have reached a conclusion. Dalai Lama revealed his true character at last. Most Japanese thought that there were little violence because Dalai Lama called
for peaceful protest. In Japan, we saw Dalai Lama's interview in Tokyo in the TV news. And we also saw Tibetan protesters faked out by torchbearers in the US at the same TV news.
But I checked the time just in case. And I knew that his interview had been held in order to mislead the public. In fact, his interview was conducted about 10 hours after the 80 torchbearers had run along unlined streets inside San Francisco and near the Golden Gate Bridge. I believe that the Japanese government told Dalai Lama to come to Tokyo immediately after the torch relay in San Francisco in order to make up a cover story. Nowadays we often see such a childish performance in Japan.
Torch Relay in San Francisco

Japan Time April 10 5:20 AM April 10 3:00 PM
Event
San Francisco The torchbearer was routed away from thousands who turned out to cheer and protest the flame's journey to Beijing. (Japanese News) Tokyo Dalai Lama reiterates support for games, urges nonviolence. (Japanese News)
Reminder of the Emperor Showa

When I first heard Dalai Lama's remarks this time, I felt that I had ever heard a similar comment by somebody in the past. But when I happened to come across this site, I remembered that the person was the Emperor Showa. This site translates some confidential archive documents kept by the British government. Since I can not find the original content, let me briefly re-translate the content from Japanese to English. When the British ambassador to Japan came to Japan after the start of the Second SinoJapanese War in 1937, the Emperor Showa expressed his apprehension about the deteriorating relations between Britain and Japan. He said he really hoped that the two countries would continue to have good relations. He asked the ambassador to give him a helping hand. And when the ambassador said that the only thing for Japan to keep good relations with Britain was to keep good friends with China, the emperor expressed his full consent. I studied about Dalai Lama a lot. Yet, I don't know about him very well. But I feel that I am gradually understanding his true colors. Mongol peoples including Japanese are good at separating their good and evil selves. But when we carefully see their faces, their faces slightly change according to their true colors.
Date Puns among US, Nazi Germany and Dalai Lama
(added on January 22, 2011)
Those date puns are not coincidences. Let me talk about the detail later. Japanese calendar April 4, 1935 The Works Progress Administration is created (US). It was the largest New Deal agency, employing millions
Gregorian calendar Japanese calendar Gregorian calendar Japanese calendar Gregorian calendar
May 6, 1935 May 6, 1935 June 6, 1935 June 6, 1935 July 6, 1935
to carry out public works projects. The Reichsarbeitsdienst (or RAD, Reich Labour Service) is established by Nazi Germany. Dalai Lama is born.
Dalai Lama Accepted His Retiremnet
(added on June 27, 2011)
On May 29, 2011, Dalai Lama ratified the amendment to the charter of Tibetans delegating his administrative and political authorities to the democratically elected leaders of the Central Tibetan Administration." This seems to be natural course of events, but the past investigation has revealed that Dalai Lama is a fake authority which Japan and China collaborated to create. This conspiracy is almost the same as the conspiracy about Cuba's Castro and Venezuela's Chavez which were created for the sake of the US government, and the conspiracy about North Korea which was created for the sake of the Japanese government. In other words, the purpose of the conspiracy is to create a rogue nation in the neighborhood in order to enhance the centripetal force of its own nation by increasing the sense of crisis among people. But this kind of manipulation will not work any more. reference China and Dalai Lama Stop Japan from Buying Olympic Medals Dalai Lama and Confucian Temple in Tokyo
Rebiya Kadeer is Another Dalai Lama
Japan won World War II to be continued Go to next page Hypotheses are included.
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HOME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 BB CTRL 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 The conflict of Claims between China and Dalai Lama Hitler and Seven Samurai Japan's National Hate Campaign against the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay Japanese news about China is almost a fraud Driving a Wedge between China and North Korea by a Train Collision Japanese Secret Funds to the Russian Revolution Alive and safe, the brutal Japanese soldiers who butchered 20,000 Allied seamen in cold blood
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2008/4/16 #113
Japan's Conspiracy (73) The conflict of Claims between China and Dalai Lama
1. China I happened to find a site that provides an interesting description about the Tibetan history. The title of the site is CHINA.ORG.CN. It seems to be a media website operated by Chinese. Their contents may be unilateral but I think their claim is invulnerable with regard to Tibetan issues. Their articles about Tibet are worth reading. Let me introduce one of them.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight
CHINA.ORG.CN. Tibet is no Shangri-la
Tibet has fascinated the world for centuries and inspired many romantic myths and legends. The remote mountainous region and the exotic character of Tibetan Buddhism have stirred the western imagination. But pre-1949 Tibet was not the imagined paradise of people living a simple, happy life going about their religious activities. Society was in the grip of a type of feudal serfdom under which politics was intertwined with religion. Temples obstructed all reform; nobles ruthlessly defended their privileges and constantly intrigued against each other. In the old Tibet, serfs were traded and exchanged like pack animals. They were regarded as "horses that can talk", not human beings.
Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet
Today the Dalai Lama is seen as a kind, attractive person; a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. But until 1949, the Dalai Lama was the speaker and representative of Tibet's feudal system. Under feudalism, temples and sutra schools forced families with two boys to send one of them to become a monk. Until 1951, 95 percent of Tibetans were illiterate. The relationship between Tibetan Buddhism and the emperors of ancient China dates back to the 12th century Yuan Dynasty. The relationship between Tibet and China was like that between "religious leaders and their non-religious protectors." The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama had the status of religious counselors to the emperor who in turn was the protector of all lamas and the whole Tibet. The emperor provided material and military support to the lamas, just as to his other subjects. The records show the Dalai Lama was always a vassal of the emperor. From 1720 to 1910, Tibet was incorporated into the Manchu empire (Qing Dynasty). In the 19th century, Britain and Russia began to compete and intrigue against each other for control of Tibet. In 1906, Britain recognized China's "suzerainty" over Tibet. It reaffirmed this position in 1912. The four languages, Han Chinese, Mongolian, Manchu and Tibetan can be found on most royal buildings of ancient China, more evidence that China has continuously exercised sovereignty over Tibet. In 1950, not long after they had driven out the Japanese invaders and liberated most of the nation, the People's Liberation Army entered Lhasa. Since then major reforms have been carried out in Tibet, the most important being the abolition of the feudal serf system. Hundreds of thousands of serfs were liberated and became "human." The Central Government held talks in Beijing with the local rulers of Tibet. The Dalai Lama attended the talks and reached several agreements that gave a large measure of autonomy to the temples and the nobles. But some senior monks and nobles fearing they would lose their privileges, staged uprisings in 1956 and 1959. The Dalai Lama later admitted that the United States Central Intelligence Agency provided financial aid and arms to the insurgents. After the 1959 uprising failed, the Dalai Lama, together with other monks, fled to Dharamsala, India. During the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976), in Tibet like in other parts of China, Red Guards destroyed temples and persecuted lamas and nuns. It was the darkest page in the history of modern China. But starting from the 1980s, the Central Government and local authorities did their best to repair the damage. Temples were restored to their original condition. Monks and nuns returned to religious sites.
In the reform and opening up period, Tibet's tourism industry has flourished. A new railway has been built to link this once isolated place to the rest of the country. Shops are filled with merchandise from all over the country. The government provides free medical care for all Tibetans and the average life span and health level of the people have improved greatly. The Central Government has allocated large amount of funds to help Tibet modernize and integrate with the national economy. Tibet has paid great attention to environmental protection. Nature reserves have been established and renewable energy sources promoted in the region. According to every economic indicator people's lives have improved greatly. Like other places in China, Tibet faces economic and cultural problems that need urgent solutions. But, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), "China has solved the problem of food and clothing for 350 millions people in 20 years." This figure includes millions of Tibetans. Tibet is one of the most strategically sensitive places in the world. Tibet is the source of Asia's great rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra, the Yellow, the Yangtze and the Mekong. It overflows with mineral resources such as uranium, bauxite, copper and lithium and is also rich in petroleum and natural gas. Tibet is a target that different interest groups would compete and die for. The March 14 riots in Lhasa and associated protests in other countries were instigated and masterminded by the Dalai clique. Although those taking part were few in number, the western media exaggerated and sensationalized the events, threatening the stability of the region. This is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that reporters, commentators and other self-proclaimed judges lecture China on how to deal with the crisis. Many western people have already have misgivings about China. It does nobody any good to encourage further misunderstanding. About the authors: Serge Pairoux, Secretary-General of the Belgium-China Cultural Center. Henri Lederhandler, Vice Chairman of the Belgium-China Economic and Commercial Council. (China.org.cn March 31, 2008)
2. Dalai Lama
I looked for websites in which the Government of Tibet in Exile explains their history, but I couldn't. They don't offer even Dalai Lama's personal history. As is often the case, Japan sends caretakers to its puppet regime. Japan needs to brainwash and monitor them. There was a Japanese spy chef around Kim Jong-il. A nazi tutor, Heinrich Harrer, taught Dalai Lama much about the outside world. Harrer made no secret of his allegiance to National Socialism and had been photographed with Adolf Hitler. I found a website entitled with " Suspicious relations between Nazi and Tibet". It seems to be made by Japanese ensign people who know Jews very well. But I think the contents are reliable. At that time, it was dangerous for Japanese undercover agents to perform espionage in Tibet. I don't mean the spy himself would be in danger but I mean if the spy is unmasked, Japan's conspiracy is also revealed. So, Harrer was chosen as a spy. It is doubtful that he was born in Austria. In the end, Dalai Lama is a friend of Hitler's friend. Surprisingly enough, Nazi Germany's flag is a combination of Janaese Sun Flag and the mark of Buddhist temple ( Swastika). Flag of the Tibetan Government in Exile was designed by a Japanese spy. The flag of Soka Gakkai International is said to have the same combination of colors that the Tibetan flag has. Nazi Germany's flag
In Japan, the swastika is called manji. Since the Middle Ages, it has been used as a family coat of arms. On Japanese maps, a swastika (left-facing and horizontal) is used to mark the location of a Buddhist temple. The right-facing manji is often referred as the gyaku manji (, lit. "reverse manji"), and can also be called kagi j ji, literally "hook cross". Dalai Lama says that they received financial aid from CIA. But a spy pretending to be his enemy spy often gives money to a certain group of people in order to manipulate them. The more violent the group, the better. Probably, Japan created Dalai Lama's violent groups in the disguise of CIA. The consequences were completely advantageous for Japan. Japan could blame the US on every bad result from the Tibetan protest. Politicians are easily deceived by such a simple trick. Dalai Lama's recent announcement of his readiness of resignation insinuates his big mastermind. A dictator of a small group rarely resigns spontaneously. This only undermines the group.
Flag of the Tibetan Government in Exile
Flag of Soka Gakkai
Neither the US government nor CIA has not officially referred to the financial aid. Journalists who spread such doubtful information are also doubtful. There are quite a few journalists who are influenced by certain nations and organizations. A popular Japanese commentator proudly says that he is a mere actor while he has an impact on the public opinions. News shows in Japan are mostly part of the TV drama in which news shows are performed. It is a piece of cake for actors to play the role of a commentator ( Disadvantages of kisha clubs or "reporters' clubs"). Dalai Lama received up to one million dollars (explained in Japanese Wikipedia as below) from Aum Shinrikyo, which carried out the sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subways in 1995. Such a religious leader in no way deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Nowadays, Nobel prizes are not necessarily awarded to the best people. In fact, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee of five people elected by the Norwegian Parliament. In general, it is very easy for a foreign government to buy politicians.
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Aum Shinrikyo cult is not the only cult in Japan. It is also reported that another cult contributed two million dollars (also explained in Japanese Wikipedia as below) to Dalai Lama. I have never heard of the cult. Then I examined the cult and surprising facts came out one after another..... The cult is Nenbutsushu Buddhist sect of Japan. Unfortunately, there is little information about the cult. The cult is really mysterious. Let me inform you about it later.

Dalai Lama's argument is full of emotional expression with few statistics. His demand against the Chinese government is vague. It is unclear how Dalai Lama and Tibetan violent mobs are connected. This situation is very similar to the double standard in IRA and the Palestinian National Authority. In such a case, one of two parties seems to tell a lie. And under such circumstances, problems continue. Anyway, let me introduce "An Appeal to the Chinese People" by Dalai Lama in his official site.
An Appeal to the Chinese People The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Today, I extend heartfelt greetings to my Chinese brothers and sisters around the world, particularly to those in the People's Republic of China. In the light of the recent developments in Tibet, I would
like to share with you my thoughts concerning relations between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples, and make a personal appeal to all of you. I am deeply saddened by the loss of life in the recent tragic events in Tibet. I am aware that some Chinese have also died. I feel for the victims and their families and pray for them. The recent unrest has clearly demonstrated the gravity of the situation in Tibet and the urgent need to seek a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution through dialogue. Even at this juncture I have expressed my willingness to the Chinese authorities to work together to bring about peace and stability. Chinese brothers and sisters, I assure you I have no desire to seek Tibet's separation. Nor do I have any wish to drive a wedge between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. On the contrary my commitment has always been to find a genuine solution to the problem of Tibet that ensures the long-term interests of both Chinese and Tibetans. My primary concern, as I have repeated time and again, is to ensure the survival of the Tibetan people's distinctive culture, language and identity. As a simple monk who strives to live his daily life according to Buddhist precepts, I assure you of the sincerity of my personal motivation. I have appealed to the leadership of the PRC to clearly understand my position and work to resolve these problems by "seeking truth from facts". I urge the Chinese leadership to exercise wisdom and to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also appeal to them to make sincere efforts to contribute to the stability and harmony of the PRC and avoid creating rifts between the nationalities. The state media's portrayal of the recent events in Tibet, using deceit and distorted images, could sow the seeds of racial tension with unpredictable long-term consequences. This is of grave concern to me. Similarly, despite my repeated support for the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese authorities, with the intention of creating a rift between the Chinese people and myself, the Chinese authorities assert that I am trying to sabotage the games. I am encouraged, however, that several Chinese intellectuals and scholars have also expressed their strong concern about the Chinese leadership's actions and the potentia l for adverse long-term consequences, particularly on relations among different nationalities. Since ancient times, Tibetan and Chinese peoples have lived as neighbors. In the two thousand year old recorded history of our peoples, we have at times developed friendly relations, even entering into matrimonial alliances, while at others we fought each other. However, since Buddhism flourished in China first before it arrived in Tibet from India, we Tibetans have historically accorded the Chinese people the respect and affection due to elder Dharma brothers and sisters. This is something well known to members of the Chinese community living outside China, some of whom have attended my Buddhist lectures, as well as pilgrims from mainland China, whom I have had the privilege to meet. I take heart from these meetings and feel they may contribute to a better understanding between our two peoples. The twentieth century witnessed enormous changes in many parts of the world and Tibet too was caught up in this turbulence. Soon after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Tibet finally resulting in the 17-point Agreement concluded between China and Tibet in May 1951. When I was in Beijing in 1954/55, attending the National People's Congress, I had the opportunity to meet and develop a personal friendship with many senior leaders, including Chairman Mao himself. In fact, Chairman Mao gave me advice on numerous issues, as well as personal assurances with regard to the future of Tibet. Encouraged by these assurances, and inspired by the dedication of many of China's revolutionary leaders of the time, I returned to Tibet full of confidence and optimism. Some Tibetan members of the Chinese Communist Party also had such a hope. After my return to Lhasa, I made every possible effort to seek genuine regional autonomy for Tibet within the family of the People's Republic of China (PRC). I believed that this would best serve the long-term interests of both the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. Unfortunately, tensions, which began to escalate in Tibet from around 1956, eventually led to the peaceful uprising of March 10, 1959, in Lhasa and my eventual escape into exile. Although many positive developments have taken place in Tibet under the PRC's rule, these developments, as the previous Panchen Lama pointed out in January 1989, were overshadowed by immense suffering and extensive destruction. Tibetans were compelled to live in a state of constant fear, while the Chinese government remained suspicious of them. However, instead of cultivating enmity towards the Chinese
leaders responsible for the ruthless suppression of the Tibetan people, I prayed for them to become friends, which I expressed in the following lines in a prayer I composed in 1960, a year after I arrived in India: "May they attain the wisdom eye discerning right and wrong, And may they abide in the glory of friendship and love." Many Tibetans, school children among them, recite these lines in their daily prayers. In 1974, following serious discussions with my Kashag (cabinet), as well as the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the then Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies, we decided to find a Middle Way that would seek not to separate Tibet from China, but would facilitate the peaceful development of Tibet. Although we had no contact at the time with the PRC - which was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution - we had already recognized that, sooner or later, we would have to resolve the question of Tibet through negotiations. We also acknowledged that, at least with regard to modernization and economic development, it would greatly benefit Tibet if it remained within the PRC. Although Tibet has a rich and ancient cultural heritage, it is materially undeveloped. Situated on the roof of the world, Tibet is the source of many of Asia's major rivers; therefore, protection of the environment on the Tibetan plateau is of supreme importance. Since our utmost concern is to safeguard Tibetan Buddhist culture - rooted as it is in the values of universal compassion - as well as the Tibetan language and the unique Tibetan identity, we have worked whole-heartedly towards achieving meaningful self-rule for all Tibetans. The PRC's constitution provides the right for nationalities such as the Tibetans to do this. In 1979, the then Chinese paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping assured my personal emissary that "except for the independence of Tibet, all other questions can be negotiated." Since we had already formulated our approach to seeking a solution to the Tibetan issue within the constitution of the PRC, we found ourselves well placed to respond to this new opportunity. My representatives met many times with officials of the PRC. Since renewing our contacts in 2002, we have had six rounds of talks. However, on the fundamental issue, there has been no concrete result at all. Nevertheless, as I have declared many times, I remain firmly committed to the Middle Way approach and reiterate here my willingness to continue to pursue the process of dialogue. This year, the Chinese people are proudly and eagerly awaiting the opening of the Olympic Games. I have, from the start, supported Beijing's being awarded the opportunity to host the Games. My position remains unchanged. China has the world's largest population, a long history and an extremely rich civilization. Today, due to her impressive economic progress, she is emerging as a great power. This is certainly to be welcomed. But China also needs to earn the respect and esteem of the global community through the establishment of an open and harmonious society based on the principles of transparency, freedom, and the rule of law. For example, to this day victims of the Tiananmen Square tragedy that adversely affected the lives of so many Chinese citizens have received neither just redress nor any official response. Similarly, when thousands of ordinary Chinese in rural areas suffer injustice at the hands of exploitative and corrupt local officials, their legitimate complaints are either ignored or met with aggression. I express these concerns both as a fellow human being and as someone who is prepared to consider himself a member of the large family that is the People's Republic of China. In this respect, I appreciate and support President Hu Jintao's policy of creating a "harmonious society", but this can only arise on the basis of mutual trust and an atmosphere of freedom, including freedom of speech and the rule of law. I strongly believe that if these values are embraced, many important problems relating to minority nationalities can be resolved, such as the issue of Tibet, as well as Eastern Turkistan, and Inner Mongolia, where the native people now constitute only 20% of a total population of 24 million. I had hoped President Hu Jintao's recent statement that the stability and safety of Tibet concerns the stability and safety of the country might herald the dawning of a new era for the resolution of the problem of Tibet. It is unfortunate that despite my sincere efforts not to separate Tibet from China, the leaders of the PRC continue to accuse me of being a 'separatist'. Similarly, when Tibetans in Lhasa and many other areas spontaneously protested to express their deep-rooted resentment, the Chinese authorities immediately accused me of having orchestrated their demonstrations. I have called for a thorough investigation by a respected body to look into this allegation. Chinese brothers and sisters - wherever you may be - with deep concern I appeal to you to help dispel the misunderstandings between our two communities. Moreover, I appeal to you to help us
find a peaceful, lasting solution to the problem of Tibet through dialogue in the spirit of understanding and accommodation. With my prayers, The Dalai Lama March 28, 2008 On the day when Shoko Asahara, a founder of Aum Shinrikyo, met Dalai Lama in India, the Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea was destroyed by explosions and fires. And in Japan, the Recruit Scandal was revealed. The day was May 23, 1988 in the Japanese calendar. And on that day, US President Reagan met with Soviet leader Gorbachev and popular Japanese television writer Yasushi Akimoto married Onyanko Club member Mamiko Takai. Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
to be continued
2008/4/20 #114
Japan's Conspiracy (74) Hitler and Seven Samurai

Hitler was a monster created by Japan
You may think it is a preposterous argument, but there are inexplicable mysteries between Nazi Germany and Japan. And I have been wondering about them for many years. But I have found that the mysteries have some bizarre things in common at last. 1. The coincidence of date between German and Japanese events suggests that they have cooperated somehow. 2. Nazi Germany's policy and strategy was mostly advantageous for Japan. 3. Flag of Nazi Germany is the combination of the Rising Sun Flag and the Buddhist Symbol in Japan. 4. Truth is often exposed in extreme situations. Hitler was in the custody of Japanese espionage agents to his end. 5. Japan has continued to maintain its spy organizations since Nazi collapsed. There is a variety of connections between them. But let me talk about some related things around Hitler's final moment. Adolf Hitler
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Peru Hostage Crisis CNN Live Coverage
Hitler and former Japanese Ambassador to Peru Morihisa Aoki

A man's reminiscence of his past suddenly made me aware of the relationship between Hitler and Japan. It was several years ago when I watched a TV interview program. Mr. Aoki was talking in high pride about his experience in Berlin at the end of Nazi Germany.
At any rate, it was no joke. His story was not about Hitler's empire but about the foreign exchange system and the key currency system. Let me describe his talk according to my memory. Aoki : "During the war, power of a currency really comes into play. When Nazi Germany collapsed, I happened to be in Berlin. At that time, quite a few Japanese stayed behind there. We tried to drive through the road along which enemy tanks were moving toward us. We put all the bills we had into the car and drove out of Berlin. But what currency do you think we had? We had, of all things, enemy dollar bills. It was all the more clear which currency was stronger during the war." At that time I didn't know the site of Wikipedia. I didn't know how to use the search engine. So I personally pondered his real intention. Since he was appointed as the ambassador to Peru and got through the embassy hostage crisis, I didn't think that his mission was an ordinary one. I believed that he had been born into a distinguished bureaucratic family. In addition, his strange act at the end of the hostage crisis burnt into my memory. On April 22, 1997, a team of Peruvian commandos mounted a dramatic raid on the residence. All the terrorists were killed. But just after this moment, Aoki appeared sitting on the chair, holding a framed picture of the then Prime Minister Hashimoto up high. Immediately I thought it was a fraud. Aoki's father, Morio Aoki, worked as Second Secretary at the Japanese Embassy to Turkey during WWII. At that time, the Japanese embassy in Turkey was the linchpin of the Axis. He was called "KIng of Ankara" by his colleagues at the embassy. After the hostage crisis in Peru, Morihisa Aoki was appointed as Ambassador to Kenya in July 1998. But at that time in Africa, Japan's new conspiracies were swirling. The next month, the simultaneous bombings at the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya occurred. It was surprising that the attacks were carried out so soon. In fact, the US consistently criticized Fujimori. It is the Japanese tradition to get one's revenge on someone in a roundabout way and to carry out simultaneous multiple attacks. It is simply a camouflage of its motive for the crime. Under such circumstances, I believe that Morihisa Aoki was personally acquainted with Hitler when he was a child. By the way, the flag of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) is colored white and red like the Japanese rising sun flag. It's enough.
Japanese Flag
Flag of Nazi Germany
Flag of MRTA
Hitler and Seven Disemboweled Tibetan Soldiers

Japan always sends in watchdogs to its puppet celebrities. It often arranges even look-alikes. They often mock the celebrities but they often convey some secret but serious messages to the public. In the case of Hitler, seven watchdogs carried out their duty around him to the last moment. It would be better to say that they killed themselves after they confirmed Hitler's death rather than to say that they simply died. There was a Japanese spy chef around Kim Jong-il. A nazi tutor, Heinrich Harrer, taught Dalai Lama much about the outside world. Harrer made no secret of his allegiance to National Socialism and had been photographed with Adolf Hitler. Even today, some Japanese espionage agents disguise themselves as Tibetans. Shoko Asahara, a founder of Japan's religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, was a good example. They don't necessarily have to be Tibetans. They can be every kind of people as long as they are included in a Mongolian race. It can be easy to pierce a Japanese disguising himself as a Chinese or a Korean because it is easy to examine his language. If a Japanese disguises himself as a Tibetan and speaks only poor English, it is safe and enough. Disguising oneself as a Tibetan is a very convenient way for a Japanese spy.
It is believed that Japanese spies took many Tibetan soldiers into Berlin. Japanese spies operated with them. That explains everything together with Mr. Aoki's story in Berlin. Charlie Chaplin was another Japanese puppet monster. Japan focused on Hitlers birthday to find his look-alike. Chaplin was born 4 days earlier than Hitler. He became popular because a lot of his ticket sales were used as money laundering. He was concerned with Hitler. He was surrounded by quite a few Japanese. His anti-Nazi information was just a propaganda.
Yet the story continues.

I believe that the seven Tibetan soldiers were Japanese soldiers in disguise. Tibet has no tradition of harakiri suicide. Chinese occasionally commit harakiri but their motive is quite different from that of Japanese. And Japan was obsessed with the seven Tibetan (in fact Japanese) soldiers. Japan could not expose the secret. Japan hinted at it to the world instead. The tool was the movie " Seven Samurai". The scenario of the movie and the comment by the director, Akira Kurosawa, clearly showed that they were concerned with the Axis during WWII. Most of Japan's movies, music and literary works that are highly appreciated throughout the world are suspicious. " Snow Country" by Yasunari Kawabata and " Hana-bi" directed by Takeshi Kitano are boring. It is easy for a country to buy critics overseas. We often see artists who are unpopular within the country being appreciated overseas. Those artists are anti-government most of the time. However, in Japan, such artists are probably snobbish entourages of politicians. This is a good example of Japanese double standard.
Seven Samurai continues to Seven Lieutenants.

Seven Samurai continues to Seven Lieutenants within the Takeshita Faction, which was the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) during the late 1980s. The seven are Keizo Obuchi, Ichiro Ozawa, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Seiroku Kajiyama, Tsutomu Hata, Kozo Watanabe and Keiwa Okuda. I was wondering about the reason why these seven politicians were especially called as one of the Seven Lieutenants. But I now understand.
The revival of the Swastika

Nazi Germany collapsed in 1945. Two years later the swastika symbol came back in Japan. Doshin So (1911-1980) founded a martial art form of Kempo, Shorinji Kempo, in 1947. It adopted the swastika as its symbol. The Swastika In fact, he was a Japanese undercover agent. he learned a Chinese martial art, Shaolin Kung Fu, from members of Boxers ( the Righteous Harmony Society). This rebellious group carried out the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1899. I believe that this rebellious group had something to do with Japan. Shaolin Temple in China is a very important temple for a Chinese martial art. Since Doshin So borrowed this chinese name, both martial arts have been frequently confused. So, nowadays the Chinese original martial art, Shaolin Kung Fu, is often called Kung Fu. It can be said that Japan has successfully tarnished the image of the traditional Chinese martial art by borrowing its name and confusing their names and using the flag similar to that of Nazi Germany.
Flag of Shorinji Kempo in 1947
The Swastika symbol was changed to a new one due to international criticism in 2005. But it is meaningless as long as they keep the idea of the Axis.
Flag of Shorinji Kempo in 2005
reference
Hitler's birthday was arranged in accordance with the Mongol invasions of Japan. It reveals the fact in which Japan had planned a large-scale war as early as in 1889.
Hitler was born on the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution in the Hebrew calendar. It reveals the fact that he was a member of Jewish family, in addition to Japanese conspirators. Hitler 'had Jewish and African roots', DNA tests show Hitler and Dalai Lama Hitler and Yasukuni Shrine
Pearl Harbor Attack and Panzer Group Africa were date puns on Mongol invasions of Japan. Hitler and 1940 Tokyo Olympic Games Charlie Chaplin, a double of Hitler People Chosen and Destined by Birthday A wealthy Japanese philanthropist and Hitler Hitler's Secrets hypotheses are included
Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig Explosion to be continued
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2008/4/24 #115
Japan's Conspiracy (75) Japan's National Hate Campaign against the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay From Ruins of a Prison to a Settlement House through Remains of a Crematory
Memories of ominous sites including prisons and crematories often die hard. In my region, some people still call a site as ruins of a prison though another building has been built there. Zenkoji Temple in Nagano withdrew from a plan to host the Beijing Olympics torch relay on April 18. The local organizing committee for the Nagano leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay picked a new starting point on April 21. However, the new starting point was ruins of a prison and the new relay course included several places people don't want to visit such as a settlement house , the local prosecutor's office, the police headquarters, the local court, remains of a crematory , and the immigration authorities . Some people dare to say that the previous prison was mostly used for the Japanese military government to torture Japanese communists during WWII.
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Japan looks down on China
There is more to it than that. There was a deep-laid plot in the process of choosing the torch relay course. It is pointed out that there is another conspiracy in the form of anagram .
Nagano Akichi === China Nakigao Akichi means an empty lot in Japanese. Nakigao means a crying face in Japanese.
akichi naki kao Japan is really a corrupt nation. Probably, Nagano was chosen just for this anagram. And then Zenkoji temple was temporarily chosen to camouflage the trick anagram.
Prime Minister Fukuda is getting out of Japan.

As is always the case, the Japanese prime minister leaves Japan when unwelcomed foreign guests come. But he returns just after the guests leave. This time, Fukuda leaves Japan the previous day, and returns the next day, of the day on which the Olympic torch relay is held.
Kinichi Hagimoto hosted the closing ceremonies.

Hagimoto is a Japanese comedian. He suddenly got popularity after meeting with Charlie Chaplin. In Japan, Chaplin is regarded as a symbol of Hitler by some people.
miscellaneous
This is a sample list of torch relay courses. London : Wembley Stadium Paris : Eiffel Tower San Francisco : Fisherman's Wharf Delhi : Presidential Palace Bangkok : Chinatown Nagano : an empty lot (ruins of a prison) A propaganda performed by a Japan-Tibet alliance group YouTube Site reference The conflict of Claims between China and Dalai Lama "Do I look like a demon?"Dalai Lama Stop Japan from Buying Olympic Medals Hitler and Seven Samurai
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2008/4/27 #116
Japanese news about China is almost a fraud
The next morning after the Olympic torch relay, "Six persons were arrested," said Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, on the TV interview program, hinting that they were pro-Chinese activists. But at the news at noon he said that no Chinese were included among the arrested. As is often the case, news information in Japan is often confusing. I think it is even intentionally confused. So, I made a list for the information for clear understanding. The information is based on some Japanese internet sites below. Mainichi newspaper Asahi Newspaper Yomiuri Newspaper Daily Sports Mainichi Newspaper Close -up
Free Tibet protests in Nagano torch relay
Aichi Prefecture Taiwan (nationality) Tokyo Prefecture Kanagawa Prefecture Kanagawa Prefecture Tokyo Prefecture
self-employed (63) construction worker / Tashi Tsering (42) office worker (38) member of a political group / Hiroki Nakamura (33) office worker (30) unemployed / Shinsaku Seki (25)
immediately arrested and released arrested and sent to prosecutors immediately arrested and released alleged assault and sent to prosecutors immediately arrested and released immediately arrested and sent to prosecutors ---- . injured .
throwing tomatoes at policemen obstruction obstruction throwing an unlit warning flare jumping into the driveway obstruction
four persons including Chinese and Tibetans
support / protest
The information above is somewhat inconsistent with foreign media's reports in other languages. I don't know whether the mistake is intentionally made or not. So, let me show one example here. " Bangkok Post" Mr. Komura didn't talk about Tibetan protesters. He was only asked and answered about the activities and injuries of Chinese people. It was strange. In fact, the man Japanese media said to be a man with Taiwanese nationality was a Tibetan who had come to study in Taiwan from India in the 1980s and had obtained Taiwan citizenship according to Bangkok Post. For a Japanese like me, Japanese media seem only to try to mislead Japanese, forcing them to take anti-Chinese attitude. But this is not the only problem. The expanding perception gap between the Japanese and foreigners overseas is another big problem. Before WWII, Japan and Germany transformed their systems very much. But people in other countries did not understand the future result. If they had predicted their future correctly, they could have prevented the war. I think the increasing perception gap is reaching the level that was seen in those days. So, I hope people all over the world will wake up and think about their future seriously.
Our lives are already borderless. One country's collapse or disaster will easily cause another catastrophe in another country. To tell the truth, the day of the torch relay, April 26, 2008, marked the 22nd anniversary of the start of the construction of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (April 26, 1986). And the day also marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of the bridge. April 26, 2008 was March 21, 2008 in the Japanese calendar. And the bridge had been opened on March 21, 1998. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
reference
2008/4/28 #117
Japan's Conspiracy (77) Driving a Wedge between China and North Korea by a Train Collision
Japan had no patience for North Korea's arbitrary actions.

I can't catch up with Japan's conspiracy. They create one incident after another. It's enough. But I shouldn't be making a complaint. There are many casualties. On April 28, 2008, seventy people were killed and 420 injured early Monday when a passenger train from Beijing careered off the rails and slammed into another train in eastern China, Chinese state media reported. Ruling out terrorism, the official Xinhua news agency said preliminary investigations found human error was to blame, without elaborating. The first train was travelling to Qingdao -- the coastal city that will host the Olympic sailing competition in August -- when it derailed, causing a train coming in the opposite direction to leave the tracks.
At that time, the torch was arriving at Pyongyang's international airport.

On April 28, 2008, the Olympic flame arrived in North Korea early Monday for the first torch relay in the country to be held later in the day. The torch arrived at Pyongyang's international airport after midnight on a plane from the South Korean capital of Seoul. It was met by crowds of Koreans as well as Chinese living in North Korea waving flags of the two countries. Pyongyang has been gearing up for the relay, holding on Sunday a rehearsal of the opening ceremony that will take place from 10 a.m. Monday in front of the Tower of the Juche Idea in the central part of the city. "I am very honored to have been chosen for this at my advanced age," Pak Tu Ik, the 71-year-old first runner who was at the ceremony rehearsal, said Sunday morning. Pak is a North Korean sports hero who was a key member of the country's soccer team that advanced into the 1966 World Cup quarter finals.
The railroad accident was Japan's conspiracy.

North Korea has been Japan's main bridgehead for regaining Korean Peninsula since the end of WWII. At least Japan believes so. Japan took advantage of the isolated North Korea. Japan sold nuclear and ballistic missile technology to North Korea, which later was spread to some countries. This deception was superficially successful. India, Pakistan and Iran are now nuclear states. Japan has steadily built up a theoretical rationale for its own nuclear armament. But an enemy emerged at an unexpected place. China transformed itself through the confusion of the Cultural Revolution. The purpose of the hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351 by the Japanese Red Army was to get in the way of the then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. He had to postpone his Pyongyang visit. In the communique between China and North Korea, harsh criticism against the revival of the Japanese militarism was included. There are countless cases overseas with which Japan has something to do. The terrorist attacks below are only some of them. September 11, 2001 attacks the bombing of an Air India Flight 182 in 1985 Takeshi Okamoto Kozo Okamoto Fusako Shigenobu When Japan held the Olympic torch relay in Nagano, it handled it in favor of Dalai Lama. But North Korea welcomed the torch relay with open hands, leading both countries by the nose. Japan cannot forgive North Korea. In fact, although nobody knows who perpetrated the train collision, there is enough circumstantial evidence for conspiracy. There was a similar train accident in the past. A train disaster occurred in the town of Ryongchon, North Korea near the border with China on April 22, 2004. The disaster occurred when a flammable cargo exploded at the railway station at about 1300 local time. The news was broken by South Korean media outlets, which reported that up to 3,000 people had been killed or injured in the blast and subsequent fires. The North Korean government declared a state of emergency in the region, but little information about the accident has been made public. The incident reportedly happened nine hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il passed through the station on his way home from a visit to Beijing. Mr Kim had been in China to meet Hu
Jintao and to discuss North Korea's nuclear programme. The Sichuan earthquake was Japan's conspiracy. The earthquake occurred on a special day. May 12, 2008 was 88 days before the opening day of the Beijing Olympics. The opening of the Beijing Games falls on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008, which is no coincidence as the number eight is traditionally considered lucky in China due to it sounding like the word for wealth. Japan and France were satisfied and continued to harass China about whether their leaders attend the opening ceremony. (postscript 2008/7/12) In Japan, the government doesn't show any clear definition about the difference between sabotage and information collection. But some secret police explain even somewhat criminal activities. The activities include an activity of driving a wedge between two parties. This conspiracy tells very well the characteristic of the Japanese society. You may wonder why Japan commits such conspiracy even just before the visit of the Chinese president. But in fact the time just before the president's visit is a perfect time for Japan to win concessions from China. In Japan, the president of a company linked to gangsters often lets the gangsters make trouble with its rival companies. When he meets the president of a victim company, he says, "I hear that you have some trouble with some gangsters. I think I can help you." In fact his attitude is half intimidation and half a joke. If the troubled president talks back and asks him if he has something to do with the trouble, he begins cursing at him, saying, "The president puts all his trouble on me forgetting his own fault." Such attitude is apparently based on some manual. I believe there are such manuals. Successful wrongdoings for over 100 years are accumulated in such manuals. It's shameful. The Chinese government reacted cautiously. Two responsible bureaucrats were immediately replaced for whatever reason. And we see two familiar set phrases in such cases all the time. In foreign events, particularly with which Japan seems to have something to do, we see two set phrases. (1) There have no Japanese casualties so far. (2) There has been no evidence of terrorism. This time again, Japanese media reported the train accident with a chorus of complacence. Japanese media coverage is very different from that in other countries. In fact, there is no clear reason why such minor things should be reported first of all. If Japan had not been behind the train accident, there should have been no such unusual reports in Japanese media. The train collision in Ryongchon, North Korea was a fabrication. It obviously celebrated the 100th anniversary of J. Robert Oppenheimer's birth. Oppenheimer is often called the "father of the atomic bomb".
reference
Ex-Chinese leader Jiang Zemin on Train. to be continued Hypotheses are included. HOME INDEX TOP C
2008/5/5 #118
Japan's Conspiracy (78) Japanese Secret Funds to the Russian Revolution

You may not think about the Japanese involvement into the Russian Revolution. But it was true. The involvement started at the Russo-Japanese War in 1904.
Akashi Motojiro
Akashi was sent as an itinerant military attache in Europe at the end of 1900, visiting Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, staying in France in 1901, and moving to St Petersburg, Russia in 1902. As a member of the Japanese Secret Intelligence Services, Akashi was involved in setting up an intricate espionage network in all major European cities, using specially trained operatives under various covers, members of locally-based Japanese merchants and workers, and local people either sympathetic to Japan, or willing to be cooperative for a price. In the period of growing tensions before the outbreak of the RussoJapanese War, Akashi had a discretionary budget of 1 million yen to gather information on Russian troop movements and naval developments. At that time, Japan's national budget was 680 million yen. Now that Japan's national budget in 2008 is said to be 2.5 trillion dollars, his budget is equivalent to today's 3.7 billion dollars. It's an amazing amount of money. In Japan, the national budget includes the general accounts (about 30 per cent) and special accounts (about 70 per cent). The amount of the general accounts is open to the public through the Diet deliberation. But the special accounts are secret. I got the information from the Japanese Wikipedia. After the start of the war, he used his contacts and network to seek out and to provide monetary and weaponry support to revolutionary forces attempting to overthrow the Romanov dynasty. Narrowly escaping capture and assassination by the Ochrana, a secret police force of the Russian Empire, several times even before the start of the war, Akashi relocated to Helsinki in late 1904, although he traveled extensively to Stockholm, Warsaw, Geneva, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, Zurich and even Irkutsk. the revolutionary army at Red Square
The Russo-Japanese War: Conflict in the far East
Japanese army during the Russo-Japanese War
a Russian cruiser
Akashi helped funnel funds and arms to selected groups of Russian anarchists, the secessionists in Finland and Poland, and disaffected Moslem groups in the Crimea and Russian Turkestan. Akashi is also known to have met with the exiled Lenin in Switzerland. It is widely believed in Japan that Akashi was behind the assassination of Russian Interior Minister Vyacheslav von Plehve, the Bloody Sunday Uprising and the Potemkin Mutiny. When he met with Lenin in Geneva in 1904, Akashi talked about the Japanese government's willingness to give financial support to Lenin's socialism. At first, Lenin refused Akashi's proposal and said that accepting foreign country's money was nothing short of a betrayal of his own country. But Akashi succeeded in persuading Lenin. Akashi said that it was never treacherous for a Tatar to accept Japan's money to fight the great oppressor, the House of Romanov. According to Akashi's report to the Japanese government, he gave 40,000 yen (equivalent to today's 2.8 million dollars) to a Russian double agent, Yevno Azef, for smuggling weapons during the revolution in 1905. A Japanese general reported to Emperor Meiji that Colonel Akashi was worth "more than 10 divisions of troops in Manchuria" towards Japan winning the war. Akashi was promoted to colonel at age 40. reference to be continued End of Russian Empire Was Probably Fake Story. Hypotheses are included.
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Japan's Conspiracy (79) Alive and safe, the brutal Japanese soldiers who butchered 20,000 Allied seamen in cold blood
The other day, I happened to read the following article on DAILY MAIL. Every time I hear the atrocities of the Imperial Japanese Army, I feel that the atrocities never stop there. Even today, honest Japanese are intimidated and silenced by a variety of people. They are ostracized by the Japanese society. To tell the truth, this kind of conspiracy is so complicated that even the very victims don't know why they are intimidated and what was wrong with them. So let me show today's Japan's atrocity a little before introducing the main article.
Kamikaze
Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots

One day, I was visiting this museum with a Canadian friend. At the museum, he was looking for the picture of a Japanese kamikaze pilot. He said that one of his Japanese friends was a kamikaze pilot at this airport. He asked me to ask the curator if there was his picture or not. Then I asked the curator. And the curator asked him if the Japanese pilot was alive or dead. He said the pilot was alive and safe. Then the curator said to him that, unfortunately, they displayed no pictures of people who were still living and that, if he had been dead, his pictures would have been displayed.
Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots
This story tells today's Japanese society very vividly. Most soldiers who survived the WWII have been silenced by the government. Superficially, the government does nothing wrong. But they use a variety of people to silence honest and outspoken people. More than 60 years have past, but this atrocity still continues and even intensified in some cases. The Japanese society is really a double standard society. Soldiers have been intimidated and completely silenced sine the end of WWII. But when they die, they are suddenly enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine. For most Japanese, politicians' visit to Yasukuni Shrine is just a cover-up of their atrocities against honest soldiers and outspoken people. Dead men are always respected just because they tell no tales. People who intimidated a person will never pay respect to him after he dies. About 20 per cent of soldiers were really atrocious. The rest of them were honest and they were intimidated. Even today this social structure continues. To make matters worse, this 20 per cent of bad people are almost perfect hypocrites. They pretend to be very kind gentlemen. This monument at the museum is a good example.
Alive and safe, the brutal Japanese soldiers who butchered 20,000 Allied seamen in cold blood
DAILY MAIL 3rd November 2007 The perpetrators of some of the worst atrocities of the Second World War remain alive and unpunished in Japan, according to a damning new book. Painstaking research by British historian Mark Felton reveals that the wartime behaviour of the Japanese Navy was far worse than their counterparts in Hitler's Kriegsmarine. According to Felton, officers of the Imperial Japanese Navy ordered the deliberately sadistic murders of more than 20,000 Allied seamen and countless civilians in cold-blooded defiance of the Geneva Convention. "Many of the Japanese sailors who committed such terrible deeds are still alive today," he said. "No one and nothing has bothered these men in six decades. There is only one documented case of a German U-boat skipper being responsible for coldblooded murder of survivors. In the Imperial Japanese Navy, it was official orders." Felton has compiled a chilling list of atrocities. He said: "The Japanese Navy sank Allied merchant and Red Cross vessels, then murdered survivors floating
in the sea or in lifeboats. "Allied air crew were rescued from the ocean and then tortured to death on the decks of ships. "Naval landing parties rounded up civilians then raped and massacred them. Some were taken out to sea and fed to sharks. Others were killed by sledge-hammer, bayonet, beheading, hanging, drowning, burying alive, burning or crucifixion. "I also unearthed details of medical experiments by naval doctors, with prisoners being dissected while still alive." Felton's research reveals for the first time the full extent of the war crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Navy, a force that traditionally modelled itself on the Royal Navy. Previously unknown documents suggest that at least 12,500 British sailors and a further 7,500 Australians were butchered. Felton cites the case of the British merchantman Behar, sunk by the heavy cruiser Tone on March 9, 1944. The Tone's captain Haruo Mayuzumi picked up survivors and, after ten days of captivity below decks, had 85 of them assembled, hands bound, on his ship's stern. Kicked in their stomachs and testicles by the Japanese, they were then, one by one, beheaded with swords and their bodies dumped overboard. A solitary senior officer, Commander Junsuke Mii, risked his career by dissenting. But he gave evidence at a subsequent war crimes tribunal only under duress. Meanwhile, most of the officers who conducted the execution remained at liberty after the war. Felton also tells the horrifying story of James Blears, a 21-year-old radio operator and one of several Britons on the Dutch-registered merchant ship Tjisalak, which was torpedoed by the submarine I-8 on March 26, 1944, while sailing from Melbourne to Ceylon with 103 passengers and crew. Atrocity: The Japanese executing prisoners Fished from the sea or ordered out of lifeboats, Blears and his fellow survivors were assembled on the sub's foredeck. From the conning tower, Commander Shinji Uchino issued the ominous order: "Do not look back because that will be too bad for you," Blears recalled.
Crewmen on the submarine I-8, where Allied prisoners were slaughtered
Target: the merchant ship Behar. Its surviving crew were beheaded with swords
One by one, the prisoners were shot, decapitated with swords or simply bludgeoned with a sledgehammer and thrown on to the churning propellers. According to Blears: "One guy, they cut off his head halfway and let him flop around on the deck. The others I saw, they just lopped them off with one slice and threw them overboard. The Japanese were laughing and one even filmed the whole thing with a cine camera." Blears waited for his turn, then pulled his hands out of his bindings and dived overboard amid machine-gun fire. He swam for hours until he found a lifeboat, in which he was joined by two other officers and later an Indian crewman who had escaped alone after 22 of his fellow countrymen had been tied to a rope behind the I-8 and dragged to their deaths as it dived underwater. Uchino, who was hailed a Japanese hero, ended the war in a senior land-based role and was never brought to trial. Felton said: "This kind of behaviour was encouraged under a navy order dated March 20, 1943, which read, 'Do not stop at the sinking of enemy ships and cargoes. At the same time carry out the complete destruction of the crews'." In the months after that order, the submarine I-37 sank four British merchant ships and one armed vessel and, in every case, the survivors were machine-gunned in the sea. The submarine's commander was sentenced to eight years in prison at a war crimes trial, but was freed three years later when the Japanese government ruled his actions to have been "legal acts of war". Felton said: "Most disturbing is the Japanese amnesia about their war record and senior politicians' outrageous statements about the war and their rewriting of history. "The Japanese murdered 30million civilians while "liberating" what it called the Greater East-Asia CoProsperity Sphere from colonial rule. About 23million of these were ethnic Chinese. "It's a crime that in sheer numbers is far greater than the Nazi Holocaust. In Germany, Holocaust denial is a crime. In Japan, it is government policy. But the evidence against the navy precious little of which you will find in Japan itself is damning." The geographical breadth of the navy's crimes, the heinous nature of the acts themselves and the sadistic behaviour of the officers and men concerned are almost unimaginable. For example, the execution of 312 Australian and Dutch defenders of the Laha Airfield, Java, was ordered by Rear Admiral Koichiro Hatakeyama on February 24 and 25, 1942. The facts were squeezed out of two Japanese witnesses by Australian army interrogators as there were no Allied survivors. One of the Japanese sailors described how the first prisoner to be killed, an Australian, was led forward to the edge of a pit, forced to his knees and beheaded with a samurai sword by a Warrant Officer Sasaki, prompting a great cry of admiration from the watching Japanese. Sasaki dispatched four more prisoners, and then the ordinary sailors came forward one by one to commit murder. They laughed and joked with each other even when the executions were terribly botched, the victims pushed into the pit with their heads half attached, jerking feebly and moaning. Hatakeyama was arraigned by the Australians, but died before his trial could begin. Four senior officers were hanged, but a lack of Allied witnesses made prosecuting others very difficult.
Felton said that the Americans were the most assiduous of the Allied powers in collecting evidence of crimes against their servicemen, including those of Surgeon Commander Chisato Ueno and eight staff who were tried and hanged for dissecting an American prisoner while he was alive in the Philippines in 1945. However, the British authorities lacked the staff, money and resources of the Americans, and the British Labour government was not fully committed to pursuing Japanese war criminals into the Fifties.
reference
Japan's pension and life insurance system. Feudalistic Democracy harakiri aesthetics Hypotheses are included. Go to next page
Life Insurance and Daredevil Japanese Soldiers.
Japanese are encouraged, and occasionally forced, to kill themselves. to be continued
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54-1 Japan-America Society of Hawaii Japan-America Journal Volume 22, Number 1 - Winter 2004 "Current Issues in Japan" with Yukio Matsuyama Former Reporter and retired Chairman of the Board for Asahi Shimbun, Graduate Professor at Kyoritsu Women's University in Tokyo, and the author of several publications in both Japanese and English, Yukio Matsuyama focused on the Japanese government and economy and Japan's Self-Defense Forces deployment to Iraq at a breakfast meeting on Wednesday, February 18th at the Plaza Club. Mr. Matsuyama explained that the terrorist attacks changed the U.S.-Japan relationship. This was the first time Japan had been directly affected by an American President's decision to wage war against a foreign country. Prime Minister Koizumi understood that Japan would have to take immediate action to support the United States, if in turn, Japan expected aid with North Korea. Mr. Matsuyama also touched upon Japan's current economy, stating that the Japanese government "has repeatedly insisted that there will be a sustained, modest recoverybut very few, if any, Japanese at large feel that Japan's economy will get out of the woods so soon." He emphasized that this economic recovery would be determined by the situation in Iraq. Mr. Matsuyama then explained that many Japanese felt that Prime Minister Koizumi failed to change the fundamental structure of the LDP and entire Japanese political system, referring to it as "feudalistic democracy." He ended with the question, "Nevertheless, why does Prime Minister Koizumi continue to enjoy a high popularity rate-usually over 50% and even sometimes over 70%?"Mr. Matsuyama left the audience with one answer-"Junichiro the Lucky."
We brake for news
http://book.geocities.jp/japans_conspiracy/Y/ere001.html[08/04/2013 20:56:20]
Further research reveals that the Japanese word closest to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain's name is Makeinu . It is pronounced almost like "McCain" is in English, but with a little twist at the end. Unfortunately, this means " Loser Dog " in Japan. This is a disparaging, sexist term used to describe women who choose not to get married and raise children.
(56) Anglers missing after Pacific boat crash 20th February 2008 thewest.com A Japanese navy destroyer equipped with advanced radar has collided with a fishing boat off the Pacific coast, splitting the boat in two and plunging two fishermen into the chilly waters. The men remained missing. The Coastguard and navy deployed 10 ships, including the destroyer, and six helicopters to search off the coast of Chiba, near Tokyo, for the two men, said Keiji Oba, a regional Coastguard official. The collision, the cause of which was not immediately known, drew high profile attention in Japan, where many people harbour pacifist sentiments and remain sensitive to anything related to the military. "An accident like this should never happen," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told parliament. "We have to take measures to prevent a recurrence."
Policy Speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the 168th Session of the Diet September 10, 2007 (Introduction) At the opening of the 168th session of the Diet, I would like to pray for the souls of all the people who have passed away and express my heartfelt sympathy to all the people who suffered damage due to the disasters caused by the earthquake off the coast of central Niigata prefecture and recent typhoons. I will do my utmost for the recovery and reconstruction, putting removal of the anxieties of the affected people as the first and foremost goal. The results of the recent ordinary elections for the House of Councillors turned out to be extremely severe for the ruling parties. I am resolved to continue to take the helm of the government, based on a deep remorse for not having been able to fully respond to the thoughts and indignations of the people which were expressed in the elections, and for having invited distrust toward the politics and the administration. I am well aware of the opinion that I should step down because the people have expressed such a harsh judgment. However, our country is facing great changes of the times, such as decreasing population, intensifying competition on global scale, deteriorating education in schools and families, and changes in the national security environment surrounding Japan. In order to obtain a high quality of life and a bright future, not only do we need to advance structural reforms in economic, administrative, and fiscal areas, but also it is
absolutely crucial to mark a departure from the post-war regimes, that is to say, to advance the reform of conducting bold reviews going all the way back to the origins of various systems which have been in place for so long after the war, including the rebuilding of education and the restructuring of the national security system. "We must not stop this reform -- for the future of our country and for our children." It was out of this sole determination that I decided to stay on. I would like to fulfill my responsibilities to the people by further advancing reforms with renewed determination, with the remorse based on the harsh election results and the resolve to fight for the people. Unpopularity and sudden resignation After Agricultural Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka committed suicide, Abe's approval rating remained below 30% for months according to opinion polls of Jiji Press. Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered great losses in the upper house election. Another agricultural minister, Norihiko Akagi, who was involved in a political funding scandal, resigned after the election. In an attempt to revive his administration, Abe announced a new cabinet on August 27, 2007. However, the new agricultural minister Takehiko Endo, involved in a finance scandal, resigned only 7 days later. On September 12, 2007 , only three days after a new parliamentary session had begun, Abe announced his intention to resign his position as prime minister at an unscheduled press conference. Abe said his unpopularity was hindering the passage of an anti-terrorism law, involving among other things Japan's continued military presence in Afghanistan. Party officials also said the embattled prime minister was suffering from poor health, with Abe blaming crippling diarrhea. On September 26, 2007 Abe officially ended his term as Yasuo Fukuda became the new Prime Minister of Japan.
In September 1985, Miura was arrested in Japan in connection with the assault on his wife at the L.A. hotel, which took place three months before she was gunned down, also allegedly in a bid to obtain an insurance payout. A former actress and acquaintance of Miura confessed that she attacked Kazumi on his instructions.
On 11th September 1985 , Mr. Miura was eventually arrested by the police on suspicion of another murder case and is still detained in November 1985. ================================== Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008 Miura held again over '81 hit on wife in L.A. Japantimes Kazuyoshi Miura, 60, the man who was acquitted by Japan's supreme court in 2003 for the alleged murder of his wife in Los Angeles in 1981, was arrested again by U.S. authorities in Saipan on Saturday for the same charge, local police said. The arrest, first reported by the online version of the Los Angeles Times, was later confirmed by Saipan police. They said Miura was arrested upon arrival from Narita airport.
the manipulation of typhoons
Typhoon and Hurricane The landslide was the government's conspiracy. On July 14th, a typhoon hit Kagoshima City.
POINT OF VIEW Choosing the best U.S. president for the world 02/29/2008 SPECIAL TO THE ASAHI SHIMBUN The American presidential election is fundamentally undemocratic. The franchise is limited to U.S. citizens, but the unique combination of American power and the willingness to use it makes the U.S. commander-inchief the closest thing the planet has to a global leader. In Japan's case, the entire architecture of its security policy depends on the United States. In some ways, the U.S. president is still Japan's commander-in-chief. Beyond Northeast Asia, American actions throughout the world shape the world in which the Japanese people exist. Given these facts, what should Japan want from the next U.S. president? Issues that pertain directly to Japan are not salient in this election. All the three top candidates, namely Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama show no indication that they would deviate from the policies of the (Bill) Clinton and Bush administrations of strengthening the alliance and upholding the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. They would also seek to avoid conflict with China while hedging against possible Chinese threats. Therefore, the question is which candidate would best improve the global environment in which Japan operates. The George W. Bush administration, backed by many Democrats in Congress, has severely undermined American primacy. The combination of the attack against Iraq, the mishandled response to al-Qaida, the legalization of torture and a Leninist "you are either with us or against us" posture has undermined the capacity of the United States to uphold and develop a world order that serves its interests and those of its allies. The next president will first have to remove U.S. troops from Iraq. Liquidating the Iraqi enterprise will require courage. The president will be accused of "giving in to terrorists." It would be politically more expedient, though worse for everybody, to follow Richard Nixon's course in Vietnam, that is, to continue the war for years until defeat appears even more inevitable. Second, he or she will have to rethink the strategy to confront al-Qaida and its offshoots, and more broadly U.S. policy toward Southwest Asia. This will also be difficult. In particular, opening a dialogue with Iran and pushing Israelis and Palestinians toward a compromise will generate strong opposition within the United States without a guarantee of success. Third, the United States derives its strength partly from the power of its ideals. The future U.S. president will have to rebuild America's image in the world, especially in Europe and Southwest Asia, after years of selfinflicted damage.
Fourth, the U.S. president will have to foster world trade liberalization while fighting protectionist pressures at home. Therefore, how do the three contenders for the White House rate in their ability perform as president? The American system allows individuals with no federal executive branch experience to assume office, making it particularly hard to guess how they will perform after they take the oath of office. Nevertheless, we can make a few educated guesses. John McCain is by far the most experienced of the three, especially in foreign and defense policy. He deserves respect as one of the few major U.S. politicians of either party to vigorously oppose the administration's use of torture. Unfortunately, his passionate support for the war in Iraq raises questions about his capacity to lead America out of this catastrophic adventure. It is possible that, upon assuming the presidency, he would alter his views, but there is no indication that this will be the case. On the Democratic side, despite attempts by both camps to highlight the differences between Clinton and Obama, both senators are, in political terms, fairly similar, which makes it hard to predict how their policies would diverge were they elected. Obama does have, however, a few advantages. First and foremost, he showed better judgment than Clinton by opposing the Iraq invasion from the start. Having grown up in Indonesia and then in Hawaii, he has a more personal connection to the world outside the continental United States than Clinton. Finally, his being African-American would have an enormous symbolic impact overseas on America's image. Though Japanese cannot vote, the Japanese government can take actions that would help steer the next president on the right path. The most important ones relate to trade. Democratic candidates, pandering to misconceptions about international economics, are sounding protectionist. Obama is calling for renegotiating NAFTA and opposes the free trade agreement with South Korea, while Clinton laments "jobs lost to China." Though it is possible that if elected they would abandon of their campaign rhetoric, this is not certain. Japan itself is not immune to protectionism. If the Japanese government made a major push to dismantle trade barriers, especially in agriculture, and to foster a better climate for foreign investment, it could help start a virtuous circle of trade liberalization and avoid the real risk of a vicious circle of protectionism.
A low-level penetration seeding experiment of liquid carbon dioxide in a convective cloud 1 April 2002 In order to bring large amounts of precipitation, the new seeding method using liquid carbon dioxide (LC) was suggested by Fukuta (1996a). The method was applied to the supercooled convective cloud in a postfrontal weather condition in northern Kyushu, Japan, on October 27 1999. In the seeding experiment, LC seeding and the subsequent observation by aircraft were carried out and the features of a seeded echo were observed by radar. Consequently, the aircraft observation confirmed the further development of the seeded cumulus together with a fuzzy aspect of the cloud surface, which indicates the feature consisting of ice particles. Furthermore, the observed cloud top was quite consistent with the cloud top estimated by the thermodynamic analysis
following parcel theory. Therefore, the observed results indicate the artificial effects by LC seeding. On the other hand, the radar observation confirmed an artificially induced echo, which showed spreading of the echo area and took a unique mushroom shape in the RHI pictures. The maximum width of the echo reached 24 km and the total amount of estimated radar precipitation of the seeded cumulus was approximately 2.4 million ton, traversing a distance of 60 km in 1 h 40 min. The observed and estimated results are consistent with the hypothesis of the new seeding method, which induces the dynamic and microphysical processes consisting of two fundamental processes. In addition, it was found that dynamical interaction between the seeded and the adjacent natural cumuli was an important factor in the formation of the secondary cumulus. The observational fact will give new viewpoint into the future seeding study.
Weather control is not a dream. Typhoon is controllable. Nikkei Science November 2004 R. N. Hofman (I translated the last sentence of the original Japanese article. This web site is offered by a Japanese prestigious company.) In the future, the temperature of the hurricane will be changed by heating the air with the microwave transmitted from the satellite. It will be possible to reduce the evaporation from the surface of the sea by covering the surface with biodegradable oil and to control the development of the hurricane. Thus the technology to manipulate the development of hurricane will save our lives and property.
Lawyers awarded millions in suit over Michael Jackson taping on plane International Herald Tribune March 4, 2008 LOS ANGELES: The owner of a air charter service was ordered to pay attorney Mark Geragos and an associate several million dollars for ordering the secret videotaping of Michael Jackson and the lawyers as they flew with the pop star to his surrender on molestation charges in 2003. According to court papers obtained Monday, Superior Court Judge Soussan G. Bruguera ordered XtraJet owner Jeffrey Borer and his company to pay Geragos at least $10 million (6.6 million) and possibly up to $18 million (11.8 million) in compensatory and punitive damages. Geragos' colleague Pat Harris was awarded between $1.25 million and $2.25 million in damages. The amount of damages is dependent on whether both the company and Borer are separately responsible for punitive damages, or just Borer. Geragos' legal team claims the former, while Borer's claims the latter. A court spokeswoman was not immediately able to clarify the discrepancy. "Defendant Borer was the mastermind behind a scheme to desecrate and exploit sacred attorney-client communications for personal profit," Brugera wrote in the 21-page judgment filed Friday. Geragos' and Harris' attorney Brian J. Kabateck said he was pleased with the decision. "This is an important day for lawyers who generally represent celebrities and high profile people," he said.
Borer's lawyer, Lloyd Kirschbaum, said his client will appeal. He contended the attorney-client relationship could not have been breached because the video recording did not have sound. "There was not any sound," he said. "You can't intercept a communication without sound." Borer and co-defendant Arvel Jett Reeves pleaded guilty last year to felony counts of conspiracy. They acknowledged they installed two digital video recorders in a Gulfstream jet that flew Jackson from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara. XtraJet, which was based in Santa Monica, California, has since gone bankrupt, according to Kirschbaum. Reeves was sentenced to eight months in prison. Borer was sentenced to six months home detention rather than prison because he said he was the caregiver for his wife, who had chronic health problems. He spent part of that confinement at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, California, saying his house had a mold problem and his wife was allergic. The damages resulted from an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit filed by Geragos and Harris. Jackson, who was initially a plaintiff in the civil lawsuit, later dropped out of the case. The pop singer was acquitted of the molestation charges in 2005
Ishihara eyes bank purchase Metro government in talks to buy Paribas International unit Japantimes Saturday, Nov. 15, 2003 The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is in talks with Paribas International SA over the purchase of the French financial group's Japanese trust bank, Gov. Shintaro Ishihara announced Friday. Ishihara told a regular news conference that the metro government is trying to purchase BNP Paribas Private Bank (Japan) Ltd. By purchasing the unit, the metro government could realize its goal of creating a bank specifically to finance small and midsize companies without obtaining a new bank license, Ishihara stressed. "BNP Paribas Bank is suitable for creating a new bank due to size, expected purchasing price and the business," Ishihara said. Ishihara added that the bank's financial situation is more transparent than that of many Japanese banks, which means the metro government would face fewer risks in terms of inheriting hidden bad assets. "We would establish a new type of bank featuring a small number of workers and branches by using the latest IT technology," he said. The metro government plans to reach a basic agreement with the financial group by the end of the year, after the plan is endorsed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Dec. 2. The trust bank, which was established by the BNP Paribas International financial group in April 1999, is capitalized at 5.3 billion yen. The metro government is planning to invest 100 billion yen in the bank bank, which is expected to be
capitalized at 200 billion yen. The remainder of the capital is expected to come from private sector investment. Tokyo would become the first local government to establish a bank. Ishihara promised to establish a bank while campaigning before his re-election in April. He announced the outline of the bank in May.
Realite Press Releases As Iran Holds British Hostages It is Business As Usual for EU Nations As the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to hold British hostages many companies from the European Union member states continue to do business with the rogue regime. While Britain has cut virtually all ties with Iran a large number of EU nations including Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Spain continue to carry on business as usual, says Simon Barrett, the Director of IMIA, International Media Intelligence Analysis. Irans clerical rulers not only oppress their own people, they sponsor international terrorist organisations, have threatened to wipe another country off the map while building a nuclear weapons and are now defying the will of the international community as they continue to hold 15 British troops under false pretenses, continued Mr. Barrett. European goods make up 44% of the Irans total imports which last year amounted to more than $16 billion. During that time the EU imported over $10 billion in merchandise from Iran. In addition European invests billions of dollars in Iranian oil, gas, mining, automotive, transportation and communications companies. Some European businesses work with Iranian banks inside the EU that are directly involved in financing Irans missile programme and its funding of Islamic terror groups. Two of these banks, Bank Saderat and Bank Sepah have branches in almost every European capital. [1] Hundreds of businesses in Europe work in or with Iran, some of the major companies include: Alcatel SA: French based Alcatel earned over $300 million dollars revenue in deals with Iran as well as Sudan and Libya over the past five years. The company directly assists the Iranian regime by providing it with most of its telecommunications infrastructure, advanced technology and training. [2] Total SA: French energy giant Total is one of the main investors in Iran. It owns and runs oil development projects in Iran that amount to tens of millions of dollars in annual profit. Total has recently invested $1.6 billion on four oil exploitations in Iran. [3] Technip Coflexip: Technip Coflexip is one of the biggest engineering and companies in France and supports Iran by building much of its petrochemical plants and other related infrastructure. Technip Coflexip does business with Iran to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. [4] BNP Paribas: The French bank, BNP Paribas, is the only foreign bank active in Iran and supports the terror sponsoring regime by funding its infrastructure and export projects. BNP Paribas has bankrolled Iranian schemes worth over $2 billion so far. [5] Royal Dutch Shell: The Dutch/British energy and petrochemical company has a long history of investment in Iran. In January 2007, Shell along with Spanish energy company Repsol signed a gas deal with Iran worth
over $10.2 billion dollars. [6] Stolt-Nielsen SA: British holding and transportation company Stolt-Nielsen SA, conducts roaring trade with the terror sponsoring regime in Iran. Stolt-Nielsen deals with Iran via its subsidiary Stolt-Offshore, which imports much of the regimes petrochemicals, fats and oils supply. The company has been caught falsifying cargo documents and using an elaborate code system to conceal their business with Iran. [7] Siemens AG: Germanys Siemens AG is a world leader in telecommunications. Siemens AG has a long history of conducting lucrative business with countries that nourish and promote terrorism including Iran, Sudan and Syria. Siemens AG has profited hundreds of millions of dollars from dealing with these rogue states. [8] Statoil ASA: Statoil ASA invests heavily in oil projects that fund the worlds biggest sponsor of terrorism, Iran. The Norwegian company holds massive stakes in Iranian development projects that brings revenue of hundreds of millions of dollars to Tehrans clerical regime. Statoils most recent Iranian deal alone is worth $2.6 billion. [9] ENI Spa: Italys leading energy company ENI Spa, is one of the biggest investors in Iran worldwide. ENI Spa and its subsidiaries, Agip and Snamprogetti Spa have contracts with Iran worth billions of dollars which provides enormous revenue to Iran and the terror groups it supports. [10] Other well known companies that do big business with Iran include: Daimler-Chrysler, Renault, Lurgi AG, Krupp-Uhde, BASF, Lundin Petroleum and HSBC. The European Union members states have the power and the means to prevent Iran from completing their controversial nuclear weapons programme, if they took the necessary measures of ensuring that Europe acts as one by pursuing a policy of tougher economic sanctions. This can force European business to reconsider trading with Iran as a means of ending the hostage crisis and stopping Iran for requiring nuclear weapons, concludes Mr. Barrett. IMIA, a European-based organisation with global reach, provides facts, insights and analysis on key developments and trends in the Middle East. IMIA exposes the threats from state sponsors of terrorist organisations, extremist leaders and groups, financing of terrorism, proliferation of nuclear weapons, human rights violations as well as counter terrorist organisations' initiatives. IMIA is affiliated with REALITE-EU a new e-publication for journalists, leaders and key analysts that focus on developments in and around the Middle East which pose a threat to Europe and beyond.
Ishihara frees up 300 billion in taxes 12/12/2007 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara on Tuesday changed his stance and agreed to let the central government redistribute about 300 billion yen in the metropolitan government's tax revenue to financially weak local governments. Although the agreement was touted as an effort to narrow widening gaps in tax revenues among local governments, Ishihara, who had initially opposed the plan, did not come away empty. He apparently won Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's promise to cooperate on Tokyo's policies, including the capital's bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Fukuda also promised that the tax-allocation plan would be temporary.
The conditional agreement, reached Tuesday morning, drew outrage from other local governments. The tax revenue allocation plan is one of the proposed tax reforms for fiscal 2008. The central government and the ruling coalition plan to redistribute local government revenue from two local taxes--corporate residential tax and corporate income tax. The plan would convert part of the local corporate income tax into a new national tax tentatively called "a special local corporate tax." The expected revenue of 2.6 trillion from the new national tax would be redistributed to local governments depending on the size of their population and area. The Tokyo metropolitan government currently collects about 1.3 trillion yen in annual revenue from the local corporate income tax. Under the plan agreed to by Ishihara, about 300 billion yen of that amount will go to the new national tax for redistribution. After his meeting with Fukuda, Ishihara told reporters that he complied with the central government's strong request. "It is a wild plan. The prime minister himself knows that it is an unreasonable measure," Ishihara said. So why did the Tokyo governor agree? Fukuda told reporters, "A forum will be set up for discussions between the national and Tokyo governments about important issues." The prime minister's remark suggests he accepted Ishihara's request to set up an organization to discuss cooperation on projects in Tokyo, such as construction of the Tokyo Gaikan expressway, increasing the number of international flights at Haneda Airport--and bringing the Olympics to Tokyo. The central government and the ruling coalition expect Tokyo and the Aichi, Kanagawa and Osaka prefectural governments to contribute about 400 billion yen in total for the planned allocation. The four local governments had opposed the plan, arguing that the central government was attempting to rob them of their revenue sources. On Dec. 6, the four governors submitted a signed letter voicing their opposition to the plan. Shigefumi Matsuzawa, governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday criticized the central government's move to one-sidedly push the tax revenue allocation plan. "The plan is not in line with the trend for decentralization," Matsuzawa said. A senior official of the Osaka prefectural government said he was disappointed that the Tokyo metropolitan government had abandoned its opposition to the plan. The expected tax revenue of 2.6 trillion yen for redistribution will be the equivalent of 1-percentage point of revenues from the 5-percent consumption tax. The government and the ruling coalition came up with the tax revenue allocation plan following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's defeat in the rural single-seat constituencies in the July Upper House election.(IHT/Asahi: December 12,2007)
Japantimes Sunday, Sept. 5, 2004 FSA mulls slap for Citibank unit over inappropriate sales The Financial Services Agency is considering punishing Citibank N.A.'s Japanese unit over suspected inappropriate sales of financial products to high-income customers, sources familiar with the situation said Saturday. The financial watchdog suspects the Japanese unit may have sold products whose sales are not allowed under the Banking Law, the sources said. The FSA may order Citibank to suspend some of its Japanese operations, including private banking services for wealthy customers, the sources said. The agency will likely decide on specific administrative measures by the end of the month, they said. In June, the agency ordered the Japanese branch to strengthen its control over customer data following revelations it lost backup data on transactions. Citibank was the first bank to offer American-style private banking services to Japanese clients. Mainly tapping individual customers in the upper-income group, it is now widely seen as the most successful foreign-affiliated bank in the private banking business in Japan.
Decentralization will finish road to democracy in Japan Japantimes Monday, Sept. 22, 2003 Some independent or reformist prefectural governors have come out with their own plans to revitalize local politics and economies. Their ultimate goal is to end the centralization of administrative power that dates back to the Meiji Restoration and establish real local autonomy. To achieve the goal, fiscal systems equivalent to the national fiscal system and financed by local taxes must be established, governors say. Responding to these moves, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet has announced a trinity of reform programs, including an overhaul of the state subsidy system. But the central bureaucracy is strongly resisting the plan, favoring ministry interest over national interest. It is unclear to what extent the fiscal 2004 government budget will reflect the proposed reforms. After the Pacific War ended, the General Headquarters of the Allied Forces introduced a public election system for prefectural governors to replace the previous system in which the central government designating them. The idea was to break the centralization of power. The central government and prefectural governments were designated as separate entities. Interior Ministry bureaucrats accepted the public-election system for governors, but came up with a proposal -- which the GHQ approved -- to help retain centralized administrative power. Under this plan, prefectural governors, heads of municipalities, boards of education, agricultural committees and other local administrative committees were designated as part of the national government. Details of local administrative services involved were stipulated in ministry directives. The government's Decentralization Promotion Committee, or DPC, established in 1995, recommended that the above-mentioned system be scrapped. When the recommendations were implemented, services were
divided into those of local autonomies and those legally entrusted by the national government to local governments. In 1999, a package of decentralization-related legislation was enacted by the Diet, making the national government and local autonomies equal. Previously, the former had sat above the latter. The Decentralization Reform Promotion Council, or DRPC, which succeeded the DPC, examined ways to reform the fiscal systems of the central government and local autonomies. As sources of total revenue, national taxes account for 60 percent and local taxes, 40 percent. However, in expenditures, local governments' portion exceeds that of the national government, 60 percent to 40 percent. This discrepancy has been filled by state subsidies and tax allocations to local governments. The central government has financially intervened in local autonomies and affected their independent operations. For example, compulsory education-related expenditures are determined according to national standards for teacher staffing, thus preventing the formation of flexible, smaller classes of, say, 30 pupils. Furthermore, cost-cutting attempts to build forest roads narrower than stipulated by central government standards could make them ineligible for subsidies. In a 2002 basic program for economic and fiscal management and structural reform, the government announced a "trinity" of plans to overhaul state subsidies, tax allocations to local governments and transfers of tax-revenue sources with a view toward drafting official reform plans in a year. Last June the Cabinet adopted a 2003 basic policy regarding economic and fiscal reform based on DRPC recommendations and announced schedules for implementing the trinity of reforms. Under the plan, local governments will depend less on state subsidies, more on revenues from local taxes, and less on tax allocations from the central government as a result of tax-revenue source transfers. Local governments' power to levy taxes will expand. As a specific target, the plan called for a 4 trillion yen cut in state subsidies by fiscal 2006. Reformist governors of six prefectures, including Iwate and Chiba, expressed dissatisfaction with that level. They said 8.92 trillion yen in subsidies to prefectural governments (based on the initial fiscal 2003 budget) -- 80 percent of the total -- should be abolished with most of the tax-revenue sources transferred to local governments. They also urged the government to do more than just cut state subsidies and to refrain from delaying transfers of tax-revenue sources. Gov. Yasuo Tanaka of Nagano Prefecture, acting alone, made a similar proposal in June. Central government bureaucrats reportedly threatened retaliatory moves against the governors in compiling the fiscal 2004 government budget. This is highly regrettable. The Economic and Fiscal Advisory Council, meeting in July, compiled guidelines for the fiscal 2004 budget. Initial guidelines called for a one-third reduction in the proposed cut of 4 trillion yen in three years. The removal of this target demonstrates strong resistance among central bureaucrats to the trinity of measures, worrying reformist governors. The economic malaise that has affected Japan for the past decade since the bursting of the economic bubble shows that relations between the central government and local autonomies are no longer functioning effectively. Decentralization would reactivate local autonomies, improve the quality of life in outlying regions, encourage moves to protect the environment and help boost the national economy. This is a task that the GHQ failed to finish for democratizing Japan. I hope the government will work hard to implement the trinity of reform programs, defying the resistance by central bureaucrats and politicians representing their own interests.
Local governments scramble under impact of budget-allocation reform Japantimes Friday, Sept. 15, 2006 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's decision to reduce subsidies and budget allocations to local governments has local officials frantically crunching the numbers to balance their budgets. The city of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, with a population of about 500,000, was denied money from the national budget for the first time in 10 years in fiscal 2006 because its tax revenue rose. But city officials says they still needed the money. "Tax revenue may slightly increase also in the future, but our financial condition is never satisfactory," said Junichi Hashiguchi, head of the city's finance section. "There are many schools requiring quake-resistance work, but how should we secure the financial resources? As the man in charge of the finances, it's a headache." The Kawaguchi Municipal Government has worked out what it calls "a concentrated reform plan." One problem it expects is an increase in social security expenses as the birthrate declines and life spans increase. Estimating a revenue shortfall of more than 15 billion yen by fiscal 2009, the plan, which started this fiscal year, cuts civil servants' salaries and expenses in all projects, including road and school construction. The government also has decided to sell some of its land. From fiscal 2004 to 2006, the central government has funneled a total of 3 trillion yen in tax revenue to prefectural and municipal governments, but reduced subsidies by 4.7 trillion yen and budget allocations by more than 5 trillion yen. "If the budget-allocation reform continues at this rate, local government finances will be battered," one budget expert said. The Fiscal System Council, which advises the finance minister, said in a June report local fiscal reform, including the reduction of the distribution rate, was necessary. It said the central government would likely pass on the pressure to cut the national deficit to the local governments. Koizumi implemented fiscal reform under the premise of locals taking action at the local level, saying change would give local governments more control over their budgets. "But what has actually happened is far from the original purpose of decentralizing," said Kochi Gov. Daijiro Hashimoto at a meeting of prefectural leaders in Tokyo in early August. The main topic at the meeting was future budget-allocation reform. The leaders discussed the problems of Tokyo securing a sufficient tax-revenue supply for the transfers to local governments and the way in which the transfer amounts are calculated. "It is unclear what the state and local governments should each do. It is not appropriate to discuss the distribution rate without considering the division of roles," Iwate Gov. Hiroya Masuda said. Fiscal analysts say that the next administration will have to make drastic changes in how the state and local governments will share the limited financial resources.
WITH FSA KEPT AT BAY, BAILOUT DOUBTS MOUNT Ishihara brainchild Shinginko said doomed from the get-go Tuesday, March 25, 2008 When Rikkyo University professor Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi first heard about Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's plan to set up a new bank in 2003, one thought immediately leaped to mind: This is doomed to fail. Yamaguchi's doubts appear to have been borne out by Ishihara's recent proposal that Tokyo's 12 million taxpaying residents provide 40 billion to bail out financially troubled Shinginko Tokyo, which was launched in April 2004. Few experts believe the rescue plan will solve the problems of the money-losing bank. As Yamaguchi points out, many expect that even with the emergency capital injection, the bank, which is owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, will soon fall into financial straits again and impose further burdens on the taxpayers of the capital. During the 2003 gubernatorial election campaign, Ishihara promised the Tokyo Metropolitan Government would set up its own bank to extend loans to struggling small firms based in Tokyo. But as professor Yamaguchi noted in a recent interview with The Japan Times, by that time statistics showed that the credit crunch stemming from the domestic financial crisis of the late 1990s had already subsided. "The concept of a new bank was totally meaningless because the credit crunch had already ended when the idea of the bank was proposed," said Yamaguchi, an expert on finance and a noted commentator on the Shinginko Tokyo issue. According to a survey of business sentiment conducted by Chudokyo, a national association of small and midsize firms, the majority of companies were finding it easier to secure short-term loans from banks by the fourth quarter of 1999. This trend continued, and conditions for borrowing were vastly improved by the time Shinginko Tokyo opened its doors in April 2005. "The situation had totally changed but Ishihara ignored it and forcibly carried out his plan," Yamaguchi said. "His responsibility is grave." He added that "the governor should resign to take responsibility" for wasting billions of yen in taxpayer money. Yamaguchi further alleges that Ishihara's campaign promise was calculated to tap into voter frustration aimed at unpopular major financial institutions. Regarded as in league with the affluent, the major banks fell further out of favor with the average citizen when they showed themselves extremely reluctant to extend loans to small businesses during the financial crisis of the 1990s. "Ishihara won over the masses by making (major banks) a scapegoat," the professor said. Ishihara's politically motivated populism, however, did not mesh with economic realities. Setting up a new bank requires a huge investment in branch offices, automatic teller machines and other expensive computer systems. In addition, a new bank faces competition from existing major financial institutions, Yamaguchi pointed out.
It is far cheaper and more efficient for a local government to give direct financial support, such as subsidizing loan interest payments or providing credit guarantees on loans from existing banks, instead of launching a new bank, Yamaguchi argued. Yamaguchi and other experts maintain that liquidating the bank now will cost far less in the long run than keeping the arguably ill-fated bank temporarily afloat by injecting 40 billion in fresh capital. Ishihara has resisted the liquidation option, pointing out that no banks are willing to take over Shinginko Tokyo's assets and liabilities. But according to Yamaguchi, this unwillingness is because the Financial Services Agency has yet to inspect the details of the bank's financial condition, particularly the nonperforming loans extended to troubled small companies. Without an FSA evaluation, other banks cannot rule out the possibility that Shinginko Tokyo's bad loans could turn out to be far larger than the metro government now claims. Allowing the agency to determine the value of the nonperforming loans is a precondition for any rescue or liquidation plan for Shinginko Tokyo, Yamaguchi said. But Ishihara and the bank are unwilling to accept inspections by the agency. They probably fear such scrutiny will reveal that the bank's financial condition is far worse than currently claimed by the bank and the metro government, Yamaguchi said. The metro assembly is now expected to give the final green light to the 40 billion bailout plan at a plenary session Friday, with the blessing of the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc. "It would be extremely irresponsible for the LDP and New Komeito to have 40 billion in assistance approved by the assembly. Voters won't forget it so easily," Yamaguchi warned.
Woman who fled to North Korea was government mole in Aum Japantimes Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003 The saga of a woman believed to be an ex-Aum Shinrikyo member who entered North Korea in August seeking asylum has taken another turn: she at one time spied on the cult for the government. The woman, who reportedly entered North Korea via China, was identified by North Korean media last week as Kazumi Kitagawa, 29. The Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, while confirming the report, has refused to disclose the woman's name, age or other details, citing privacy concerns. Kitagawa sold information to the Public Security Investigation Agency between 2000 and 2001, former agency official Hironari Noda told The Japan Times on Wednesday. Aum Shinrikyo officials have said they once had a member with the same name and birth date. They said Kitagawa admitted to them that she had sold information about Aum to the agency. Aum now calls itself Aleph. Noda left the agency in 1998 and is now a freelance journalist covering agency-related scandals. He said Kitagawa contacted him several times between 2001 and 2002. Kitagawa, a resident of Osaka, told Noda she wanted to sever ties with the agency by possibly going public
about her role as a mole or by taking legal action. She was worried, however, that the agency would retaliate. During an interview in September 2001, Kitagawa told Noda that the agency approached her in fall 2000 and offered her money in return for information on the cult. Kitagawa said she wanted to stop spying on the cult after being forced to have sex with an agency agent about 20 times between May and July 2001, Noda said. Kitagawa was agonized by the turn of events, according to Noda, and said she was intimidated by the agent after consulting local police about the relationship. Later that year, Kitagawa told Noda that she had decided against going public about being paid to spy on Aum, he said. She formally quit Aum in October 2001, a senior cult member said. In October 2002, Aum officials filed a formal complaint with the Public Security Investigation Agency over its alleged recruitment of Kitagawa as a spy. A spokesman for the agency declined comment on the case, except to note that speaking about its spying activities or divulging the names of its agents could adversely affect its future activities. In the interview and e-mails to Noda, Kitagawa repeatedly expressed her fascination with North Korea. Noda said he believes Kitagawa's fear of retaliation by the agency may have driven her to defect to the reclusive state. The agent who allegedly raped Kitagawa was transferred to another bureau in the Tohoku region in January 2002, Noda said. Being sent to the countryside could be considered a demotion for his actions, he said. A senior Aum member said Wednesday that Kitagawa had told senior cultists that she had been paid by public security officials to spy on the cult, and sought advice on how she could cut her ties with the agency. Kitagawa joined the cult in Osaka in March 1995 after Aum's sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. While a member of the cult, Kitagawa often told other followers about her fascination with North Korea and Kim Jong Il's regime and said she hoped to move there someday, he said.
Have your say Readers respond to last month's SOFA article Japantimes Tuesday, March 18, 2008 The Community Page received a number of responses to Michael Hassett's article "U.S. military crime: SOFA so good?" which appeared in the Zeit Gist spot on Feb. 26 (Feb. 27 in some areas). Following are some examples. HIDDEN CRIMES I just left Okinawa after three years of working at the U.S. Naval Hospital. While I was there I had the opportunity to lecture at Okinawa International University for their Social Welfare program on the topics of domestic violence and child abuse trends in the US and Japan. From the research, there seems to be no difference in rates of child abuse or domestic violence between our two countries, which is counter to the "perceptions" out there. The difference is in the area of reporting. This makes me think that the rates Michael Hassett quoted are even more skewed considering the failure to report these crimes and instead "take care of it within the family."
Lt. Jim Condon Regional Clinical Social Worker, Commander Navy Region Europe (CNRE) Fleet & Family Support Program, Naples, Italy Military crime wave myth I was pleased to read Michael Hassett's recent article on the U.S. military and crime in Japan. Crime is a concern for everyone and statistics can sometimes blur the fact that real people are victims of violent acts. Living in Japan for nearly three years in the 1980s, I was always impressed with the overall lack of crime. In 2006, Japan had about 1,948 rapes. If Japan had the same incidence rate as the U.S., this number would be nearly 40,000. From the data I have seen, in Okinawa between 1996 and 2006 the incidence rate for U.S. military forces was nearly four times less than the expected rate for the general male population on Okinawa.
There is a danger in working with very small numbers in statistics and this is the case in this example. As I mention above, one rape is too many. But the notion that there is a U.S. military crime wave on Okinawa is not supported by the data. Dr. Ron McNinch-Su, Chair of Public Administration and Legal Studies, University of Guam Offering a rewrite I would just like to make a couple of points about Michael Hassett's article. First, the amount of time that soldiers spend on base, and the amount of time they spend in Japanese cities, should be considered. If, for example, they spend half their time on base then your case is only half as compelling. The writer does allow for this towards the end of the article, mentioning crimes on base, but perhaps time spent on base is more knowable and thus more useful to consider. Also, it's a little unfair to compare free citizens with soldiers who live with many restrictions and pressures. With the stakes as high as they are for the U.S. and soldiers, one could logically predict the rate would be lower for soldiers. Finally, I'd guess for most Japanese who protest the stats don't matter: They want the bases closed regardless of the circumstances. The last paragraph could as fairly be rewritten: "Many believe the Japanese government has the right to force citizens in Okinawa to bear the brunt of their focus on militarism whether they like it or not, but as long as locals feel they should have a voice about who they host to live in their communities, voices of protest will be raised against violent crimes committed by soldiers regardless of statistics. "Which all raises the question: Is it hypocritical of governments to force communities especially communities that suffered so profoundly during World War II to host military bases without giving them a choice?" John Spiri, Tokyo Parallels with Cyprus case As a non-American, I can very much appreciate the U.S. military's resentment at being the scapegoat in the media. I can also understand Japanese society's broad, if relatively mild, antipathy towards U.S. Forces Japan (I live under the occasional U.S. Navy jet flight path). I also find it interesting, as an ex-British armed forces member, that there was a recent case in Cyprus which received a similar degree of attention (as the alleged rape in Okinawa). Seven British soldiers were involved in a bar brawl, and the bar was damaged. This is hardly unusual in Cyprus or any Mediterranean resort area where young British (and German, Dutch, etc.) men go to drink and frolic in the sun, but the matter was blown up as indicating some special problem or pattern, simply because the men involved were soldiers.
Under British law, military personnel are liable to double punishment: civil court action followed by military disciplinary measures. Thus British personnel are far less likely to get caught in the the act of committing a crime than those in practically any other occupation. Garren Mulloy, Fujisawa, Kanagawa Pref. SDF not ready for U.S. exit For once, someone has injected some calm, unemotional sanity into this otherwise nonissue. With all the persistent misreporting by the mainstream Japanese media, who would've ever guessed that the U.S. military only commit crimes at a rate about half that of other Okinawans and the Japanese populace in general? And now we hear that the teenage Okinawan girl has dropped charges against the marine sergeant. Why? Because there was no rape. Duh. As a longtime resident of Japan, which I love dearly, it always amazes me to see how quickly many Japanese people get all worked up after these temporary strains in Japan-U.S. relations, and yet suddenly become noticeably silent whenever there is some legitimate security breach, like North Korea firing a missile over the Japanese archipelago, Chinese warships purposely encroaching on sovereign Japanese waters or Russian fighter jets violating Japanese airspace. I personally would love to see Japan defend herself, as it would save U.S. taxpayers a hell of a lot of money to deal with more pressing social issues, but if the recent fiasco regarding the Aegis-equipped Atago destroyer is any indicator, the Self-Defense Forces are obviously not ready for prime time. Gary J. Wolff, Ichikawa, Chiba Pref. Ambassadors of integrity From a U.S. Navy officer, who spent about nine years in Sasebo, Nagasaki Pref., thank you for your honest reporting. While I find the behavior of a very small number of my fellow service members abhorrent, your statistics show that approximately 99.76 percent of them (compared to 99.63 percent of the total population of Japan) are at least law-abiding. I believe the majority of them to be the ambassadors of integrity and honor that we in the military spend so much time and effort training them to be. You have my appreciation and respect. Joe M. Emmert, Lt. Cmdr., U.S. Navy
Seika Shugi,performance-based system in Japanese companies 1. In the mid-1990s, some Japanese companies, particularly major ones, began to introduce annual salary systems as the seikashugi,performance-based system. 2. The main purpose of introducing them was to suppress the otherwise sharply increasing wages of middleaged and older employees. 3. The characteristics of seikashugi (1) institutionalizing an employees demotion (2) evaluation on the basis of competency as well as divisional performance and individual
performance (3) a tendency of periodic salary increase to disappear (4) an increase of differentiation in wages through the personnel evaluation 4. The performance-based pay system presents the problems from an economic standpoint. (1) possibility to objectively measure each employees performance, especially for tasks that require teamwork (2) employees become inclined to prioritize tasks or aspects of a job for which they are more likely to receive an objective evaluation (3) employees are motivated to set their goals low, whereas employers try to impose higher goals on them. ============================== Sony plans to introduce merit-based pay system Japantimes Sunday, Nov. 30, 2003 Sony Corp. plans to shift to a completely performance-based pay system in April by abolishing family, housing and other salary-linked allowances, company sources said Saturday. The move, on which management and the labor union have agreed, will affect about 12,000 domestic nonmanagerial employees, including section chiefs, they said. Under the current system, salaries for Sony employees consist of basic pay that reflects a traditional seniority-based scale and a range of allowances that account for about 5 percent of the total. The company introduced a performance-based system for some 6,000 managerial employees in 2000. Sony is the first major Japanese electronics company to abolish all salary-linked allowances. Hitachi Ltd. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. have already decided to move to a performance-based pay system in the next business year, beginning in April, but they will not abolish family, housing and other allowances. The sources said Sony's new pay system grades employees on a three-point scale every year in accordance with their performance. The highest grade is 1 and the lowest is 3. The system will allow employees to develop their careers more quickly, Sony sources said. If an employee hired straight after graduation performs particularly well, he or she could receive the highest grade in a few years, compared with the nearly 10 years that it takes under the existing system, they said.
Ogi to pitch rail system in China Japantimes Wednesday, July 9, 2003 Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Chikage Ogi said Tuesday she intends to visit China early next month to pitch Japan's high-speed rail system for a new Beijing-Shanghai route being planned.
Ogi will be accompanied by East Japan Railway Co. President Mutsutake Otsuka on her visit, which has been delayed in the aftermath of the outbreak of SARS, according to ministry sources. Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), is considering a separate visit in August to push Japanese rail technology. Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) President Yoshiyuki Kasai, however, is opposed to providing advanced Japanese technology to China on the grounds that it would not benefit Japanese companies. JR Tokai operates the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations. However, Ogi said success in exporting Japanese technology "will enhance Japan's national prestige." In their talks in St. Petersburg, Russia, in late May, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi asked Chinese President Hu Jintao to choose Japan's bullet-train system for the Beijing-Shanghai line. Hu told Koizumi that China was considering either the Japanese system or German maglev technology.
People's Daily Online July 07, 2005 2005 East China Sea joint search and rescue exercise held A joint nautical exercise is held in the sea water off the Yangshan Port in east China's Shanghai July 7, 2005. The exercise involves approximately 1,000 people, 30 ships and five aircraft to showcase China's capabilities to cope with any possible emergency situation, search for people missing in mishap on the sea, put out a fire on ship, clear away oil spills and remove explosive devices on ships. Currently the article I find in the Internet about this exercise is only this article though nothing is reported about the participation of Japan and South Korea. But You can confirm my information in the Japanese site of Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Japan.
Japanese minister touts Shinkansen in Beijing By Cao Desheng (China Daily) 2005-01-19 A Japanese cabinet minister's Beijing trip has again drawn people's attention to the nation's express railway project. Kitagawa Kazuo, Japan's land, infrastructure and transport minister, started a four-day visit on Tuesday at the invitation of China's tourism authority. The topic of the express railway Shinkansen became a hot one at his press conference on Tuesday. "Shinkansen is among the first-class high-speed railway technologies in the world," he said. Since it was opened in 1964, there had never been an accident involving casualties in Japan, Kazuo said. "China's robust economic growth has prompted infrastructure construction in roads, railways and harbours and we hope Japan's Shinkansen can play its role in the nation's endeavours," the minister said. The planned Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway is more than 1,300 kilometres in length, involving a 100
billion-yuan (US$ 12 billion) investment. Initiated in 1994, the high-speed railway is considered as the second largest project after the Three Gorges Project in terms of investment scale. Competition for the huge project is becoming increasingly intensified among Japan's Shinkansen, France's TGV and Germany's ICE -- considered the most advanced high-speed rail technology available in the world - as the project is still awaiting approval from the State Council. "We hope Shinkansen can play its role in the project but I don't mean to promote the technology here," Kazuo said. Kazuo met with senior Chinese officials including Vice-Premier Wu Yi and Railways Minister Liu Zhijun and exchanged views on railway technology. The Ministry of Railways refused to comment about the talks between the two ministers. According to Kyodo News Agency, Liu spoke highly of Japan's technology during the talk with his Japanese counterpart yesterday, saying China might adopt Shinkansen technology in its high-speed railway project if there were no "obstacles" between the two countries. He did not elaborate on the "obstacles". Despite the rumoured competitions for the project among France, Japan and Germany, the central government will not make a snap decision about the introduction of the railway technology, said Zhou Wenlong, a senior railway engineer from Shanghai-based CASCO Signal Ltd. "It might need three to five years before the project was put into operation considering the nation's macroregulation policies," Zhou said. Meantime, express railway construction should take into account the safety and economy of the project, so feasibility studies will still need to be scrutinized, he said.
No new sex slave apology: Abe Japantimes March 6, 2007 U.S. resolution won't spur statement; '93 declaration stands Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday there is no need for Japan to make a fresh apology for forcing women from other parts of Asia into sexual servitude for the Japanese military during the war, even if the U.S. Congress passes a resolution calling on him to do so. "We will not apologize because of a resolution," Abe told the House of Councilors Budget Committee, referring to the draft resolution on the table at the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. "The draft resolution is not based on objective facts nor does it reflect the Japanese government's responses so far," he said. Abe reiterated he will stand by the government's 1993 statement acknowledging and apologizing for the forced recruitment of what Japan euphemistically referred to as "comfort women" in Japanese-occupied territories, including the Korean Peninsula and China. He was responding to a question from a Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker. Abe made the remarks after drawing a strong protest from South Korea by saying last week there is no
evidence to back claims that the Japanese military used coercion to force the women into frontline brothels. Tokyo, in the 1993 statement issued by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, acknowledged the Imperial Japanese Army was involved in forcing women in Asia into sexual servitude for its soldiers at frontline brothels. Abe told Monday's committee session that there was no evidence showing that Japanese military officials took the women by force -- such as by kidnapping -- to the brothels -- again denying there was coercion by the military in a strict sense. But he acknowledged that private-sector businesses that acted as agents for the military sometimes used force on the women. Separately, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference that overseas criticism of Abe's comments last week "are not based on correct interpretation of the prime minister's remarks." "There may have been coercion in a broad sense in recruiting the women, but we do not believe that the women were physically taken by force" by the military to the frontline brothels, Shiozaki said, noting that Abe was referring to the more "narrow definition" of coercion. He also said the government has "no plans to withdraw or change" the 1993 government statement. In the 1993 statement, Kono, now speaker of the Lower House, said the comfort women were mainly recruited by businesses that worked on the behest of the military, which was directly and indirectly involved in establishing and running the frontline brothels as well as in the transfer of the women. In many cases the women were recruited against their will -- either by coercion or deception -- and the military was directly and indirectly involved in such operations, according to the statement. Some historians estimate that up to 200,000 women from the Korean Peninsula, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, the present-day Indonesia and elsewhere were forced into sexual servitude by the wartime Japanese military in the 1930s and '40s, but others dispute this view. In Washington, Democratic Rep. Mike Honda of California and some powerful Republicans submitted the resolution on Jan. 31 urging Japan's prime minister to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for the former sex slaves. Japan has protested the resolution, saying prime ministers have repeatedly offered apologies, but prospects are high it will clear the Democrat-controlled Congress. Four similar bills failed to reach a full House vote in past years under the previous Republican majority. A House Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee heard testimony in mid-February from three women who said they were forced to provide sex for the Japanese military during the war. Lawmakers in the Liberal Democratic Party, which Abe heads, had planned to urge the prime minister to "review" the 1993 statement, but deferred the plan last week after Abe said he would abide by it. The LDP lawmakers decided instead to call on the government to look into the matter and try to win a "correct understanding" from the U.S. Abe is planning to visit the U.S. this spring.
Dalai Lama reiterates support for games, urges nonviolence Japantimes April 11, 2008 NARITA, Chiba Pref. The Dalai Lama on Thursday again voiced support for China's hosting of the Olympic Games and called on protesters to stick to nonviolent activities during the chaotic round-the-world torch relay. "From the beginning, we support the Olympic Games," the Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters packed into a small hall at a hotel near Narita International Airport during a brief stopover on the way to the U.S. He said he is opposed to violent protests of any kind because they hurt the freedom of speech which he said Tibet badly needs but is not allowed under Chinese control. The Dalai Lama also emphasized that the purpose of his two-week stay in the U.S. is to meet with supporters and promote human compassion and harmony among different religions. The trip, including his short transit in Japan, is not politically motivated in any way, he said. "I have no particular thing to say here," he humorously added, prompting reporters to burst into laughter. But the Dalai Lama responded passionately when he was asked to give a message to the Chinese people about the recent riots in Tibet. He reiterated that his government in exile and the Tibetan people have sought no independence from China, but only maintenance of their culture, religion and language as well as "realistic autonomy" except for diplomacy and defense. He said the only autonomy that exists now is on paper. China accuses the Dalai Lama of masterminding the rioting that started March 10 in Lhasa, which he categorically denies.
Olympic Torch Relay Chaotic in San Francisco NPR.org, April 9, 2008 The Olympic torch relay got off to a chaotic start in San Francisco on Wednesday, when the torchbearer was routed away from thousands who turned out to cheer and protest the flame's journey to Beijing. The flame disappeared from view for about 30 minutes when the first torchbearer ran into a warehouse near the waterfront after the opening ceremony. It reappeared about a mile from its expected location. Before the opening ceremony, San Francisco police had announced the relay's six-mile route would be cut in half. They did not offer an immediate explanation, but city officials had warned they might shorten the route for security reasons. Security Tight Crowds began to gather early in the day at San Francisco's McCovey Cove, where the Olympic torch was scheduled to make its North American debut. The torch's circuitous travel around the globe has already has been marked by demonstrations against China's policies toward Tibet and Sudan, and more demonstrations are expected worldwide before it reaches the Summer Games.
San Francisco officials said police officers were backed up by other Bay Area police departments, the California Highway Patrol and the FBI in an effort to keep Olympic runners and bystanders safe, while protecting the protesters' right to free speech. Nearly 80 torchbearers had prepared to carry the Olympic flame along the route past hordes of protesters and counterprotesters. Ultramarathon runner Dean Karnazes, who was to be one of the torch runners, said the city had taken the proper precautions to protect runners. Karnazes said city officials reassured participants that law enforcement would work with the State Department and international authorities to avoid a repeat of the chaotic demonstrations in Paris and London. He said the actual relay route would be kept secret as long as possible. Protesters, Supporters Turn Out Violent protests in Paris and London prompted several San Francisco torchbearers to drop out. San Francisco is the only stop for the torch in North America. The city was chosen to host the relay, in part, because of its large Chinese-American population. Many San Francisco residents have asked for calm and expressed their pride that China was chosen to host the Olympics. Chinese officials have dismissed previous demonstrations as the actions of a few who are trying to hijack a historical event for their own purposes. The International Olympic Committee is considering whether to cancel the rest of the torch's world tour. From NPR and wire reports
Japan's Conspiracy 60_1 Global Warming to Decrease Hurricanes, Study Says National Geographic News May 19, 2008 Global warming may reduce the number of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Basin by 2060, a new study says. But it adds that the storms that do form may be slightly stronger and wetter. The study, conducted by scientists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is the latest development in a contentious debate about whether global warming is influencing hurricanes. The new research suggests that the number of hurricanes each summer could decrease by about 18 percent. Major hurricanesthose with winds in excess of 110 miles (177 kilometers) an hourcould decline by about 8 percent. Currently about ten Atlantic hurricanes formtwo to three of them majorduring an average season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. One of the ways that global warming could reduce hurricanes is by increasing upper-level windsknown as
wind shearthat can inhibit hurricane formation, said lead author Thomas Knutson. The study also suggests that hurricane winds could increase by about 2 percent, and rainfall within 30 miles (48 kilometers) of a hurricane's center could increase by 37 percent. The study, which appears this week in the journal Nature Geoscience, focuses on the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Recent Data Knutson said the new study was based on a computer simulation that used hurricane data dating back to 1980. Detailed data covering a longer period is not available, he added. "It would be nice if we could run tests based on data all the way back to 1900," Knutson said. "But we don't have adequate large-scale atmospheric data going back that far." This story is inconsistent with the past conventional global warming theory. The global warming theory has turned out to be false. And the current subsequent theory seems to be a mere cover story.
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Tibet is no Shangri-la China.org.cn March 31, 2008 Tibet has fascinated the world for centuries and inspired many romantic myths and legends. The remote mountainous region and the exotic character of Tibetan Buddhism have stirred the western imagination. But pre-1949 Tibet was not the imagined paradise of people living a simple, happy life going about their religious activities. Society was in the grip of a type of feudal serfdom under which politics was intertwined with religion. Temples obstructed all reform; nobles ruthlessly defended their privileges and constantly intrigued against each other. In the old Tibet, serfs were traded and exchanged like pack animals. They were regarded as "horses that can talk", not human beings. Today the Dalai Lama is seen as a kind, attractive person; a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. But until 1949, the Dalai Lama was the speaker and representative of Tibet's feudal system. Under feudalism, temples and sutra schools forced families with two boys to send one of them to become a monk. Until 1951, 95 percent of Tibetans were illiterate. The relationship between Tibetan Buddhism and the emperors of ancient China dates back to the 12th century Yuan Dynasty. The relationship between Tibet and China was like that between "religious leaders and their non-religious protectors." The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama had the status of religious counselors to the emperor who in turn was the protector of all lamas and the whole Tibet. The emperor provided material and military support to the lamas, just as to his other subjects. The records show the Dalai Lama was always a vassal of the emperor. From 1720 to 1910, Tibet was incorporated into the Manchu empire (Qing Dynasty). In the 19th century, Britain and Russia began to compete and intrigue against each other for control of Tibet. In 1906, Britain recognized China's "suzerainty" over Tibet. It reaffirmed this position in 1912. The four languages, Han Chinese, Mongolian, Manchu and Tibetan can be found on most royal buildings of ancient China, more evidence that China has continuously exercised sovereignty over Tibet. In 1950, not long after they had driven out the Japanese invaders and liberated most of the nation, the People's Liberation Army entered Lhasa. Since then major reforms have been carried out in Tibet, the most important being the abolition of the feudal serf system. Hundreds of thousands of serfs were liberated and
became "human." The Central Government held talks in Beijing with the local rulers of Tibet. The Dalai Lama attended the talks and reached several agreements that gave a large measure of autonomy to the temples and the nobles. But some senior monks and nobles fearing they would lose their privileges, staged uprisings in 1956 and 1959. The Dalai Lama later admitted that the United States Central Intelligence Agency provided financial aid and arms to the insurgents. After the 1959 uprising failed, the Dalai Lama, together with other monks, fled to Dharamsala, India. During the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976), in Tibet like in other parts of China, Red Guards destroyed temples and persecuted lamas and nuns. It was the darkest page in the history of modern China. But starting from the 1980s, the Central Government and local authorities did their best to repair the damage. Temples were restored to their original condition. Monks and nuns returned to religious sites. In the reform and opening up period, Tibet's tourism industry has flourished. A new railway has been built to link this once isolated place to the rest of the country. Shops are filled with merchandise from all over the country. The government provides free medical care for all Tibetans and the average life span and health level of the people have improved greatly. The Central Government has allocated large amount of funds to help Tibet modernize and integrate with the national economy. Tibet has paid great attention to environmental protection. Nature reserves have been established and renewable energy sources promoted in the region. According to every economic indicator people's lives have improved greatly. Like other places in China, Tibet faces economic and cultural problems that need urgent solutions. But, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), "China has solved the problem of food and clothing for 350 millions people in 20 years." This figure includes millions of Tibetans. Tibet is one of the most strategically sensitive places in the world. Tibet is the source of Asia's great rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra, the Yellow, the Yangtze and the Mekong. It overflows with mineral resources such as uranium, bauxite, copper and lithium and is also rich in petroleum and natural gas. Tibet is a target that different interest groups would compete and die for. The March 14 riots in Lhasa and associated protests in other countries were instigated and masterminded by the Dalai clique. Although those taking part were few in number, the western media exaggerated and sensationalized the events, threatening the stability of the region. This is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that reporters, commentators and other self-proclaimed judges lecture China on how to deal with the crisis. Many western people have already have misgivings about China. It does nobody any good to encourage further misunderstanding. About the authors: Serge Pairoux, Secretary-General of the Belgium-China Cultural Center. Henri Lederhandler, Vice Chairman of the Belgium-China Economic and Commercial Council
PYONGYANG WATCH Cook and tell: Another chef spills the beans How's that for timing? Or should I say, Time-ing? In my last column, on Kim Jong-il's private life (The Dear Leader, demystified, June 24), I mentioned his sister-in-law Song Hye-rang among the growing genre of
first-person accounts of the Dear Leader: noting that she pulled her punches, and that her memoir is not yet available in English. Little did I know that Time was about to run a cover story on Sung Hae Rang, as the magazine renders her (don't start me on the pitfalls of romanizing Korean). It's a fascinating tale, which I won't repeat here: check it out. But as I'd said, she still defends her bro-in-law - or at least tries to explain why he is as he is. We also learn that she (herself?) is translating her memoir, The Wisteria House, into English. Not very fast, it seems, since The Economist mentioned this as under way back in 2000. Maybe she still fears the wrath of Kim, as Time implies. (Since defecting in 1996 she lives in Europe - but won't reveal where.) Her daughter Li Nam-ok, whose book Gilded Cage was due out in 1998, is similarly taking her time. But others are jumping into the breach. The no-longer-so-private life of Kim Jong-il is now chronicled enough for distinct sub-genres to have emerged. As we saw in the last Pyongyang Watch, the Dear Leader's bodyguard, ex-tutor, a kidnapped South Korean fim couple, and a Russian host have all published intimate accounts. One category we don't yet have is "kiss and tell". Although if the Dear Leader really prefers Swedish blondes, as alleged, it may be only a matter of time before one of them breaks cover and reveals all. In this Kim is luckier than his hapless son Kim Jong-nam, banished to Beijing after his embarrassing unmasking two years ago traveling incognito with his family at Narita airport (see Fat Bear: No meeting Mickey Mouse any time soon, May 11, 2001). Allegedly headed for Disneyland, he was later revealed to have made other, solo visits to Tokyo of a nocturnal nature. Paid female companions have even detailed his endowment and performance, unflatteringly. But if Kim Jong-il is so far spared the blushes of "kiss and tell", he is not free from an emerging genre that might be called "cook and tell". In the proverb, too many cooks spoil the broth - but the Dear Leader's problem is that too many cooks spill the beans. First one, and now another of his former chefs have published memoirs of haute cuisine at the top, in a land racked by hunger for most of its people. The pioneer in this field is right here at Asia Times Online. If there is any Pyongyang Watch reader who has not already feasted on Ermanno Furlanis' "I made pizza for Kim Jong-il", then go tuck in right now. Billed as "a quixotic culinary journey into the stomach of darkness", this describes how in 1997 two Italians spent three weeks in North Korea, training pizza chefs and preparing meals for you know who. (Go to ATol's Korea Page; links to the three-part series are at the bottom of the right-hand column.) Yet Furlanis never actually met Kim Jong-il. The nearest he got was a glimpse from a window of the man "whose girth was the measure of his power". By contrast, Kenji Fujimoto - whose book Kim Jong-il's Chef came out in Japan on June 20 - had a far closer encounter, over a much longer period: almost 20 years. The Seoul daily Chosun Ilbo recently published two articles about his experiences. Fujimoto first visited North Korea in 1982 . In 1988 he became the Dear Leader's exclusive sushi chef. A year later his role widened into that of companion: the two men went riding, shooting, and water-skiing together. As such, Fujimoto confirms that, as rumored at the time, Kim Jong-il had a serious fall from a horse in 1992 . Breaking his collarbone and injuring his head, he was unconscious for several hours. Fujimoto makes several other striking claims. One is that in 1995 North Korea had a nuclear accident: presumably a radiation leak, since party secretary Kim Ki-nam reported that workers at the (unnamed) plant were sick, with some losing their teeth. Kim Jong-il made no response. In 1989 he had asked Fujimoto his view of nuclear weapons, himself opining that North Korea was vulnerable without them. Kim showed more emotion in 1994, when his father Kim Il-sung died. The Dear Leader took this hard,
staying in his room all day for a while. At one point his wife found he had a pistol, and yelled at him: "What are you thinking?" This wife is presumably his current consort Ko Yong-hee, the mother of his second son Kim Jong-chol. Reports in Seoul this year, citing Korean People's Army (KPA) internal documents, claimed a new cult is forming around Ms Ko. This was seen as a bid to boost Jong-chol, aged 22 and the army's choice, to be his father's eventual heir, as opposed to his unfortunate elder brother Kim Jong-nam. Not so, says Kenji Fujimoto . Kim Jong-il thinks his middle son is "like a girl" (so much for gender equality under communism). Instead he favors his little-known youngest son, 20-year-old Kim Jong-woon, who is said to "resemble him in every way". Perhaps Jong-woon too is Ko Yong-hee's son, as the Dear Leader is not known to have had any official consort since her; he had several before. Ko, incidentally, is a returnee from Japan; her family hails originally from Cheju island in South Korea. And the food? Nothing but the best, of course. Shark's-fin soup, of a particularly rare kind, is on the menu four days a week. Sushi is once a week, and dog soup on Sundays (plus "every special dog-food-eating summer day"). Kim Jong-il has a very sensitive palate - Furlanis and Pulikovsky say the same - noticing even minute changes in ingredients, and disliking spicy food. Yet Furlanis reported meeting a curry chef just recruited from Pakistan: strictly korma, perhaps. On spice of another kind, Fujimoto speaks of girls dancing nude at banquets - but strictly no touching, let alone sex . His own wife was a member of Kim Jong-il's "pleasure squad", and a well-known singer - which did not spare her from being ordered to box with a fellow entertainer. My, what jolly fun. By Fujimoto's account, which tallies with others, Kim Jong-il was "not cocky most of the time ... he always smiles and has many hobbies". But he is mercurial. Fujimoto often saw him bawl out officials, in person or on the phone - with faulty or incomplete intelligence reports a particular bugbear . Once he even threw a steel (not silver?) napkin box at Chang Sung-taek, his brother-in-law and chief confidant. So why did Kenji Fujimoto give up this life of voyeurism and luxury, speedboats and Mercedes? On a visit to Japan in 1996, he was arrested carrying a fake Dominican Republic passport (Kim Jong-nam was caught traveling on one of those, too). After this he feared that some in Pyongyang suspected him of spying. In 2001 he defected via China, after realizing his phone calls to Japan were being tapped . Can we believe all this? Probably. Despite the lack of corroboration, and possible embellishment here and there, in general this confirms the picture painted by others. To Kim Jong-il's chagrin, his ex-chef won't be the last to reveal that behind the absurd mask of deification, there lurks an aging spoiled brat.
At the end of April in 1945, the capital of Nazi Germany, Berlin, laid in ruins. ( This is the translation of the original site from Japanese into English. ) The Mystery of Dead Tibetans in Berlin On that day, allied soldiers were patrolling around East Berlin. They spotted seven bodies with the badge of SS (Schutzstaffel). They seemed to be German soldiers, nothing unusual. But there was one thing unusual. One of the seven bodies was surrounded by other six bodies in a circle. They glanced at them and passed. But a soldier found that the way they had been killed was strange. He stopped other soldiers. They looked at the dead German soldiers carefully again. The hands of a dead soldier in the center had been joined firmly as if he had been praying. The both hands were covered with green gloves. But the most surprising
thing was that the dead soldiers' faces were beyond doubt faces of Asians, particularly from Tibet. Not only the soldier in the center but also all other bodies around him were Tibetans. "What's this all about?" The allied soldiers were stunned at the inexplicable scene in front of them. But it was apparent that the Tibetans had not been killed but that they had committed some ritual suicide. The dead wore German military uniforms, but with neither identification badges nor identification paper. They were laid on the floor in a perfect array. They had disemboweled themselves with ceremonial daggers.
Since then, hundreds of dead Tibetans were found one after another in every nook and cranny of Berlin. Some squads resisted stubbornly to the end after Hitler had killed himself. The final battle was fought around the communications control center. Many dead soldiers were found at the ruined communications control center. Among them about 1000 bodies were Tibetans. Though they were neither Hitler's guardsmen nor entourages, they fought for life to the last moment.
Hatoyama richest among 18 members of Fukuda's Cabinet BREITBART 2008/10/26 TOKYO, Oct. 26 (AP) - (Kyodo)Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama is the richest among the 18 members of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's Cabinet, with his family's assets totaling 730.36 million yen, documents submitted by Cabinet members showed Friday. Fukuda ranked eighth with assets at 72.11 million yen. Assets declared by Fukuda, his 17 ministers and their immediate family members averaged 116.95 million yen, showing an increase of more than 25 million yen from the average 91.36 million yen for the Cabinet of Fukuda's predecessor Shinzo Abe, disclosed in November 2006. Disclosure of ministers' assets has been mandated since 1984 after former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka (1918-1993) was convicted in the Lockheed bribery scandal. However, critics say the current disclosure requirements do not provide a clear picture and sometimes may not show the market value of what they actually own. The assets disclosed include real estate, deposits and securities held by the Cabinet members, their spouses and children financially dependent on them. Other forms of assets include golf memberships, automobiles and art works. Disclosure of stockholdings held by the ministers does not cover value and is limited to names of issues and numbers of shares. Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe places second with 361.49 million yen, while Financial Services Minister Yoshimi Watanabe, who is also in charge of administrative reform, is the cellar dweller at 4.03 million yen. Four of the 18 declared more than 100 million yen in assets. Hatoyama's assets include a residence on a 1,300-square-meter tract of land in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward and a villa in the highland summer resort of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. He also purchased a condominium in his constituency of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, in February this year.
Hatoyama holds about 200 million yen worth of time deposits and government bonds. His stockholdings include 3.75 million shares of Japan's largest tire maker Bridgestone Corp. that are worth several billion yen in market value. Hatoyama is a grandson of former Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama (1883- who restored Japan's diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union in His elder brother Yukio, the incumbent secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, is also known as a rich man. Masuzoe's assets are mainly public and corporate bonds worth 320 million yen. Most of Fukuda's assets are a condo in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward and land and housing properties in his constituency of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. Fukuda's financial assets are 4.8 million yen of time deposits held by himself and his wife. Meanwhile, assets declared by 25 senior vice ministers and 26 parliamentary secretaries averaged 128.46 million yen and 53.72 million yen, respectively. The disclosure of assets this time also covered those of former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano and former farm minister Takehiko Endo, both of whom entered Abe's Cabinet in late August. Yosano did not join Fukuda's Cabinet formed in late September while Endo resigned a week after being appointed. Yosano's assets came to 145.24 million yen, and Endo's 8.9 million yen.
Business Notes Scandal TIME Aug. 26, 1991 In a season of scandal among Japan's largest financial firms, an eccentric restaurateur from Osaka has managed to steal the show. Nui Onoue, 61, who claims she began playing the stock market in response to a "divine message," was accused last week of using forged certificates worth $2.5 billion to obtain loans from a host of banks and financial companies. Among the duped lenders was the prestigious Industrial Bank of Japan. By last October, Onoue had built up her portfolio to an estimated value of nearly $780 million and ranked as one of Japan's largest individual investors. But prosecutors speculate that the 39% plunge in Tokyo share prices last year forced Onoue to make a desperate move to cover her losses.
Restaurateur in bubble-era bank fraud faces 15 years Japantimes July 7, 1997 OSAKA -- Prosecutors demanded a 15-year prison term July 7 for a female restaurateur over 274 billion yen in business crimes involving the now-defunct Toyo Shinkin Bank and other financial institutions during the bubble economy of the early 1990s. Osaka restaurateur Nui Onoue, 67, is accused of breach of trust involving 95 billion yen and swindling 179 billion yen from financial institutions. In the session, held at the Osaka District Court, prosecutors said Onoue conspired with a Toyo Shinkin branch manager in 1990 and 1991 to falsify savings account certificates to indicate she had 416 billion yen deposited at the bank. She then allegedly defrauded the Industrial Bank of Japan out of 172.5 billion yen in stocks and discount bank debentures. Onoue had been borrowing from IBJ at the time, and she exchanged the bogus certificates for stocks and discount bank debentures she had already put up as collateral, they alleged. In 1987, prosecutors said,
Onoue conspired with a Kizu Shinkin Bank branch manager at the time to falsify 5 billion yen in savings account certificates and swindled various nonbank financial institutions out of 6.5 billion yen. Kizu Shinkin also reported 5 billion yen in losses. The defendant caused two nonbanks that had tendered loans to her 90 billion yen in losses by reclaiming her collateral without permission in 1990 and 1991, the prosecutors alleged. Onoue has denied the charges. Four former officials of financial institutions have been indicted in connection with the case, which is considered symbolic of Japan's bubble days. They were all found guilty. A prosecutor said at the court session July 7 that "the defendant's crime was premeditated and vicious, because it forced a bank to go under and caused an outrageous amount of damage." He demanded she be sentenced to 15 years. Toyo Shinkin Bank was left with a massive amount of debt, and in September 1992 it was merged into another financial institution. Kizu Shinkin Bank went under in August 1995. Onoue's Japanese-style restaurant in Osaka is closed and she has no buyers. She has been released on bail.
Chinese premier urges better ties with Japan Wen urges Beijing not to forget past aggressions on rare ice-thawing visit msnbc April 12, 2007 TOKYO - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged Japans parliament on Thursday not to forget Tokyos wartime aggression even as the two Asian powers mend their strained ties and bolster thriving business relations. Wen the first Chinese leader to address the parliament in 22 years was on a three-day ice-melting trip to Japan as the two countries worked to reverse a deterioration in ties caused in part by disagreements about the past. The Chinese premier, who spent part of Thursday urging Japanese business leaders to invest in China, also struck a conciliatory note, acknowledging Japanese apologies and blaming a clique of militarists for Tokyos invasions of China. To reflect on history is not to dwell on hard feelings but to remember and learn from the past in order to open a better future, he said, adding, however, that he hoped Japans apologies would be turned into actions. The two countries have been at odds in recent years over Japans invasions and occupation of China in the 1930s and 40s. China has accused Japan of not fully atoning for its aggression, while some Japanese feel accounts of their wrongdoings have been exaggerated. The Wen trip was aimed at building on an improvement in ties begun when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to China in October. Ties had plunged to postwar lows during the 2001-2006 term of his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi. Japanese officials said they were satisfied so far with the visit, which was to end Friday. Premier Wen Jiabaos speech was very positive, and I thought it was very good that forward-looking remarks were made on broad-ranging issues, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.
On Wednesday, Wen and Abe declared their firm intentions to move forward on rebuilding relations, signed agreements on energy and the environment, and issued a joint statement that laid out a series of issues for the countries to cooperate on. Wen also strove to put a human face on the Chinese government, coming out early Thursday for a jog at a Tokyo park in sportswear with a Beijing 2008 Olympics logo and even joining a group doing tai chi. On Friday, he was to play baseball with college students in western Japan. Much of Wens activities on Thursday and Friday were aimed at business relations. China, including Hong Kong, is Japans No. 1 trading partner, and Beijing is eager to increase Japanese technology transfers and investment in its booming economy. After the parliament speech, Wen lunched with members of Japans leading business federation, declaring that winter has past, and spring has come in China-Japan relations. He urged Japanese companies to invest in China, vowing to address vast imbalances in the Chinese economy, improve the natural environment, protect intellectual property rights, continue tax breaks for hightech companies and proceed with currency reform. China must build a society that conserves its resources and protects its environment, Wen said. Economic dialogues Later Thursday, Wen and Abe met to launch a series of high-level economic dialogues expected to boost cooperation between the two trading partners. Economic ties between Japan and China have expanded rapidly in recent years, Abe told the inaugural meeting. Our economies have become indispensable to each other... and our relationship is crucial to the world economy, he said. Wen said he hoped to hold the first of the bilateral economic talks in Beijing later this year. He also made a number of statements on issues close to Japanese hearts. On Wednesday, he expressed understanding for Japans drive to win a resolution of North Koreas past kidnappings of Japanese citizens. On Thursday, he alluded to Tokyos long-standing campaign to win a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council a campaign China has blocked in the past. China understands Japans hope to play a bigger role in international society, and we are ready to strengthen our mutual understanding over the United Nations reforms, he said. Wen, however, also warned the Japanese not to meddle in Beijings relations with Taiwan, which it considers part of China. The premier said China hoped for peaceful reunification, but that it could not tolerate Taiwanese independence.
Al-Qaeda Branch Claims Algeria Blasts Dozens Die in Strikes on Premier's Office, Police Post; 'New Front' Seen in N. Africa Washington Post April 12, 2007 BERLIN, April 11 -- Al-Qaeda's new affiliate in North Africa asserted responsibility Wednesday for the deadliest attacks in Algeria's capital in a decade as 24 people were reported killed and 222 injured in
bombings that shattered the prime minister's headquarters and a police base. The Algerian strikes came one day after four suicide bombers died in confrontations with police in Casablanca in neighboring Morocco. Counterterrorism officials and analysts said the plots were the latest signs that local terrorist groups have escalated operations under al-Qaeda's banner and warned that the North African networks are expanding their reach to Europe and Iraq. "We're seeing a new front opening up big-time," said Bruce Riedel, former senior Middle East analyst for the CIA and National Security Council. "The events in Morocco, but more clearly in Algiers, show al-Qaeda opening up a new front in the jihad. They were operating there before, but this is a declaration." The Algerian government has been fighting a bloody insurgency mounted by Islamic radicals since 1992, but authorities appeared stunned by a late-morning vehicle bomb attack on the Government Palace, which contains the office of the prime minister and other high officials. It was the first major bombing in the heavily protected capital since the mid-1990s, killing 12 people and wounding 135, according to the state-run APS news agency. Authorities said the toll was likely to rise. Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem was unhurt and spoke briefly with reporters outside the heavily damaged building. He called the attack a "betrayal" of an amnesty program that has resulted in the release of hundreds of insurgents from prison in an attempt to bring peace to the war-torn nation. "This is a crime, a cowardly act," Belkhadem said. "At a time when the Algerian people are asking for national reconciliation and extend their hands, these criminal acts are taking place." A representative of a group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb asserted responsibility for the Algerian bombings in a phone call to the Morocco bureau of al-Jazeera television, the network said. Maghreb is an Arabic word for the region of North Africa stretching from Mauritania to Libya. The group also posted an Internet statement giving details of the operation and photos of three purported bombers. It said the "martyrs" drove explosives-filled trucks into three targets: the government palace in Algiers, a police special forces barracks in the suburb of Bab Ezzouar and what it asserted was a regional headquarters for Interpol, according to a translation of the statement by the SITE Institute, a Washingtonbased terrorism research organization. The Algerian press agency reported that only the Government Palace and the police barracks were attacked, with 12 reported dead and 87 wounded at the second location. In Morocco, government investigators said they had found no operational links between the attacks in Algiers and the suicide bombers in Casablanca. At a news conference, Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa said the timing of the plots may have been coincidental, but concerning a connection, he added, "We don't rule it out." Authorities in Casablanca said the explosions occurred after police surrounded four wanted terrorism suspects in an apartment building. Three blew themselves up with explosives-laden belts after they emerged from the building; a police sniper killed the fourth man before he could detonate his bomb. One police officer died and 21 bystanders were injured in the blasts, officials said. Moroccan police said they were tracking the suspects in the belief they were accomplices of a man who blew himself up March 11 at an Internet cafe in Casablanca, injuring four people. Authorities have arrested 31 suspected members of the cell, which they believe planned to attack tourist sites, and are seeking three others, according to the Interior Ministry.
Yang Jiechi Holds Talks with His Japanese Counterpart Masahiko Komura Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco On December 1, 2007, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his visiting Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura held talks at the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Yang said the current China-Japan relations have maintained sound momentum and bilateral cooperation in various fields has made remarkable progress. The leaders of the two countries have maintained frequent contacts and exchanges, helping push bilateral ties to a new stage of building strategic, reciprocal ties in an all-round manner. The two countries have launched their high-level economic dialogue mechanism, made new progress in defense exchanges and kept communication and coordination in international and regional affairs, he said, adding that both sides also held various activities to mark the 35th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties. China will continue to pursue the good-neighborly and friendly policy with Japan and develop long-term stable cooperation based on the three political documents between the two countries, he said. China is willing to make joint efforts with Japan to expand exchanges, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in an effort to push for greater progress in the China-Japan relationship, Yang added. On the Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's upcoming visit to China, Yang said both sides should strengthen cooperation and make preparations for Fukuda's visit so as to ensure its success and push ahead with bilateral relations. He urged both sides to focus on cooperation in energy and environmental protection and deepen economic and trade cooperation to achieve mutual benefits and a win-win situation. He also called for strengthening humanistic exchanges to build up friendship between the two peoples. The leaders of the two countries have agreed to designate the year 2008 as the "Year of China-Japan Youth Exchange ", said Yang, expressing hope that both sides will arouse the initiative of the two peoples from all walks of life and cement the social basis of China-Japan friendship for generations. The foreign minister also suggested that the two countries properly handle key sensitive issues to ensure sound, stable development of bilateral ties. Yang emphasized that the history issue and Taiwan question concern the political foundation of China-Japan relations. He said he hoped the Japanese side could appropriately handle relevant issues in accordance with the three political documents and relevant consensus. Komura said the atmosphere of Japan-China relations is good and the meetings between state leaders of both countries have forcefully promoted the development of bilateral ties. The two countries have successfully held a series of events to mark the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic ties and "Cultural and Sports Exchange Year", which provide great opportunities for dynamic development of bilateral ties, said the foreign minister. Japan attaches great importance to furthering strategic reciprocal ties with China and is ready to keep close cooperation and coordination with China so that the exchanges of visits between leaders of the two countries could yield positive outcomes. Komura pledged Japan's joint efforts with China to well hold a range of grand events to mark the "Year of ChinaJapan Youth Exchange" and the 30th anniversary of the conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan. Japan is willing to increase mutual trust in politics and security and facilitate bilateral exchanges and cooperation in environmental protection and culture to ensure that enormous achievements will be made in bilateral ties in the year 2008. Komura reiterated Japan's position on the Taiwan question, saying Japan's stance remains unchanged. Japan does not support Taiwan to "join the United Nations" and opposes unilateral change of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, Komura said. To properly settle the East China Sea dispute at an early date and achieve joint exploration serves the mutual interests of both countries and is conducive to pushing forward the improvement and development of bilateral relations, Yang said, adding China always takes a positive attitude in solving the issue. Yang said maintaining friendly consultations is the only correct solution to the issue. Shelving disputes and seeking joint exploration is a realistic way to resolve the issue and making consistent efforts toward each other is
key to progress in the consultations, Yang said. He said both sides should, on the basis of respecting the truth, seek common ground and narrow differences to jointly push for substantial progress in the East China Sea talks. Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. Komura and Yang also signed agreements on mutual cooperation in criminal investigations and on Japan's final batch of yen loans to China after their talks.
Japan PM urges China co-operation BBC NEWS 30 December 2007 Japan's Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, has called for increased co-operation with China in the future, at the end of a four-day trip to the country. Mr Fukuda said the neighbours could do more for the world by co-operating than each would achieve single-handedly. Despite the remarks, earlier talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, and President Hu Jintao did not resolve a dispute over maritime gas fields. Mr Fukuda's visit to China was his first since taking office in September. China refused high-level contact with Japan from 2001 to 2006 during the premiership of Junichiro Koizumi, after he made annual visits to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine. Mr Fukuda has said he will not visit the shrine while he is in power and has called for Japan to be humble about its past. 'Meaningful' talks Speaking after visiting the birthplace of the philosopher Confucius in the eastern town of Qufu in Shandong province, Mr Fukuda said his trip to China had been "very meaningful". "I had in-depth discussions with Chinese leaders and agreed that Japan and China can do more if they cooperate than each can do single-handedly," he told reporters. "There will be nothing good for the region and the world unless Japan and China have co-operative relations," he added. Before visiting Qufu, Mr Fukuda travelled to Tianjin to tour a Toyota car factory in the city. He had earlier played a game of catch with Mr Wen Jiabao in Beijing following three days of talks aimed at improving Sino-Japanese relations. The two men agreed to co-operate on climate change and trade, and to increase youth exchanges between their countries. But despite 11 previous rounds of talks, no agreement has been reached on the two countries' territorial dispute over lucrative gas fields in the East China Sea.
China does not accept the maritime border which Japan has proposed as a starting point for negotiations. The two leaders agreed only to raise discussions to vice-ministerial level.
Crown Prince helps excavate Mongolia fossils Japantimes July 14, 2007 ULAN BATOR (Kyodo) Crown Prince Naruhito visited Mongolia's Natural History Museum and a paleontology center in Ulan Bator and took part in fossil excavation work Thursday. In the museum, which exhibits fossils of dinosaurs and dinosaur eggs that have been found in the Gobi desert, the Crown Prince saw exhibits including skeletal specimens of the carnivorous Tarbosaurs. At the paleontology center, which focuses on conservation and restoration of fossils, he assisted with fossilextraction work by removing sand with a brush and said it requires great patience. Earlier in the day, he visited the Japanese ambassador's residence and chatted with about 20 Japanese residents of Mongolia. One of them, Yukio Kasuga, 86, received the prince's gratitude for his efforts in getting a support facility built for orphans in a suburb of Ulan Bator.
NORTH KOREA THIS WEEK NO. 459 YONHAP NEWS July 26, 2007 CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW SEOUL (Yonhap) -- The following is a chronological review of major developments related to North Korea from July 19 to 25, 2007. July 19 The (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) says a biochemical research team at the University of Science of the DPRK (North Korea) has developed a highly efficient protoporphyrin hepatitis injection and protoporphyrin hepatitis capsule. 19 A friendly meeting between North Korean and Cuban embassy officials in Pyongyang is held at DPRKCuba Friendship Moranbong Middle School No. 1 in Pyongyang on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the July 26 armed uprising of the Cuban people. 19 Valery Sukhinin, Russian ambassador to the DPRK, hosts a reception at the embassy in Pyongyang on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the publication of the DPRK-Russia Joint Declaration. 19 Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), sends a message of sympathy to Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, the Brazilian president, in connection with an air crash in Sao Paulo, Brazil that caused a huge loss of lives. 20 Kim Yong-nam leaves Pyongyang by a special plane to pay official goodwill visits to Mongolia, Algeria and Ethiopia. 20 The KCNA says meetings of voters to nominate candidates of deputies to the provincial (city under the direct control of the government), city (district) and county people's assemblies have been held across the country.
20 The KCNA says a national sports department has been recently established in the Korean University of Physical Education. 20 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez on the occasion of the 197th anniversary of the independence of Colombia. 20 Kim Yong-nam arrives in Ulan Bator by a special plane to pay an official goodwill visit to Mongolia upon the invitation of Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar. 20 A series of talks between the DPRK and the U.S. and the meeting of heads of the delegations to the sixparty talks wind up in Beijing, after starting on July 17. 20 Talks between Kim Yong-nam and Nambariin Enkhbayar, president of Mongolia, are held in Ulaanbaatar. 20 Agreements on cooperation in the fields of public health and medical science, marine transport and others between the governments of the DPRK and Mongolia are signed in Ulan Bator. 20 Kim Yong-nam meets Miyegombiin Enkhbold, Mongolia's prime minister, who paid a courtesy call on him. 20 Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar hosts a banquet in honor of Kim Yong-nam in the Mongolian capital. 21 The DPRK delegation headed by Kim Kye-gwan,vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, returns home. 21 Kim Yong-nam meets with D. Lundejanchan, chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia, when the latter paid a courtesy call on him. 21 Kim Yong-nam meets with Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar. 21 Inter-sector talks between the DPRK and Mongolia are held in Ulaanbaatar. 22 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the great July 23 revolution in Egypt. 23 A delegation of the (North) Korean Journalists Union led by Kim Pyong-ho, deputy director general of the KCNA, leaves Pyongyang to visit China. 23 Kim Yong-nam sends a congratulatory message to Pratibha Patil who was elected president of India. 23 Enrique Montoto Cruz, Cuban charge d' affaires in Pyongyang, and his embassy officials help employees of the DPRK-Cuba friendship stock farm in weeding a bean field on the occasion of the month of solidarity with the Cuban people. 23 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of thanks to Nambariin Enkhbayar, president of Mongolia, after concluding his four-day official goodwill visit to the country. 23 Chairman of the Asian Football Confederation Mohamed Hammam Saad Al-Abdulla and his party arrive in Pyongyang. 23-24 An international scientific symposium on potatoes is held in Pyongyang.
24 The sixth inter-Korean general-level military talks open in the South's side of the truce village of Panmunjom. 24 Chief Jo Il-min and members of the Pyongyang Mission of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front visit the historic site associated with the Korean War (1950-1953) ahead of the 54th anniversary of the armistice on July 27. 24 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, on the occasion of its independence day. 24 Kim Yong-nam arrives in Algiers to pay an official goodwill visit to Algeria. 24 Talks between Kim Yong-nam and Abdelkader Bensalah, president of the Council of the Nation of Algeria, are held in Algiers. 24 Abdelkader Bensalah, president of the Council of the Nation of Algeria, hosts a banquet in honor of Kim Yong-nam. 25 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Maldivian president, on the occasion of the independence day of the Republic of Maldives. 25 The nomination of candidates for deputies to the provincial, city and county people's assemblies of the DPRK is finished.
Sumo champion suspended for playing football while 'injured' guardian.co.uk, August 1 2007 Asashoryu, the enfant terrible of sumo wrestling, has been banned from taking part in the next two tournaments after he was filmed playing football in his native Mongolia while supposedly recovering from injuries. In an unprecedented show of anger towards a reigning grand champion, the Japanese Sumo Association told Asashoryu today that he would not be allowed to take part in the September and November tournaments and would receive a 30% pay cut for four months. It is the first time in the sport's 2,000-year history that a yokozuna - grand champion - has been banned from a tournament. After sweeping to another title in Nagoya last month, Asashoryu was given permission to miss an 18-day regional tour, starting on Friday, which includes exhibition bouts and public relations work with children and sumo fans. His stable master, Takasago, submitted a doctor's certificate explaining that his prize wrestler was suffering from a damaged ligament in his left elbow and a stress fracture in his lower back. But over the weekend a Japanese TV network showed footage of the wrestler sprinting around the pitch during a charity football match in Mongolia organised by the former Japanese international Hidetoshi Nakata. Dressed in a tight-fitting "Rooney" England T-shirt, he showed no sign of discomfort as he skipped tackles, made diving headers and scored off a pass from Nakata.
The Kyodo news agency reported that Asashoryu, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, had played in the match at the request of the Mongolian government. His stable master was not impressed. "I told him that if he could join the sumo tour, then he should," he told reporters. "And if he was unable to do that, to check himself into hospital. He said that the government had asked him to play, but even so, what he did was unacceptable." On his return to Tokyo on Monday, Asashoryu headed straight to the sumo association's headquarters to apologise. "I am reflecting on what I have done," he told officials, adding that he would receive treatment for his injuries later that day. The association said that he was no longer welcome on the PR tour, whatever his physical condition. Most sumo fans will miss the 26-year-old, who is considered one of the finest wrestlers in the sport's history. Despite his lack of height and relatively light weight of 148kg (more than 23 stone), he has won 19 tournaments since becoming yokozuna, or grand champion, in 2003, including a record seven in a row. His career total of 21 victories makes him the fifth most successful wrestler of all time. Though the ban will not affect his status, it will please traditionalists who believe that the young upstart from Ulan Bator does not posses the right personal attributes to be a yokozuna. He has frequently tested the patience of Japan's conservative sumo authorities with his disdain for the rules of engagement in the ring and his bad behaviour off it. In July 2003 he was disqualified after tugging the top knot of his compatriot and rival Kyokushuzan. Earlier that year he appeared to bump into the same opponent after losing to him. Their row reportedly continued in the changing room, where the pair wrestled naked in the communal bath. Soon after becoming yokozuna Asashoryu failed to attend the funeral of the former master of his stable, preferring to return to Mongolia for a holiday. This year a magazine accused him and other wrestlers of match-fixing. They have denied the allegations and have filed a criminal complaint accusing the magazine of defamation.
Asashoryu nearing depression Japantimes Aug. 6, 2007 Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu, who has apparently been in a tattered emotional state since getting hit with a suspension from two grand sumo tournaments, was diagnosed with a mild case of depression on Sunday. Psychiatrist Masaki Honda administered an exam on Asashoryu at the grand champion's Tokyo home and later submitted a medical report to stable elder Takasago, calling Asashoryu's condition "one step away from depression." Labeling Asashoryu's illness as a type of nervous breakdown, Honda said the 26-year-old is finding it difficult to eat anything and cannot sleep. "His eyes are glazed over and he isn't able to speak sensibly about anything," Honda said. "His face is gloomy and I felt sorry for him." Honda is recommending that Asashoryu be permitted to have a change of environment by returning to his home land in Mongolia as soon as possible to avoid a mental collapse into full-blown depression. "As quickly as possible, Asashoryu should move to an environment that suits him best. If he spends two or three more days like this, he will fall into depression. If he becomes depressed, he will need three months to recover," Honda said.
Mongolia, N. Korea sign friendship treaty Asian Political News, August 12, 2002 ULAN BATOR, Aug. 8 Kyodo North Korea and Mongolia signed a bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty here Thursday in another sign of a change of direction in North Korean diplomacy. The treaty was signed by North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun and his Mongolian counterpart, Luvsangiin Erdenechuluun, at a ceremony in the Mongolian capital. According to the Mongolian Foreign Ministry, the treaty pledges bilateral cooperation in a wide range of fields, including economic, cultural, educational and scientific areas. It also declares cooperation in seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts to safeguard peace and safety in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly Northeast Asia. Paek, who arrived in Ulan Bator on Wednesday for a three-day official visit, is the first North Korean foreign minister to visit Mongolia in 14 years. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1948, the same year North Korea emerged amid the chaos following the end of World War II. Mongolia, a former satellite of the Soviet Union, assisted North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, and the two countries eventually signed their first friendship and cooperation treaty in 1986. However, with the impending political collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe by the end of the 1980s, the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, the Communist party that ruled Mongolia from the 1920s, ceded its monopoly on political power.
Morihisa Aoki (This is an excerpt translation of Wikipedia from Japanese to English.) Morihisa Aoki is a former Japanese diplomat. He is now a councilor of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. He was born in 1938. One of his grandfathers was the vice director of the League of Nations. Another grandfather was the foreign minister. His father was the ambassador to the Geneva International Organization. Aoki graduated from Tokyo University and entered the Forein Ministry in 1963. When he was the ambassador to Peru, he was involved in the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in 1996. He was held hostage with hundreds of people. He became the ambassador to Kenya in July, 1998. The next month, the US embassy in Nairobi was bombed by terrorists. He retired from the foreign ministry three days after the 9.11 terrorist attacks in the US.
Moriya says he burned all of his records Act done amid Koike row, 'memo nerd' claims Japantimes Dec. 1, 2007 Former Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya confessed to burning diaries and other personal records
when he left the Defense Ministry in August in an interview before he was arrested for allegedly taking bribes from a defense equipment trader. Moriya was known for his habit of taking detailed notes on whom he met with and what they discussed, being dubbed a "memo nerd." If he did burn the records, this will only further fuel suspicions that he was bribed by arrested defense equipment trader Motonobu Miyazaki. "I burned all records, including my diaries when I left the ministry," Moriya said in an interview on Nov. 23. Sources said prosecutors are highly interested in the fate of Moriya's personal records as they believe the notes could help substantiate the bribes he allegedly took over the procurement of Self-Defense Forces equipment and could also lead to a corruption case involving politicians. Moriya, 63, claimed he burned the records in anger amid a clash in August with then Defense Minister Yuriko Koike, who wanted him retired and replaced. "Ms. Koike leaked her appointment plan to newspaper reporters before notifying me . . . and told me 'You must quit.' As she pressed me to accept her will, I felt, 'Give me a break' and burned everything at that time," Moriya said. Moriya said the burned diaries included records on a controversial dinner with Miyazaki and allegedly with Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga among others at a Tokyo restaurant last Dec. 4. "I burned it as I was displeased" with Koike, said Moriya, who stepped down as vice defense minister Aug. 31. Moriya said in sworn testimony in the Diet Nov. 15 that Nukaga was present at the dinner party. Miyazaki, 69, is a former executive at defense equipment trader Yamada Corp. and the founder of rival trader Nihon Mirise Corp. But Nukaga has flatly denied attending the dinner, prompting an opposition-dominated House of Councilors committee to decide to summon Nukaga, a former Defense Agency chief, for sworn testimony over suspected collusion with Miyazaki. Prosecutors arrested Moriya along with his wife, Sachiko, 56, on Wednesday on suspicion of taking bribes worth 3.89 million in the form of golf outings and other perks in return for favoring Yamada and Nihon Mirise over defense equipment procurements when he was still the top defense bureaucrat. Sachiko Moriya has meanwhile changed her stance from her initial denial of the allegations and now admits to having taken bribes from Miyazaki, in the form of being treated to golf outings, and told investigators she regrets her actions, the sources said. Miyazaki has reportedly admitted treating Moriya in return for favors, although Moriya has denied being bribed. His wife claimed at the time of her arrest that she believed going on Miyazaki-funded golf outings didn't constitute bribery as he was a friend, the sources said. On Friday, prosecutors also raided the office of Yamada as well as the home of Yamada's founder in Yokohama. The prosecutors indicted Miyazaki on charges of embezzlement involving Yamada's U.S. subsidiary, Yamada International Corp., and served a fresh arrest warrant on him for allegedly giving the bribes to the Moriyas.
Divided Diet forecloses on Fukuda's May Europe trip Japantimes April 17, 2008 Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has canceled planned visits to France, Germany and France in early May due to the expected continuation of the political standoff in the divided Diet, government officials said Wednesday. Fukuda, however, will visit Russia from April 25-27 as scheduled and meet the Russian leadership, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said at a news conference. The Golden Week holiday season from late April to early May is usually an opportunity for the prime minister to visit other countries and cultivate relations with world leaders. The scheduled trip to Europe was considered particularly important for Fukuda because Japan is hosting the Group of Eight summit in July and as chair he needs to negotiate with participating leaders about a difficult agenda featuring efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. "We have been considering a visit to countries other than Russia in early May . . . but we have decided to call it off," Machimura said, citing expected political scheduling at the Diet as one of the reasons for the cancellation. "I never think (the cancellation) will be good for the national interests of Japan," Machimura said. "It's regrettable." Fukuda's government has been harried ever since its inauguration in September by the oppositioncontrolled Upper House, and his planned trip to Europe is the latest victim of the opposition's newly found strength. The political standoff is expected to resume in early May as the opposition camp is threatening to submit a censure motion against Fukuda in the Upper House if the ruling bloc proceeds with a second vote on government-sponsored budget-related bills, including one to extend special tax rates on gasoline, after April 29. Article 59 of the Constitution stipulates a bill can be sent back to the Lower House 60 days after it has been handed over to the Upper House for deliberation because it will be considered a rejection by the upper chamber. A bill can then be approved with two-thirds of the votes in the Lower House. The ruling bloc-controlled Lower House passed the budget-related bills on Feb. 29 for the first time, but the opposition-controlled Upper House has shelved the bills and no schedule has been set for a vote in the upper chamber. A top Foreign Ministry official declined comment on the cancellation Wednesday morning, saying, "It is a political affair." But the official insisted Fukuda does not necessarily need to meet world leaders face to face before the G8 summit in July because he has already met with U.S. President George W. Bush, had phone conversations with other leaders and is set to meet Russia's leaders soon.
(This is the translation of part of this Japanese site.)
During WWII, Morihisa Aoki's father, Morio Aoki, worked as Second Secretary at the Japanese Embassy to Turkey. He was one of the most pro-Axis Japanese diplomats. One of his colleagues wrote in his memoirs that the atmosphere in the embassy was all the time stodgy and uncomfortable due to the Ankara King's impudent attitude. It goes without saying that the King was Morio Aoki. I really feel that the apple never falls far from the tree.
Sun sets on the 'magnificent seven' era Japantimes April 6, 2000 Obuchi's departure from the political scene appears to mark the end of the "seven lieutenants" era of former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita. The seven are Keizo Obuchi, Ichiro Ozawa, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Seiroku Kajiyama, Tsutomu Hata, Kozo Watanabe and Keiwa Okuda. They were all once key members of a Liberal Democratic Party faction led by Takeshita and the late party kingmaker, Shin Kanemaru, that dominated LDP politics during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Even after the faction's breakup in 1992 and the defection of Ozawa and his followers from the LDP the following year, the seven men continued to play important roles in politics throughout the 1990s. Three of the seven -- Obuchi, Hashimoto and Hata -- became prime ministers. Okuda died in 1998, and Obuchi -- Takeshita's closest aide, who took over the faction from his mentor -and Kajiyama are now hospitalized. There is little prospect that the comatose Obuchi will return to an active career. The political clout of the other four are also on the wane. Ozawa, once touted as the leading reformer in Japanese politics, suffered the defection of a majority of his Liberal Party members Monday after the party left the LDP-led ruling alliance. His party is now the sixth-largest force in the Lower House and the seventhlargest in the upper chamber. "Times are changing, and we cannot help it if the days of the seven are over," said Watanabe, Lower House vice speaker. Watanabe said Obuchi must have been terribly shocked by Ozawa's departure from the coalition. Obuchi suffered a stroke and was hospitalized just a few hours after his talks with Ozawa broke down Saturday. "Everybody walks away from Ozawa because he lacks the ability to deal humbly with people," Watanabe said, referring to the defection of the Liberal Party lawmakers. Watanabe said he regrets that Takeshita himself has been hospitalized for more than a year due to what has been described as back pain. "If Mr. Takeshita had been well, everybody would have consulted him," he said. Even after the fall of the seven, however, other former Takeshita faction members hold key positions in Nagata-cho. Among them are Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki and LDP Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka, who are believed to have orchestrated the transition from Obuchi to Yoshiro Mori. Watanabe believes the Mori Cabinet will be effectively run by Aoki and Nonaka.
Japan's leadership ballot gets underway BBC July 24, 1998 Japan's ruling Liberal Democrat Party has started voting to choose a new party president to replace the outgoing Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. He resigned to take responsibility for the party's disastrous showing in July 12 elections for the upper house of Parliament. The winner is virtually certain of being elected prime minister in a later vote by parliament because the LDP commands a comfortable majority in the powerful lower house. The new LDP president will serve out the rest of Hashimoto's term until the end of September 1999. The three candidates, making their final public speeches on national television, all vowed to pull Japan out of its economic difficulties. They demurred from saying how many votes each had secured so far. "It's a corporate secret," said Seiroku Kajiyama, one of the candidates. According to Japan's Kyodo News Service, some young LDP members from the Lower House are worried about the party's poor showing in the Upper House. Around 20 members have proposed leaving the party if Mr Obuchi, the party stalwart candidate, is chosen as its leader. If no one wins a majority in the first ballot, a second ballot will be held immediately between the top two candidates. Mr Ordinary Foreign Minister, Keizo Obuchi, 61, is seen as the front-runner of the election, with broad party support. He is from the old-school of Japanese politics, adept at forging compromises among competing political groups. Mr Obuchi said on Thursday it would not be easy to solve the country's bad loan problem - Japan's banks are saddled with huge unrecoverable loans "The first priority is resolving the bad loans. But the problem is that there may not be enough to ensure the economy will pick up," Mr Obuchi said.
Political veteran The 72-year-old former Chief Cabinet Secretary, Seiroku Kajiyama has a 30-year political career behind him. He is committed to restoring health to Japan's once-vibrant economy, through fundamental reform, not just superficial fixes. Because of his age, he acknowledged that he could die at any time, but wants to spend his last years in service to the country. "I may stumble along the way but I will devote my life to economic recovery," Mr Kajiyama said.
People's choice
Health Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, 56, enjoys the greatest support among the public. He is outspoken and has presented himself as a drastic reformer. In his speech, he said the party had to consider why it had done so badly in the upper house election He said politicians should listen to the voters and think about the long-term future. "We have to restore the trust of the people in politics," Mr Koizumi said. "Before we ask people to endure any hardships we have to show that the government and politicians can endure painful reforms themselves."
Three opposition parties merge to form Minseito Japantimes Jan. 21, 1998 Three opposition parties said Wednesday they will merge Friday to form a new party with an old name in Japanese politics: Minseito, literally "Democratic Politics Party."Former Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata announced the name for the new party, to be formed by Kokumin no Koe (Voice of the People), From Five and Hata's Taiyo Party. Minseito was picked from among several candidate names in a general meeting of Diet members of the three parties, Hata said.The name apparently comes from Rikken Minseito, a powerful party in prewar Japan that won a landslide election victory. Its head, Osachi Hamaguchi, was elected prime minister in 1929. It was commonly known as Minseito for short.The new party will be far smaller than Rikken Minseito. It will have 39 legislators: nine in the Upper House and 30 in the Lower House, making it the fifthlargest Lower House bloc.The politicians decided to launch a panel headed by former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, who leads From Five, to study policies targeted ultimately at assuming government power, officials of the three parties said. "Japan is in a serious situation," Hata said. "We should be determined to herald a new era (with new policies)."Kokumin no Koe chief Michihiko Kano, a former state minister, was appointed the new party's secretary general. Former Transport Minister Keiwa Okuda and former Justice Minister Megumu Sato were named supreme advisers, while former Home Affairs Minister Hajime Ishii and former Environment Agency chief Wakako Hironaka were named deputy leaders.
The Founder's Early Life Shorinji Kempo traces its origins more than five thousand years to ancient India. Though it experienced a long period of development in China, its present form is the result of Founder's genius. Doshin So was born in 1911, in Okayama Prefecture, the oldest son of a customs officer. Upon the death of his father, young So was sent to live with his grandfather, who was an employee of the Manchurian railroad. When he was only seventeen, however, his grandfather's death forced him to return to Japan under the patronage of his grandfather's friend Mitsuru Toyama, the founder of the ultrapatriotic Amur River Society. At that time, Japan was experiencing the the effects of worldwide depression and was as a result becoming involved in politics on the Asian mainland. In 1928, Doshin So returned to Manchuria, this time as a member of a secret organization. To facilitate his covert activities, he became a disciple of a Taoist priest who was also an executive of the Zai-jari secret society and a master of the Byakurenmonken, a branch of Kempo originating at the Shorinji. This was So's first contact with kempo, and though he began to practice it eagerly, in those days it was no more than a series of incoherent disorganized techniques. The association of Chang Tso-lin, a Chinese warlord acting more or less as a client of the Japanese but
proving too nationalistic for some of the officers of the Japanese Kwantung Army, who had him put out of the way, intensified Japanese meddling in Manchuria and China and accelerated their plans to revive the defunct Manchu (Ch'ing) Dynasty. In his role as a secret agent, So was forced to travel widely to gather information for his organization, and this gave him the opportunity to meet masters of Kempo of various kinds. As had been true of the Taoist priest under whom he had studied earlier, however, these men too knew only a handful of techniques that lacked any kind of organization. But trip to Peking brought young So into contact with the twentieth master of the North Shorinji Giwamonken School of Kempo, whose direct disciple he immediately became. Having resigned himself to the unhappy likelihood that he would be the last of the Kempo head masters, this elderly man was overjoyed at finding an enthusiastic and skillful young follower. In a ceremony at the Shorinji Temple in 1936, Doshin So was officially designated the successor of the leader of the north Shorinji school. In 1945, when the Russian Army entered Manchuria, Doshin So managed to escape through the help of Chinese secret society members: he was finally repatriated in 1946. The grim state of affairs in postwar Japan impressed him with the need of a restoration of morality and national pride and the creation of an entirely new human image. Regarding the Dharma spirit and the practice of Kempo as means to achieve these ends, Doshin So completely revised, expanded, and systematized the many forms of Kempo he had learned in China and thus created Shorinji Kempo as it exists today. The Founder's Motivation and Purpose for Starting Shorinji Kempo On August 7, 1945, Soviet troops invaded Manchuria. At that time, Founder was living in a town called Suiyo, on the border of Eastern Manchuria. The Japanese Army retreated before the arrival of the Soviet troops, leaving only civilians, mostly women and children, to face the Russians. Founder managed to escape the town before the Soviets entered it, but he lived for about one year in Manchuria, under the Soviet occupation. During that period, he experienced many fo the hardships and learned the sadness that comes to a defeated people. He saw the only justice was that of force; in other words: might makes right. People let a desire for personal profit and national interests take priority over ideals, honesty, religion, and virtue. Based on those experiences, Founder realized that everything depends on the individual, and the results will be according to the quality of the individual. He got his first motto from those experiences: The people, the people, the people, everything depends on the quality of the people! (in Japanese, Hito! Hito! Hito! Subete wa hito no shitsu ni aru). It is up to the people who possess the qualities of courage and justice to make a better world and to teach others. Founder returned to Japan in 1946, with the intention of establishing some kind of school to develop people who would possess the right qualities to work for a better world. On his return, he found the Japanese people confused and discouraged and lacking any sense of purpose. The strong took advantage of the weak and people were only interested trying to service and satisfy their own desires. The young people did not know which way to turn and had lost all hope for the future. Ancient values and virtues were discarded, but there was nothing to replace them. Young people were no longer interested in the virtues of the past, but had failed to find any real solutions to the problems of the present and had little concern for the future. Founder decided to devote the remainder of his life to developing the kind of people who could help Japan regain the respect and trust of the world. He decided to depend on true Buddhism to achieve his purpose, but he also realized that it would do no good to go live in the mountains as a hermit. To develop people, he had to remain where the people lived their daily lives. He knew that people would not pay much attention to just preaching; he sought for something he could offer people that would attract and hold their interest, as well as benefit them. One night, the Founder had a dream of a bearded Daruma, who was walking away from him and pointing with his finger. Founder tried to follow, but could not move and called out, asking Daruma to wait. He was awakened by the sound of his own voice. After thinking about the dream, Founder decided that Daruma was
telling him to follow in his footsteps. Here was the solution to provide the action needed to attract people! Founder decided to teach Arahan no Ken (a martial art), which Daruma is said to have brought to China from India. Founder build a 6-mat dojo behind his house in Tadotsu, Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku. He called it Honzan. The Arahan no Ken, which Founder had studied in China, is different from budo. The purpose is not to kill, but to overcome one's self. The practice of the art develops both mind and the body, helping to create a well-balanced individual with the mental powers to solve life's problems and the strength to carry out the physical actions necessary. By teaching this Ken to young people and preaching the right philosophy to them, Founder would give them self-confidence, strength, and hope for the future. He organized the religion his philosophical teachings as a branch of Buddihism, and called it Kongo Zen. Founder reformed and revised what he had studied in China, and backed it up with his theories and philosophy so that it became Shomon no Gyo. This was the beginning of today's Kongo Zen and Shorinji Kempo.
Seventy dead in China train crash: state media AFP 2008/4/29 ZIBO, China (AFP) Seventy people were killed and 420 injured early Monday when a passenger train from Beijing careered off the rails and slammed into another train in eastern China, state media reported. Ruling out terrorism, the official Xinhua news agency said preliminary investigations found human error was to blame, without elaborating. The first train was travelling to Qingdao -- the coastal city that will host the Olympic sailing competition in August -- when it derailed, causing a train coming in the opposite direction to leave the tracks. Nine carriages derailed, China news service said, and the second train crashed into those still on the track. The rail accident, the worst in China in more than a decade, happened near the city of Zibo in Shandong province, the news service said. Xinhua reported 70 people killed in the accident, quoting officials at the rescue headquarters. It said there were no foreigners among the dead. The news agency said four French nationals were among those injured. They included three family members and a friend. Pascal Boisson, 54, suffered multiple fractures to his ribs and may have another fracture in the chest, Xinhua reported, quoting Zhang Jun, head of the orthopedics department at one of Zibo's hospitals. Other survivors recounted their experiences. "We were still sleeping," a 38-year-old woman who escaped from the wreckage told Xinhua. "I suddenly woke up when I felt the train stopped with a jolt. After a minute or two it started off again, but soon toppled." The woman, who only gave her family name as Yu, managed to escape from the wreck with her 13-year-old daughter through a huge crack in the floor.
"I suddenly felt the train, like a roller coaster, topple 90 degrees to one side and all the way to the other side," a passenger surnamed Zhang, on the train from Beijing, told Xinhua. "When it finally went off the tracks, many people fell on me and hot water poured out of the thermos flasks." The news agency described chaotic scenes in the minutes after the disaster, the ground littered with bloodsoaked sheets and shattered thermos flasks, as passengers sought survival. "I saw a girl who was trying to help her boyfriend out of the train, but he was dead," Zhang said. At one point so many survivors tried to make phone calls that the mobile communications network was congested and no one could get through, Xinhua said. Hu Weidong, a coach of China's national sailing team, was also among the injured, and was transferred to a hospital in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province. "He didn't lose consciousness, but there were grave injuries to his neck and spine, which we fear could cause paralysis," Zhang told Xinhua. Witnesses said many passengers were able to climb out of the wrecked train carriages shortly after the crash, some wrapped in bed sheets from the sleeper cars to guard against the early morning chill. More than 700 medical staff and 130 ambulances were involved in rescue efforts, Xinhua said. A total of 19 hospitals were treating those hurt in the accident, Xinhua reported, while hotels prepared to accommodate the victims' families. "We have received around 40 injured passengers but nobody died," a nurse at one of Zibo's hospitals told AFP. "Some of them are seriously injured." The accident happened at 4:41 am (2041 GMT Sunday), Xinhua said, quoting a spokesman from the Shandong provincial government. Railway Minister Liu Zhijun and Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang have arrived at the scene to oversee rescue efforts, according to the news agency, with Liu has demanding an investigation. The accident has disrupted trains on a major rail route linking Jinan, the capital of Shandong, to Qingdao, although the Ministry of Railways said late Monday the line had been repaired. Services will be restored by about 8 a.m on Tuesday, Xinhua said. This is the second serious train accident in Shandong province. In January, a high-speed train ploughed into a group of railway workers in the province, killing 18 people. In one of the worst rail accidents in recent times in China, 126 people were killed and more than 200 injured when two trains collided in central Hunan province in 1997.
Olympic flame arrives in Pyongyang for N. Korea's 1st torch relay
AP Apr 27 2008 The Olympic flame arrived in North Korea early Monday for the first torch relay in the country to be held later in the day. The torch arrived at Pyongyang's international airport after midnight on a plane from the South Korean capital of Seoul. It was met by crowds of Koreans as well as Chinese living in North Korea waving flags of the two countries. Pyongyang has been gearing up for the relay, holding on Sunday a rehearsal of the opening ceremony that will take place from 10 a.m. Monday in front of the Tower of the Juche Idea in the central part of the city. "I am very honored to have been chosen for this at my advanced age," Pak Tu Ik, the 71-year-old first runner who was at the ceremony rehearsal, said Sunday morning. Pak is a North Korean sports hero who was a key member of the country's soccer team that advanced into the 1966 World Cup quarter finals. The torch relay in other parts of the world has been marked by scuffles between security officials and protestors against China's policies over issues ranging from Tibet to Sudan to press freedoms. In Seoul on Sunday, Chinese students clashed with anti-Beijing demonstrators during the torch relay through the South Korean capital. Some 8,300 police officers were deployed across the city to guard the torch. But an orderly, smooth run was all but guaranteed in the controlled North Korean capital, where the flame was likely to be met by cheering crowds. "I am confident of the success" of the torch relay, Ri Jong Sok, vice president of the Pyongyang committee organizing the relay, told reporters on Sunday. Ri said last week that "hundreds of thousands" are expected to turn out to cheer the flame with Chinese, North Korean and Olympic flags in their hands. North Korea is known to dispatch thousands of its citizens to the streets to welcome some state guests, cheering them and waving pink plastic flowers as their motorcades pass by. On Sunday, blue and orange banners reading, "Beijing 2008," were hung on both sides of the torch relay route. Similar banners were put up in clusters in street corners. The torch will be carried along a 20-kilometer route that will include major sites such as the Arch of Triumph, the Chollima Statue and the Kim Il Sung Square, before reaching the Kim Il Sung Stadium at around 3 p.m. for a closing ceremony. The Olympic flame will be taken to Vietnam after North Korea. After Vietnam, the torch will travel through Hong Kong and Macao before the final leg of the relay in mainland China.
Kim Jon Il visits Beijing. BEIJING, April 19 (UPI) North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il met with China's President Hu Jintao Monday in Beijing to discuss
several thorny issues from food shortages to nuclear arms. It was Kim's first such visit to China in more than three years, the Kyodo news service reported...
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Nagano Oympic torch relay ends; 5 arrested, 4 injured after protests Japantoday 27th April 2008 NAGANO The Japan leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay ended Saturday in Nagano passing along a route lined with protesters against Chinas crackdown in Tibet, leaving five men arrested and four men injured. The last runner, Athens Olympics womens marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi, reached the goal where more than 1,000 protesters and supporters were gathered in pouring rain, some waving Tibetan or Chinese flags. While five men were arrested and four men were injured along the relay route, the torch passed from one runner to another without major disruptions as dozens of police officers ran abreast. The relay finished at the citys Wakasato Park, where the Olympic flame was transferred back to the lantern in a closing ceremony. Noguchi said after reaching the goal, I was praying for peace while I was running. An Asian-looking man holding a Tibetan flag was arrested after allegedly trying to break into the relay route when table tennis player Ai Fukuhara was carrying the torch, causing the relay to temporarily halt, police said. A Japanese man who tried to rush toward the torch near JR Nagano Station was also arrested, they said. A third man was arrested after throwing an egg at a runner. Near the station, when comedian Kinichi Hagimoto was running, a man hurled what appeared to be two flares at him, yelling Shame on you. Police said the man who apparently hurled the flares disappeared and another man who threw what appeared to be leaflets was questioned by officers before being freed. Takashi Ishii, head of the Nagano prefectural police, said, Our security duty for the Beijing Olympic torch relay finished all right. I would like to thank the citizens for their understanding and support and all the people related to the matter from bottom of my heart, after the conclusion of the torch relay.
Shortly before 8:30 a.m., Japan national baseball team manager Senichi Hoshino led the relay at a site owned by the city about 800 meters southwest of Zenkoji Temple, which earlier withdrew as the starting point, citing Chinas crackdown on Buddhists in Tibet. The 80 torch bearers followed an 18.7-kilometer course through the city, including the Olympic stadium used in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. The Chinese ambassador to Japan Cui Tiankai, JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda and Nagano Mayor Shoichi Washizawa attended the opening ceremony. Washizawa cited a phrase from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Washizawa also said Nagano will pass on the Olympic torch, which has been relayed by numerous people, to the next site in Seoul with hopes for world peace and international friendship. The Olympic flame was transferred from the lantern at the ceremony. An official of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad passed the torch to Hoshino, 61, via the Nagano mayor. Hundreds of protesters and supporters were seen gathered around the temple holding flags of Tibet and China and shouting, Free Tibet and One China. One of the Japanese spectators told a Chinese man who was raising the Chinese flag, Chinas human rights violations are derived from your countrys imperialism. The Chinese man yelled back, Imperialism and colonialism are Japans well known features, before the two started heated verbal exchanges. At Zenkoji Temple, the Japan chapter of the Students for a Free Tibet, a group supporting Tibet, held a ceremony at the same time as the opening ceremony to mourn and commemorate the people who died in the recent riot in Tibet, including both Tibetans and Chinese, with about 200 participants, according to an official of the group. About 30 Tibetans throughout Japan first chanted Buddhist sutras in the Tibetan language and Japanese monks of Zenkoji Temple recited the Hannyashinkyo. Then the names of the people who died in the riot were read out in the ceremony. Akemi Takahashi, public affair official of the group, said, I hope dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government will happen before the opening of the Olympics, after the ceremony. A Chinese news media reported Friday that Chinese officials would meet a representative of the Tibetan spiritual leader in the future. A 30-year-old Tibetan residing in Japan from Tokyo, who just goes by the name, Kunga, said, I dont believe that is happening because there would have been several reports regarding the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government talking, but it never happened. Near the temple, media rights group Reporters Without Borders secretary general, Robert Menard, said shortly before the beginning of the relay in French via an interpreter, We will protest in a peaceful manner against Chinas detention of journalists and political prisoners, as well as Chinas recent crackdown in Tibet.
We will be sitting in front of Zenkoji. He Huiqun, a 33-year-old Chinese student of a Japanese university, said, Today we came here in 16 vehicles with friends and students to back the torch relay. Tibet is part of China. There was heavy security in the city with more than 3,000 police officers deployed and strict restrictions placed on public access to the starting point. The Olympic flame for the Beijing Olympic Games in August was carried in an aluminum torch, weighing 985 grams and 72 centimeters in height, and decorated with cloud patterns. The Olympic flame departed Nagano by Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo and will leave Japan from Haneda airport at 11:30 p.m. to Seoul.
Bangladesh's Ahmed backs Japan's bid for permanent spot on UNSC Japantimes Aug. 21, 2000 DHAKA (Kyodo) Bangladeshi President Shahabuddin Ahmed told Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Sunday his country will continue to support Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. "We believe Japan has the right to become a permanent member, not because it is providing economic aid to developing countries, but because of what it has achieved since World War II," the official quoted Ahmed as saying. Mori, who was on a two-day visit to Bangladesh that began Saturday, told Ahmed he will emphasize the need to reform the UNSC at the U.N. Millennium Summit in New York next month, according to the official. Bangladesh is currently a nonpermanent member of the UNSC. Mori also told Ahmed that Japan wants to cooperate further with Bangladesh, which will host the 2001 summit of the Conference on Non-Aligned Movement. The nonaligned group consists of 112 nations and the Palestinian Authority. During the meeting at his official residence, Ahmed thanked Japan, the largest single aid donor to Bangladesh, for its help. Most recently, Japan committed up to 16.011 billion yen in untied soft loans to Bangladesh for four infrastructure projects, and up to 36.8 million yen in grants to buy sports equipment. The two countries exchanged diplomatic notes on the assistance Friday. After his talks with Ahmed, Mori visited the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of Bangladesh's war of independence against Pakistan and the first Bangladeshi prime minister. Accompanied by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Rahman's daughter, Mori made a brief tour of the residence, where Rahman was killed in August 1975. The residence is now a museum. "We are grateful that you visited this museum in August, a month of grief for us," Hasina was quoted as telling Mori. Mori also traveled to Savar, about 35 km west of Dhaka, to lay a wreath in a ceremony honoring those who
died in the war of independence in 1971. Mori's Bangladesh visit was the first leg of his weeklong tour of four South Asian countries that will later take him to Pakistan, India and Nepal. He was the first Japanese prime minister to visit Bangladesh since Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu in 1990. Hasina supports Security Council reform Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed on the need to increase the number of both permanent and temporary seats on the U.N. Security Council, a Japanese official said. During their two-hour talks on Saturday, however, Hasina refrained from committing to Mori's request to include the issue in her speech at the U.N. Millennium Summit, to be held in New York next month, the Foreign Ministry official told reporters. "United Nations reform is an urgent and necessary matter. I will emphasize this at the U.N. Millennium Summit," Mori said, calling on Hasina to do the same, according to the official. Hasina said the U.N. should be reformed to improve transparency, but said she will "deal appropriately" with the question of whether to include it in her speech. Bangladesh is currently a nonpermanent member of the UNSC, which Japan wants to join as a permanent member. In their talks, the two leaders also agreed on various measures that Mori proposed in a bid to strengthen Japan's ties with Bangladesh and Southern Asia in general, the official said. One was Mori's plan to invite 5,000 youths from South Asia to visit Japan. He also proposed setting up a Mori Fellowship under a Japan-South Asia exchange program to invite scholars and artists to Japan, the official said. On the bilateral front, Mori promised to continue supporting Bangladesh's efforts to eradicate poverty through economic development and proposed inviting 100 Bangladeshi information technology experts to Japan for training. Japan will loan Bangladesh nearly 16 billion yen to build bridges, develop rural infrastructure and bring electricity to villages, the official said. Mori also applauded efforts by Hasina to ease tension between arch rivals India and Pakistan. Bangladesh, which has some nuclear power capability, ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty on nuclear weapons last year. Neither India nor Pakistan have done so. Hasina invited the Emperor to visit Bangladesh in 2002, the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Mori said he will convey the message to the Emperor, the official said. Mori arrived in Dhaka earlier in the day, kicking off a weeklong tour of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. He is the first Japanese prime minister to visit the region in 10 years. Pressure for CTBT Mori said Saturday that he will call on India and Pakistan to sign an international treaty banning nuclear tests
while he is on a weeklong tour of South Asian nations. Mori also told reporters aboard a government jet headed for Dhaka, the first stop on the four-nation tour, that he will urge the two arch-enemies to resume their stalled dialogue in order to ease tensions in the region. "I would like the two countries to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and will strongly urge them to do so during this trip," Mori said. "I will also appeal for the realization of sustainable peace between India and Pakistan," he said. Despite Mori's calls, India and Pakistan are unlikely to agree to Japan's request for an immediate signing of the CTBT. But Mori is hoping the two will show a positive attitude toward nuclear nonproliferation. "It is unfortunate that there are no indications that the two countries will sign anytime soon," Mori said. "I will take this opportunity to convey my feelings on this issue." Asked whether he plans to lift Japan's economic sanctions against the two countries, Mori said any decision on the issue will be made only after carefully assessing the countries' efforts toward nuclear nonproliferation and their ties with Japan. The measures have been in place since May 1998, when the two countries conducted tit-for-tat nuclear tests. According to government sources, Mori will offer to partially ease the sanctions and provide extra yen loans to ongoing construction projects if Islamabad and New Delhi promise to continue their freeze on nuclear tests. The move would still mark a softening of Japan's stance, which has previously made the signing of the CTBT a condition for lifting the sanctions. Mori, who left Tokyo's Haneda airport early Saturday, arrived in Dhaka in the afternoon. Mori is the second Japanese prime minister to visit Bangladesh after Toshiki Kaifu did so in 1990. He was scheduled to hold talks with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the prime minister's office later in the day. During the meeting, Mori was expected to reiterate Japan's commitment to assisting in the development of the country. Japan is the biggest donor of aid to Bangladesh and a development partner in infrastructure work in the country. Mori will leave for Islamabad this afternoon and hold talks with Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on Monday before going on to New Delhi, where he will meet with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Wednesday. Both India and Pakistan say they have not obtained the national consensus they need to sign the CTBT, which stipulates that all 44 declared and potential nuclear states must ratify the treaty for it to come into force.
Ship sinks off Antarctica CNN November 24, 2007 More than 150 passengers and crew aboard a sinking ship in the Antarctic, which is believed to have
collided with an iceberg, have been rescued to safety, officials said. The Explorer finally slipped beneath the waves Friday evening, about 20 hours after the predawn accident near Antarctica's South Shetland Islands, the Chilean navy confirmed. No injuries have been reported among those rescued after being forced to abandon the sinking vessel and travel on lifeboats in sub-zero temperatures. The Norwegian cruise ship MS Nord Norge took the stranded passengers and crew on board, said a spokesman for Gap Adventures, which owns the sinking vessel. The Nord Norge is now heading to King George Island, the nearest point, in the South Shetlands, the spokesman added. Passenger ship Explorer reported problems near the South Shetland Islands, south of Argentina. The area is in a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom. Watch images of the ship in trouble The ship was on the 12th day of a 19-day tour of the southern Atlantic and Antarctic Peninsula. It had already been to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and was on its way to the Danco Coast, on the peninsula's tip, when the incident happened. Capt. Carlos Munita of the Chilean navy said they received a distress call from the Explorer, saying the vessel had hit an iceberg around 10 p.m. ET Thursday. But Gap Adventures spokeswoman Susan Hayes said it was not an iceberg but a "submerged piece of ice." The Explorer, which carries a Liberian flag, had a number of different nationalities on board including 24 Britons, 17 Dutch, 14 Americans, 12 Canadian and 10 Australians, Gap Adventures said. Other nationalities include Argentineans, Belgians, Chinese, Danes, French, Irish, Japanese, Swiss, Colombian, Swedes and Germans. John Warner, a spokesman for Gap Adventures, said the captain and chief officer initially stayed on the ship to make sure everyone was evacuated and to see if they could repair the damage, but they later abandoned the ship. British Coast Guard spokesman Fred Caygill told The Associated Press the ship had a hole "the size of a fist" in the hull. "We believed it has been hulled, it has a hole the size of a fist and some cracking in the hull of the ship, it's taking water and it's listing about 21 degrees," he said. The temperature in the area is said to be at around minus 5C, with a sea temperature at around minus 1C, forecasters told the Press Association. Stephen Davenport, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, said:"It wouldn't take long for hypothermia to set in at that kind of temperature in the sea. "They do get very bad storms down that way, and gale force winds especially, because there is no land in the way," he told PA. Lt. Matt Alex from the US Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center said the boat is owned by Gap Adventures, based in Toronto, Canada.
Mr Masabumi Hosono encyclopedia titanica Masabumi Hosono, 42, a civil servant from Tokyo, was the only Japanese passenger on the Titanic. He joined the vessel at Southampton and was rescued in lifeboat 13 (?10) Hosono began to write a letter in English to his wife on Titanic headed notepaper but after his rescue he wrote in Japanese of his experience. Hosono was woken by a knock on the door of his second class cabin. He raced outside but, as a foreigner, was ordered to the lower decks, away from the boats. 'All the while flares signalling emergency were being shot into the air ceaselessly, and hideous blue flashes and noises were simply terrifying. Somehow I could in no way dispel the feeling of utter dread and desolation,' Hosono wrote. Making his way back to the upper deck. 'I tried to prepare myself for the last moment with no agitation, making up my mind not to leave anything disgraceful as a Japanese. But still I found myself looking for and waiting for any possible chance for survival.' His chance came when an officer loading lifeboats shouted 'Room for two more.' A man jumped in. 'I myself was deep in desolate thought that I would no more be able to see my beloved wife and children, since there was no alternative for me than to share the same destiny as the Titanic. But the example of the first man making a jump led me to take this last chance.' 'After the ship sank there came back again frightful shrills and cries of those drowning in the water. Our lifeboat too was filled with sobbing, weeping children and women worried about the safety of their husbands and fathers. 'And I, too, was as much depressed and miserable as they were, not knowing what would become of myself in the long run.' Hosono was rescued in lifeboat 13 but was attacked in his own country for doing so when so many others had died. His ministry sacked him, Japanese papers calumnied his cowardice, textbooks cited his survival as a model of shameful behaviour, and a professor of ethics denounced him as immoral. When a Japanese liner sank in 1954, Hosono was again dragged through the mud. Hosono died in 1939, a broken man. His family had known for years that this diary existed but it remained hidden at the bottom of a drawer until recently. Hosono's granddaughter Yuriko made the find public.
Presidents Putin and Hu Will Hold Two Meetings at SCO Events August 11, 2007 (LPAC) Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet twice next week, both at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgystan, and at the SCO joint maneuvers near the Russian Ural city of Chelyabinsk. Security cooperation and joint energy projects are on the agenda, Voice of Russia reported Aug. 10. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui announced in Beijing yesterday that the SCO nations, which include China, Russia, and the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are to sign a "long-term good-neighbor treaty of friendship and cooperation" in Bishkek, aimed at strengthening ties between the SCO nations. As the SCO maneuvers got underway yesterday, Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, Chief of the Russian General Staff,
said that successful economic activities within the SCO "are impossible without building up security in the region, particularly involving the SCO military agencies in this process," Itar-Tass reported. Baluyevsky said that the SCO is not forming any military-political block, but that it is a priority to work out "conceptual foundations of military cooperation within the SCO framework." He also said that the SCO is preparing to deal not only with terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking, but also stressed the problems of ensuring information security "in conditions of the growing pressure on part of media outlets in some Western countries. These countries keep making attempts to persuade our peoples that so called 'truly democratic'" public institutions "on the Western pattern" must be set up, and this "contributes to the destabilization of the situation in the countries of the region."
Yeah, you are right mate. Burma is still a satellite puppet state of Imperialist Japan. topix 2008/5/22 The army terrorizing our country since 1962 is the same army formed by the Japanese Imperial Army at Bangkok in 1942. Colonel Suzuki, the Japanese intelligence officer responsible for Burma during WW2, hand-picked the fugitive student leader Aung San, late father of Aung San Su Kyi, and then gave a military training to 30 Burmese students, including Aung San, in Hainan Island. After the training, these 30 started the Burmese Independence Army(BIA) with the Japanese help and Aung San became General Aung San. That BIA was the beginning of current Burmese Army. That is the whole reason Japan, especially the nationalist right-wingers, will never abandon Burmese Army even when that army murdered a Japanese Journalist on a street of Rangoon in full public view last year. When I was in the army the marching songs we had to sing are the exact copies of Japanese Army Marching Songs. I have to admit these marching songs are really blood curling and they could make you feel invisible even under enemy's heavy fire and we would bayonet charge uphill into the enemy's machine gun positions. Of course with too many bloody deads and wounded.
Death of a dissident Japantimes EDITORIAL Dec. 4, 2006 The mysterious death of Alexander Litvinenko throws a harsh spotlight on the Russian secret services. The controversy has engulfed Russian President Vladimir Putin, forcing him to publicly deny any involvement in the killing. That's probably true: Mr. Putin loses far more than he gains from this incident. But he is responsible -- either by design or by omission -- for empowering the security services and creating an environment that blurred the lines between state and personal interests. Mr. Litvinenko once worked for the FSB, a successor agency to the KGB, handling domestic security concerns in Russia. He first received public attention in 1999 when he claimed at a press conference that the FSB had ordered him to kill Mr. Boris Berezovsky, a high-profile Russian oligarch who had the temerity to challenge Mr. Putin by backing an opposition political party. (Mr. Berezovsky's readiness to cross the president forced him into exile in London.) Mr. Litvinenko later published a book in which he claimed the FSB had carried out apartment bombings in
Moscow in 1999 so that Chechen terrorists would be blamed. The case has never been solved. (Shortly after those attacks, security officials were arrested with bomb-making materials in another apartment building; they claimed they were conducting a security test.) Mr. Litvinenko was forced to flee Russia after being charged with treason and he received political asylum in Britain. Most recently, Mr. Litvinenko was looking into the death of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a fearless investigator of Russian government abuses in Chechnya who was murdered contract style in the doorway of her apartment building Oct. 7. On Nov. 1, he spent an evening in London with two former Russian associates and later met an Italian journalist. Shortly afterward, he fell ill and checked into a hospital. British health officials determined that he had been poisoned with polonium 210, a radioactive isotope. On Nov. 23, he died, leaving a vitriolic last statement in which he blamed Mr. Putin for his death. Since then, traces of the isotope have been detected at around a dozen sites in the London area -- including Mr. Litvinenko's home, the sushi bar where he met his former associates and Mr. Berezovsky's office -- and on at least two British Airways jetliners. Mr. Litvinenko's wife and the Italian journalist have tested positive for small amounts of the radiation; neither was showing symptoms of poisoning over the weekend. Mr. Litvinenko's suffering -- lurid photographs from his hospital bed, his hair gone, his face gaunt, were splashed across the front pages of British newspapers -- apparently compelled Mr. Putin to make a statement at a meeting with European Union leaders in Helsinki. Mr. Putin expressed regret over the tragedy, but insisted that talk of Russian government involvement had "nothing to do with reality." The presence of polonium makes it hard to dismiss Mr. Litvinenko's death as a mere accident. Mr. Litvinenko had been a nuisance with his allegations against the president. But he was only a nuisance and it would not take much to realize that an assassination attempt of this type would cause even more controversy. But that does not mean that rogue elements of the security services, either in or out of the government, were not involved. One hallmark of Mr. Putin's term in office has been the willingness to put former colleagues in positions of power throughout his administration. Mr. Litvinenko's allegations were potentially dangerous if they exposed the readiness of political and business entities to blur the boundaries between state and private interests. The individuals who benefit from this situation could have taken action on their own. There is another hypothesis. Some speculate that the real beneficiaries of Mr. Litvinenko's death are those who want to see Mr. Putin put on the defensive. Chief among them is Mr. Berezovsky. According to this logic, the same forces killed Mr. Litvinenko and Ms. Politkovskaya -- not because they were a threat to the Russian government but because their deaths would focus attention on the Russian authorities. This reasoning seems too clever: There are other ways to embarrass Mr. Putin that do not involve killing two individuals who were working for the same purpose as the instigators -- and do not require hard-to-acquire radioactive substances. The most important thing now is that the investigation into Mr. Litvinenko's death be vigorous and uninhibited (the same applies to that of Ms. Politkovskaya). State interests cannot be used to block attempts to uncover the truth. Since the investigation is by the British authorities, there are reasons for hope. The world should know whether there is state involvement in these murders. If none is apparent, then surely Mr. Putin will want to know who is going to such lengths to humiliate him.
Polonium, peacocks -- and a dead spy Japantimes Dec. 13, 2006
MURDER IN THE GENES? It's one of the biggest stories of the year -- and certainly the most unusual. I'm talking about the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy living in London who was poisoned with a radioactive isotope last month. Nothing like this has been seen for nearly 20 years, back when the Cold War was raging. The main questions still baffling everyone are, of course: Who did it -- and why? Sure, they are obviously the most important questions now being addressed by the British authorities and others. But there's another that hasn't been asked as urgently, but my theory is that its answer will shed considerable light on the main questions. It is this: Why was Litvinenko murdered in such an unusual, expensive way? I'm probably biased, but I think a little Darwinian reasoning may shed light on the mystery. First, the facts First, the facts as they stand. Polonium-210 -- the metalloid element used to kill Litvinenko -- has now been found at 10 locations in London, traces have been detected on two Airways planes, at the British Embassy in Moscow, at a sushi shop in central London, and even at Emirates Stadium, the home ground of Arsenal, a north London soccer club. It has also been detected at the Hamburg home of a Russian businessman, an associate of Litvinenko named Dmitry Kovtun. Polonium-210 is 250 billion times as toxic as the same weight of the deadly poison hydrogen cyanide. A mere 120 nanograms (that's 120 billionths of a gram) of the stuff can kill you if you inhale or eat it. It's easy to carry it about, and it wouldn't be hard to get it through security checks at airports. But it is not so easy to get hold of it in the first place. Polonium-210 is made by bombarding another radioactive element, Bismuth 209, with neutrons. To do that you require a nuclear reactor. Because Polonium-210 emits alpha particles, it has the effect of reducing static electricity, so for that reason it is sometimes used, for example, in satellites. One report I read in a London newspaper estimated that the amount of Polonium-210 used to kill Litvinenko would have cost 20 million ($ 39 million). Now, I don't know about you, but this makes me think, why not just shoot the guy? Or cheaper still, why not stab him to death? Why spend so much money, on such an obscure, hard-to-come-by element? It is flagrantly wasteful in cost-"benefit" terms -- and herein lies the clue. Wastefulness is something that evolution knows all about. Look at the most famous of wasteful traits -- the adult male peacock's tail. This huge, elaborate structure is no use for flying. In fact it hinders him, and makes it easier for predators to catch him. And he has to expend a significant amount of energy just growing the thing. So, in evolutionary terms, why do they do it? Because it's a signal to females of the species of his power, beauty and general good quality and desirablity. The peacock is saying to any peahen who might be watching, "Look at me! I'm so powerful, I can afford to grow this gigantic ornamental tail. Come and get me girls!" Outside commentators Polonium-210 is the peacock's tail of a murder weapon. So who is so powerful that they would waste millions on a murder that presumably could have been carried out for a fraction of the cost? Most outside commentators, including this newspaper in an editorial on Dec. 4, have speculated that the Russian government had some involvement in Litvinenko's death. It is reasonable to speculate so, since
Litvinenko was an outspoken critic of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. But surely the Russian government would and could have quietly got rid of Litvinenko, if they wanted to, in any number of ways. I think the use of the extravagantly wasteful Polonium-210 points to a different suspect. Someone -- or more likely a group of people -- want to send a message to the world: "Look at us! We're so powerful we can afford to destroy our enemies in absurdly expensive ways. You'd better think twice before you mess with us."
It was initially thought that the sushi bar was the site of the poisoning, but now police investigations are centering on a central London hotel where Litvinenko met two Russian businessmen on Nov. 1, the day he was poisoned. On that same day, Arsenal played a European Champions League soccer match, at home, against CSKA Moscow. Among the soccer crowd in London that day were those same two business associates -- the aforementioned Dmitry Kovtun and a multimillionaire entrepreneur named Andrei Lugovoi. Scotland Yard -- the headquarters of the London police force -- are investigating the possibility that Lugovoi and Kovtun were used as cover by the assassins who killed Litvinenko. "Someone is trying to set me up," Lugovoi has reportedly said. The police seem to have come to the same conclusion -- though probably not through Darwinian reasoning. I wonder if I should start a Darwinian detective service?
Japan's Conspiracy 15_4 Al Gore's Son Arrested Again on Drug Charges abc NEWS July 4, 2007 For the second time in four years, former Vice President Al Gore's son has been arrested on charges of possessing marijuana in his car. Al Gore III, 24, was driving a blue Toyota Prius on the San Diego Freeway at about 100 mph at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday morning when a sheriff's deputy stopped him at the Crown Valley Parkway exit, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The deputy smelled marijuana, a quantity of which he found in the vehicle, while also discovering two prescription bottles containing Valium, Vicadin, Xanax, and Adderall. "He was cooperative and admitted to smoking marijuana very recently," Amormino told ABCNEWS.com. "None of those drugs in his possession did he have a prescription for," said the spokesman, adding that one of the bottles had no writing on it and one had partial writing on it in someone else's name. The former vice president's son, an associate publisher at Good magazine, was taken into custody and booked into the Santa Ana Inmate Reception Center on narcotics possession charges. Bail has been set at $20,000. The sheriff's department was not sure if Gore's father or mother had contacted their son. Al Gore was traveling back from Europe today, and was not available for comment.
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INTERNATIONAL AVIATION BUNKER FUEL EMISSIONS - no free ride At present, emissions from international aviation bunker fuels are not requi red to be included in national inventories. The aviation sector represents o ne of the fastest growing emissions sources. These emissions are likely to t riple in the next couple of decades, and occur at altitudes where their glob al warming potential is multiplied. Consequently, they would represent more than the total Annex B reduction commitment. Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions: for the coming decades the annual demand and emissions from this sector are expected to increase by 6% and 4% respectively. If this rate of increase is maintained, aviation emissions alone could be greater than the 5.2% reductio n target for Annex I countries by around 2015. In spite of these predictions, emissions from international aviation are cur rently excluded from the national inventories of the Parties. The allocation of emissions from international bunker fuels is still unresolved. SBSTA has been wrestling with the questions of allocation ever since the Convention en tered into force, and has suggested a number of solutions including: no allo cation to national inventories, allocation according to the country where th e fuel is sold, allocation according to the nationality of the airline or of the aircraft registration and allocation according to the country of departu re or destination of the aircraft. In theory, the methodological question re lated to allocation should be easy to solve. It is therefore clear that the issue is rather a political one. Article 2.2 of the Kyoto Protocol, which is a binding article, calls upon th e Parties to "pursue limitation or reduction of emissions of greenhouse gase s from international aviation, working through the International Civil Aviat ion Organisation (ICAO)". Subsequently to the Kyoto Protocol, ICAO held its general assembly (that onl y meets every three years) in September/October 1998. The assembly endorsed only the formation of Working Groups on Emissions and on Market Based Mechan isms under the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection, but did not d ecide on any measures to comply with the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. Thus, there will be no further decision taken by ICAO before its next genera l assembly in 2001. The environmental NGOs hope that all the Parties share our demands about the necessity to take quick action. We are demanding that: SBSTA 10 should develop proposals for the allocation of aviation emission s and prepare
recommendations for COP5; COP5 should decide on the allocation of aviation emissions to the Parties; COP5 should consider modalities for including international aviation emis sions attributed to the Parties in the first budget period.
Japan signs international court treaty Japantimes July 19, 2007 The move makes Japan the 105th country to ratify the Rome Treaty and gives the Hague-based court a new strong financial supporter. Tokyo has pledged to pay 19 percent of the court's annual budget of about 90 million euro, or $ 124 million, said the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, a nongovernment group that supports the court's work. "Japan's ratification is a major endorsement of the ICC and the new system of international criminal justice established by the Rome Statute," said William Pace, convener of the coalition. "Japan is an important world power; we hope its decision will press other major powers and more Asian states to join the ICC." Among the countries that have not ratified the treaty is the U.S., which fears Americans could be unfairly prosecuted for political reasons. Osamu Nikura of the Japanese Network for the ICC said Tokyo wants to be involved in the court's work. "As the one and only country that has suffered the devastation of a full-fledged nuclear attack, we believe it is time that our country plays an active role in the promotion of peace and human rights in the world," Nikura said in a statement. Japan will formally join the court Oct. 1, the court said in a brief statement. Established five years ago, the court has yet to stage a trial.
YASUKUNI SHRINE VISITS, A CATHOLIC DILEMMA Japan Catholic News April 2006 TOKYO (UCAN) -- The fifth annual visit of Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro to the Yasukuni Shrine that honors Japanese military personnel who died in uniform since the 1870s has produced the fifth annual protests from China and Korea. The visits do not generate much excitement here in Japan since, for the most part, there is not much interest in Yasukuni or other issues related to it. After all, most Japanese were born after World War II ended. The Japanese empire and its sins are as remote from them as the invention of the telephone in 1876 was remote from people who lived under that empire. The number of Japanese passionately interested in "protecting"Japan's colonial and imperial image is declining rapidly as the country's long-lived elderly die off. Their influence will probably disappear in the next decade or so. Those who oppose visits are also decreasing as anti-everything holdouts from the 1960s mellow. The majority does not care. This is not apathy; it is a normal lack of interest in the "once upon a time."
I am among those who think the annual uproar from China and, decreasingly, South Korea is related to the interests of the governments in those countries. Rousing people to manufactured indignation over what the Japanese did three generations ago is a handy way to distract citizens from developing or expressing indignation over what their own governments may be doing today. The decline in anti-Japanese activity in South Korea as that country has democratized illustrates the point. And yet, the Yasukuni Shrine does provoke strong emotions among the generation of Japanese who lived through the imperial period. A large number of them look on the shrine not as a place that honors 14 classA war criminals but as the place where their dead fathers, brothers, sons, husbands and friends are remembered. For them, questions of colonialism, war guilt and politics are irrelevant. For others of that generation, Yasukuni is a reminder of the militarism and injustice that victimized the Japanese as well as others. They oppose visits to the shrine by political figures. Frequently, they advocate building another memorial to commemorate all victims of Japan's Asian wars, civilian as well as military, foreign as well as Japanese. Those who oppose Yasukuni tend to be most vocal about it. Sometimes, they provoke a response from the small number of diehards who would glorify Japan's imperial past, which Yasukuni's museum and overall ethos certainly do. The majority stays out of the fray. The issue can be divisive even among some Catholics who lived through the war period. Following the August commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Japan's defeat, the letters column of Katorikku Shimbun, Japan's Catholic weekly, has carried many letters pro and con about the visits to the shrine and the somewhat related issue of amending the Constitution to regularize the situation of Japan's military. Some people go beyond excusing Koizumi's visit and even advocate such visits to the Shinto shrine by Catholics. After Koizumi visited the shrine on Oct. 17, Japan's bishops issued a protest. However, their statement is unlikely to end the controversy among older members of the Church. Ironically, Catholics who favor not only politicians' visits to the shrine but even encourage Catholics to visit despite what the bishops say can claim to have an ally. The Vatican. In the 1930s, at a time when militarists had taken control of the Japanese government and society, Catholics in Japan faced a problem. Children had to go to Shinto shrines as part of their school activities. In September 1932, Archbishop Jean-Baptiste-Alexis Chambon of Tokyo asked the Ministry of Education to clarify whether or not such visits were religious. A week after the archbishop sent his letter, a response came saying such visits were a manifestation of patriotism and loyalty, not a religious activity. Based on that, Cardinal Pietro Fumasoni Biondi, prefect of "Propaganda"(now the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) in Rome, sent word to Japan in May 1936 indicating that since visits to Shinto shrines were not religious activities, Catholics were allowed to make such visits. After Japan's defeat in 1945, the U.S. occupation authorities ordered the denationalization of Shinto shrines, including Yasukuni. Thereafter, they were to be religious entities. At the first post-war gathering of Japan's bishops in May 1946, the bishops decreed that Catholics henceforth were not allowed to go to shrines in either a private or a public capacity. That probably would have put the issue to rest except for a 1951 declaration from the Vatican stating that the 1936 decision was still in effect. It may be significant that this statement was signed by Cardinal Fumasoni Biondi, who had signed the 1936 one. Might a reluctance to admit having made a mistake 15 years earlier have caused him to reaffirm the earlier position?
In any case, the last word from the Vatican is the cardinal's reiteration of permission for Catholics to go to Yasukuni and take part in its rituals. There is now a move afoot to have the bishops of Japan look at the issue and make some sort of statement on the issue. If that happens, though politicians will continue to visit the shrine as long as its supporters remain party contributors and voters, Catholics at least would have a clear teaching from their bishops to follow or ignore.
Aging bridges of Japan Japantimes Sept. 2, 2007 The collapse a month ago of a freeway bridge over the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis offers an important lesson for Japan, where a large number of bridges are expected to reach the end of their
useful life in the near future. The collapse points to the danger inherent in old infrastructure for which repair needs have been ignored. The central and local governments must get serious about systematically reinforcing or replacing old bridges. The 580-meter-long Interstate 35W bridge was built in 1967. The ferro-concrete structure, spanning the 120-meter-wide river, has four lanes in each direction. About 50 vehicles fell into the water when it collapsed; so far, 13 deaths have been confirmed. The bridge was used by up to 200,000 commuters every day. Japan's transport ministry believes that a similar bridge collapse is unlikely in Japan because the government has switched to the policy of carrying out preventive repairs in time. But complacency must be avoided. Roads, bridges and tunnels are getting old in Japan as well. According to the ministry, the nation has about 140,000 bridges, each 15 meters long or longer, that are used by vehicles. In fiscal 2006, 6 percent of those bridges were 50 years or older. That age category will rise to 20 percent in fiscal 2016 and 47 percent in 2026. It is usually assumed that a 50-year-old bridge should be replaced. Since an enormous amount of money will be needed to replace all old bridges, the central and local governments are trying to prolong the life of old bridges by detecting weaknesses and carrying out repairs in advance. But as of February 2007, only 13 percent of the nation's municipalities were conducting regular checks of bridges. An encouraging sign is the formation of an association comprising Kyoto University, the ministry's Kinki Regional Planning Bureau, construction companies and other organizations to study ways to improve bridge inspections with the use of high technology. The central and prefectural governments need to extend technical support to municipalities. Better ways to financially support them also should be considered.
Despite economic recovery, suicide rate remains high Japantimes June 1, 2007 The hanging death of the farm minister this week grimly underscored the country's stubbornly high suicide rate and the government's struggle to discourage large numbers of Japanese from killing themselves. Toshikatsu Matsuoka, 62, hanged himself Monday just before he was to face questioning in the Diet over a series of scandals that have rocked the government since he took office last September. With that act, Matsuoka became one of the more than 30,000 Japanese who kill themselves every year the second-highest suicide rate in the industrialized world. Japan's suicide rate per 100,000 people stood at 25.5 in 2003, compared with Russia's 38.7, according to World Health Organization figures. "We are facing a kind of crisis," said Takanori Suzuki, a Cabinet Office official in charge of suicide prevention. "Our previous measures were not effective . . . and we will have to move quickly." More than 32,500 Japanese took their own lives in 2005, up 0.7 percent from the year before, the latest National Police Agency statistics show. Japan has long been known for having a tradition of suicide, but the numbers exploded to over 30,000 a year in the late 1990s amid a long economic slump that forced mass restructuring at companies and drove many men in their 50s to kill themselves. Those numbers have remained high despite the economic recovery, leaving officials bewildered. The government set up programs to counsel the depressed and increase awareness of mental illness to no
avail. The sense of crisis has only been heightened in recent years with the increasing incidence of group suicides arranged among strangers over the Internet. The victims often drive to an isolated spot, seal the windows of their vehicles and asphyxiate themselves with fumes from a small charcoal burner. Last June, the Diet enacted a law to bolster prevention, setting up Suzuki's department at the Cabinet Office to work on suicide reduction measures. In the latest step, a panel of experts drafted measures in April that aim to cut suicides by 20 percent by 2016 to around 25,000 a year, including bolstering mental health support services such as counseling at workplaces and a network of community psychiatrists. The outline also defined suicide as something someone is "forced into" by social or economic pressures, instead of a personal choice by the weakminded. Yasuyuki Shimizu, who represents Life Link, a nonprofit organization providing support for suicide prevention, said Japan has failed to curb suicides because society minimizes the importance of personal troubles. Shimizu also blamed the lack of flexibility and diversity in schools and companies, where the unorthodox or people with personal troubles can be ostracized. "In this country, it is difficult to live without belonging to a group, and once you fall out there is hardly a chance to go back in," he said. The effort faces cultural hurdles in Japan, where taking one's life has a long history as an honorable way of atoning for public disgrace and expressing the depth of one's shame. Matsuoka's situation fit that description. "Death puts an end to everything, and the victim becomes a god, and free of criticism," said Yukiko Nishihara, founder of the Tokyo branch of Befrienders Worldwide. Nishihara said she was alarmed when she saw Matsuoka's haggard face during Diet sessions last week. She said he seemed "over the edge," and she regretted that the signals were overlooked. While the economy has recovered strongly, analysts say the fruits of that have been enjoyed only by major corporations and their employees, rather than workers of small and midsize companies, which have dominated recent bankruptcies. Nishihara said those who commit suicide are often hardworking, serious people. Because they are diligent, their workload gets ever more demanding until they break down with health problems or depression.
Chongryun Tokyo HQ sale seems set to fail Japantimes June 14, 2007 The deal to sell the Tokyo headquarters of Chongryun to Harvest, an investment advisory firm headed by an ex-chief of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, will probably fail because the buyer can't get the money to buy the pro-Pyongyang group's premises, sources said Wednesday. Harvest, whose president is Shigetake Ogata, former agency director general, is having trouble raising the funds to buy the 2,390 sq. meters of land and 10-story office building belonging to the General Association
of Korean Residents in Japan after the deal was revealed, the sources said. The Public Security Intelligence Agency monitors groups for subversive activities, including Chongryun and Aum Shinrikyo. "It's a serious problem that could damage public trust in our agency . . . I sincerely apologize for causing trouble," Toshio Yanagi, current agency director general, told a panel of the Liberal Democratic Party's panel on judicial affairs. Ogata told a news conference that several investors have become hesitant about financing the purchase, which he said was for 3.5 billion yen, since the deal was reported in the media. However, Ogata said the deal must be finalized before a court decision Monday in a lawsuit in which the state-backed Resolution and Collection Corp. has sued Chongryun for repayment of loans linked to nonperforming loans the corporation took over from 16 failed credit associations. It says 62.8 billion yen in loans were effectively lent to the group. "Chongryun will be ousted from the head office if it loses the suit and the court seizes the property to put up for auction later, and that will hamper its role of supporting Korean residents in Japan," Ogata said. The former security agency chief said he made the deal so he could help keep Chongryun operations going and guarantee that its affiliates' rights are protected. "I also think the deal serves Japan's national interests," Ogata said. Chongryun is North Korea's only representation in Japan and its headquarters is considered the de facto embassy. Evicting Chongryun could draw a harsh reaction from Pyongyang and damage already fragile bilateral relations. Ogata said he believed Chongryun would use the 3.5 billion yen to pay for the loans, which would stop the court from seizing the property. The deal for the land and the building Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward was signed earlier this year, and ownership listed in the public property registry was changed June 7, Ogata said. Chongryun has agreed to pay Harvest, located in Tokyo's Meguro Ward, 350 million yen a year to lease the building and has the right for five years to repurchase the property.
China rivalry marks TICAD IV Govt seeks African support on climate change, UNSC membership Yomiuri May. 31, 2008 The government believes it has built a concrete diplomatic footing with African countries at the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), which closed Friday. However, it is unclear if TICAD IV will lead to African support for Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Fifty-one of 53 African nations took part in TICAD IV. Of the 51 participating nations, 40 sent their presidents, vice presidents or premiers.
A senior Foreign Ministry official said: "TICAD IV became one of the biggest international conferences ever held by the Japanese government. I feel that trust between African countries' and Japan has crystallized." Japan's hosting of the conference has fueled its rivalry with China over Africa. China has been economically penetrating African countries for natural resources, and in 2006, it held the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing. Thirty-five heads of state from African countries took part in the forum. Government officials are pleased by the number of leaders that participated in TICAD IV. "TICAD's participation figures are comparable to FOCAC's," one official said. At the conference, the Japanese government announced assistance measures for African countries. One measure was a promise to double Japan's official development assistance in the next five years. This included providing a loan of up to 4 billion dollars in yen. At a Thursday meeting on escalating grain prices, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said: "Japan promised to provide assistance measures to Africa. These measures include supporting food production expansion and improving agricultural productivity. We're prepared to make further contributions." China's total trade with African countries came to 73.5 billion dollars in 2007. Total trade between Japan and Africa was 26.6 billion dollars in 2007. "This conference has been assisting African countries since 1993. As this year's host, we wanted to be more competitive than China," a government official said. Increasing government loans to Africa aims to support African countries' development of infrastructure such as roads. In turn, it will be easier for domestic companies to expand investments there. However, some experts point out that the 4 billion dollars loan looks bigger than it actually is because previous debt repaid by countries will be deducted from the amount of the new loans. Thus, the net amount the countries will receive is expected to be less than 4 billion dollars. There were instances when the conference did not go as Japan expected. The government planned to include a statement in the Yokohama Declaration to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent from current levels by 2050. However, the government withdrew this provision after encountering fierce opposition from South Africa, a major polluter. Fukuda held bilateral talks with 40 leaders of African countries and seven private sector Africa supporters. At the meeting, Fukuda asked for support of U.N. Security Council reform and Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. The government hopes to gather momentum for Security Council reform through support from African countries, which hold about 25 percent of U.N. General Assembly seats. Fukuda met with 47 people during the summit and saw varying responses. John Kufuor, president of Ghana, was a strong supporter. "We will support Japan becoming a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council," he said. However, some countries were not as positive. Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba said, "I will take the issue back to my country and examine it."
A government official said: "Most participating countries showed understanding or support on the [United Nations] issue. However, only a few countries went beyond their past stances and expressed their support for our bid." "Algeria, Egypt, Libya said they won't approve the Security Council reform if they can't become a permanent member themselves. I'm worried some countries are showing superficial support for Japan while in their hearts they are less than supportive," he added.
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Hill visits Pyongyang REUTER Jun. 21 2007 U.S. nuclear envoy on surprise trip to North Korea. U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill leaves Japan on a surprise trip to Pyongyang to discuss the next stage of the North Korean disarmament deal, a day after Filipino Foreign Minister Alberto Romulo returns from North Korea.
Okinawa city rips efforts to alter textbooks Japantimes May 15, 2007 NAHA, Okinawa Pref. (Kyodo) The city assembly of Tomigusuku, Okinawa Prefecture, called Monday on the education ministry to retract its instructions to textbook publishers to modify statements that Okinawa residents were forced by the military into committing mass suicide during the Battle of Okinawa. It is the first time that a municipality in Okinawa has passed a motion opposing the instructions since the results of the textbook screening process were released in late March. The Tomigusuku Municipal Assembly unanimously approved the statement, addressed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, education minister Bunmei Ibuki and chiefs of the Upper and Lower houses. It also demands that the original descriptions be restored in the textbooks. The statement says the textbook screeners' instructions "deny the historical facts, accumulated through studies into the Battle of Okinawa that are based on the numerous testimonies of those who experienced it."
It also says, "It has been recognized as a publicly known fact that (civilians) at that time were placed under the forcible control of the Japanese military, and the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry acknowledged it."
The instructions "can never be accepted by the people of Okinawa Prefecture who went through a cruel ground battle and were forced to make indescribable sacrifices," the statement said. The Battle of Okinawa claimed the lives of one-fourth of Okinawa's civilian population. More than 200,000 Japanese and Americans died in the bloody battle in the closing days of World War II. According to the results of the screening process, one textbook initially stated that "the Japanese army gave hand grenades to residents, making them commit mass suicide and kill each other." After the screeners took issue with the statement, saying it could result in misunderstanding, the textbook was revised to state, "Mass suicides and killings took place among the residents using hand grenades given to them by the Japanese army." Other textbooks deleted the words "by the Japanese army." It was the first time that ministry screeners had asked for such changes.
Fukuda slams officials treated by cabbies Japantimes June 7, 2008 More than 500 bureaucrats at 13 ministries and agencies accepted favors from taxi drivers in the form of cash, coupons and merchandise during rides home late at night at taxpayer expense, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura revealed Friday. The finding follows the Finance Ministry's announcement Thursday that 383 of its bureaucrats had admitted receiving such favors. Machimura told the House of Representatives Committee on Audit and Oversight of Administration on Friday that the 502 officials include 383 at the Finance Ministry, 16 at the Financial Services Agency, 13 at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, 11 at the Environment Ministry, and 10 each at the Defense Ministry and the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry. He added that the favors were handed out to those officials on more than 12,400 occasions. The Finance Ministry accounted for the lion's share, with 11,603, followed by 266 at the Financial Services Agency and 139 at the farm ministry. Machimura was responding to lawmakers Isamu Ueda from New Komeito and Akira Nagatsuma from the Democratic Party of Japan. Speaking at the same Diet committee session, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda denounced the bureaucrats for having received such favors. They "shouldn't be doing anything whatsoever that might incur suspicions among the people," Fukuda said, adding it should have been obvious to them that what they were doing is wrong. Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga told reporters Friday the perks were "very shocking" and "severe punishment" will be meted out following a further investigation. "It's regrettable that the incident triggered public distrust. We'll conduct a thorough investigation to prevent this kind of behavior from happening again, and endeavor to restore trust." He said he was informed about the misdeeds three days ago and ordered a probe on all 2,681 officials in the ministry.
Transport minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, who supervises the taxi industry, said Friday that cabbies offered the favors as a sales promotion to attract customers. "But cash is problematic. Beer is undesirable," he said, noting 36 transport ministry officials were known to have received beer, juice and candy from cab drivers on 249 occasions in fiscal 2007.
Teito Motor Transportation Co. A woman's life behind the wheel Japantimes Sept. 8, 2002 Taxi driver Yoko Yamaoka finished working at 5 this morning. Tomorrow she will get up at 5 in the morning and start the day's shift at 8. She usually works on a rotation of three days on and two days off. Yamaoka is one of 18 female drivers at Teito Motor Transportation Co., who together represent a tiny fraction of the 1,243 drivers with the Tokyo-based taxi company. While she looks rested (she had taken a midday nap), Yamaoka, a 47-year-old mother of one, says she feels a bit tired. It isn't because of her job's irregular schedule, though. She blames the bad economy and the fact that she only got a few fares the night before. "If I get customers, I usually don't feel fatigued even after the long night," she explains. "I feel much more tired when I haven't seen much business." It's a complaint of all drivers, of course. It was the prospect of a higher salary that attracted Yamaoka to this profession. She had grown tired of receiving less pay in clerical jobs simply because of her gender. She likes the fact that male and female drivers earn the same. But equal salaries don't ensure equality of treatment out on the streets. While women taxi drivers aren't as rare as they used to be, they are still something of a novelty, and the reactions of some of Yamaoka's customers remind her that people are still unaccustomed to seeing a woman in the driver's seat. Now a seven-year veteran of the profession, Yamaoka recalls a woman who was recently waiting near a Tokyo department store. "The lady hailed my cab, but when she discovered that I was driving, she backed away from the curb, saying, 'Oh, a female driver.' The woman didn't say anything further, and I thought she had probably had an unpleasant experience in the past," Yamaoka says. "But coming from another woman, it was very discouraging." In general, female customers who hail her taxi late in the evening usually show obvious relief. Men's reactions range from "Hey, it's my lucky day," to downright hostility and comments such as, "Women like you taking men's jobs . . . that's why the unemployment is so high." On the whole, though, positive responses outweigh the negative ones, she says, noting that many men are pleasant and even encouraging. In Japan today, there are about 8,400 female cabbies driving company taxis and 116 other female cabbies who own their vehicles and operate independently. The number of women driving taxis has grown fourfold over the past 15 years. Some taxi companies' sales strategies and services are beginning to reflect the increase of female drivers. For instance, Meiwa Taxi Co., in Kyogo Prefecture, which calls the cars of its female drivers "Angel Cabs,"
has offered "door-to-door" escort services that cater especially to the elderly, the disabled and pregnant women. The 10 drivers have been encouraged to get the national qualification of "home helper" for the elderly. Still, however, the number of female cabbies in Japan is around 0.02 percent of the number of male taxi drivers. "We need to have more women drivers in order to gain more trust," Yamaoka says. This change might not happen overnight. In Yamaoka's case, her family was not initially supportive of her career decision, worrying about the many risks that she might face on the road, from traffic accidents to crime. Last year, 53 cases of customers robbing their taxi drivers were reported in Tokyo -- the second-highest in the past 10 years, following 69 cases in 1999. In 15 incidents, the victims were injured, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The vulnerability of taxi drivers was tragically highlighted last weekend, on Aug. 31, when a 50-year-old female taxi driver was stabbed to death in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. A 45-year-old man was arrested after he called local police and confessed to the killing. He later told police that he wanted to kill a woman. Yamaoka says she's never felt danger on the job. When she ends up with problem customers, such as drunken salarymen who pass out in the back seat, she goes to a nearby police station or a train station where fellow taxi drivers are waiting for customers, and then asks for help. If there are other drawbacks to being a female taxi driver, it's the lack of public toilets, but Yamaoka says convenience stores with bathrooms have made the situation better. As for the perks, Yamaoka says she likes the varied conversations she has with many people. Some even pour out their troubles from at home and work to her. "Customers seem to feel relaxed around me and start talking," she says. "After talking, they often thank me for listening to their problems. Some even say they hope to see me again, though in many cases, it will be the first and last time that we meet. "And that is why I put my heart into this job. I may never meet the person again. So at least, in that very short time, I want to offer the customer space and time in which to feel comfortable. Knowing that they're comfortable makes me feel the same."
Kokusai Motorcars Hailing a cab easier for foreigners Japantimes June 28, 2003 Taxi companies have decided to give a helping hand to those who do not speak Japanese. Nihon Kotsu Co. said Friday it will accept calls for cabs in English beginning July 1. It said it recently recruited six operators who can speak English to handle the 24-hour Taxi English Phone service in a bid to win foreign customers. The service will be available in Tokyo's 23 wards as well as the cities of Musashino and Mitaka. The move follows the opening of the company's cab stand at Roppongi Hills, which houses business,
entertainment and residential complexes that have drawn scores of foreign businesspeople and tourists. There is an urgent need for taxi companies in Tokyo to improve services for foreign visitors, it said. "We believe the service gives our foreign customers a sense of security and will help us acquire new customers," said company spokeswoman Itsuko Takahashi. Foreigners calling the company in the past have had to wait while radio operators tried to track down an English-speaking staff member, she said. "Few cab drivers can speak English, but our English-speaking operators will come in handy to inform them of customers' destinations and other information," she said. But a spokesman for taxi firm Kokusai Motorcars Co. said there is little to be gained by creating an exclusive English line for radio taxis. The majority of cab users in Japan are Japanese, he noted. Kokusai Motorcars simply has some English-speaking cab drivers on standby who can be dispatched whenever needed by foreign customers, he said. Tokyo MK Corp. meanwhile said it is trying to increase the number of English-speaking operators it has handling radio taxi services. But the firm's most urgent task is to train its cab drivers to speak English, spokesman Akio Ozawa said. Earlier this year, the company began providing free English lessons to its cab drivers on weekends. He said the lessons are conducted with the help of one of the firm's limousine taxi drivers, who can speak English. "We are receiving more and more foreign tourists at Narita airport, and nearly 40 percent of our corporate clients are those affiliated with foreign companies," Ozawa said. "Even a cab company must be able to keep up with the current of internationalization." The number for Taxi English Phone is (03) 3799-9220.
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China's love-struck looking to Olympics for marriage luck AFP 2008/7/7 BEIJING (AFP) Zhang Jie and Ma Yue plan to be among the crush of love-struck Chinese getting married at the start of the Olympics despite a series of disasters that have cast doubt over the auspicious day. The opening of the Beijing Games falls on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008, which is no coincidence as the number eight is traditionally considered lucky in China due to it sounding like the word for wealth. "Eight is a number that brings good luck in China, and that's why the Chinese often choose the eighth to get married," said Zhang, 24, at a registry office in southwest Beijing as the couple booked their place to tie the knot. But a succession of disasters in China -- extreme bad weather in the south during Chinese New Year, violence in Tibet, and the earthquake in Sichuan -- has made some Chinese doubt the benefits of 2008. Some Chinese netizens have even gone as far as to say the mascots of the Olympic Games are cursed. Jingjing the panda, for them, represents the devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake two months ago in Sichuan province, where the majority of the endangered animals live. Yingying the Tibetan antelope evokes this year's deadly unrest in Tibet, while Huanhuan is a flame that for many brings back memories of the protests that embarrassed China during the Olympic torch's international journey. But Zhang emphatically rejected these bad omens surrounding number eight. "That's only superstition. When one portrays accidental events as inevitable, that's a form of superstition, isn't it?" the university student said. Registration for weddings on August 8 opened on June 20, and will last until August 5 in registry offices as well as on the Internet, to avoid any last minute scrambles.
"More than 100 people have registered so far, which is more than usual," said Zhao Yongfu, an official at the registry office, where the Chinese characters of "double happiness" hung on the walls. Around the country, thousands of people are also planning to get married on August 8, with China's press carrying countless articles on the phenomenon. Zhang and Ma's special day also carried an additional meaning for them, as they are both volunteers for the first ever Olympic Games organised in China. "Our work during the Games mainly involves welcoming the foreign sports delegations and to look after their living arrangements and daily needs," Zhang said. The young couple said they would spare a few hours of their busy volunteering schedule on the eighth to get married, but the party would have to wait. "The eighth of August is only the date to get our marriage certificate," Zhang said. "Our wedding ceremony, however, will not be this basic. We will organise it in 2009, but we must first devote all our efforts to the Olympic Games. "The eighth of August 2008 will be a lucky day. And the Olympic Games will be successful, and we are very proud of the event."
Bush 'concern' at N Korea issues BBC 6 July 2008 US President George W Bush has said he remains concerned about North Korea's alleged enrichment of uranium and other security issues. But, speaking after talks with Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda ahead of Monday's G8 summit in Japan, he acknowledged North Korea had addressed some concerns. Mr Fukuda said he would attend the Beijing Olympics opening, which other leaders will miss over rights concerns. The G8 summit is being held at a resort on the northern island of Hokkaido. Our economy is not growing as robustly as we'd like George W Bush North Korea handed over a long-delayed list of its nuclear activities to Washington on 26 June, but it is not thought to have given details of uranium enrichment, which the North denies. "North Korea did provide a declaration of its plutonium-related activities and did blow up the cooling tower of its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon," Mr Bush said at the summit venue in Toyako. "That's been verified and is a positive step, but there are more steps to be taken.
"We are concerned about enriched uranium and proliferation, human rights abuses and ballistic missile programmes." Mr Bush also promised Mr Fukuda that he would "not abandon" the question of Japanese citizens allegedly abducted by North Korea to help train North Korean spies. Asked by reporters about the ailing US economy, the American leader said he was committed to a strong dollar. "Our economy is not growing as robustly as we'd like..." he said. "The United States believes in a strong dollar policy and believes the strength of our economy will be reflected in the dollar." The Group of Eight (G8) consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. Leaders began arriving on Sunday. Mr Bush arrived in time to celebrate his 62nd birthday in Japan. China, India and South Africa will be among other key nations attending. Boycott 'affront' Speaking at a joint news conference with Mr Bush, Mr Fukuda officially announced he would attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August. Some world leaders are missing the 8 August opening ceremony amid international concern over China's human rights record. Germany's Angela Merkel is not attending and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be in Beijing for the closing ceremony only. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says his attendance depends on progress in dialogue between Beijing and the Tibetan government-in-exile. President Bush said on Sunday that skipping the event would be an "affront" to the Chinese people. Japan has spent a record sum of money and deployed about 20,000 police to seal off the summit at the remote lakeside resort of Toyako. Hundreds of protesters have again marched through Sapporo, the city closest to the venue, to demand G8 leaders take action on global warming, poverty and rising food prices. The demonstration, which followed a similar protest on Saturday, was heavily policed and ended peacefully.
Violent anti-globalisation marches have marred past G8 meetings. Last year, Japanese officials said this summit would be about climate change and reaching agreement on a post-Kyoto Accord framework to cut greenhouse gas emissions, says the BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo. Mr Fukuda had said he would like to get agreement on 50% overall reductions in greenhouse gases by 2050. But the rising food and oil prices and their effect on the global economy and the world's poorest nations
have moved up the agenda. Sarkozy decides to go to Olympics BBC 9 July 2008 French President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed that he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on 8 August. The French president at one stage said he had not ruled out boycotting the Olympics in protest over Chinese actions in Tibet. But, after meeting China's president at the G8 summit, he said he would attend. Human rights groups have urged world leaders to condemn China's rights record by refusing to attend. Meanwhile, China's President Hu Jintao thanked his US counterpart, George W Bush, who confirmed earlier this week that he would attend the opening ceremony in Beijing. After talks with the US president at the G8 summit, Mr Hu said he "highly appreciated Mr Bush has on various occasions expressed his opposition to politicising the Olympic Games". EU representative President Sarkozy stressed "the Olympic values of peace, friendship and brotherhood" at the meeting, according to a statement from his office. France holds the EU presidency, and Mr Sarkozy plans to represent the 27-nation bloc at the ceremony in Beijing. Following a crackdown on protests in and around Tibet in March, Mr Sarkozy had urged the Chinese leadership to hold talks with envoys of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and release political prisoners. In March, he suggested his decision on attending the Games would hinge on progress in talks between the two sides. But the French announcement of Mr Sarkozy's acceptance of the Olympic invitation made no mention of the Dalai Lama. Two meetings between envoys from Tibet and China are reported to have already taken place with a third planned for October, according to French officials. On Tuesday, China's ambassador to France said there would be "serious consequences" if Mr Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama when the Tibetan spiritual leader visits France in August. Mr Sarkozy said he had discussed his decision with other European Union countries. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper plan to stay away. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not be present on 8 August, but plans to attend the closing ceremony.
Closure slow in Wakayama curry murders Japantimes July 26, 2008 Friday marked the 10th anniversary of the high-profile Wakayama festival curry poisonings that killed four people and sickened 63 others. Although Masumi Hayashi, 47, was sentenced to death for the murders and attempted murders by the Wakayama District Court in 2002 and the Osaka High Court upheld her sentence in 2005, much of the story remains unresolved. Hayashi, who proclaimed her innocence throughout the trials, has appealed her case to the Supreme Court. The district and high courts said the life-insurance saleswoman added arsenic to a vat of curry served up during Wakayama's Sonobe district festival on July 25, 1998, while neighbor women she was unfriendly with were not around. Police had charged Hayashi based on circumstantial evidence. She remained silent all through her first trial.
Hayashi was also charged with conspiring with her husband, Kenji, a termite exterminator who handled arsenic, in a failed attempt to murder an acquaintance with arsenic-laced food for insurance money. Kenji Hayashi was sentenced to six years in prison in 2000. Although Masumi owned up to the murder-for-insurance attempt in court, she claimed innocence for the curry murders. She was also convicted of trying to poison her husband for insurance. Prosecutors obtained a wealth of circumstantial evidence, but no confession. Given the situation, Sonobe residents and kin of the victims say their sorrow and sadness persist 10 years later. A 75-year-old Sonobe woman who helped cook the curry with other housewives, said: "I still regret that we left (Hayashi) alone near the curry vat." A victims' group is urging Hayashi to come clean, but to no avail. "The situation has come to a point where we can no longer expect her to tell the truth. After all, lost lives can't be brought back and our sorrow can't be healed, even if she speaks up," group leader Mitsuo Hamai, 58, said.
Blasts in B'lore, Ahmedabad a conspiracy: BJP Hindustan Times July 28, 2008 BJP on Monday made a surprise allegation that the weekend blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad were a conspiracy to divert attention from the 'cash-for-votes' scandal. The party also claimed that the blasts in two states ruled by it also made it believe that there was something more than meets the eye. "The blasts are a conspiracy to divert attention from the cash-for-votes scandal," party leader Sushma Swaraj said in a press conference in New Delhi claiming that the incidents took place just a few days after the government won the trust vote.
"These are not off-the-cuff remarks. I mean what I say," she added. When asked if she was pointing towards the Centre and alleging that the Congress-led UPA government had a role in the blasts, she said, "I have said what I wanted, it is for you all to interpret the rest." The senior BJP leader also alleged that the blasts were an "attempt to win-over the Muslim votes which got divided after the pro-American deal pursued by the government." Swaraj claimed that the blasts and its locations had enough "circumstantial evidence" to support her charge. "Attacks in two BJP-ruled states in a span of two days and within four days of the UPA government winning the confidence vote has some meaning and what I am saying is proved by enough circumstantial evidence," she said. She said absence of an anti-terror law like that of the POTA was the prime reason for the increased terrorist activity in the country.
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Only White Dolphin in Captivity Dies in Central China People's Daily Online July 15, 2002 The only white-finned dolphin in captivity in the world died in Wuhan on Sunday at the approximate age of 24. Scientists said the death of the male dolphin, known as Qiqi, came as a surprise since the old dolphin appeared normal on Saturday. The only white-finned dolphin in captivity in the world died in Wuhan on Sunday at the approximate age of 24. Scientists said the death of the male dolphin, known as Qiqi, came as a surprise since the old dolphin appeared normal on Saturday. Dr. Zhang Xianfeng, an expert with the Wuhan-based Hydrobiology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said hebelieved the dolphin died of old age, but he and his colleagues would continue to investigate the death. Qiqi was captured by a Yangtze River fisherman on January 11, 1980, and was shipped to the institute the following day. He was then 1.47 meters in length, 36.5 kg and approximately two years old. Zhang said Qiqi spent 22 and a half lonely years in a 300 sq.m.pool by Donghu Lake near the Yangtze, the country's longest river,in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. The Yangtze is the species' main habitat.
Qiqi was a white-finned dolphin, a species unique to China, andthe most endangered dolphin species in the world. When found, Qiqi was a badly bruised two-year-old. Experts examining him suspected the injuries were caused by illegal fishing, condemned as one of the main factors contributing to the decline of white dolphins in the wild. Numbers have fallen from some 400 in the early 1980s to far fewer than 100 now. The Fishery Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture has warned that the ancient mammal species which has survived 20 to 30million years of evolution may face extinction within another 25 years unless effective measures are immediately enforced. China has tried every means to save the white dolphins. The Fishery Bureau has carried out a program monitoring Yangtze white-finned dolphins every November since 1997, the largest such monitoring program of rare animals in China. The search covers a 1,900-km stretch of the middle and lower reaches of the
Yangtze River. However, only five to seven dolphins have been sighted each season, even with the use of advanced location devices.
Nation counts down for Beijing Olympic Games Xinhua News Agency 2007-08-09 The International Olympic Committee has formally invited its branches around the globe to the 2008 Olympics. The invitations were delivered on Wednesday evening in the Chinese capital, at a grand celebration of the one-year countdown to the Beijing Games. In exactly one year's time, the Beijing Olympic Games will open. IOC president Jacques Rogge joined Chinese officials to celebrate the moment. At the grand gathering, Rogge delivered invitation letters to Olympics committees of more than 200 countries and regions. This invitation stands out from all its predecessors. It's the first time in the history of the Olympics that such an invitation was delivered from a host country. In the past, they all were sent from the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Jacques Rogge, IOC president, said, "The world is watching China with great expectations." And Chinese leaders and Olympic organizers expressed their confidence that the Games will be a success. Wu Bangguo, chairman of NPC Standing Committee, said, "The 2008 Beijing Olympics will be a high-level event with China's own characteristics. This is a guarantee from China and our people. We'll strengthen our cooperation with the IOC, spare no efforts in supporting the preparation work, and ensure the Beijing Olympics are successful." Liu Qi, BOCOG president, said, "The year ahead is a crucial year for preparation for the Beijing Games. We will carry out the instructions of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, and focus fully on preparing and organizing the 2008 Games. We will try to improve our security measures and the city's environment, which will provide a more solid foundation for successfully organizing a high-level Olympics with our own characteristics." Artists from home and abroad gave their best performances to an audience of nearly ten thousand people. Besides Beijing, co-host cities, including Tianjin, Shanghai,Qinghuangdao and Hong Kong also staged mass performances. Although there is still one year to go, such enthusiasm will linger until the big moment.
Chinese dolphin 'probably extinct' CNN August 8, 2007 The long-threatened Yangtze River dolphin in China is probably extinct, according to an international team of
researchers who said this would mark the first whale or dolphin to be wiped out due to human activity. The freshwater dolphin, or baiji, was last spotted several years ago and an intensive six-week search in late 2006 failed to find any evidence that one of the rarest species on earth survives, said Samuel Turvey, a conservation biologist, at the Zoological Society of London, who took part in the search. He said the dolphin's demise -- which resulted from overfishing, pollution and lack of intervention -- might serve as a cautionary tale and should spur governments and scientists to act to save other species verging on extinction. "Ours is the first scientific study which didn't find any," he said in a telephone interview. "Even if there are a few left we can't find them and we can't do anything to stop their extinction." The team, which published its findings in the Journal of the Royal Society Biology Letters on Wednesday, included researchers from the United States, Britain, Japan and China. The survey was also authorized by the Chinese government, Turvey said. The last confirmed baiji sighting was 2002, although there have been a handful of unconfirmed sightings since then. The last baiji in captivity died in 2002, Turvey said. During the six-week search, the team carried out both visual and acoustic surveys and used two boats to twice cover the dolphin's 1,669 kilometer range stretching from the city of Yichang just downstream from the Three Gorges dam to Shanghai. The last such survey conducted from 1997 to 1999 turned up 13 of the mammals, but Turvey said fishing, pollution and boat traffic in the busy river, home to about 10 percent of the world's population, has likely meant the baiji's end. "We covered the whole range of the dolphin twice," Turvey said. "It is difficult to see how we could miss any animals." The dolphins will now be classified as critically endangered and possibly extinct but Turvey said there is little chance any remaining baiji are alive. Researchers have known for years about the dolphin's precarious situation but indecision about how best to save the species meant little was actually done, he added. This underscores the need to act quickly to prevent the extinction of other similar shallow-water aquatic mammals like the vaquita found in the Sea of Cortez and the Yangtze finless porpoise, Turvey said. "One really needs to learn from this to make sure future conservation efforts are more dynamic," he said. "There has always been so much focus on 'save the whale' and 'prevent whaling' that it has led to these range-restricted shallow cetaceans slipping through the crack."
Rare river dolphin 'now extinct' BBC 8 August 2007 A freshwater dolphin found only in China is now "likely to be extinct", a team of scientists has concluded. The researchers failed to spot any Yangtze river dolphins, also known as baijis, during an extensive six-week survey of the mammals' habitat. The team, writing in Biology Letters journal, blamed unregulated fishing as the main reason behind their demise.
If confirmed, it would be the first extinction of a large vertebrate for over 50 years. The World Conservation Union's Red List of Threaten Species currently classifies the creature as "critically endangered". Sam Turvey of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), one of the paper's co-authors, described the findings as a "shocking tragedy". "The Yangtze river dolphin was a remarkable mammal that separated from all other species over 20 million years ago," Dr Turvey explained. "This extinction represents the disappearance of a complete branch of the evolutionary tree of life and emphasises that we have yet to take full responsibility in our role as guardians of the planet." 'Incidental impact' The species (Lipotes vexillifer) was the only remaining member of the Lipotidae, an ancient mammal family that is understood to have separated from other marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and porpoises, about 40-20 million years ago. The white, freshwater dolphin had a long, narrow beak and low dorsal fin; lived in groups of three or four and fed on fish. The team carried out six-week visual and acoustic survey, using two research vessels, in November and December 2006. "While it is conceivable that a couple of surviving individuals were missed by the survey teams," the team wrote, "our inability to detect any baiji despite this intensive search effort indicates that the prospect of finding and translocating them to a [reserve] has all but vanished." The scientists added that there were a number of human activities that caused baiji numbers to decline, including construction of dams and boat collisions. "However, the primary factor was probably unsustainable by-catch in local fisheries, which used rolling hooks, nets and electrofishing," they suggested. "Unlike most historical-era extinctions of large bodied animals, the baiji was the victim not of active persecution but incidental mortality resulting from massive-scale human environmental impacts - primarily uncontrolled and unselective fishing," the researchers concluded.
news.ameba 2007/08/10 (Who do you think will be pleased at the emergence of the dolphin at a river in Tokyo?) IT (With regard to the dolphin, Arakawa Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is frequently
reported and well-known. Workers of this office are very creative.) HP ( The media spree over the dolphin is a great advantage to this office. Its home page currently displays a big picture of a dolphin.) (The managers of such offices are top-level bureaucrats. They are obsessed with returning to headquarters and gaining promotion. They have a strong rivalry against each other. The most important thing for them is said to be whether their events or measures get into newspapers or not. They often say, "Our measures are going to get into newspapers, aren't they? Please suggest getting our measures into newspapers." )
China Today and its Impact to Japan The America-Japan Society, Inc. Ambassador Koreshige Anami, former Japanese Ambassador to China, was invited as AJS July luncheon speaker on July 27th at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan who returned to Japan in April after five years mission. It was a great opportunity for the audiences to get an insiders view of what is going on in China today. Ambassador Anami noted Chinas amazing economic expansion, and that it may last until the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games or even the 2010 Shanghai Expo. However there are various problems that confuse our understanding of the real China. Todays China is like the old Japanese saying: Blind people touch just one part of the dinosaur(elephant) and never appreciate the whole. To draw a real sketch of China, we have to get and put together as much information as possible. The most serious contradiction in China lies in the system known as the socialist market economy. Socialism and the market economy are incompatible in nature. As a result, todays China has a major country risk. There are many reports of serious concerns in such areas unemployment, regional and inter-regional income disparities, poverty in rural communities, environmental degradation and unsafe work environments. Chinas GDP today is four times that of 1980. But it will require a 7.2% annual GDP increase to grow another four times expansion in the next 20 years. That kind of rapid growth depends on the foreign investment and national financial expenditure. China strongly needs foreign investment, and therefore Japan has major opportunities for investing in China. But it would be a bad scenario for Japan if the current Chinese social structure fails and falls into chaos that could threaten the Japanese economy. China stands at a crossroads and must make an important decision for the future: keep the current social and political system or advance economic expansion. The best scenario will aim for both, a so-called soft landing. Turning our eyes to Chinese diplomacy, we can see that it goes quite well, except as regards Japan. The Chinese government basically maintains good, stable diplomatic relations with other countries, as a means to invite their investment. Of particular concern is keeping good relations with the U.S., as that is quite
important in dealing with the issue of Taiwan. Of course, North Korea is still a headache for China. Of the issues between Japan and China, Yasukuni and historical recognition are the main bones of contention. However, this does not mean that Asian countries including China want to review the bitterness of the history but that they worry about a future rearmament of Japan. It is true that relations between Japan and China are at their worst since the countries normalized diplomatic relations in their joint statement of 1972. But it is also true that the people of both countries make frank opinions which cause friction. The current situation is uncomfortable for both countries, but should be recognized as an inevitable steps in our future. Both governments should pay sincere attention to their peoples opinion and make appropriate efforts not to misunderstand one another. Towards these, sincere mutual understanding especially among young generations and local communities in both countries are highly encouraged.
Aung San Suu Kyi meets doctor amid health worries: witnesses jacjapan Myanmar 's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met for several hours with her physician Sunday, witnesses said, amid worries for her health after her party said she was not accepting food. Doctor Tin Myo Win arrived around 2:00 pm (0730 GMT) at the lakeside home where the Nobel peace laureate has been confined for most of the last 19 years, the witnesses said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He left four-and-a-half hours later and went to the home affairs ministry, they added. Aung San Suu Kyi 's last medical check-up by the doctor was in mid-August, before her National League for Democracy (NLD) party said September 5 that she had refused most of her food rations for the last three weeks. Concerns over Aung San Suu Kyi have grown after she refused to meet with visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari and the junta's liaison officer. The regime says she is not staging a hunger strike, and the NLD has stopped short of using the term. But the party has said that her refusal of food supplies was "to denounce her continuing detention, which is unfair under the law." The 63-year-old has no other source of food aside from the daily supplies provided by the military regime. Her party won a landslide victory in a 1990 election but the junta never allowed it to take office. The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962.
Aging bridges of Japan Japan Times Sept. 2, 2007 The collapse a month ago of a freeway bridge over the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis offers an important lesson for Japan, where a large number of bridges are expected to reach the end of their useful life in the near future. The collapse points to the danger inherent in old infrastructure for which repair needs have been ignored. The central and local governments must get serious about systematically reinforcing or replacing old bridges.
The 580-meter-long Interstate 35W bridge was built in 1967. The ferro-concrete structure, spanning the 120meter-wide river, has four lanes in each direction. About 50 vehicles fell into the water when it collapsed; so far, 13 deaths have been confirmed. The bridge was used by up to 200,000 commuters every day. Japan's transport ministry believes that a similar bridge collapse is unlikely in Japan because the government has switched to the policy of carrying out preventive repairs in time. But complacency must be avoided. Roads, bridges and tunnels are getting old in Japan as well. According to the ministry, the nation has about 140,000 bridges, each 15 meters long or longer, that are used by vehicles. In fiscal 2006, 6 percent of those bridges were 50 years or older. That age category will rise to 20 percent in fiscal 2016 and 47 percent in 2026. It is usually assumed that a 50-year-old bridge should be replaced. Since an enormous amount of money will be needed to replace all old bridges, the central and local governments are trying to prolong the life of old bridges by detecting weaknesses and carrying out repairs in advance. But as of February 2007, only 13 percent of the nation's municipalities were conducting regular checks of bridges. An encouraging sign is the formation of an association comprising Kyoto University, the ministry's Kinki Regional Planning Bureau, construction companies and other organizations to study ways to improve bridge inspections with the use of high technology. The central and prefectural governments need to extend technical support to municipalities. Better ways to financially support them also should be considered.
Diarrheal Epidemics in Dhaka, Bangladesh, During Three Consecutive Floods: 1988, 1998, and 2004 The National Center for Biotechnology Information Definition of epidemic and flood periods We defined the onset of an epidemic as the first of 3 consecutive days during which patient visits per day exceeded the 90th percentile of visits per day for the year before and the year after the year of flooding. The 90th percentile for visits per day was 275 in 1987 and 1989, 450 in 1997 and 1999, and 350 in 2003 (data not available for 2005). Similarly, we defined cessation of an epidemic as the day when the visits per day fell below the 90th percentile for 3 consecutive days. A flood period was defined from the earliest date that any of the rivers surrounding Dhaka exceeded the predetermined flood stage through the latest date that any of the river levels fell below the flood stage. An individual rivers flood stage was defined by the Flood Forecasting Watch Center, Bangladesh.13 Using this definition, there were four flood-related diarrheal epidemics: September 6 to October 13, 1988; July 25 to October 13, 1998 ; July 20 to August 21, 2004; and September 16 to October 24, 2004 (Figure 1). The comparator non-flood periods were defined as the matching dates in the flanking years. For example, the periods of September 6 to October 13 in 1987 and 1989 were used as the comparator non-flood periods for the 1988 epidemic, and microbiological data from the corresponding surveillance system periods were obtained. This definition was chosen to account for seasonal variation in diarrheal pathogens.
Showdown at Budokan Japan Times July 2, 2006 It was 40 years ago today, and The Beatles were rocking Japan By SHIBLY NABHAN
Special to The Japan Times The rightwing reactionaries were arriving in their menacing black-and-white trucks, blasting military music. The politicians were shaking their fists and telling people to go to a garbage dump. The police had locked down all entrances to the Imperial Palace grounds. Riot police lined the road leading to Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Girls stood in the streets crying. The fight for political control centered on Nippon Budokan, the two-year-old martial arts hall beside the Imperial Palace grounds. The political stakes were high. There were 35,000 police deployed over the course of the four-day struggle. Military coup? No. The Beatles in concert. The year was 1966, and Budokan was a marvel of Japanese architecture that symbolized the rebirth of the capital and the whole country from the ashes of war. Just 19 years after its abject capitulation, Japan proclaimed its resurrection with three events: The inauguration ceremony of the first shinkansen (bullet train) line, which sliced the tedious 10-hour journey between Tokyo and Osaka to a jaw-dropping 4 hours. That quantum leap came just in time for the second of those three epoch-making events, Tokyo's hosting of the 1964 Summer Olympics -- the first occasion the international competition had been held in Asia. The third of those landmark events was the opening of the Budokan, a stadium in the city's heart dedicated to the martial arts of kyudo, kendo, judo, karate and all disciplines associated with honor and the Shinto spirit. Sited between Yasukuni Shrine and the Imperial Palace, it was reportedly built on the site where soldiers pledged their lives to the Emperor before joining their wartime units. Following a request from Japan, judo had been included at the Tokyo Olympics for the first time as an official Olympic sport -- a move that proclaimed to the world that Asian culture was standing on the world stage along with European and Anglo-Saxon cultures. Japanese xenophobia But if Japanese culture was to make its way onto the world stage, then wouldn't other cultures inevitably show themselves on the Japanese stage? Two years after the Tokyo Olympics, four young men landed in Haneda Airport. Delayed by a typhoon, they were several hours late. The newspapers declared that as one typhoon had left, another had just arrived. It was the first test of what the post-Olympic future of the Budokan Hall would be. Would it remain a sacred venue on hallowed land, or simply become another concert hall? On one side were the four most popular musicians on earth at the time; on the other, four Japanese opinion leaders, including the prime minister. The Fab Four of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- none of whom knew the intricacies of Japanese xenophobia -- were criticized by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, who declared that The Beatles were not an appropriate act to perform at such a respected venue. As media coverage built up and rightwing groups opined that rock music made young people crazy and would break down social order, Sato was joined by Tatsuji Nagashima, the promoter who had arranged the five Budokan concerts with The Beatles' management, but then changed sides and protested against them; Hosokawa Ryugen, an influential Asahi Shimbun journalist; and octogenarian Matsutaro Shoriki, founder of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and the Tokyo Giants baseball club. As first president of Budokan Hall, Shoriki had originally agreed to host The Beatles but later changed his mind after hearing alarming reports of long hair and girls screaming uncontrollably. He was told that the contract could not be torn up.
With The Beatles on one side, and four pillars of the Establishment on the other, you could call it a faceoff between the Fab Four and the Drab Four. The Beatles themselves first sensed trouble while they were still touring Germany. There, they were shown a news report saying that Japanese rightwing groups wanted to capture them on their arrival in Tokyo and cut their Mop Top locks. Fearing trouble from rightists at Budokan, the Metropolitan Police Department met with fire department officials 10 day before The Beatles' arrival to coordinate crowd control and disaster response. They even arranged for some 40 armored personnel carriers to be brought in to overpower any rightwing trucks in the area. When it became clear there was to be no stopping the concerts, and that they might even become a turning point for Japan's culture, the war of words intensified. Hosokawa and other critics appeared on television talk shows, both criticizing the concert plan and highlighting their ignorance by on occasion referring to the Liverpool quartet as "The Peatle." In other debates, critics began calling for the band to play not at Budokan but at Yume no Shima (Dream Island), an ironically named garbage landfill zone. For Budokan Director Matsutaro Shoriki, this was no mere trifling debate: he had faced political pressures from nationalists before -- and had the scars to prove it. Decades before he had founded a Japanese baseball league and invited U.S. teams to play in Japan. Rightwingers saw this as a sellout to Americans and a form of cultural pollution. As a result, Shiroki was ambushed by sword-wielding would-be assassins and was lucky to survive being stabbed. Next came pressure on the Japanese youth: Tokyo schools began ordering their students not to attend the concerts, even though most of them were on the weekend. This snowballed into a move to stop students playing electric guitars, based on the fear that rock music would turn young people into delinquents and hooligans. At a preconcert press conference, a reporter asked The Beatles if they thought their behavior might have a negative influence on Japanese culture. Paul responded by asking if it should be considered a cultural invasion if a Japanese group were to appear in England. John, making an oblique reference to World War II and the expanding Vietnam War, quipped that singing was much better than fighting. Ringo commented, "It's amazing security, you know. I've never seen so many people guarding us." To this, a reporter responded, "Well, we want to make sure that you're not hurt while you're here." Ringo replied: "But we don't want the security to hurt the fans. Don't be too rough with them." Meanwhile, police were ripping banners out of the hands of rightwing squads outside the Budokan as the rightists berated them through megaphones. Scheduled to give one concert on June 30, and two each on July 1 and 2, the Fab Four thought they would get a chance to see the sights on the morning of the 30th. But the Tokyo police said their officers would not take responsibility for their security on a slated sightseeing trip to the nearby ancient capital of Kamakura. Plainclothes police That official decision was tantamount to grounding the band in their hotel, and George and Ringo obliged by staying there giving interviews and waving at fans through closed windows. Resenting their confinement, John and Paul each came up with their own plans for escaping from the Capital Tokyo Hotel (now the Tokyo Hilton). With a member of the tour entourage in the lead, Paul tried to sneak out of the main lobby but was stopped
by guards. After a great deal of haggling, he was placed in a car with plainclothes police officers and given a short tour of Meiji Jingu Shrine and a portion of the Imperial Palace grounds. They briefly got out of the car to have a walk around, but when photographers spotted Paul he was quickly shuffled back into the car and returned to the hotel. One news source later noted that The Beatle had been spotted in the palace grounds "no-neku-tai" (without a necktie). John fared much better. Borrowing the ID badge and camera of a photographer on their team, he posed as a member of the press corps and used the badge to walk past the lobby security guards and into the street. From there he made his way to the Omotesando boulevard running away from Meiji Shrine, where he is reported to have bought souvenirs at the famous Oriental Bazaar shop. Then he went to the swish Azabu district nearby, where he was fitted for a new pair of glasses before returning to the hotel. He is said to have purchased on the outing a ceramic figure that was included in Peter Blake's collage design for the cover of 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Apparently, back at the hotel Paul complained that he had only managed a few minutes out in the open air -while John had gone on a shopping spree and returned with trophies to prove it. The Beatles played the five concerts with little incident inside the hall. The authorities had braced for two main threats: that the kids in the audience would go crazy, and that rightwing nationalists would get violent outside. Neither happened. The main floor area was kept empty to stop anyone approaching the stage, and the fans were confined to the mezzanine and balcony areas from where they watched the shows from over a sea of police hats. In the aisles, security guards stood at the end of each row, while another security ring of white-gloved officers stood between the stage and the seats, and another security ring sealed off the venue. Ambulance teams were at the ready. In an effort to downplay the presence of a Western band with long hair, promoters arranged for several Japanese bands to perform as opening acts. Elsewhere, because of the limitations of amplifiers at that time, The Beatles were often frustrated that the screaming and wailing of hysterical female fans elsewhere drowned out the sound of their instruments. At the Budokan, though, security was so suffocating that fans didn't even dare to stand up. In fact, the police announced over megaphones before the concert that anyone who did stand up and make any disturbance would be arrested. Consequently, the crowd noise during the meager half-hour they were allowed to play -enough for just 11 songs -- was among the lowest The Beatles had experienced. Photos from the concerts show the four playing against giant billboards for Lion toothpaste, with the audience barely visible in the distance. At the end of each concert, the authorities left no chance for an embarrassing mob scene by fans, or a violent incident by demonstrators in their trucks. The Fab Four were bundled into a police-escorted convoy and returned to the hotel within 10 minutes of taking their last bows. Afterward, the Asahi Shimbun reported that the fans, many of them "haiteen" (late teenagers), were treated like children by the condescending authorities. Then, as The Beatles waved goodbye to Tokyo on their way to Manila, newspapers ran headlines such as "The Beatles typhoon has passed." Photos showed George on the stairs to the plane carrying a suitcase in each hand, and Paul with a camera, taking photos of the crowd. Absence of disturbances Reports in The Japan Times and elsewhere not only pointed out the absence of disturbances during the Budokan concerts, but felt it worth noting that fans did not cause any trouble at the airport farewell. The "Sgt. Pepper's" album cover with the Japanese figurine on the ground near John went on to be voted one of the most memorable design images of the 20th century, and The Beatles sold more than 1 billion records in their careers. Since then Budokan -- whose flip-flopping founder Shoriki Matsutaro died in 1969 -http://book.geocities.jp/japans_conspiracy/Y/ere007.html[08/04/2013 20:56:40]
has remained a popular stop for rock bands touring Asia. Deep Purple and Bob Dylan recorded live albums there, and the full-on likes of Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne have performed in the hall. It will even host the BlackEyed Peas in July this year.
Itsu shaken but not stirred by Litvinenko incident.(Alexander Litvinenko ) accessmylibrary.com Itsu, the sushi chain at the heart of the Russian spy scandal, is having fun this week with a series of James Bond-inspired hoardings outside its police-protected store in London's Piccadilly. The in-house designs feature at the outlet where Alexander Litvinenko ate before being admitted to hospital with radiation poisoning. 'An international espionage incident has transformed this Itsu into a world-famous meeting place,' said the hoarding on Friday, as Design Week went to press. 'Sad and shocked, we would like to thank you for the many e-mails of encouragement. Our customers and staff are magnificent.'
Hijacker's daughters apply for citizenship Japan Times Aug. 14, 2001 Two daughters of one of the Japanese hijackers who defected to North Korea are seeking to obtain Japanese citizenship, sources close to them said Monday. A lawyer for the two daughters -- aged 24 and 20 -- of the late Takeshi Okamoto have recently asked the Tokyo Family Court for an inquiry into their claims to citizenship, submitting to the court their birth certificates issued by a North Korean hospital, the sources said. Of the 20 children born to the Japanese hijackers, only the two daughters of Okamoto have not received Japanese citizenship. Three daughters of three of the hijackers traveled from North Korea to Japan in May to live permanently. In March 1970, nine members of the Red Army Faction, a radical group known as "Sekigunha" in Japan, hijacked a Japan Airlines plane with 138 passengers and crew on board en route from Tokyo to Fukuoka and forced it to fly to Pyongyang. Okamoto apparently married a Japanese woman after defecting in North Korea with other hijackers, but his whereabouts became unknown around 1982. Hijackers say Okamoto and his wife died in a landslide in 1988. However, there have been reports that Okamoto may have been confined to a labor camp. Okamoto is still on an international wanted list because his family has not reported his death to authorities. Takeshi Okamoto is the elder brother of Kozo Okamoto, 53, a member of the Japanese Red Army terrorist team that staged the 1972 attack at Tel Aviv's Lod airport, which left 25 people dead and 80 others injured. Kozo Okamoto was given political asylum in Lebanon last year.
The Japanese Red Army is a breakaway group from the Red Army Faction.
Why North Koreans Were Kidnappers Slate Aug. 27, 2003 At a six-nation summit on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Japan is pressing Kim Jong-il's government for more info on the fates of the Japanese abductees who were spirited away to Pyongyang during the Cold War. Why did North Korea kidnap these Japanese citizens? The Hermit Kingdomwhich only acknowledged these kidnappings last yearsays the abductees were supposed to school North Korean spies in Japanese language and customs, so the agents could more easily slip into Japanese society. For years, Pyongyang had dismissed the abductions as fictional, part of a smear campaign engineered by South Korea's Agency for National Security Planning. But on Sept. 17, 2002, as part of efforts to normalize relations with Japan, Kim Jong-il confessed that overzealous elements of his military had in fact snatched 12 Japanese citizens during the 1970s and '80s. (The tally was later raised to 13.) He added that the kidnappers had acted without instruction from above and had been punished. But Kim may not have revealed the whole story. At least one alleged kidnapper claims that several women were abducted to become wives for a group of North Korea-based Japanese terrorists, on the lam after a 1970 Japan Airlines hijacking. An ex-wife of one of the fugitives, a woman named Megumi Yao, has testified that she helped lure a 23-year-old student, Keiko Arimoto, from London to Pyongyang by promising a phony job with a German market-research firm. Arimoto was then reportedly forced to marry one of the hijackers. Some of the abductees may also have been taken only because they witnessed North Korean commandos sneaking around on Japanese soil. This theory might explain the kidnapping of 13-year-old Megumi Yokota, who disappeared while returning from badminton practice in 1977 and would likely have been of little value as a teacher or a wife. North Korea has stated that only five of the abductees are still alive; all five have returned to Japan within the past 12 months and are demanding that the families they left behind in North Korea be released, too. As for the eight declared deceased, the victims' families believe that Pyongyang may be fibbing about their loved ones' fates. Japan has demanded that the abductees' remains be returned, but North Korea says that most of the gravesites were destroyed by flooding. The twice-cremated remains of one woman were returned, but DNA tests were inconclusive. However, a dentist who examined some intact teeth from the sample has stated that a match is unlikely. In addition, several groups composed of victims' families claim that the abductions numbered well above 13 and that between 60 and 100 Japanese people were kidnapped.
U.S. delinks JAL hijackers, North Korea terror status Japan Times Nov. 23, 2007 WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States does not see North Korea's deportation of Japanese radicals who hijacked a Japan Airlines jet to the reclusive state in 1970 as a prerequisite for removing the North from a U.S. list of terrorism-sponsoring nations, a senior State Department official indicated Wednesday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also signaled willingness to take the North off the blacklist by the year's end once Pyongyang disables its three nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and fully declares its nuclear programs under a six-party deal.
On the issue of whether Pyongyang should deport the hijackers, the official said, "I think that is something that Japan and the DPRK have to sort out among themselves." DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. Of the nine Red Army Faction members who hijacked the JAL plane to North Korea, four are still in North Korea and the others have either died or been arrested upon returning to Japan. Japan has been calling for their unconditional handover. North Korea has said it is not opposed to the hijackers' return home but supports the hijackers' request to hold talks with the Japanese government first. Tokyo has rejected that request, saying it will not negotiate with the hijackers. As for the North's terrorism-sponsor status, the official played down effects on the resolution of the issue of Pyongyang's abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s even if Washington does delist the country. "I don't really think that you can say that we are going to lose leverage with the DPRK on this specific issue," the official said. "The further along we move, I think that it raises the stakes for everyone. . . . The greater the stakes and the greater the pressure on the DPRK." Washington put North Korea on the list in January 1988 after its agents blew up a South Korean jetliner in midflight the preceding year. The Korean Air Lines jet crashed into the Indian Ocean, killing all 115 people on board. Two Pyongyang agents posing as Japanese blew up the jetliner. One committed suicide after they were seized between flights in the Middle East, and the other was taken to South Korea, where she said she was tutored by one of the Japanese abductees on how to assume her identity. In a six-way statement released Oct. 3, the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to beginning the process of removing North Korea from the list as Pyongyang moves ahead with its denuclearization obligations. "Provided that there is progress on that front, then we've always been very clear that we will keep our commitment to initiate those steps," the official said. Japan, one of the nations involved in the six-party talks, has urged the U.S. not to remove the North from the list until progress is made on the abduction issue. The U.S. has explored the timing of a presidential notification to Congress of taking the North off the terrorism sponsor list, in consideration of the progress made on Pyongyang's disabling and declaring its nuclear programs. The disablement of North Korea's three nuclear facilities in Yongbyon began in early November as the second phase of the denuclearization-for-aid deal reached by the six parties in February. "The point is that there is that agreement and that as long as the DPRK proceeds in that fashion, then we intend to honor our commitments," the official said. States named on the U.S. list are subject to sanctions, including a ban on arms-related sales to the country. Removal from the list could pave the way for Pyongyang to gain access to aid from international financial institutions such as the World Bank. Due to the abduction issue, Japan and North Korea have yet to see a breakthrough in their working-group talks on normalizing ties. Japan wants the North to reopen investigations on 12 of the 17 abductees on
Japan's official list all except the five who returned to Japan in 2002. Pyongyang says the issue is resolved because no more Japanese abductees remain alive in the hermit state.
Matsushima seen as 'rising star' The Yomiuri Shimbun Aug. 31, 2007 A former Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry official who has been linked to a scandal involving gifts from the head of a social welfare corporation was once considered a "rising star among noncareer-track officials," health ministry officials said Thursday. Earlier that day, it was revealed that Masaru Matsushima, a former director of the ministry's Kyushu Regional Health and Welfare Bureau, allegedly received luxury cars and several million yen to build and refurbish his house from the former director of a social welfare corporation in Osaka Prefecture. It also came to light that the former senior bureaucrat used the money to wine and dine his colleagues and subordinates in the ministry. On Thursday morning, senior ministry officials were briefed by officials in the personnel division and those in charge of public relations. Senior officials kept quiet about the scandal. "I heard that [Matsushima] was familiar with welfare for the handicapped. I ordered my subordinates to gather information as soon as possible," said Junichi Kaneko, who heads the ministry's Secretariat. The ministry's administrative vice minister, Tetsuo Tsuji, who was to be replaced over the pension recordkeeping fiasco, spent his last day at the ministry dealing with the issue. "The scandal came to light on his last day here. He must be feeling miserable," a senior official said. Matsushima entered the former Health and Welfare Ministry in 1976 from the Social Welfare and Medical Service Corporation, currently the Welfare and Medical Service Agency. Mainly working in the field of welfare, he was promoted in July 2004 to head the welfare division of the Health and Welfare Department for Persons with Disabilities, a post considered open only to career-track bureaucrats. At that time, the division was in the process of drawing up a draft bill designed to help handicapped people become more independent. But in face of fierce criticism from organizations representing disabled people, the division had trouble coordinating the opinions of the parties concerned. In a surprise appointment, Matsushima replaced his predecessor, who was a career-track official. During his tenure at the division, Matsushima won high acclaim for playing a leading role in passing the bill into law. For this outstanding performance, Matsushima was named chief of the Policy Planning Division of the same department, another post that had previously been held only by career-track officials.
High-ranking bureaucrat took luxury cars and millions of yen Mainichi Shinbun August 30, 2007
High-ranking bureaucrat took luxury cars and millions of yen from nursing home operator Masaru Matsushima talks to reporters near the Celsior car he received from Etsuro Yamanishi at his home in Tsurugashima, Saitama Prefecture, on Thursday.A former high-ranking bureaucrat at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry received gifts including three luxury cars and millions of yen for more than 30 years from the operator of a care home and a nursing school, it emerged Thursday. Masaru Matsushima, 59, former director of the Kyushu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, denied that he used his official authority to do the donor any favor in return for the gifts. "He is a relative, and he extended personal assistance to me. I never did him a favor." Despite his denial, the ministry is investigating the allegations that the practice could constitute a violation of the National Public Service Ethics Law that prohibits national government officials from receiving donations from anyone under their supervision. Among other monetary gifts, Etsuro Yamanishi, 80, former president of Hirakata Ryoikuen in the Osaka Prefecture city of Hirakata, donated millions of yen to Matsushima in congratulatory gift money to build and refurbish his home. The former director also received three luxury cars, including a Toyota Celsior. The men are related through marriage as their wives are cousins. The Hirakata Ryoikuen corporation operates a nursing home for handicapped and elderly people and a nursing school, among other institutions.
Ex-welfare official given luxury car THE ASAHI SHIMBUN 08/31/2007 OSAKA--A former senior official of the welfare ministry admitted Thursday he was given a luxury car from the head of an entity that receives hundreds of millions of yen in annual government subsidies. Masaru Matsushima, 59, former director-general of the ministry's Kyushu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, was a ministry division chief in charge of approving social welfare organizations in 2005, when he received the free car. He retired on Aug. 24. The National Public Service Ethics Law of 1999 bans bureaucrats from receiving money and other gifts from those whose interests are affected by the officials' duties. Yoichi Masuzoe, minister of health, labor and welfare, said Thursday he will consider punishment even though Matsushima had already left the ministry. "It's a shame. After looking carefully into the case, we will take punitive measures on the basis of law," Masuzoe told reporters. Matsushima said he was given a used Celsior sedan in November 2005 from a "relative," who was then head of Hirakata Ryoikuen, a social welfare corporation based in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture. The relative, now 80, retired from the post in April 2006. According to Matsushima, the former Ryoikuen chief suggested Matsushima take the Celsior, held in the
name of his common-law wife, because she had bought a new car. Matsushima said the same relative had earlier given him two used cars and several million yen in cash when he built or renovated his home. Matsushima said his wife was a cousin of the former chief's now-deceased wife. "I was given the car as we associated with one another as relatives," Matsushima said. "I may indeed have been careless, but I have never provided any favor" to the man or his entity, he said. Hirakata Ryoikuen operates 10 facilities, including nursing homes for the elderly and ones for children with serious disabilities, in Osaka, Hyogo and Saitama prefectures. Between fiscal 2002 and 2004, the entity was granted a total of 1.324 billion yen in central government subsidies. When Matsushima received the Celsior, he was chief of the Policy Planning Division of the ministry's Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities. In that position, Matsushima had the authority to approve and supervise social welfare entities such as Hirakata Ryoikuen. The ethics law, enacted after a bribery scandal that led to the conviction of a former administrative welfare vice minister, bans central government officials from accepting gifts from interested parties. The ban applies even if those involved are relatives unless it is clear such gifts will not invite doubt from the public. The law, however, covers only incumbent bureaucrats. But Masuzoe said he will study ways to punish the retired Matsushima. Matsushima was the ministry's first non-career bureaucrat to be promoted to a regional bureau chief post. He entered the ministry first on loan from an affiliated organization in 1976. Hayao Yamamoto, a Hirakata Ryoikuen official, declined to comment on a "private affair" of its former chief. But the entity never provided any gift to Matsushima with its own funds and never received any favors, Yamamoto said Thursday.
Osama bin Laden Quotes AllGreatQuotes As for their accusations of terrorizing the innocent, the children, and the women, these are in the category of 'accusing others with their own affliction in order to fool the masses.' The evidence overwhelmingly shows America and Israel killing the weaker men, women and children in the Muslim world and elsewhere. A few examples of this are seen in the recent Qana massacre in Lebanon, and the death of more than 600,000 Iraqi children because of the shortage of food and medicine which resulted from the boycotts and sanctions against the Muslim Iraqi people, also their withholding of arms from the Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina leaving them prey to the Christian Serbians who massacred and raped in a manner not seen in contemporary history. Not to forget the dropping of the H-bombs on cities with their entire populations of children, elderly, and women, on purpose, and in a premeditated manner as was the case with Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Osama bin Laden In Nida'ul Islam magazine October-November 1996
U.S. sailor arrested over stabbings Japan Times July 6, 2007 Police arrested a U.S. Navy sailor Thursday on suspicion of attempting to murder a Japanese girl and a woman who were found stabbed in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the morning. The 19-year-old petty officer 2nd class, from the frigate USS Gary forward-deployed to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base, was taken into custody after he was found in a department store in the city at around 11 a.m. Rear Adm. James Kelly, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan, issued a statement saying the navy is cooperating with the Japanese police investigation and has been in contact with local, prefectural and central government officials to resolve the case "as quickly as possible." Police and the navy have yet to release the sailor's name. The girl, who told police she is 16 and from Tokyo's Suginami Ward, was found bleeding from the abdomen on a street in Yokosuka at around 8:30 a.m. A person working at a nearby construction site found her and called police, they said. She sustained minor injuries, according to police. A police officer who went to the scene after the call found a woman stabbed in the back at a nearby apartment. The woman, who said she is 26 and from Ayase, Kanagawa, has serious but not life-threatening injuries, police said. The sailor is suspected of stabbing the women and fleeing the apartment after quarreling with the victims. The teen told police that she went to seek help after the stabbings. The girl was also quoted as saying she was stabbed by a U.S. serviceman she got to know Wednesday and who visited the apartment. "This is a serious incident and we are gravely concerned that one of our sailors may have been involved," Kelly said. "We all pray for the victims' speedy recovery."
Pesticide found on six 'gyoza' packs in Hyogo Japan Times Feb. 4, 2008 Pesticide was detected on the surface of six Chinese-produced frozen "gyoza" dumpling packages that were made the same day as the dumplings that sickened a family in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture, police said Sunday. Two tiny holes were found in one of the six packages, they said, leading to the possibility of deliberate tampering. There was a 1-mm hole in the front and a 1-mm hole in the back. The dumplings were produced by Tianyang Food in Hebei Province, China, on Oct. 1. The Hyogo Prefectural
Police said organophosphate pesticide, called methamidophos, was detected on the six packages, which had been provided by the importer, Tokyo-based Sojitz Foods Corp. Sojitz received the six packages last month from the Osaka branch of JT Foods Co., which distributes the dumplings. A retailer in Osaka returned the six packages to JT Foods in late December, saying their surfaces were "sticky and had a foul smell." All were unopened. Mutsuo Iwai, a board member of JT Foods, told a news conference in Tokyo on Sunday evening that the company could not detect the pesticide on the packages after they were returned to the firm. "We thought the substance on the packages was some kind of oil," he said. The police said they are investigating whether there is any pesticide in the dumplings themselves in the six packages. The findings came a day after the Hyogo police said they detected no pesticide in dumplings or trays in eight packages taken from four stores in that prefecture. Meanwhile, the Chiba Prefectural Police said Saturday they did not detect any pesticide in two packages of dumpling products made Oct. 20, the same day as the products that were eaten by two families who fell ill in Chiba Prefecture. Along with the two packages, the Japanese Consumers' Cooperative Union, which distributed the dumplings, also provided the Chiba police with 88 more dumpling packages produced by Tianyang Food the same day. The Chiba and Hyogo prefectural police said they will analyze recalled dumplings in collaboration with police in Tokyo and Osaka due to the large number of products involved. Aside from 10 people in the three families in Chiba and Hyogo prefectures, 286 people in 35 prefectures have undergone treatment at medical institutions across Japan over the pesticide incident.
China says deliberate contamination of dumplings on its side impossible WINDOW OF CHINA 2008-02-07 A senior Chinese quality control official said Wednesday there was no possibility of deliberate contamination of dumplings on the China side as the plant were strictly managed. China would continue to step up checkups in the production, packaging, and transport of food products made by Tianyang Food Plant, said Wei Chuanzhong, deputy chief of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ). Japanese police have so far confirmed at least 10 people fell sick after eating dumplings laced with the highly toxic organophosphate pesticide called methamidophos made by Tianyang Food in northern China's Hebei Province. Investigations by Japanese police indicated the poisoning case was more likely a deliberate one, rather than a food safety scare, Wei said. China was ready for sincere cooperation and joint investigation with Japan to seek the truth behind the poisoning case, amid efforts to safeguard Japanese people's safety and bilateral strategic relations, he noted.
"China is willing to work with Japan to set up a long-term food safety mechanism between the two neighbors. We hope investigators could soon find the truth and publicize it to reduce the damage to the bilateral relations," he said after meeting a four-member Japanese investigation team in Beijing. Wei said he hoped the Japanese instigators would tell exactly what they saw in China after going back to guide more impartial and rational media report, instead of reporting exaggeration on groundless speculation. A joint investigation team of China and Japan said early Wednesday morning they had not detected abnormality in the Tianyang Food after a half-day investigation tour to the company. "The plant is very clean and well managed, and no abnormality has been detected," Harashima Taiji, head of the Japanese investigation team, told the press. Japan would conduct further analysis based on information and data collected in the plant, he said. Taiji added the Japanese side hoped to get more support in later investigation after touring the plant and getting all the materials it wished to check. Japanese media reported nearly 300 people have sought medical treatment, with one girl in serious condition, since a Japanese company said last week frozen meat dumplings produced at the Tianyang Food contained insecticide. Japanese authorities found an insecticide called methamidophos in the vomit of the poisoned people and food packages at their houses. But tests showed that the rest of the dumplings from the same batches sold in Japan, totaling more than 2,000 packages, were safe. So were all the other products made by the Chinese company, Wang Daning, director of AQSIQ's department of food import and export safety, said earlier. Earlier report said while suspicious clues such as small holes on some packages remain inexplicable, it's currently still unknown whether the food products were contaminated during the production and transportation process in China.
Japan's Conspiracy 32_4 Tatsuya Ichihashi: profile The Telegraph 21 Jul 2011 Tatsuya Ichihashi was a loner even before he went on the run after killing British teacher Lindsay Hawker. The son of wealthy physicians - his father is a surgeon and his mother a dentist living in the central Japan prefecture of Gifu - he lived in the four-room apartment where Miss Hawker died in March 2007 by himself, studying horticulture at Chiba University. Ichihashi, 32, rarely visited the family home, where his older sister also lived, and his parents also urged their son to turn himself in to the authorities after the discovery of Miss Hawker's naked and bruised body in a bathtub in his apartment. Described by the few friends he had as an excellent athlete, particularly in long-distance running, he otherwise kept himself to himself and his neighbours at the Gyotoku Sunrise apartment block said he was never any trouble. The only time they did remark on something out of the ordinary was the night when there was hammering from the apartment. That, it turned out, was Ichihashi ripping the bathtub out of the bathroom and
transferring it to his balcony where he buried Miss Hawker's body beneath 770lbs of soil. As well as discovering Miss Hawker's body, police investigating her disappearance found piles of manga comic books, many containing graphic cartoon images of sex and violence.
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Chapman parole board statement BBC 3 October, 2000 The text of the New York State Parole Board decision denying parole to John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman. Parole is denied. You murdered the victim, John Lennon, when you fired a .38 special calibre Charter Arm revolver, filled with hollow-point bullets. You discharged all five chambers and hit Mr Lennon as many as four times. Mr Lennon was returning to his residence and was in the company of his wife when you committed this murder. This act was calculated and unprovoked. You had planned this crime for a protracted period of time and it is apparent that you were obsessed in causing fatal harm to John Lennon. In addition to being an international celebrity, Mr Lennon was a husband and a father of two young children.
During your incarceration, you have maintained an exemplary disciplinary record which this panel has noted and considered. Quest for notoriety This panel also recognises that, because of your continued special housing status, you have been unable to avail yourself of anti-violence and/or anti-aggression programming. Your most vicious and violent act was apparently fuelled by your need to be acknowledged. During your parole hearing, this panel noted your continued interest in maintaining your notoriety. When all factors are reviewed, your discretionary release is determined to be inappropriate.
http://book.geocities.jp/japans_conspiracy/Y02/ere021.html[08/04/2013 20:56:45]
Additionally, this panel strongly believes that your release to parole supervision at this time would deprecate the seriousness of the crime and serve to undermine respect for the law.
SUMIDA WARD Reach for the sky Japantimes July 7, 2006 Sumida Ward spans an area that has endured ruinous fires, floods, plagues, and seismic as well as economic jostlings. Residents of this battered part of the city nonetheless have always kept their pride buoyant and their spirits aloft. Even when the chips are down, residents of Sumida Ward insist that things are looking up. Take the case of urban planning. Hemmed in on three sides by the Arakawa, Sumidagawa, and KyuNakagawa rivers, and cut off from the sea by Koto Ward to the south, the only direction left to expand is upward. So up it is. The world's tallest telecommunications tower is slated to rise a whopping 610 meters in Oshiage, a humble little commercial district east of the ward offices. The New Tokyo Tower, or "Sumida Tower" as some prefer, will be nearly twice the height of Godzilla's orange plaything, Tokyo Tower, in Minato Ward. Budgeted at 50 billion yen and scheduled to be completed by 2011, the tower design features two observation decks, a shopping mall, and the capacity to shift TV broadcasting from analog to digital format. An excited Oshiage train-station attendant rushed me off to the construction site. "It's going up right here," he said, pointing toward a fleet of concrete trucks beyond which I glimpsed Sumida's other elevated landmark, Philippe Stark's golden doodie -- city literature refers to it as the "objet" -- atop the Asahi Breweries Building. But Sumida's brightest skyline entertainment is a spectacular display of fireworks held each year on the last Saturday of July. An astounding 20,000 rockets bloom in reflection on the inky waters of Sumidagawa, astir with yakatabune, or Edo-style roofed pleasure boats. The official first display, according to staff at the tiny Fireworks Museum in the Ryogoku area, was in 1733. That year, plague and famine killed nearly 1 million people countrywide. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751), following an ancient tradition of exorcising evil spirits from the river and also sending off mukaebi (lights to guide souls back to rest at the end of Obon festivities), lit the fuse on a national passion for pyrotechnics. "Three centuries ago, all fireworks were red," says Sumida cultural historian Kazuyuki Gomi. Chemical flaming agents were eventually added to create some of the world's finest "fire flowers," or hanabi. A video at the Fireworks Museum shows the caution and ingenuity with which the great balls of fire are assembled. Fires have played a significant role in the development of Sumida. A bottle rocket's flight from Ryogoku is Ekoin, a Jodo Buddhist temple built to memorialize more than 100,000 unidentifiable corpses from the Meireki Fire of 1657. The fire wiped out 60 percent of Edo, requiring many residents to relocate to Sumida while the city center was being rebuilt. "Samurai became neighbors with craftsmen, and both benefited from the resulting mixture of ideas and skills," explained Gomi. A bridge built to facilitate access to Ekoin allowed people to easily attend sumo tournaments held on the grounds of the temple. The beat of Ekoin's yagura-daiko, a tower drum, summoned fans to what was the main sumo venue until the first Kokugikan was built in 1909. Ekoin, meanwhile, became sacred to the interment of calamity victims, deceased without relatives, prostitutes, pets and even convicts. Nezumikozo Jirokichi, or "The Rat Boy," Japan's version of Robin Hood, rests here. Legend has it that if you chip a bit off of his gravestone, you'll enjoy a lucky life.
The Edo Tokyo Museum is a must-see, but Ryogoku is really sumo heaven, from the Kokugikan sumo stadium to statues of wrestlers along the avenues, to chanko-nabe restaurants such as Kawasaki's, which only serves the original chicken-based sumo wrestlers' stew. Sumo trainees can sometimes be caught hulking around the Kyu Yasuda Teien, gardens landscaped for Zenjiro Yasuda, founder of Yasuda Bank and great-grandfather of Yoko Ono. Nearby is the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall and Reconstruction Museum, dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of victims of both the 1923 earthquake and World War II air raids. A stone in Ryogoku marks the corner of Sumida where writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa spent the first 20 years of his life, and it happens to be just around the corner from the manor where Kira, a principle player in the "Chushingura," one of Japan's most oft-told historical stories, was decapitated by Lord Asano's 47 ronin (masterless samurai) in 1702. Dr. Makoto Murase, otherwise known as "Dr. Rainwater," would have every head in Sumida looking up, focusing on the value of preserving precipitation. "There is no doubt that future wars will be fought over water, so before that happens, I'd like people to make tanks for water, not war," Murase said. His modest Rainwater Museum in the Bunka area may seem like a drop in the bucket, but Murase's movement -encouraging all residents to use rainwater collection tanks, and legally requiring larger buildings to utilize catchments -- is gaining international attention. Walking along the Sumida River, described in a 1959 short story by Nagai Kafu as full of "melon rinds and geta [a type of sandal] floating among the refuse" reminds one of the importance of water. Today, the river bobs with chopsticks and jellyfish, and the banks smell of urine and clay, and crabs scuttle over the newly "naturalized" sections. The Bokutei, a famed cherry-blossom site, is enjoyed in the summer by salarymen, no-income dwellers, and aqua-colored swallowtail butterflies. A highlight of walking through this neighborhood is meeting the skilled craftsmen who have long provided the economic backbone of Sumida. Master miniature kite-maker, Tetsuya Kanno, sells me a kite his father made, a nifty crow that balances perfectly on the faintest puff of air. Carver of Noh masks Rishichi Kaneko, meanwhile, has produced beauties and beasts for more than six decades. It is hard not to look up to a ward that harbors such remarkable, gentle artisans.
Lennon killer gets wife time in Attica DAILY NEWS August 11th 2008 The man who killed John Lennon has been enjoying conjugal visits with his wife for at least 16 years. Mark David Chapman has been locked up in the Attica Correctional Facility since gunning down the legendary former Beatle on Dec. 8, 1980. Since at least 1992, Chapman, who this week is up for parole for a fifth time, has been a part of the prison's "family reunion" program, the Daily News has learned. Under the program, Chapman gets to spend 44 hours straight with his wife in a special modular "private homelike setting," said Correctional Services Department spokesman Erik Kriss. There are no cameras or guards inside the individual units, but they are surrounded by a fence, in addition to the Attica complex walls, Kriss said.
Gloria Hiroko Chapman, who was married to Chapman at the time he killed Lennon and still lives in Hawaii, visits once a year on average, sometimes more often, a source told The News. She could not be reached for comment. The goal of the program, Kriss said, is to "preserve and strengthen family ties that have been disrupted as a result of incarceration." It is designed to "foster positive and responsible conduct" and "facilitate postrelease reintegration into the family and community, thereby reducing the likelihood of recidivism." When he's not canoodling with his wife, Chapman, who has a legal research certificate, assists inmates in one of Attica's law libraries. Chapman also works as a porter, cleaning up offices. Because of his notoriety, he is housed in a special unit apart from the general population. Despite some early minor prison violations, Chapman's record has been clean since 1994. Regardless, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, wants Chapman kept behind bars. Ono has notified the state Parole Board that her position has not changed in opposing Chapman's release, her lawyer Peter Shukat told The News. Chapman has been denied parole four times since he first became eligible in 2000. Ono submitted an emotional letter in 2000 detailing fears for the safety of herself, Lennon's two sons and even Chapman if he is released. Rather than write another letter, Ono, a source said, sent word that her position has not changed from the earlier statement. In that letter, Ono wrote that if Chapman is released, "I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again. Myself and John's two sons would not feel safe for the rest of our lives." She added, "With his one act of violence in those few seconds, the subject managed to change my whole life, devastate his sons, and bring deep sorrow and fear to the world. It was, indeed, the power of destruction at work." All told, the Parole Board has received 50 letters and a 1,100-signature petition against Chapman's release and just three letters calling for his freedom.
Gaping holes in Canada's security ECONOMIST Jun 14th 2007 IT WAS the worst act of aerial terrorism before the World Trade Centre attacks in 2001. On June 23rd 1985 an Air India flight from Toronto was blown up by Sikh extremists off southern Ireland, killing all 329 people on board, many of them Canadian Hindus. Twenty years later a lengthy trial in Canada ended in the acquittal of two Sikh nationalists, amid revelations of infighting between the police and the intelligence service and the mysterious destruction of key wiretap evidence. Now new evidence coming out of a public inquiry has put the spotlight on a sweepingand continuingfailure inside Canada's security services. Pressured by victims' families, Stephen Harper's Conservative minority government launched the inquiry
last year to find out what had gone wrong. During the trial it emerged that both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), charged with watching Sikh extremists in Canada, had been aware of threats to attack Air India. Militant Sikhs around the globe had vowed to avenge the Indian army's storming of the Golden Temple of Amritsar in pursuit of armed Sikh separatists in 1984. But Canada's security services had always denied having specific knowledge of an impending Air India attack.....
Meat Hope chief admits pork was disguised as ground beef Japantimes June 21, 2007 The president of a Hokkaido meat processing company said Wednesday that one of its plants shipped products made from minced beef and pork that was labeled only as ground beef. Meat Hope Co. President Minoru Tanaka told reporters Wednesday night that he approved the mixing of minced pork with minced beef when the company exhausted its beef stock. The products were then labeled as ground beef, Tanaka said, adding, "We have to accept the blame for the deception." The mixture was processed into "beef" croquettes and other products and distributed to food firms nationwide, including a subsidiary of major frozen food maker Katokichi Co. Some media meanwhile reported that Meat Hope also used expired beef in the croquettes, but Katokichi could not confirm that allegation. At a news conference Wednesday morning, Tanaka claimed there was a possibility the meat was mixed by mistake and Tomakomai-based Meat Hope was investigating. Tanaka told the earlier briefing the company's plant that processed the meat uses only one machine to mince beef, pork and chicken, and that pork left in the machine may have been mixed with beef. But he also said it was possible the pork was added to the beef when beef stocks ran out. Later Wednesday evening, Katokichi said the head of the Meat Hope factory acknowledged doing just that when beef stocks ran out. Katokichi, based in Kagawa Prefecture, set up a task force Tuesday headed by Director Kazuo Kobayashi to look into the matter. The foods in question include Co-op Beef Croquette produced by Hokkaido Katokichi Co. A total of 5 million packages have been sold since March 2003, according to the seller, the Japanese Consumers' Cooperative Union. Hokkaido Katokichi has stopped producing all foods in question. Katokichi said it will halt sales of 32 items using the beef croquettes, including nine sold under its own brand that will be recalled, and offer refunds. Katokichi said sales of the 32 products add up to the equivalent of about 4.37 million croquettes per month. "We apologize to our corporate clients and consumers for causing trouble and concern," Katokichi President Tetsuji Kanamori said at a news conference in Tokyo. "We trusted (Meat Hope) based on our past relations."
The scam is a fresh blow to Katokichi, which recently became embroiled in a scandal over fraudulent transactions.
The Asahi Shimbun, July 7, 2007 Japan's war with China The Marco Polo Bridge Incident is called "The Incident of July 7" in China. Along with Sept. 18, 1931, the date on which the Manchurian Incident began, July 7 is remembered by Chinese as a day of national humiliation. The event is recognized as the starting point of the bloody war against Japan, which lasted until 1945. For many Japanese of today, there are two dates that come to mind when they look back on the war: Dec. 8, 1941, when Japanese learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Aug. 15, 1945, the day of Japan's defeat. For Chinese, July 7 is as strongly associated with memories of the war as Dec. 8 or Aug. 15 are for Japanese. The mood in China on this day is quite different from that in Japan, where the romantic Tanabata star festival is celebrated. We decided to publish this editorial about the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7 because we believe this year has special significance for both Japan and China. This year marks the 70th anniversary of not only the Marco Polo Bridge Incident but also the Nanking Massacre--atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army against the civilian population of the city that started in December 1937. A slew of films featuring this episode have been made recently in both China and the United States. Meanwhile in the U.S. Congress, a resolution, which calls on the Japanese government to issue an apology for the Japanese military's sexual exploitation of "comfort women" during the war, is about to be adopted by the entire House of Representatives. Like it or not, this nation will be confronted by its history this year.
A step forward for Japanese diplomacy Japantimes Sept. 16, 2002 Frustrated with attempts to re-engage with the Bush administration, North Korea has reached out to alternative sources of support, sidestepping the United States for the moment by turning to Tokyo. Like a good boxer who knows how to bob and weave to elude his opponents and then land a telling blow, Pyongyang's diplomacy seeks largess at the lowest cost, again demonstrating an ability to use foreign powers to its own advantage. Paradoxically, the U.S., the power with the most at stake and in the strongest position to influence developments on the Korean Peninsula, has moved to the back of the pack under Bush's strident brand of "axis of evil" diplomacy while the two weakest players politically -- Russia and Japan -- have moved to the front rank diplomatically. In the latest round of Great Power Korean diplomacy, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is set to journey to Pyongyang on Tuesday, catapulting Tokyo into the forefront of inter-Korean diplomacy for the first time since World War II, an historic development whose significance should not be minimized. Indeed, this marks Japan emergence as a genuine dialogue partner in engaging the North on a range of
issues of vital importance on behalf of its allies, the U.S. and South Korea, a development all the more remarkable considering the high priority the U.S. attaches to North Korea as a member of the "axis of evil" and the delicate diplomacy Seoul is currently pursuing vis-a-vis Pyongyang in which Japanese intermediation would have previously been seen as unthinkable. Further, Japan is not merely negotiating normalization bilaterally with North Korea but advancing a regional security dialogue multilaterally, in effect, taking the first tentative steps toward a post-Cold War political role 50 years in the making. This act of daring statesmanship has several explanations on both sides. Kim desperately needs to broaden his political base -- which until now has been limited to Russia and China -- if he is to compete effectively with the South's "sunshine policy," which has the backing of all four powers with a major stake in Korean affairs as well as the European Union. At the same time, by legitimizing a Japanese role in inter-Korean relations, Kim has now put South Korean President Kim Dae Jung on the defensive by detracting attention away from the long-sought second interKorean summit. In effect, to put a summit with the Japanese leader ahead of the latter can hardly be pleasing to Kim Dae Jung unless it were to facilitate a Kim Jong Il visit to Seoul, a possibility that cannot be ruled out. Nor should a pot of gold of potentially billions to bankroll a bankrupt regime as part of a normalization package be overlooked, especially handy at a time when the North has embarked on sweeping economic reform measures featuring cash and carry for basic commodities such as rice in lieu of state-supported subsidies. For Pyongyang, a cash cushion, e.g., insurance against adverse developments, could not come at a better time. But what does Koizumi have to gain from this bold diplomatic venture? After all, Japan and North Korea are not at war, although one would hardly know it from the war of words that has raged between the two capitals over the past several years and a string of incidents at sea. But rather than a formula of land for peace, Koizumi may be bearing an offer of cash for peace. Indeed, no other nation poses as immediate danger to Japan's security as North Korea -- the closest target of North Korea's missile and nuclear threat inasmuch as South Korea is already under the gun conventionally. And there is no better place to demonstrate that Japan is capable of playing a political as well as an economic role in the world beginning in its own backyard. A summit success would also be a vindication of the trilateral approach that Japan, the U.S. and South Korea have been pursuing vis-a-vis the North begun by William Perry, former U.S. secretary of defense and North Korean policy coordinator, in an effort to contain the North Korean threat from weapons of mass destruction. More concretely, were Koizumi to secure the expulsion of Red Army terrorists from North Korea, the U.S might be obliged to remove the North from its terrorist list. However, while Japan brings a lot to the table, it also demands a lot in return. Moreover, the return of the Red Army hijackers , an accounting of missing Japanese thought to have been abducted by North Korean agents and an end to the suspected sea borne infiltration of illicit drugs constitute impediments to overcome on the road to diplomatic normalization, not policy departures in themselves. More fundamentally, Koizumi needs to demonstrate a long-term vision and outline the constructive role that Japan is prepared to play on the peninsula and in the region without seeming to usurp Seoul's primary role or threaten other regional players, China and Russia. This will require diplomatic finesse and surefootedness of the variety he has yet to display. Time and again he has angered the South -- over a Japanese textbook controversy and his visits to Yasukuni Shrine -- only to display a contriteness that has won him genuine affection.
Certainly relations between the two nations are on the upswing following the successful cohosting of the World Cup. The time is ripe for Japan's re-emergence as a peninsula player while leaving its historical baggage behind. For this reason, Koizumi should not return to Tokyo without first stopping off in Seoul.
Koizumi says no to hostage-takers 'Dirty terrorist threat' to kill trio no cause for SDF pullout of Iraq Japantimes April 10, 2004 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi struck a defiant pose Friday over the Japanese hostage crisis in Iraq, stating he would not cave in to terrorists' demands that the Self-Defense Forces troops be withdrawn from the country. A militant group calling itself Saraya al-Mujahideen has taken three Japanese civilians hostage and has threatened to kill them unless the government decides to pull the troops out by Sunday night. "No, I don't," Koizumi told a Friday morning news conference when asked whether he had any intention of withdrawing SDF troops currently deployed in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah. "We should not yield to such a dirty threat from terrorists." Meanwhile, the families of the hostages pleaded with the government to save the trio's lives -- possibly by withdrawing the troops. On Thursday, Arab satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera aired video footage of the blindfolded hostages being held at gunpoint; the footage was carried by TV stations nationwide. Koizumi pledged to do his utmost to save the hostages by the deadline imposed by the previously unknown group. Yet he acknowledged the government had not had any contact with the terrorist group, as it does not know who it should be negotiating with. The tape was first sent by the kidnappers to Al-Jazeera, which notified the Foreign Ministry at 6:20 p.m. of its plan to air the video footage at 9 p.m. on Thursday. In the video, members of the group displayed the passports of the hostages, who are Noriaki Imai, 18, a freelance writer; Soichiro Koriyama, 32, a freelance photo journalist; and volunteer worker Nahoko Takato, 34. "We offer you two choices: either pull out your forces or we will burn them alive," an Al-Jazeera announcer quoted a statement that he said had arrived with the videotape as saying. The statement also blamed the Japanese government for supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq and stationing the SDF troops there. Koizumi gave his full support to Washington when it launched the war in March last year. His administration decided to dispatch SDF units to Iraq in December, though the nation had been deeply divided over the issues. Asked about his responsibility for the consequences, Koizumi only said that that was not an issue right now.
"This is not a problem concerning myself. This is a problem concerning how the whole country should cope with the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq," Koizumi said. The government stressed that the SDF mission was a noncombat affair designed to help local residents. "Are (the SDF troops) doing something negative for the Iraqi people?" Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda asked a separate news conference. "No, on the contrary, they are trying to do something that is a plus for them, and they are working very hard in a dangerous place." Fukuda's father, late Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, released six Japanese Red Army members in exchange for the release of passengers and crew members aboard a hijacked airliner in Dacca in 1977, which established Japan's reputation as being weak-kneed in the face of terror threats. But his son strongly opposes complying with the terrorists' demands, stating that he "cannot find a reason to withdraw the SDF." Takeo Fukuda made his decision by saying "the life of a person is heavier than the Earth," a phrase that has long lived in people's memories. But the current chief Cabinet secretary said of his father's words: "The times are different, and the context is different, too." Meanwhile, Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa left Tokyo on Friday for Jordan, in order to supervise local operations aimed at dealing with the crisis. "The first step would be to speedily gather information that can only be obtained locally in Iraq and accurately analyze it," Aisawa said at Narita airport prior to his departure. "I will explore all possible ways to rescue them." But he did not comment on the troop-withdrawal request by the families of the hostages.
Japanese being ensnared in ill-suited U.S. trappings Japantimes May 7, 2006 Back in the 1960s and '70s, the Japanese people were being raked over the coals from West Virginia to the Ruhr Valley and beyond for, chiefly, two things. First, they were called "economic animals." Presumably this meant that Americans and Europeans believed the motivations and aspirations of Japanese people primarily emanated not from their hearts but from their wallets. "Obsessed by the acquisition of wealth" -- that's how the Western world was characterizing Japan. Second, many in the West (and not a few older Japanese) decried what they saw as the country's wholesale Americanization. According to this view, young Japanese in particular were aping American customs and losing sight of their native traditions. Even at the time I thought that these two views of Japan were flawed; and as I look back on that era of stupendous Japanese growth and internationalization, they appear to me more so.
For one thing, the Western pot hardly had the right to call the Japanese kettle black. Americans and Europeans alike were at least as keen on amassing wads of dollars, marks, francs and pounds as Japanese were yen. For another, as in the West so it was in Japan: the country's increasing wealth was a major factor in allowing it to redefine, refine and disseminate culture. Brilliant advances in fashion, architecture, advertising, cuisine, design, magazine production, theater -- you name it -- owed much to Japanese people, many of them young, ambitious and eager for innovation, having some money in their pockets. In fact, the two decades from the mid-'60s to the mid-'80s can be characterized as a time when Japanese people were culture vultures rather than economic animals. As for Americanization, I remember well when the first McDonald's opened on July 20, 1971, its emblematic "Golden Arches" stuck into the side of the Mitsukoshi department store on the Ginza in Tokyo. Hamburgers did take off in the ensuing years, but only as they did all over the developed world. Were young Japanese dressing like Americans? Were they acting toward each other like Americans? Not so. Actually, those years -- at least in terms of pop and middle-brow culture -- saw Japan distancing itself from the seductive American lifestyle. And yet, in thinking about economic animals and Americanization, it occurs to me that our own era, this second decade of Heisei, may be making those labels seriously applicable to Japan. The country has most definitely been a-changin', with the winds of change blowing conspicuously from the United States. Were Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a crooner, like "the midnight conceder of Rome" Silvio Berlusconi, he might very well be belting out his song about Japan: "This land is my land . . . from California to the New York Island . . . " As we pass midpoint in the first decade of the new century, Japan is more and more profoundly identifying with the American model of capitalism. Slashed subsidies to welfare institutions are leaving little option but for people, whatever their personal fate, to be self-sufficient or cared for by loved ones. Those with disabilities are being abandoned on a playing field about as level as your city park's slide. The privatization of public institutions such as the post office, and the semi-privatization of universities, expose an implicit faith that the marketplace of ideas and achievements is, by definition, open to all. The problem in education is that young people from families with limited means, who until now could dream about getting into Japan's subsidized top national universities, will, in the future, be barred as their fees are cranked up to similar levels as those of private universities. American-style marketplace socioeconomics may work for America, with its long-standing mobility of workers around the country, its enormous pool of hard-working migrants, a government (especially the present one) that is at the beck-and-call of business, and an openness and sharing of information that allows even the disadvantaged to access the centers of power. Japan, on the other hand, is still an information-blocking society, where those in power retain it by keeping as many cards as they can as close to their puffed-out chests as possible. The result of all this is a real stagnation at the middle and lower reaches of society. Many leading economic indicators are up at present, which is good news for corporate Japan. But family income, according to the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), is 90 percent of what it was seven years ago. In addition, the number of freelance workers is increasing by 100,000 per year, providing Japanese companies with a great source of cheap and expendable labor. But what of their future in the community? Vast numbers of these so-called freeters are subsidized by their parents, who themselves are deeply
worried about how to sustain themselves in their old age. And what is the future for that aging population? They are hoarding money, naturally, for those years of rainy days ahead. But who will take care of them in a country where facilities for the aged and infirm are miserably understaffed and undersubsidized? Company management is becoming increasingly concerned with short-term shareholder profits rather than with the needs of the public. "Free competition" sounds good on paper, but, says Rengo, "A blind belief in competition and the market compels working people to bear the burdens of deregulation and increased international competitiveness, while generating a seriously widening economic gap and social instability." The American economic model has been adopted virtually whole hog by Japan. But the social aspects concomitant with that model, such as the mobility of the population and the openness of information to all, have not been. As such, Japan is, without realizing it, using the United States as a hanmen kyoshi, a negative example, copying only the trappings of the achievement-oriented competitive spirit. In such a system, people's primary goal will naturally be to amass as much personal wealth as possible, given that -like its American counterpart -- Japanese society now offers little security beyond the almighty yen. Prime Minister Koizumi wrote in his "Cabinet E-mail Magazine" of June 17, 2004: "We must build a society in which, with knowledge and ingenuity, every individual can, through hard work and motivation, earn their due reward." Yet, thanks to the fend-for-yourself, weakest-to-the-wall Americanization now institutionalized in the Heisei Era, access into that brave society of achievers is increasingly limited, and young people are being forced to set their sights not high but low -- on the quick yen and the easy fixes of short-term gratification. It's not their fault. They are being offered no alternative.
JALways jet blows engine, returns Japantimes Aug. 13, 2005 FUKUOKA (Kyodo ) A JALways jetliner bound for Honolulu returned to Fukuoka airport Friday night about 30 minutes after takeoff after it blew out its port engine, airport authorities said. The DC-10 trijet's engine burst into flames shortly after takeoff, raining metal apparently from the engine down on a residential area in Fukuoka's Higashi Ward, Fukuoka Prefectural police said, adding no one was hurt, but a car windshield car was cracked, possibly by the falling debris. JALways Flight 58 took off from Fukuoka airport at 7:45 p.m. carrying about 230 passengers and returned to the airport at 8:20 p.m. JALways is a Japan Airlines subsidiary.
Death toll rises to 101 in flood-hit south China CHINAdaily 2007-07-10 Floods have caused seven more deaths in the provinces of China, bringing the death toll to 101, a spokesman with the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Monday. Another 26 people are missing as a result of torrential rain which began lashing the Huaihe River valley, the eastern area of Sichuan Province and the southern area of Shaanxi Province on June 28.
About 28 million people have been affected and nearly 800,000 people in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Chongqing and Shaanxi had been evacuated by 4:00 p.m. on Monday. More than 75,500 houses have collapsed and another 295,600 have been damaged. Altogether 2.13 million hectares of farmland have been affected, with agricultural losses estimated at 3.7 billion yuan (about 485 million U.S. dollars) while total direct economic losses could reach 6.9 billion yuan, according to the spokesman. In Hubei Province, seven people have been killed in heavy rains and floods -- two were swept away by floods, three were killed after houses collapsed, one was pummeled in a mud-rock flow and another was hit by lightning, said Liu Hui, an official in charge of disaster relief with the Hubei Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, on Monday. In Anhui Province, 11 people have died in the floods, which have also affected nearly 10 million people, forced the evacuation of more than 120,000 people and caused more than 2.3 billion yuan of direct economic losses, Li Hongta, director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, told an anti-floods conference on Monday. In the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, the heaviest rainstorms in the past decade brought up to 385 mm of rainfall to some districts of the city over the weekend, according to the Nanjing Municipal Meteorological Station. Meanwhile, more than 14,000 thunderbolts hit Nanjing between Saturday morning and Sunday morning, about 10 thunderbolts a minute, damaging some city infrastructure such as subway power equipment. Heavy rains also triggered mountain torrents, landslides and mudflows. A village in Daxian County of Sichuan Province was destroyed completely by a large landslide at about 9 a.m. on Saturday, only a few minutes after more than 2,000 villagers had been moved to safety. The villagers from Yanmen Village, Qingning Township, have found temporary shelter in two local primary schools.
Gazprom strikes a deal with Total Economist Jul 13th 2007 ON THE eve of Bastille Day Russias president, Vladimir Putin, handed a royal present to the newly elected president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, by allowing a national French company into Russias mightily tempting energy sector. After years of deliberations, Gazprom, Russias state-controlled energy behemoth that doubles up as the Kremlins foreign-policy arm, has chosen France's Total to develop a giant offshore gas field in the Arctic. There is little doubt that the deal was struck personally between Mr Putin and Mr Sarkozy. A day before it was announced the two presidents discussed it by phone. Mr Sarkozy must understand that it was not a gift made lightly. For the past five years Gazprom had pondered what to do with the $20 billion Shtokman project, rich enough to supply the entire worlds demand for gas for a year. It negotiated with several foreign firms and made them supply detailed bids; it announced a shortlist of companies which included Norways Statoil and Norsk Hydro and Americas Chevron, then last autumn, in a fit of energy nationalism, rejected them all in favour of working alone.
ABDUCTEE 'TREATED WELL' IN NORTH KOREA Defense of Pyongyang confuses brother Japantimes Oct. 20, 2002 The brother of Kaoru Hasuike, who was abducted by North Korean agents in 1978 and is on his first visit to Japan in 24 years, is bewildered by his defense of the communist state, relatives say. Despite the joy of their first meeting in nearly a quarter of a century, Toru Hasuike, 47, is confused by the behavior of his 45-year-old brother, who maintains he is being treated well in North Korea and has never been persecuted. According to relatives, the brothers used to do everything together before Kaoru was snatched by North Korean agents, and Toru had expressed hope before they were reunited Tuesday that his younger brother had not changed over the years. But those hopes seem to have been dashed, they said. On the morning after his arrival in Tokyo, Kaoru woke up Toru at his room in a hotel, insisting that TV reports about Megumi Yokota, one of at least 13 Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea between 1977 and 1983, contained "wrong information." After coming close to demanding a correction from the broadcasters, Kaoru reportedly tried to contact two North Korean Red Cross officials who had accompanied him and four other surviving abductees to Japan. Toru's distrust of his brother increased when he asked about the 1987 terrorist bombing of a Korean Air jet that was subsequently linked to North Korean agents and resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people. Kaoru insisted the North Korea link was fabricated and refused to talk about political topics. "There are incomprehensible points and (Kaoru) does not tell the truth," Toru later told a press conference with his brother in Tokyo. Since 1997, Toru has served as a key member of a group of relatives campaigning on behalf of Japanese nationals taken to North Korea. He has often taken a hardline stance in the group's negotiations with the Japanese government over the issue. Kaoru brought nearly 100 photographs from North Korea with him and told relatives that he leads a comfortable life with his wife, Yukiko Okudo, and their children there. But Toru did not seem happy, his relatives said, and suspects his brother was trying to show the high quality of life they have in Pyongyang. "I have to re-educate him in two weeks, so please help me," Toru reportedly told a friend Thursday when the brothers were drinking with old friends in their hometown of Kashiawzaki in Niigata Prefecture. Defector fears arrest WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The American husband of a Japanese woman abducted by North Korean agents wanted to travel to Japan but feared he would be arrested by U.S. authorities for having defected to North Korea, sources said Friday. Charles Jenkins, a former U.S. soldier living in North Korea, reportedly told authorities he wanted to accompany his wife, Hitomi Soga, on her return to Japan last Tuesday. Jenkins, 62, is believed to have defected to the communist state in 1965 while he was a sergeant in a U.S. army unit deployed along the Demilitarized Zone, which separates North and South Korea. Seeing his wife off at Pyongyang airport on Tuesday for her temporary return home, Jenkins reportedly told
Japanese Foreign Ministry personnel of his conflicting emotions. Soga, 43, is one of five Japanese nationals who were abducted to North Korea in 1978 and returned to Japan on Tuesday. According to the Foreign Ministry, Jenkins met with Akitaka Saiki, deputy director general of the ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and other Japanese officials before Soga boarded a chartered flight to Tokyo. Asked by the Japanese officials if he wanted to go to Japan or travel with his wife, Jenkins replied it would not be easy due to his uncertain status, the ministry said. He expressed a desire to visit Japan but was concerned that he could be taken into custody or face a military tribunal if he accompanied his wife. The U.S. government has asked North Korea to hand over American defectors, including Jenkins, but Pyongyang has refused. On Aug. 12, 1978, Soga was abducted along with her mother, Miyoshi, then 46. She was 19 years old at the time and working as a nursing assistant at a general hospital on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture. The two were on their way home from grocery shopping when they were taken captive. Miyoshi's whereabouts remain unknown. Soga and Jenkins married on Aug. 8, 1980. They have two daughters, aged 19 and 17, who are students at Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies.
Pulling the plug on Yongbyon Japantimes July 18, 2007 North Korea has shut down its plutonium-producing reactor at Yongbyon and other facilities and accepted inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Although this is a welcome development, little optimism is warranted. The shutdown means only that North Korea has stopped producing any more plutonium to add to its nuclear material stockpile. The North carried out its first nuclear bomb test in October 2006. Although six-party talks are scheduled this week in Beijing, participating nations must not forget that the ultimate goal is to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and its weapons development programs. The shutdown of the facilities, including one that extracts plutonium from nuclear fuel rods removed from the reactor, was part of the initial phase of a six-party deal reached Feb. 13. It is three months behind schedule, and North Korea made the move only after the first batch of 50,000 tons of fuel from South Korea arrived as a reward for the shutdown. The Beijing talks will discuss the second phase under the February agreement. North Korea is supposed to declare all nuclear programs and disable all nuclear facilities in exchange for economic, energy and humanitarian assistance equivalent to 950,000 tons of fuel oil. In talking with North Korea, the five other parties the United States, Japan, China, South Korea and Russia may have difficulty in ironing out details that are needed to implement the second phase. One problem is that North Korea denies the allegation that it has the capability for high-level enrichment of uranium. The five parties must ensure that North Korea declares all programs and disables all its facilities.
They also must get a firm promise from the North that it will not reactivate the facilities. Having Pyongyang agree to let IAEA inspectors carry out their activities as needed will be important. North Korea may try to divide the five nations. The North argues that further denuclearization progress hinges on Japan and the U.S. ending "their hostile policies toward" it. This makes the five nations' unity all the more indispensable.
Quake hits western Japan Inqirer.net 01/26/2008 The quake hit the Noto peninsula on the west coast of Japan's main island of Honshu at 4:33 am (1933 GMT) at a depth of 11 kilometers (seven miles), the agency said, adding there were no reports of casualties and no risk of a tsunami. Smaller aftershocks with magnitudes of 3.1 and 2.9 followed. A spokesman for the agency said the tremors were aftershocks to a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked the region on March 25, 2007, leaving one dead and hundreds wounded. "Although nearly a year has passed since that earthquake it is still possible the region will experience further aftershocks although on a smaller scale," he said. The area is some 300 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The 2007 quake reduced hundreds of homes rubble and forced thousands of residents to take cover in emergency shelters. "For a second I thought it was like last year's earthquake and it really startled me," a local resident told private broadcaster TBS. A local official said no damage had been reported. Japan experiences about 20 percent of the world's major earthquakes.
Fukuda off to Davos with focus on climate change AFP Jan 25, 2008 Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda left Friday for the Swiss resort of Davos where he will push initiatives on climate change and the shaky global economy at the World Economic Forum. Fukuda, who will chair the annual Group of Eight (G8) summit in July, was scheduled to deliver a speech on Saturday at the annual gathering of world business and political leaders. "I place importance on the (Davos) meeting as it often helps set the tone for world opinion. I will make my statement with my sights set on the (G8) summit," Fukuda said in parliament. He added Japan could make a great contribution to a solution to climate change with its technological clout. "I want to emphasise such a point there." The premier told reporters before his departure that he would call on the world's major powers to cooperate
in lifting global stockmakets from recent debacles. "The United States may seem to be the most responsible for the problem but the global stockmarket plunge cannot be dealt with by a single country. It is important for all major countries to act at the same time," he said. Fukuda headed to Switzerland amid sagging approval at home in his fourth month in office. The opposition last year won control of one house of parliament and is pushing for Fukuda to call a snap general election. Fukuda is expected in his speech to promise concrete targets for Japan curbing carbon emissions after 2012, when obligations under the Kyoto Protocol expire. Japan, despite championing the Kyoto Protocol, is far behind in meeting its commitments as its economy recovers from recession in the 1990s. Japan was stung by criticism from environmentalists last month at a UN conference in Bali for siding with the United States in opposing an explicit goal for post-Kyoto commitments. "I am now determined, in the very near future, to spell out how Japan will set its own national target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Fukuda wrote in Friday's Financial Times. "In so doing, Japan can act as both a catalyst and a locomotive to further the roadmap so that the postKyoto framework will involve not a limited few but all responsible members of the international community," he wrote. He signalled that Japan would also focus on Africa during its leadership of the G8. "We must couple the fight against climate change with the fight against poverty and infectious diseases in Africa," he wrote.
Arsenic poisoning Arsenic is known best as a deadly poison, although in small doses it does have medical benefits. BBC News Online looks at the workings of the chemical infamous for its deadly effects. BBC NEWS 27 September, 1999 What is arsenic? Arsenic is a semi-metallic naturally-occurring chemical. It is all around us in the environment and we are all exposed to small doses on a regular basis. It is difficult to detect as it is generally odourless and flavourless, meaning people have little idea when it is around. What is the risk? Arsenic can kill humans quickly if consumed in large amounts, although small, long-term exposure can lead to a much slower death or other illness. Studies have linked prolonged exposure to arsenic with cancer, diabetes, thickening of the skin, liver disease and problems with the digestive system.
It has also been associated with nervous system disorders - feeling tingling or losing sensation in the limbs and hearing difficulties. What happens if you are poisoned? A person exposed to large amounts of arsenic - either through eating or drinking it - will usually die, and symptoms will appear within 30 minutes of exposure. There is a similar outlook for people who breathe large amounts of it, although the onset of symptoms may be delayed as the concentration is likely to be lower. Physical contact with arsenic can cause, initially, the skin to thicken and, with prolonged contact, blood flow to the heart to become decreased. What are the symptoms? The first sensations include a metallic taste in the mouth, excessive saliva production and problems swallowing. The next stage is to suffer vomiting and diarrhoea coupled with garlic-like breath, stomach cramps and excessive sweating. As the poison's effects progress, the patient will suffer seizures and go into shock, dying within a few hours. If death does not occur at this stage, it will happen a few days when the kidney fails. What is the treatment? Arsenic poisoning can be treated if it is caught early enough, through a series of injections into muscles. The patient needs 2.5mg to 5mg per kilogram of body weight of a drug called dimercaporal every four hours for the first two days followed by two injections on the third day then one a day for the next five days. What is the environmental threat? There is growing concern about levels of arsenic in the environment, both from natural occurrence and from pollution. Forty million people in West Bengal and Bangladesh are thought to be at risk from arsenic-contaminated water supplies, although studies are continuing into what effect the poisoning is having. The contamination is thought to have occurred naturally, as a result of arsenic being released from rocks into underground water supplies. The US Environmental Protection Agency has an ongoing research programme to look into arsenic in the environment and to establish what constitutes a safe level. What are the benefits? Small doses of arsenic have been shown to send some forms of cancer into remission, and it can also help thin blood. Homeopathists have also used undetectable amounts of it to cure stomach cramps.
However, therapies involving the chemical are still in the experimental stages.
Typhoon Usagi REUTERS 03 Aug 2007 Typhoon Usagi is forecast to strike Japan as a tropical storm at about 22:00 GMT on 3 August. Data supplied by the US Navy and Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center suggest that the point of landfall will be near 40.5 N, 138.7 E. Usagi is expected to bring 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 64 km/h (40 mph). Wind gusts in the area may be considerably higher. The information above is provided for guidance only and should not be used to make life or death decisions or decisions relating to property. Anyone in the region who is concerned for their personal safety or property should contact their official national weather agency or warning centre for advice.
( This news is the latest one that reports the Kagoshima Prefectural Police. But I believe this report has been fabricated by the police in order to cover up the scandal related to me. ) -----------------------------Court upholds suspended term for abusive cop Japantimes Sept. 10, 2008 The Fukuoka High Court on Tuesday upheld a suspended prison sentence for a former senior police officer convicted of coercing a suspect into confessing by making him step on documents bearing the names of relatives. Presiding Judge Hiroo Suyama turned down an appeal filed by Takahiro Hamada, 46, who was convicted of assault and cruelty by a public official under the Penal Code in connection with the interrogation tactic, which dates back to feudal times. Hamada, a former assistant inspector in the Kagoshima Prefectural Police, used the "fumiji" guilt-inducing ploy to extract the confession during an investigation into alleged violations involving the 2003 Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly election, according to a lower court ruling last March. Suyama brushed aside the argument of Hamada, who did not appear in court, that his action did not constitute an act of cruelty because he used the technique just once and performed no punishable acts. Hamada's case was among those that prompted police to open up somewhat their closed-door questioning of suspects. The Fukuoka District Court found Hamada guilty and sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for three years. He had pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors had sought a prison term of 10 months. The district court found that Hamada grilled Sachio Kawabata, 62, a hotelier in Kagoshima Prefecture, in April 2003 without arresting him and forced him to step on three pieces of paper on which the names of his father and grandson were written along with an expression of hope that Kawabata would become an honest man. Kawabata was a supporter of Shinichi Nakayama, 63, who won a seat in the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly election that month.
Hamada seized Kawabata's legs and forced him to step on the documents at least once, the district court ruled. After the police investigation, 13 people were indicted for alleged election violations, but no criminal charges were brought against Kawabata. In February 2007, the Kagoshima District Court acquitted 12 of the 13, dismissing the credibility of the confessions extracted from some of the accused during the investigation. The 13th defendant died during the trial. Prosecutors did not file an appeal against the decision, which was finalized in March. On Sept. 1, police in Tokyo and 39 prefectures set up new posts on a test basis to supervise and monitor interrogations in the wake of a spate of acquittals largely due to inappropriate police questioning. Police officers other than investigators would fill the new posts. Fumiji is similar to the "fumie" technique used by the Tokugawa shogunate in the 17th century to smoke out closet Christians by forcing them to step on a portrait of the Virgin Mary or other Christian symbol.
Japanese Red Army leader arrested BBC News 8 November, 2000 The leader of the radical Japanese Red Army, once one of the world's most feared guerrilla groups, has been captured after nearly three decades on the run. Fusako Shigenobu, 55, was seized outside a hotel in Takatsuki, near Osaka in western Japan, and taken to Tokyo for questioning. The Japanese Red Army became known in the 1970s for a series of horrifying attacks, including plane hijackings and hostage-takings. The most notorious was the machine gun and grenade attack at Israel's Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion) in 1972, which left 26 dead and 78 injured. Ms Shigenobu was also on an international wanted list for the 1974 storming of the French embassy in The Hague in which the ambassador was taken hostage. Her arrest inside Japan came as a surprise because she was believed to be living in Lebanon where her group had based itself in the 1970s. Japanese media reports said she had been living in Osaka since mid-July and using a friend's name as an alias. Police said she had checked into the Takatsuki hotel under a man's name and had tried to disguise herself.
As police took her off to Tokyo she shouted at reporters: "I am determined fight on." Lebanon The Red Army grew out of the 1960s anti-Vietnam War movement and believed in the destruction of capitalism.
In 1971 the group reorganised itself to fight for Arab causes and Ms Shigenobu travelled to Lebanon where she linked up with Palestinian extremists. Earlier this year, Tokyo police arrested four other Red Army members after they were deported from Lebanon. Another Red Army faction hijacked a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane in 1970, forcing it to fly to the North Korean capital Pyongyang. Four of the hijackers are still believed to be in North Korea which granted them asylum. The issue is one of several issues hindering the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Pyongyang and Tokyo.
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'Japanese O.J.' kills self after extradition to US LOS ANGELES (AFP) 2008/10/12 A Japanese businessman hanged himself in a Los Angeles jail cell where he was awaiting trial for plotting his wife's murder here in 1981, prosecutors said Saturday. Kazuyoshi Miura, 61, killed himself Friday night just hours after arriving in Los Angeles in the custody of authorities that had him extradited to face criminal charges here. Chief of Los Angeles police detectives Charles Beck said Miura used a piece of shirt to hang himself after a jailer checked on him at 9:45 pm Friday (0445 GMT Saturday). Miura was alone in his cell. An officer noticed Miura unconscious, hanging by the strip of cloth, about ten minutes later. "The detention officers assigned to the portion of the jail housing Miura had conducted a required cell check, with nothing unusual to report, approximately 10 minutes prior," Beck said. Efforts to revive Miura failed and he was pronounced dead at a local medical center, according to Beck. Miura had been in police custody since his arrest February 21 in the US commonwealth of Saipan. He arrived in Los Angeles early Friday under escort by police detectives and was to remain in jail until being arraigned in court next week on a charge of conspiracy to murder his wife. Miura had been dubbed the "Japanese O.J. Simpson" because of the intense interest in his case at home. "He was not on suicide watch, and we had no obvious evidence that he was suicidal," Beck said. "He was extremely cooperative on the trip over. He had visitors from the (Japanese) Consulate and discussions with his attorney." No note was found and, as is routine, the "in-custody death" is being investigated. Miura was shot in the leg and his 28-year-old wife, Kazumi, received a bullet wound to the head in what appeared at the time to be a robbery in a Los Angeles car park on November 18, 1981.
The wife was returned to Japan by the US Air Force and died in hospital after a year in a coma. The case became notorious and reinforced Japanese perceptions of the US as a violent country. But a series of Japanese news articles in 1984 started to change perceptions when a former mistress of Miura said he had asked her to kill his wife three months before the shooting. In a statement released in May 1988 after murder and conspiracy charges were filed in Los Angeles, prosecutors alleged Miura collected about 750,000 dollars from life insurance policies on his wife. Prosecutors also allege Miura "solicited five different people to murder his wife," including the person who actually shot her. Miura was convicted of murder and assault charges by a Japanese court and served more than a decade in prison before winning his release with a successful appeal. US judge Steven Van Sicklen ruled last month that Miura could only face conspiracy to commit murder charges in California -- rather than a count of murder -- because of double jeopardy rules. Thursday, prosecutors in Los Angeles filed a 25-page motion asking the court to reinstate a murder charge against Miura. Miura was scheduled to be arraigned on the conspiracy charge on Tuesday. He faced a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted as charged.
Japanese anger as U.S. takes North Korea off terrorism list Busuness Week October 12 2008 With Japan playing an important role in the current financial crisis, not least Mitsubishi UFJs $9 billion bailout of Morgan Stanley, one might think the U.S. government would be trying hard not to upset a key ally. Yet, the Bush administrations decision to take North Korea off the list of nations considered to be sponsors of terrorism appears to have been done with little, if any, consideration for Japan. Predictably, the decision was met with mixture of anger and disbelief in Japan where the fate of Japanese kidnapped by North Korea in the late 1970s and early 1980s understandably remains an emotive issue. I cannot help feeling empty because everything is decided somewhere beyond our reach. I feel completely helpless, said Shigeo Iizuka, 70, who leads the group which represents the Japanese abductees families, reported Kyodo News. Teruaki Masumoto, another member of the group, described the U.S. move as the betrayal of an ally. The manner of the announcement also leaves much to be desired. While the official line is that the move wont affect Japanese-U.S. relations, the Asahi newspaper reported that Japan had been caught hop, with Prime Minister Taro Aso only alerted by Washington thirty minutes before the announcement. Japanese state broadcaster NHK said Japans Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa broke off from talks about rescuing the worlds financial system to press President Bush on the matter. Bush told him to speak to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who apparently said the removal will not have a large impact on the kidnapping issue. Nakagawa described the move as extremely regrettable. The U.S government is also receiving low marks for its handling of the financial crisis. While officials havent publicly criticized the U.S., economists in Japan have been dismayed at the handling of the bailout,
complaining that the U.S. has been slow to learn from Japans mistakes during its own financial meltdown a decade ago. That ensuing upheaval contributed to the 24% fall in the Nikkei 225 Index last weekits worst ever week.
Full text of Premier Zhu's government work report Xinhuanet 2003-03-19 BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Following is the full text of the Report on the Work of the Government Premier Zhu Rongji delivered at the First Session of the 10th National People's Congress on March 5, 2003:
Zhu Rongji Premier of the State Council Fellow Deputies, This government took office in March 1998, and its term is about to expire. On behalf of the State Council, I now submit a report on the work of the government during the past five years tothe First Session of the Tenth National People's Congress and put forward a number of suggestions on this year's work for your examination and approval and also for comments from members of theNational Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. I Review of the Work of the Government in the Past Five Years The five years since the First Session of the Ninth National People's Congress have been an extraordinary period. Soon after this government took office, the Asian financial crisis struck, and world economic growth stagnated. Domestically, irrationalitiesin the industrial structure became critical, and large numbers of workers were laid off from state-owned enterprises. Catastrophic floods struck in 1998 and 1999. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, our people of all ethnic groups have forged ahead, worked still harder in solidarity, surmounted numerous difficulties, and made great achievements in reform, opening up and economic and social development that have won worldwide recognition. We have attained the strategic goals for the second stage of our modernization drive and begun our march towards the third stage goals. During the past five years, the national economy maintained good growth momentum, and important advances were made in the strategic restructuring of the economy. -- The economy maintained a high growth rate. China's GDP rosefrom 7.4 trillion yuan in 1997 to 10.2 trillion yuan in 2002, an average annual increase of 7.7%, when calculated in constant prices. Notable results were achieved in the readjustment of the industrial structure. The supply of grain and other major agricultural products took a historic shift from chronic shortagesto an overall balance with surpluses during good years. High and new technology industries, such as the IT industry, expanded rapidly. The transformation of traditional industries was accelerated. Modern service industries developed rapidly. The quality and efficiency of economic growth improved constantly. National tax revenue grew by a large margin every year. Total fiscal revenue rose from 0.8651 trillion yuan in 1997 to 1.8914 trillion yuan in 2002, an average annual increase of 205.3 billionyuan. China's foreign exchange reserves climbed from 139.9 billion to 286.4 billion US dollars. Investment in fixed assets over the five years totaled 17.2 trillion yuan. In particular, based on the issuance of 660 billion yuan of long-term construction treasury bonds, 3.28 trillion yuan of bank loans and funds from other sources were generated for investment, allowing us to accomplish many large undertakings we had been wanting but unable to undertake for years for lack of resources. The productive forces reached a new high, and the country's economic strength and ability to withstand risks
and compete internationally grew significantly. -- Remarkable achievements were made in infrastructure development. By concentrating our resources, we completed a numberof key infrastructure projects of nationwide significance. We built water conservancy projects on a scale larger than any other time since the founding of New China. The investment in these projects nationwide totaled 356.2 billion yuan for the five years,which was equal to the total investment in this field from 1950 through 1997 after adjusting for price changes. A number of key water conservancy projects were launched or completed. Work on reinforcing 35,000 km of river embankments was started. Over 3,500km of main dikes of the Yangtze River and nearly 1,000 km of dikesof the Yellow River have been reinforced, and their capacity to withstand floods has been greatly increased. The second phase of the Three Gorges water control project on the Yangtze River, whichhas attracted world attention, will soon be completed; water control facilities such as the one at Xiaolangdi on the Yellow River became operational, and construction on the South-North Water Diversion Project was begun. Transport developed on an unprecedented scale, and a comprehensive modern transport system began to take shape. In these five years, China invested 1.2343 trillion yuan in highway building, which was equal to 170% of the figure for the period from 1950 through 1997 after adjusting for price changes. The total length of highways open to traffic increased from 1.23 million km in 1997 to 1.76 million km in 2002,of which expressways increased from 4,771 km to 25,200 km, liftingChina from the 39th to the second place in the world. Railway length increased from 65,969 km to 71,500 km. Over the past five years, construction of 5,944 km of new railway lines, of which 4,603 km are double-track and 5,704 km are electrified, was completed. A total of 50 airports were either newly built or expanded. The annual cargo handling capacity of dock berths for 10,000 ton-class or larger ships increased by 144 million tons. Construction of postal and telecommunications facilities greatly expanded. The length of installed long-distance optical cables increased from 150,000 km in 1997 to 470,000 km in 2002, and the number of fixed-line and mobile phone subscribers increased from 83.54 million to 421 million, ranking China first in the world. Construction in the energy sector was further intensified. The installed power-generating capacity increased from 254 million kw in 1997 to 353 million kw in 2002. Urban planning and public utility construction improved notably, greatly changing the appearance of many cities. The infrastructure improved remarkably,which significantly increased the capability for our future economic development. -- The program for developing the western region made a good start. Over the past three years since the introduction of the western development strategy, the government has given a powerful push to the region's development by increasing investment, stepping up transfer payments and introducing preferential fiscal and taxation policies. Work was begun on 36 new key projects, which called for a total investment of over 600 billion yuan. Smooth progress was made on such major projects as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the diversion of natural gas and electricity from the western to the eastern regions, water control projects and trunk highways. Work was accelerated to ensure that every county seat is served by asphalt roads, that every township has access toelectricity, and that every village enjoys radio and television reception. Efforts were intensified to conserve and improve the ecological environment. Construction was accelerated on rural roads, small and medium-sized water conservancy projects, potable water facilities for people and livestock, as well as facilities in the fields of science, technology and education. Economic and technological cooperation between the eastern region and the western and central regions was increased. -- Our capability for sustainable development was enhanced. The spending on environmental protection and ecological development in the five years reached 580 billion yuan, amounting to 170% of the figure from 1950 through 1997. Six forest ecological projects -- reforesting formerly cultivated land, protecting natural forests and controlling the sources of dust storms affecting Beijing and Tianjin -- were carried out in full. During these five years, an additional 27.87 million hectares of land was covered with trees; 31.53 million hectares of hills were cordoned off for afforestation, and 3.82 million hectares of formerly cultivated land were returned to forests. Soil erosion on 266,000 square km of land and desertification on 5.7 million hectares of land were brought under control. The tendency towards worsening environmental pollution has, on the whole, been arrested; the total discharge of major pollutants has decreased steadily, and the quality of the environment in key cities and areas has been improving. New progress was made in the protection of natural resources. Great successes were achieved in geological prospecting.Notable progress was made in
disaster prevention and reduction. With the natural population growth rate down to 6.45, China has entered a new period of low and stable birthrate. (The rest is omitted)
Cairo Meeting NationMaster.com Encyclopedia November 22, 1943 - World War II: War in the Pacific - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and ROC leader Chiang Kai-Shek meet in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss ways to defeat Japan. Cairo Declaration Wikipedia The Cairo Declaration was a result from Cairo Conference at Cairo, Egypt, on November 27, 1943. President Franklin Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China were present. The Cairo Communiqu was broadcasted through radio on December 1, 1943. The Cairo Declaration is cited in Clause Eight (8) of the Potsdam Declaration, which is referred by the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
India 'sinks Somali pirate ship' BBC NEWS 19 November 2008 An Indian navy warship has destroyed a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden. INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead, an Indian navy statement said. There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia. The latest attack came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates and anchored off the Somali coast. Vela International, operators of the Sirius Star, told the BBC no demands had yet been received from the pirates. The company also said all the crew were safe. The biggest tanker ever hijacked, Sirius Star is carrying a cargo of two million barrels of oil - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m (7m). Analysts say the pattern of other hijackings suggests a ransom request is likely to follow. Given the value of the tanker and its cargo, that is expected to be a sizeable demand. Two of the captive crew are British. The UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said the Royal Navy was coordinating the European response to the incident. "The problem of piracy around Somalia is a grave danger to the stability in the region," he told the BBC.
Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife. Explosions India is among several countries already patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The Indian navy said the Tabar spotted the pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (528km) southwest of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening. The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers. When it demanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the statement said. Pirates then fired on the Tabar, and the Indians say they retaliated and that there was an explosion on the pirate vessel, which sank. "Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel," the Indian navy said. Some of the pirates tried to escape on two speedboats. The Indian sailors gave chase but one boat was later found abandoned, while a second boat escaped. INS Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since 23 October, and has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the statement said. Last week, helicopter-borne Indian marine commandos stopped pirates from boarding and hijacking an Indian merchant vessel. Ransoms On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates this year. The first vessel, a 25-crew cargo vessel transporting wheat to Iran, was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, while contact was lost with the crew of 12 on the fishing boat. Piracy off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of Aden - an area of more than 1m sq miles (2.6m sq km) is estimated to have cost up to $30m in ransoms this year, a UK think tank has said. The hijackings account for one-third of all global piracy incidents this year and the situation is getting out of control, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The pirates who seized the Sirius Star are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says the BBC Somali Service's Yusuf Garaad. Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds. Shipping companies are now weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to Europe via the Suez canal. However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey
times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers.
Tamil Eelam National leader in his annual Heroes Day statement on 27 November 2008 TamilVoice Danmark November 27, 2008 We have never planned to act against the interests of any country - We wish to renew our good relationship with India The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), V Pirapaharan, in his annual Heroes Day statement said that the LTTE has never stood in the way of the national, geopolitical, or economic welfare of any other country and added that the profound aspirations of the Tamil people too are not harmful to the welfare of any country or its people. He further said that during the long struggle waged by the LTTE it has never planned to act against any country. He appealed to the countries that have banned the LTTE to remove this ban.
Velupillai Prabhakaran
He said that though the LTTE adopted the armed struggle, it has always wished to solve the Tamil national problem through peaceful means. He said, We have never been against adopting peaceful means and we have never hesitated to take part in peace talks. He said that trials and tribulations that LTTE faces now are neither new nor insurmountable to the movement and expressed confidence that the challenges will be defeated with the overwhelming strength of the people. He went on at length on the relationship of the LTTE with India. He said, Great changes are taking place in India. The voices of support for our struggle that were stifled are again being heard loudly. He expressed his desire for the renewal of good relationship with India. Expressing his gratitude to the people of India he said, Not withstanding the dividing sea, Tamil Nadu, with its perfect understanding of our plight, has taken heart to rise on behalf of our people at this hour of need. This timely intervention has gratified the people of Tamil Eelam and our freedom movement and given us a sense of relief. I wish to express my love and gratitude at this juncture to the people and leaders of Tamil Nadu and the leaders of India for the voice of support and love they have extended. He also appealed to the Indian government to take constructive actions to remove the ban which remains a stumbling block for the good relationship between India and the LTTE. My beloved people! The land of Tamil Eelam is confronted with an intense war as never before. Rearing its head in different parts of Wanni, the war is gathering momentum. As the Sinhala state is committed to a military solution, the war is becoming intense and widespread. The underlying intent of the Sinhala state is to wipe out the national life and resources of the Tamils and subjugate the Tamil nation under alien Sinhala military despotism. With this in view, it is executing its war plan at full gallop. Pooling together all its military resources and arsenal, and with all its national wealth to buttress it, the racist Sinhala state has waged a fierce war on our land. Our freedom fighters, have dedicated themselves to unbending resistance against this war of aggression launched by the racist Sinhala state. With various countries of the world buttressing the genocidal war on the people of Tamil Eelam, we are waging a defensive war for the freedom of our people.
Today, our movement has embarked on a historic journey, hazardous and strenuous. In this historic venture, we have encountered numerous turns, twists and confrontations. We have faced forces much mightier than ours. We have had direct confrontations even against superior powers, stronger than us. We have withstood wave after wave of our enemy attacks. Standing alone, we have blasted networks of innumerable intrigues, interwoven with betrayal and sabotage. We stood like a mountain and faced all dangers that loomed like storms. When compared to these happenings of the past, todays challenges are neither novel nor huge. We will face these challenges with the united strength of our people. This land which the Sinhala state is trying to occupy and enslave, has never belonged to it. This land is ours. Ancient Tamil civilisation stood long and firm on this land. Our ancestors lived and belonged here. Our ancient kings built kingdoms and dynasties and ruled from here. On this land where the roots of our nation have sunk deep, we wish to live in peace and with dignity and make decisions on our lives without the intervention of foreign rulers. From the day that British colonialism was replaced with Sinhala oppression, we have been struggling for our just rights - peacefully at first and with weapons thereafter. The political struggle for our right to selfdetermination has extended over the last sixty years. During this period our struggle has gone through different shapes, developments and advanced to maturity. In the beginning, it was a peaceful and democratic struggle by our people for justice. The racist Sinhala state resorted to armed and animal like violence to suppress the peaceful struggle of the Tamil people for their political rights. It was when state oppression breached all norms and our people faced naked terrorism that our movement for freedom was born as a natural outcome in history. We were compelled to take up arms in order to protect our people from the armed terrorism of the racist Sinhala state. The armed violent path was not our choice. It was forced upon us by history. Even though the armed struggle was thrust on us by inevitable needs, yet we wish to stop the war and seek a peaceful resolution to the national question of our people. Our freedom movement is always ready for it. We are not opposed to a peaceful resolution. We have never hesitated to participate in peace talks. From Thimpu to Geneva, under diametrically varied historical circumstances, we have adopted peaceful methods and participated in talks in order to win the political rights of our people. Although we acted honestly and whole heartedly, to find a peaceful resolution to the national question, all talks were futile. The intransigence of the Sinhala state, its dishonest approach and its faith in military solution were the cause for failure of the talks. Even at a time when we had produced spectacular achievements in battle fields and broken the back-bone of the Sinhala armed forces, we participated in the peace negotiations facilitated by Norway. Bringing the war to an end, we participated with honesty and diligence in the peace negotiations which protracted for six years. We continued to exercise patience at the military rampages and provocations by the armed forces. It is not that we trusted the racist Sinhala state to respect our peoples fair claims and advance justice, but it was to expose the hypocrisy of the Sinhala state and at the same time to impress upon the international community our commitment to peace, that we participated in the negotiations. During the peace talks convened in different capitals of the world, there were no attempts to resolve the day-to-day needs of the Tamil people or to negotiate a resolution to the underlying national question. Sri Lanka made use of the opportunity of the peace talks to attempt to weaken the LTTE and hoodwink the Tamil nation and the international community. Using the talks as a masquerade, the Sinhala state made preparations to wage a major war on the Tamil nation. Making use of the cease-fire and the peace environment, the Sinhala state resuscitated its devastated economy and rebuilt its military might that was in shambles. It concentrated on heavy recruitment, refurbishing its arsenal, strengthening the armed forces and conducting military exercises. While the Tamil nation was engaged in peace-building, the Sinhala nation dedicated itself to preparations for war.
Meanwhile, some countries which identified themselves as so-called Peace Sponsors, rushed into activities which impaired negotiations. They denigrated our freedom movement as a terrorist organisation. They put us on their black list and ostracized us as unwanted and untouchable. Our people living in many lands were intimidated into submission by oppressive limitations imposed on them to prevent their political activities supporting our freedom struggle. Humanitarian activities pursued by our law-abiding people in many countries, well within the purview of the law of the land, have been belittled and curtailed. These activities were aimed at providing humanitarian aid to helpless victims of genocidal attacks by the Sinhala Sri Lanka state in Tamil areas. However, these humanitarian activities were branded as criminal activities in those countries. Representatives of the Tamil people, along with community leaders were arrested, jailed and insulted. The explicit bias shown by the activities of these countries affected the talks, in its balance and in its consideration of our status as an equal partner. This further aggravated the racist attitude of the Sinhala state. Sinhala chauvinism was encouraged to raise its head with impunity and inevitably push the Sinhala state further on its war path. The Sinhala state shut tight the gates to peace and waged its war again on the Tamil nation. The cease-fire agreement facilitated by the international community was abrogated unilaterally by Sinhala Sri Lanka. Strangely no voice of protest was registered by any peace sponsor. Not even as a formality. Nor was any concern expressed. In contrast, some countries from the international community are providing an abundant supply of war materials, military training and expert advice, all for free. This has encouraged the Sinhala state to aggravate its genocidal war against the Tamils with a terrorist audacity . Today, the Sinhala state has, as never before, placed its trust on its military strength, on military modalities and on a military solution. Its desire to impose its military despotism over the Tamil homeland and order a stringent military rule over the Tamils, has increased. As a result, the war has gathered intensity and momentum. In truth, this is not a war against the LTTE as the Sinhala state professes. This is a war against the Tamils; against the Tamil nation. In short, a genocidal war. This war has affected Tamil civilians more than any body else. By turning the heat of war on our people and by burdening them with immeasurable sufferings, the Sinhala state is aspiring to turn our people against the LTTE. By closing the trunk-line roads, embargoing food and medicine and by suffocating people in tight military encirclements, the government has unleashed barrages of bombardments and shelling. Having lost their private lands and the serene life on them, our people have been reduced to destitution and live as wandering refugees. They have been forced to carry the cross of eternal suffering from birth to death. Struggling with disease and misery, malnutrition, ageing and untimely death, our people are steeped in suffering. With the solitary purpose of breaking the unbending will of our people, the Sinhala state has unleashed waves of oppression on them and subjected them to grievous injustice. A huge economic war has been declared on our people, their economic life shattered and their day-to-day living impaired. In Tamil areas under military control, hundreds of people disappear or killed, every month. In Sinhala areas, disappearance and killing of Tamils have become a normal routine. Tamil areas under military occupation are encountering an accelerated agenda of genocide, today. Death, destruction, army atrocities and open prison-life in ones own land, are the unendurable suffering our people have to suffer, as an order of the day. Arrest, imprisonment, torture, rape, murder, disappearance and clandestine burial in unknown graves form a vicious circle in which the lives of our people is enmeshed. Yet, our people have not lost hope. No measure, however punitive, can withhold their will to resist. Their yearning for freedom remains strong. No aerial bombardment can wipe out their determination to attain their freedom. Our people are used to carrying the cross of suffering. They are used to facing destruction and loss, daily in life. This suffering has further tempered their will to be steadfast in their aspiration. With such impetus, the urge for freedom has gathered momentum as never before. Facing a great confrontation for such a long period, we have sacrificed so much and fought for so long, for nothing else, but for our people to live in freedom; live with dignity and live in peace. We are conducting this struggle with the unrelenting support of the Tamil people, the world over. Besides, our struggle does not contravene the national interest, geo-political interest or economic interest of any outside country. The
inherent aspirations of our people do not in any way hamper the national interests of any country or people. At the same time, it may be noted that during the long history of our struggle, we have not conducted any act of aggression against any member state of the international community. Our freedom movement, as well as our people, have always wished to maintain cordiality with the international community as well as neighbouring India. With this in view, we wish to create a viable environment and enhance friendship. We wish to express our goodwill and are looking forward to the opportunity to build a constructive relationship. Cordially I invite those countries that have banned us, to understand the deep aspirations and friendly overtures of our people, to remove their ban on us and to recognise our just struggle. Today, there are great changes taking place in India. The dormant voices in support of our struggle are reemerging aloud again. There are also indications of our struggle becoming accepted there. The positive change in environment gives us courage to seek renewal of our relationship with the Indian super power. The earlier approach and interventions of India were injurious to the people of Tamil Eelam, as well as to their struggle. The racist Sinhala state, with its intrigues, conspired to bring enmity between our freedom movement and the earlier Indian administration. The conflict arising out of this environment aggravated into a major war. It was because we were firmly committed to our conviction and freedom for our people, that friction erupted between our movement and India. However, at no stage did we ever consider India as an enemy force. Our people always consider India as our friend. They have great expectations that the Indian super power will take a positive stand on our national question. Not withstanding the dividing sea, Tamil Nadu, with its perfect understanding of our plight, has taken heart to rise on behalf of our people at this hour of need. This timely intervention has gratified the people of Tamil Eelam and our freedom movement and given us a sense of relief. I wish to express my love and gratitude at this juncture to the people and leaders of Tamil Nadu and the leaders of India for the voice of support and love they have extended. I would cordially request them to raise their voice firmly in favour of our struggle for a Tamil Eelam state, and to take appropriate and positive measures to remove the ban which remains an impediment to an amicable relationship between India and our movement. My beloved people! No great changes have taken place in the Sinhala political panorama. Politics there has developed into the form of a demonic war. In a country that worships the Buddha who preached love and kindness, racist hatred and war-mongering vie with one another. We can listen only to the throbs on war-drums. No sane voice is being raised either to abandon war or to seek peaceful resolution to the conflict. In Sinhalam, from politicians to spiritual leaders, from journalists to ordinary people, their voice is raised only in support of the war. The Tamil Eelam nation does not want war. It does not favour violence. It is the Sinhala nation that waged war on our nation which had earlier adopted the path of ahimsa and asked for justice through peaceful means. When the SAARC leaders of our region met in Colombo, we expressed our goodwill and declared suspension of hostility. On the contrary, it was the Sinhala nation that rejected our overture, ridiculed us and continued with the offensive. It is the Sinhala nation that has laid down unacceptable and insulting conditions. It is the Sinhala nation that is continuing with the war. The Sinhala nation is conducting a major war of genocide against us in our land, the news about which is denied to the outside world. Successive Sinhala regimes have hoodwinked the international community with a series of deceptions. Commencing with the round table conference, the list of deceit has now stretched to include the All Party conference of late. During this period the international community remains cheated. The Tamil national question was also left to drag on with no positive resolution offered. Meanwhile, the Sinhala nation has used its armed forces to set the Tamil land, ablaze. It has wiped out peaceful life on
Tamil land, making Tamils destitute, displaced and wandering. Sinhalam has refused to offer the basic rights of the Tamils, split the Tamil land into two, installed anti-Tamil armed groups in the seat of administration while conducting a tyrannical military rule. It is now continuing with the war, offering to submit its plan to offer a solution only after the LTTE is defeated. Does Sinhala nation want to offer a solution only after the Tamils are suppressed and killed? Does it want to wipe out the true representatives of the Tamils and their bargaining power before offering a solution? The Sinhala nation is refusing to acknowledge the historic homeland of the Tamils. In such a situation, how will it offer a just solution to our people? When it comes to the Tamil national question, the Sinhala nation is adopting only one policy. It is obviously a policy of suppression. Even the tinge of hope our people had that the Sinhala nation will abandon its path of violence and offer justice, has now evaporated. No political transformation has taken place during the last sixty years in the Sinhala nation. Therefore, hoping it will happen in the future is futile. Our people are not ready to trust Sinhala nation again and get cheated. It is true Tamil Eelam is a small nation on the globe. However it is a nation with great potential. It is a nation with a characteristic individuality. It has a distinctive language, cultural heritage and history. Sinhalam seeks with its military might to destroy all these. It seeks to destroy Tamil sovereignty and replace it with Sinhala sovereignty. As the freedom movement of the people of Tamil Eelam we will never, ever allow Sinhala occupation or Sinhala domination of our homeland. Whatever challenges confront us, whatever contingencies we encounter, whatever forces stand on our path, we will still continue with our struggle for the freedom of the Tamil people. On the path shown by history, on the command of the circumstances of today, we will continue with our struggle till alien Sinhala occupation of our land is removed, At this historic juncture, I would request Tamils, in whatever part of the world that they may live in to raise their voices, firmly and with determination, in support of the freedom struggle of their brothers and sisters in Tamil Eelam. I would request them from my heart to strengthen the hands of our freedom movement and continue to extend their contributions and help. I would also take this opportunity to express my affection and my praise to our Tamil youth living outside our homeland for the prominent and committed role they play in actively contributing towards the liberation of our nation. Let us all make a firm and determined resolution to follow fully the path of our heroes, who, in pursuit of our aspiration for justice and freedom, sacrificed themselves and have become a part of the history of our land and our people.
LTTE defences are fast falling apart THE HINDU Nov 24, 2008 COLOMBO: Sri Lankas military on Sunday claimed to have laid siege to Kilinochchi and that LTTEs defences are fast falling apart. A Defence Ministry statement said the Armys offensive divisions in Wanni are now marching towards Kilinochchi built-up area. Army Task Force-1 and 57th Division have launched attacks on LTTE-held earthbunds built around Kilinochchis outskirts. Pitched battles are going on north and south of Adampan, and Therumurikandi since early this morning [November 23], it said. Soldiers launched a predawn strike north of Admapan. Infantry soldiers have been able to capture LTTE strongholds at three locations after crushing stiff resistance, it added. Intercepted radio transmissions have confirmed heavy damages to the terrorists during these clashes.
[The] Armys 57th division troops are now fighting the terrorists in the vicinity of the LTTE-held earth-bund in Admapan area. LTTE defence in the area is fast falling apart, it said. In areas north of Kokavil, troops are advancing towards the A-9 Road. The Ministry said a third group of 81 civilians, who escaped from Wanni, arrived at Omanthai on Sunday. The refugees told our correspondent that they could free themselves from the terrorists clutches because of the security forces operations against the LTTE. The terrorists ability to manhandle the civilians at gunpoint is fast dwindling people will soon escape Wanni open prison in large numbers, they added, said the Ministry. Pro-LTTE TamilNet website claimed at least 43 soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded at Nalloor. The fighting went on amid pouring rain and floods, according to the Tigers. The stiff fighting by the Tigers pushed back the troops, the LTTE said.
Abducted Indian ship crew return BBC NEWS 24 November 2008 Some members of the Indian crew of a Japanese ship who were released by Somali pirates after two months in captivity have returned home. TV pictures showed five crew members arriving in the western Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay). Somali pirates captured the MV Stolt Valor with 18 Indian crew members on board on 15 September. The threat posed by pirates off the Somali coast has been causing international concern. More than 80 ships have been hijacked there this year. 'Horrific' The smiling Indian sailors who arrived at Mumbai's international airport from Muscat in Oman were showered with petals thrown by overjoyed relatives. These things happen everywhere. Even on land there are terror attacks Naveed Burondkar, crew member They said that they were "greatly relieved" to be back home. "It was horrific, it was scary," crew member Alistair Fernandez said shortly after landing. He said that the hostages were held at gunpoint for 24 hours, and were monitored by their captors at all times - even on trips to the bathroom. Another sailor, Naveed Burondkar, said that those being held feared for their lives because the pirates - in their 20s and 30s - were armed with assault rifles and grenades. "It was mentally tortuous to have these men with rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles constantly watching you," he said. "It is a big relief being back home." Mr Burondkar said the pirates "were firing continuously" when they took the ship.
"After they boarded we were held at gunpoint." But he said that most of the crew would return to work again. The rest of the Indian crew members, including the ship's captain PK Goyal, are returning home on Tuesday. A campaign was launched by Seema Goyal, the captain's wife, who pressured the Indian government to secure the release of the crew members. Indian media reports suggested a large ransom had been paid by the Japanese ship-owners this month. There has been no confirmation from the owners. India is now bolstering its naval presence in the Gulf of Aden to tackle piracy off Somalia's coast. Last week, an Indian warship sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden. India is among several countries currently patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. In recent weeks, there has been a growing demand for multinational efforts to fight the pirates. Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife.
JAPAN: Support, at a Price Steven Alan Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center He has been called the most powerful man in Japanese politics, yet he is not even a politician. Daisaku Ikeda is the spiritual leader of the Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist group that can muster nearly 7 million votes a tenth of Japan's voting population (and a fifth of those who turn out in most elections). The Soka Gakkai's political arm, the New Komeito, is the second-largest opposition party in the Diet (parliament) and is notably influential in the upper house. That is a measure of Mr. Ikeda's power. Now he is about to have more. On June 28th, the prime minister, Keizo Obuchu, took the first steps to get the New Komeito to join his coalition government. Since January, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed with the help of Ichiro Ozawa's small right-wing group, the Liberals. But though the coalition has a majority in the lower house of the Diet, it is nine seats shy in the upper house, making it difficult to pass controversial legislation. With its 52 members in the lower house and 24 in the upper house, the New Komeito would give Mr. Obuchi a comfortable margin in both chambers -- and, in the process, allow him to ignore Mr. Ozawa's hectoring demands. On paper, the deal makes sense for the LDP. But many within his party are queasy about Mr. Obuchi's willingness to team up with the Buddhists. The last time the Komeito tasted power -- during a brief (nonLDP) coalition government headed by Morihiro Hosokawa in 1993 -- it was quick to block efforts to enforce the separation of church and state, as required by the constitution. Set up in 1930 by teachers who believed in "value creation" (soka) theories of education, much is made of the society's record of protecting minorities against oppression. The group's founder, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, died in prison during the second world war after being persecuted for his opposition to state
shintoism. After the war, the group transformed itself into a lay religious organisation, adopting the name Soka Gakkai (Value-Creation Society), and embracing the faith of the 700-year-old Nichiren Shoshu sect. It won a wide following for offering practical and moral help to people who were coming off the land and out of the armed forces and trying to find work, food and a place to sleep in Japan's bombed-out cities. In 1952, the society was adopted by Nichiren Shoshu, with the job of propagating the religion and converting people to the faith. The Soka Gakkai was then little more than a Buddhist-equivalent of the Salvation Army. Nowadays, however, the Soka Gakkai realises that it went too far in 1991 when it allowed 300 of its young zealots to storm a temple in Fukuoka and beat up a worshipper and a priest who had criticised the group. That was the start of a war between the Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu, which later severed its ties with the Soka Gakkai and excommunicated Mr. Ikeda. Having lost its main purpose, the Soka Gakkai now stresses its good works around the world. It gives generously to charities and campaigns for "peace, culture and education". Mr. Ikeda took over the leadership in 1960 and soon formed the Komeito (Clean Government Party). He built the Soka Gakkai into the power it is today. Few demands, other than pecuniary ones, are made on Soka Gakkai's followers, who are taught to attain enlightenment and prosperity through chanting sacred phrases handed down from a 13th-century monk called Nichiren. A popular pastime is watching videos of Mr. Ikeda mingling with the good, the great and the occasionally despotic, such as Cuba's Fidel Castro. Clearly, the society provides an attractive support system for people in need. It has around 9 million members (mostly housewives), almost 1.3 million of whom are abroad. It is particularly strong in Osaka and Tokyo. Well-informed outsiders put the group's wealth at more than 10 trillion yen ($82 billion). The money comes from donations, the sale of burial plots, rent from property, and its newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun, whose circulation is 5.5 million. But, like many organisations that have grown fat and lost sight of their original purpose, the Soka Gakkai protects its interests with a ruthlessness that has frightened off critics and cowed the Japanese mainstream media into silence. It tolerates no criticism whatsoever of Mr. Ikeda, who elevated himself to honorary chairman after a series of scandals in the 1970s. Detractors claim that the organisation acts like a cult, threatening people with hell and damnation if they try to leave. In inviting the New Komeito into the coalition, Mr. Obuchi may find he has more on his hands than the couple of dozen upper-house votes he bargained for.
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Hyogo: A veritable Utopia THE BUDDHIST CHANNEL November 24, 2008 To Buddhist devotees around the world, the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism in Hyogo, Japan, is their Pure Land on Earth. Hyogo, Japan -- NESTLED in a valley in Kato City, Hyogo, Japan, the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism, an architectural splendour, was introduced to the world at an inaugural ceremony on Nov 1. << The Golden Shrine in the Main Hall of the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism. Pic courtesy of Dr Anil Sakya of Mahamakut Buddhist University, Bangkok Touted as the largest Buddhist temple edifice in the world, the magnificent temple of traditional architecture was built after nearly half a century of endeavour. State-of-the-art technology and traditional craftsmanship were enlisted in this massive project. Some 3.5 million workers comprising architects, engineers and skilled craftsmen from South Korea and China took seven years to complete the grand temple, built on a sprawling 148ha site. The project was borne out of the vision of Dr Kyuse Enshinjoh, 82, founder priest of the Nenbutsushu Buddhist sect (one of 60 Buddhist sects) in Japan and president of the Buddhist Summit. He dreamt of building a majestic temple, following his first pilgrimage to India to present over 800 rolls of sutras for dedication to the Buddhist temples there. Enshinjoh was saddened by the dilapidated state of eight holy places in India, some overgrown with grass, others in a state of near ruin. He was inspired to set up a temple which would serve as the spiritual centre for the 370 million Buddhists in the world. Enshinjohs dream became a reality with the successful completion of the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism, built at a cost of 60 billion yen (RM2.28bil).
Such a grand-scale Buddhist temple has never been built in the history of Japan since the erection of the main temple of Obakushu Buddhist sect in Kyoto 350 years ago, said Shinku Miyagawa, high priest of the Nenbutsushu sect . Over 300 foreign guests, including Buddhist leaders and devotees from 32 countries, and 12,000 members of Japans Nenbutsushu Buddhist sect were at the inaugural ceremony. The Malaysian delegation of five was led by the Chief High Priest of Malaysia and chief monk of Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, K. Sri Dhammaratana. For six days, our delegation stayed at the four-star Okura Kobe hotel, a one-and-a-half hours drive from the temple. << March of monks during the inauguration of the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism in Japan. Pic courtesy of Nenbutsushu Buddhist Sect of Japan Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat flew in from France after a working trip and attended the opening ceremony of the 5th Buddhist Summit (Nov 2 to 5) held at the International Buddhist Conference Hall in the temple grounds. We joined dignitaries the likes of former king of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk and his wife, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV (of Toro Kingdom, Uganda), Princess Ashi Dechan Wangchuk (Bhutan) and Natsagiin Bagabandi (former president of Mongolia) and his wife, to celebrate the occasion. I felt humbled to be part of this historic moment. The 11-day trip to attend the inauguration of the temple, the Buddhist Summit and a study tour of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was sponsored by the Buddhist Summit. All guests from abroad were accorded royal treatment. I had never felt like a VIP before. Imagine being transported everywhere in a convoy of luxury cars, walking on the red carpet, and arriving to cheers from a welcoming reception of Nenbutsushu members waving miniature flags of the participant countries. It was sheer euphoria. Steeped in religious rituals, the inauguration ceremony began at 9am. The highlight was the 800m march of the monks from the temples main gate up a flight of 300 steps leading to the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism perched atop a slope. Guests and dignitaries were driven in cars to the top where we waited inside the temple for the monks to arrive. The Buddhist leaders, shielded by red, white and yellow umbrellas, were accompanied by Nenbutsushu monks as they made their red-carpet ascent. After the monks reached the top and took their seats, the sects monks in mustard-coloured robes made their grand entrance and proceeded with the rituals, which included the sprinkling of holy water and chanting of Buddhist sutras in the one-and-a-half hour ceremony. As we made our exit, we were touched by the sight of thousands of sect members sitting in the open, enduring the scorching mid-day sun to follow the inauguration rituals on a big screen. In the afternoon, we attended the purifying ceremony of the proposed Nalanda Monastery on a 66ha site within the temple grounds. The ceremony was commemorated by the planting of trees by Buddhist leaders and dignitaries. The monastery is to be completed in four years time. We also attended the inauguration ceremony of the sects Hiroshima Betsuin Temple (Hiroshima) and the Reliquary Hall of Kyushu Honzan Temple (Kyushu), and visited the Buddhist Summit headquarters at Kobe
Betsuin Temple (Kobe) over the next few days. As we rounded up our tour of the temples, images of the splendour of the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism kept flitting through my mind. Even days after my return from Japan, I am still under the spell of this faraway paradise that offers a glimpse of Utopia.
Myanmar prepares for Buddhist summit despite boycott BURMA NEWS Dec 08 2004 YANGON : Myanmar is preparing for the opening of a world Buddhist summit undaunted by a boycott called by its main sponsor because of an upheaval prompted by the sacking of the military regime's premier. Myanmar state media said the three-day event would be an undoubted "landmark in the history of Buddhism" and is a rare potential showcase for a nation isolated by international sanctions because of its hardline policies and continued detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The regime has built a new convention hall and spruced up temples while ignoring international pressure to call off the summit following a top-level shake up in the leadership that strengthened the hand of the regime's military hard men. Invitations have been sent to Buddhist leaders from 37 nations, including those in 17 countries who were told by the main sponsor that the fourth world summit had been called off, according to officials. Japan's Nenbutsushu sect , which has held the summit every two years in a Buddhist nation, withdrew its sponsorship after the sacking of premier General Khin Nyunt, who was put under house arrest for corruption in October. After announcing it would press on with the summit despite the sponsor's withdrawal, Myanmar's military leadership went on the attack at the weekend through state media to claim its right to stage the summit. " The Nenbutsushu is only a third-class sect which, being rich, has been using its resources to organise Buddhist summits and hold international conferences for their own fame," the state-controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper said in a commentary on Saturday. "The absence of assistance from Nenbutsushu cannot harm the summit in any way," the newspaper said. State media -- which had extensively covered meetings between junta leaders and Nenbutsushu leaders before the pull-out -- did not say how many people were now expected to turn up. Some 2,500 delegates had been expected before the crisis, according to a source from Myanmar's religious affairs department, but the numbers were expected to be much lower. Despite the controversy, the regime welcomed the attendance of Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who will make a keynote speech at the event, and his Laotian counterpart Bounhang Varachit. Thaksin will also use the visit to make a rare courtesy call on Senior General Than Shwe, the head of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the official name of the junta. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a Thailand-based rights group, called for a boycott of the
conference because of the continued detention of an estimated 300 monks by the regime. Myanmar's outlawed Young Monks' Association has supported the boycott amid concerns among the international community that the junta could use the event for political grandstanding. "It's the mixture of politics and religion which disturbs us; any event organised by the Burmese will inevitably include propaganda," said a Yangon-based diplomat. The junta has been trying to promote religious tourism to the "Land of Pagodas" to help its ailing economy, suffering under strict sanctions. Myanmar, a majority Theravada Buddhist nation like its neighbours Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and nearby Sri Lanka, has an estimated 4,000,000 monks all operating under the supervision of the state. Monks played an important role alongside students during 1988 riots against military rule that were bloodily suppressed. The military has ruled Myanmar since a coup in 1962 despite Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy winning landslide elections in 1990.
Rumsfeld nemesis Shinseki to be named VA secretary AP Associated Press December 7, 2008 President-elect Barack Obama has chosen retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary, turning to a former Army chief of staff once vilified by the Bush administration for questioning its Iraq war strategy. Obama will announce the selection of Shinseki, the first Army four-star general of Japanese-American ancestry, at a news conference Sunday in Chicago. He will be the first Asian-American to hold the post of Veterans Affairs secretary, adding to the growing diversity of Obama's Cabinet. "I think that General Shinseki is exactly the right person who is going to be able to make sure that we honor our troops when they come home," Obama said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" to be broadcast Sunday. NBC released a transcript of the interview after The Associated Press reported that Shinseki was Obama's pick. Shinseki's tenure as Army chief of staff from 1999 to 2003 was marked by constant tensions with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, which boiled over in 2003 when Shinseki testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the invasion. Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, belittled the estimate as "wildly off the mark" and the general was marginalized and later retired from the Army. But Shinseki's words proved prophetic after President George W. Bush in early 2007 announced a "surge" of additional troops to Iraq after miscalculating the numbers needed to stem sectarian violence. Obama said he chose Shinseki for the VA post because he "was right" in predicting that the U.S. will need more troops in Iraq than Rumsfeld believed at the time. "When I reflect on the sacrifices that have been made by our veterans and I think about how so many
veterans around the country are struggling even more than those who have not served higher unemployment rates, higher homeless rates, higher substance abuse rates, medical care that is inadequate it breaks my heart," Obama told NBC. Shinseki, 66, is slated to take the helm of the government's second largest agency, which was roundly criticized during the Bush administration for underestimating the amount of funding needed to treat thousands of injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Thousands of veterans currently endure six-month waits for disability benefits, despite promises by current VA Secretary James Peake and his predecessor, Jim Nicholson, to reduce delays. The department also is scrambling to upgrade government technology systems before new legislation providing for millions of dollars in new GI benefits takes effect next August. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, praised Shinseki as a "great choice" who will make an excellent VA secretary. "I have great respect for General Shinseki's judgment and abilities," Akaka said in a statement. "I am confident that he will use his wisdom and experience to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and care they have earned in defense of our nation. President-elect Obama is selecting a team that reflects our nation's greatest strength, its diversity, and I applaud him." Veterans groups also cheered the decision. "General Shinseki has a record of courage and honesty, and is a bold choice to lead the VA into the future," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "He is a man that has always put patriotism ahead of politics, and is held in high regard by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan." Obama's choice of Shinseki, who grew up in Hawaii, is the latest indication that the president-elect is making good on his pledge to have a diverse Cabinet. In Obama's eight Cabinet announcements so far, white men are the minority with two nominations Timothy Geithner at Treasury and Robert Gates at Defense. Three are women Janet Napolitano at Homeland Security, Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador and Hillary Rodham Clinton at State. Eric Holder at the Justice Department is African American, while Bill Richardson at Commerce is Latino. Shinseki is a recipient of two Purple Hearts for life-threatening injuries in Vietnam. Upon leaving his post in June 2003, Shinseki in his farewell speech sternly warned against arrogance in leadership. "You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader," he said. "You can certainly command without that sense of commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And without leadership, command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust and arrogance." Shinseki also left with the warning: "Beware a 12-division strategy for a 10-division army."
President-elect Obama seventh press conference. Transcript. Lynn Sweat PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA SUBJECT: CONTRIBUTIONS OF THOSE THAT HAVE SERVED OUR NATION: REMEMBERING THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR ON
THIS DATE IN 1941. HILTON-CHICAGO HOTEL, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 2:00 P.M., EDT, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2008 PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA: (In progress) -- the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America. Even as I speak, they are serving brilliantly and bravely in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. And we must show them, and their families, the same devotion that they have shown this country. We don't have to do our troops or our veterans a favor. We have a sacred trust to repay a favor - the favor that they have done us. And that starts with recognizing that for many of today's troops and their families the war doesn't end when they come home. Far too many are suffering from the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and traumatic brain injury. Far to few are receiving the screening and treatment they need. The servicemen and women who embody what's best about America should get the best care we have to offer, and that is what I will provide when I am president. And in this struggling economy we also have to do more to ensure that, when our troops come home and leave the service, they can find jobs that pay well, provide good benefits, receive appropriate health care, and are able to support their families. We don't just need to better serve veterans of today's wars, we need to build a 21st century VA that will better serve all who've answered our nation's call. That means cutting red tape and easing transition into civilian life. It means eliminating short-falls; fully funding VA health care; and providing the benefits our veterans have earned. That's the kind of VA that will serve our veterans as well as they have served us. And there is no one more distinguished, more determined or more qualified to build this VA than the leader I'm announcing as our next secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki. No one will ever doubt that this former Army chief of staff has the courage to stand up for our troops and our veterans. No one will ever question whether he will fight hard enough to make sure the have the support that they need. A graduate of West Point, General Shinseki served two combat tours in Vietnam where he lost part of his foot, and was awarded two Purple Hearts and three Bronze Stars. Throughout his nearly four decades in the United States Army, he won the respect and admiration of our men and women in uniform because they have always been his highest priority. He has always stood on principle, because he has always stood with our troops. And he will bring that same sense of duty and commitment to ensuring that we treat our veterans with the care and dignity that they deserve. A decorated soldier who has served at every level in the Army, General Shinseki understands the changing needs of our troops and their families, and he will be a VA secretary who finally modernizes our VA to meet the challenges of our time. Nearly 70 years ago today, a date "that will live in infamy," our harbor was bombed in Hawaii and our troops went off to war. General Shinseki and I both grew up in Hawaii and we understand what that means. After that war was over - after we reclaimed a continent from a madman and beat back danger in the Pacific, those troops came home to a grateful nation, a nation that welcomed them with a GI Bill and a chance to live out in peace the dreams they had fought for, and so many died for, on the battlefield. We owe it to all our veterans to honor them as we honored our Greatest Generation, not just with words, but with deeds. And with the national security team I announced this week, and the extraordinary and courageous secretary of Veterans Affairs that I'm announcing today, I am confident that we will never hesitate to defend our security; that we will send our troops into battle only when we must; and that, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "We will truly care for all who shall have borne the battle."
Now I'd like to turn it over to our next VA secretary, General Eric Shinseki. GEN. SHINSEKI: Well, Mr. President-elect, thank you for the honor of being nominated to serve our nation in your Cabinet. I can think of no higher responsibility than ensuring that men and women who have served our nation in uniform are treated with the care and respect that they have earned. As you've said, these brave Americans are a part of an unbroken line of heroes that stretches back to the American Revolution. And yet, even as we stand here today there are veterans who are worried about keeping their health care or even their homes; paying their bills or finding a good job when they leave the service. Veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular, are confronting serious, severe wounds - some seen, some unseen, making it difficult for them to get on with their lives in this struggling economy. They deserve a smooth, error-free, no-fail, benefits-assured transition into our ranks as veterans, and that is our responsibility, not theirs. A word to my fellow veterans: If confirmed, I will work each and every day to ensure that we are serving you as well as you have served us. We will pursue a 21st century VA that serves your needs. We will open doors - new doors of opportunity so you can find a good job, support your families when you return to civilian life. And if we will always - we will always honor the sacrifices of those who have worn the uniform, and their loved ones. So, Mr. President-elect, thank you for entrusting me with this great responsibility, and I thank all of our veterans who have served in the Armed Forces of our nation.
Tamogami says views shared in Diet, SDF Japan Times Dec. 2, 2008 Ousted Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami stuck to his revisionist historical views Monday, saying his justification of Japan's wartime acts is shared by many lawmakers and Self-Defense Forces personnel. "I don't think my opinions are particularly militaristic or of a rightwing nature," Tamogami said during a news conference in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, adding many of his supporters are merely keeping their views to themselves. Tamogami was sacked as ASDF chief Oct. 31 after winning an essay contest with an entry that defended the nation's wartime past and colonial rule. He upheld his revisionist views during unsworn testimony before an Upper House committee last month, maintaining his opinion that Japan was not an "aggressor nation" during the 1930s and '40s. "Freedom of speech in the SDF is being suppressed, but there are many who support" such views, Tamogami said. The now-retired general criticized the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force, on Monday, saying the DPJ is wrongfully blaming the government for allowing someone with views like his to head the ASDF. "The DPJ is demanding that a person who speaks ill of Japan (by being apologetic about the war) should lead (the ASDF). That is absurd."
In explaining the backdrop of the essay, Tamogami said Japan cannot protect its allies without engaging in collective self-defense and must enact a special law to allow the SDF to contribute to international antiterrorism campaigns such as the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. "This all stems from an erroneous history education" that taught that Japan was an aggressor, he said, reiterating his view that the government must get back on track and again become capable of defending the nation. While the essay accuses the United States of "trapping" Japan into attacking Pearl Harbor, Tamogami told the press briefing that he does not intend to criticize Washington for past acts. "I don't have any antipathy toward America. I like America very much," he joked. "I am being touted as a dangerous figure, but it only takes five minutes with me for anyone to understand that I am kind-hearted." But asked how he would have acted when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Tamogami said he would have retaliated in kind had Japan had that capability. The unapologetic ex-general did acknowledge he blundered, saying he never expected his essay to cause such a Diet or media stir. "Some say I was a fool for misjudging that," he said. "I have to acknowledge that I am."
Essay judges defend Tamogami Japan Times Dec. 9, 2008 Organizers and judges of a controversial essay contest backed the contentious entry by former Air SelfDefense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami, saying Monday its contents "awoke the Japanese public." Tamogami was sacked last month after his revisionist historical views came to light when his work took the contest's top prize. The general sought to justify Japan's wartime aggression under the competition's theme, "True Interpretation of Modern History." Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Toshio Motoya , head of hotel and condo developer Apa Group, the contest's organizer, said Tamogami's sacking "resulted in a huge frenzy and made the public aware of the essay and its contents. It turned into a historical event." The entrepreneur said his motive for organizing the event was to have "proper historical views pave the way for Japan" to reinvent itself as a "true independent state." Tamogami's essay echoes well-worn revisionist justifications for Japan's wartime aggression. For example, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor is described as the result of trickery by the U.S. and that Asian neighbors colonized by the Imperial Japanese Army benefited from the occupation. The sacked general has said that such opinions are shared by many lawmakers and Self-Defense Forces personnel. Motoya said that entries by 98 other ASDF personnel expressed views similar to Tamogami's. Motoya revealed that 13 essays selected from the 235 entries to the contest will be published as a book
and go on sale Monday at selected bookstores and Apa Group's hotel chains. The book, "The Shocking Truth About Modern History," will retail for 1,000 and include an English translation. Responding to experts who have questioned the contents of Tamogami's essay as well as the sincerity of the judges for giving it the top prize, the parties concerned claimed all was aboveboard. "We reached a unanimous agreement that Mr. Tamogami's work was the finest," the contest's top judge, Shoichi Watabe, an honorary professor at Sophia University, told reporters.
The authorities gain complete control of the stories Japan Times May 11, 2008 Prior to the recent retrial of a man who was eventually sentenced to death by the Hiroshima High Court for killing a woman and her 1-year-old child in 1999, the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization complained about the coverage of the case. The BPO said that media outlets concentrated on the story of Hiroshi Motomura, the husband of the murdered woman, to the exclusion of the defendant's story, thus producing an unbalanced view of the case so far. After the sentencing, an unnamed TV news director explained to the Asahi Shimbun that while he understood the BPO's stance, the job of commercial broadcasters is to "describe human drama that viewers can appreciate." The grieving husband, who wanted the defendant to pay for his crime with his life even though he was a minor at the time of the killings, understood this dynamic and controlled the story by actively cultivating the media. Testimony showing how the defendant grew up in a violent household that drove his mother to suicide was mostly absent from coverage of the case, and one can assume that it was overlooked for the sake of Motomura, whom reporters openly admired for his dogged pursuit of a death sentence. Controlling the story takes on a different meaning in another homocide case involving a minor. Psychiatrist Morimitsu Sakihama is now on trial for violating the Confidentiality Law by leaking information about a 17year-old boy who started a fire that killed his stepmother and two siblings in Nara in 2006. Sakihama had tested the boy on behalf of the Nara Family Court, and because trials involving minors are closed to the public, his findings were confidential. However, Sakihama was concerned about the intense media coverage of the case. The boy was under pressure from his physician father to excel in school, and most stories contextualized the killings within the social phenomenon known as "exam hell." The boy was afraid his father would find out he lied about passing a test he actually failed, and believed his father would kill him as a result. He set the fire to kill his father before he found out, but the rest of the family perished instead. Coverage of the case implied that the boy nursed a grudge against his stepmother. Sakihama believed that wasn't the case. He diagnosed the boy as suffering from a form of Asperger's Syndrome, a developmental disability: Once the boy had made his mind up about something he couldn't change it, and having decided he would kill his father he went ahead and set the fire, even though his father was out that night. Sakihama allowed a sympathetic reporter named Atsuko Kusanagi to read his report and transcripts of oral testimony. However, Kusanagi and her publisher, Kodansha, photographed the documents without Sakihama's knowledge and later released a book about the case with direct quotes from the documents, but no mention of Sakihama's ideas about Asperger's. Four months later, Sakihama was arrested.
Last month, the TV Asahi news show "Sunday Project" aired a report on the case in which both Kusanagi and Sakihama were interviewed. Kusanagi, who used to work at a facility for juvenile offenders, admitted her error and said she wished she could trade places with the psychiatrist. Kodansha has owned up to journalistic malfeasance after a third-party committee came to that conclusion early in April. Both Sakihama and Kusanagi said they simply wanted to tell the boy's side of the story, but it was only the psychiatrist who was arrested. Sakihama was held for 19 days even though he never denied leaking the information. His lawyer believes Sakihama was held to intimidate the media, since two weeks after his arrest the office of Motomi Toichi, the psychiatrist who introduced Sakihama to Kusanagi, was also raided by police. Though Toichi was not charged, the well-publicized raid had an adverse effect on his practice. "My patients won't talk to me anymore," he told TV Asahi. A frequently quoted pundit on juvenile crime, Toichi probably won't be talking to the media anymore, either. Kodansha was not raided. This tactic of targeting sources rather than the media follows a trend exemplified recently by the case of Hiromichi Ugaya, a journalist who was sued by music-industry organ Oricon for saying in a magazine article that Oricon's methodology for compiling pop charts is secretive and suspicious. Ugaya didn't write the article in question, he was simply quoted in it, but last month a judge found in Oricon's favor. Press freedom advocates have suggested that Oricon is sending a message to anyone who might be inclined to talk publicly about the same things Ugaya talked about. The prosecutors in the Sakihama case seem to be using a similar strategy, but for broader purposes. In order to bring a case against someone who breaks the Confidentiality Law which, by the way, hasn't been prosecuted in 45 years an offended party must press charges. In this case, the offended parties are the boy, his father, and a proxy lawyer. The prosecutor told TV Asahi that the father and son wanted to "protect their privacy." Sakihama's lawyer, however, is more interested in the proxy, Koji Dohi, who it turns out was Japan's Public Prosecutor General from 1996 to '98. Why, TV Asahi asked, is Dohi involved? He wouldn't talk to "Sunday Project" and neither would the father, who reportedly has owned up to his responsibility in the tragedy. Sakihama's lawyer thinks that the charge was the prosecutor's idea and that his client is being tried not for the sake of the father and son, but rather for the sake of "national policy ." Fight with the news media over press freedom issues and you always lose in the arena of public opinion, so it's easier to preemptively scare off a reporter's most valuable tool, the informed source. In the end, the authorities control all stories.
Crime victims get their day, say in court Japan Times June 19, 2007 The Diet is expected to pass a controversial bill this week to revise the Criminal Procedure Law to enable people victimized by crime to participate in trial proceedings. Despite concern by the legal world that courtrooms could become venues for revenge, the bill is expected to sail through with support from not only the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito but also the Democratic Party of Japan. Here are questions and answers about the revision: What would the new legislation allow crime victims to do in court? The revision would enable crime victims and or relatives of victims to directly participate in the trial system.
Instead of sitting with the rest of the gallery, they would be permitted to sit by prosecutors. They would to a certain extent be able to question defendants, state their opinions and feelings regarding the crimes, question witnesses and recommend punishment, a task currently undertaken by prosecutors. According to a legal expert, the victims would mainly participate in district court-level trials. The revision does not specify what level of courts will allow victims to participate. What kinds of trials can the victimized participate in under the revision? The victimized would be able to participate in trials involving heinous crimes, including murder, rape and kidnapping, as well as fatal professional negligence, including traffic accidents. In cases where the direct victim of a crime is deceased or incapacitated, the next of kin, also considered victimized parties, would be able to participate. What prompted the law to be changed? The Tokyo-based National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families , a strong advocate of letting the victimized participate in trials since its establishment in 2000, says the "criminal justice system should exist not only for the public but also for the victims themselves." The organization says on its Web site that court participation will help the victimized learn the truth about a crime, protect their dignity and honor, and let them have a say in meting out punishment. The government decided to change the law in response to the group's demand. Do victims have other laws to promote their interests? For a long time, victims have been left out of the loop. In 2000, the crime victim protection law became the nation's first such legislation. With it, victims and their families finally got the opportunity to express their opinions and feelings in court and to access trial records. They were also given priority gallery seats. Before then, they have to line up with other people to get gallery seat tickets. The Criminal Procedure Law was also revised the same year to include similar changes. In 2004, a fundamental law was enacted establishing measures to promote the interests of the victimized, including a financial compensation system providing medical and welfare support, and creating a system to "expand the opportunity for crime victims to participate in criminal (trial) proceedings." However, victimologists say Japan is still 20 years behind Western countries regarding promotion of the rights and interests of crime victims. If the revision is aimed at protecting the rights of victims, why do some oppose it? People agree crime victims have long been overlooked and Japan needs to do whatever it can to build and expand a system to promote their interests. However, legal experts fear the new approach will subvert the criminal justice system and turn courtrooms into venues for vengeance by allowing the victimized to skew the process. They also expressed concern over the daunting effect it could have on defending the accused. Do all victims support the revision?
Some victims oppose it, in part because participating in criminal trials could reinvite the trauma of the crime by facing the accused in court. Opponents propose that instead of direct participation in trials proceedings, the victimized should be able to indirectly question defendants and state their opinions regarding punishment through the prosecutors. Do other countries have similar systems? According to NAVS, similar systems in which victims can participate in trial proceedings are found in several European countries, including Germany and France. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations, however, issued a statement in May pointing out that there is a fundamental difference. In Germany and France, the courts and judges collect evidence of crimes and take the initiative in trial procedures. But in Japan, that job is mainly for prosecutors and defense lawyers, and judges observe the proceedings and rule as a third party. If victims participate in trial proceedings, this may add greater weight to the prosecution. The federation also noted that victimized parties are not allowed to participate directly in criminal trials in the United States and Britain, although they may be allowed to issue statements .
Victim participation in trials risky, experts say Japan Times March 30, 2007 A bill that would allow people victimized by crime to participate in court proceedings could be detrimental to the criminal trial system and needs further debate , a group of lawyers, scholars and Diet members said Thursday. Earlier this month, the government approved a bill to revise the criminal procedure law to enable those victimized by crimes to make statements in court and question defendants and witnesses. The Diet is set to begin deliberations on the bill during the current ordinary session. "The court is (a place) to acknowledge facts based on appropriate evidence," said Yoshio Takano, vice president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. "The criminal court should not be a place ruled by emotion; that is the premise of a criminal court." Lawyer-turned-lawmaker Tomomi Inada of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party member also said the bill needs further deliberation. "I am all for heading in the direction of expanding the rights of crime victims," Inada said. "But I believe that there needs to be careful discussion over whether the victim should be able to directly ask the defendant a question." If enacted, the legislation would enable the victimized to sit with prosecutors, press defendants for facts and ask judges to hand down penalties other than those requested by prosecutors. "What will the judges do when the prosecutors demand a life sentence while the victims demand the death sentence?" asked Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party. "I believe the bill will distort the criminal court system and it could lead to misjudgments and be used as a means of revenge."
The bill states that the new system should be limited to heinous crimes including murder, injury resulting in death and negligent homicide, including traffic accidents. The bill was introduced in response to calls from the victimized that their voices be heard in court. However, a member of a victims' group also at the meeting objected to the bill. Tadaari Katayama, who lost his 3year-old son in a traffic accident in 1997, said the bill "should be scrapped" and started from scratch because it lacks the consensus of the general public. Toshiki Odanaka, a professor emeritus of law at Tohoku University, pointed out that increasing the number of people on the prosecutors' side will create an imbalance in the courtroom. "The weight will shift heavily toward the prosecutors' side, and it will become difficult to say that it is a fair system," he said.
Victims' participation in criminal trials may begin Dec. 1 Japan Times Aug. 21, 2008 The Justice Ministry plans to start letting people victimized by crime participate in trial proceedings on Dec. 1, ministry sources said Wednesday. The measure, part of efforts to support people victimized by serious crimes, including direct victims and the next of kin of the deceased, marks a significant departure for a criminal justice system that has never allowed such participation in legal proceedings. Crimes under consideration for participation are murder, rape, kidnapping and professional negligence resulting in death. For technical reasons, however, the first courtroom faceoff between perpetrators and the victimized won't happen this year, the sources said. The ministry is trying to finalize the starting date with other ministries, agencies and the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc, the sources said. Once they reach an agreement, the participation system will be presented to the Cabinet, where an ordinance for announcing the date to put it into effect will be decided on, they said. The system will applied to indictments handed down on Dec. 1 or later, making it unlikely anyone victimized will appear in court this year. The measure will allow such participants, if court-authorized, to question defendants and witnesses. They will also be allowed to state their opinions about penalties if so solicited by prosecutors, up to the limits of the statutes under which the defendants stand accused. The victimized will also be able to commission lawyers as proxies. Even if they cannot afford a lawyer, they will be assigned one at taxpayer expense through a public agency. A system that will debut at the same time will also allow the victimized to demand compensation from a defendant, just like in a lawsuit. If the defendant is found guilty, the same judge who hands down that verdict will be able to decide the amount through proceedings based on the evidence presented in the criminal trial.
Calls for allowing the victimized to participate in criminal trials grew after Aum Shinrikyo carried out its sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, killing 12 people and injuring more than 5,500. It was the doomsday cult's second nerve gas mass murder within the span of a year. Participation of the victimized was included in the code of criminal procedure when the law was revised in June 2007. It was then decided the measure would be put into effect by late December.
DEATH PENALTY-JAPAN: Deposing Survivors May Hit Abolition Campaign IPS News June 11 2007 A proposal under discussion in the Japanese Diet (parliament) to allow survivors of murder victims to address the courts is being watched with growing dread by death penalty opponents in this country. ''The new proposal is clearly aimed at appeasing victims rather than fostering legal justice. I fear such a move, if passed, will turn the spotlight on the emotional aspect of a murder trial and work against the accused through harsher sentencing," Kei Itoh, a human rights lawyer, told IPS. Itoh is currently fighting to overturn the death sentence handed down to Masaru Okunishi, an 81-year-old man who continues to claim innocence 37 years after his conviction for murder in five cases. Okunishi was originally found guilty of killing his wife, her lover and three others by serving them poisoned wine. There have been five previous appeals, including one which overturned his sentence because of lack of evidence. But today Okunishi is back again on death row. Itoh is seeking a complete re-trial. The main driving force behind the proposal to give crime victims the right to address the courts is lawyer Isao Okamura, 77, himself a crime victim. His wife was murdered in October 1999. Okamura today heads the Tokyo-based National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families, an organisation representing more than 3,000 families which argues that crime victims are getting a raw deal in Japan. Okamura was stirred into action when the man found guilty of murdering his wife was given a life sentence rather than being sent to the gallows in 2001. "The ruling was unacceptable to me -- both as a husband and a lawyer," he said in a recent newspaper interview. Bereaved victims often remain bitter and resentful for years and desperately want a chance to speak out in court, Tsuneo Matsumura, spokesman for the association and a former prosecutor, told IPS. "They cannot bear a system where they are forced to watch silently as the trial is conducted between prosecutors, defendants and the accused. We welcome the new proposal because crime victims will finally be allowed to speak out the truth publicly," he said. A judge would have powerful additional testimony based on their personal ties, something a prosecutor could never provide. He refuted claims by opponents that if the proposal became a law it would work against a fair trial. The crime victims would only be allowed to testify after receiving permission from prosecutors who would ensure objectivity, he said. But legal experts point out that the new proposal would mark out Japan in legal practice among most other countries. Japan is already one of the few countries in the industrialised world which continues to implement the death penalty. Last Christmas Day it executed four men, ending a 15-month pause in hanging while a Buddhist justice minister had refused to sign death warrants because of his conscience. Shouzo Inou, an anti-capital punishment activist, is adamantly against permitting crime victims standing up
in trials. Inou is the only activist permitted to visit Okunishi, now frail after surgery for stomach cancer. Okunishi still remains eager to clear his name before he dies. Many ordinary citizens are sympathetic and send letters of encouragement. "Okunishi has suffered tremendously and so have his family members," Inou said, highlighting the often ignored suffering of the innocent family members of the accused in highly publicised capital trials. Okunishi's siblings and parents found it so difficult to endure the notoriety of their family connection in the poor farming community of Nabari, west of Tokyo, that they moved to a place where they could live in anonymity. Opponents of the death penalty are calling now for a widespread public debate on the capital punishment system before the proposal is adopted into the legal system. "We have to educate the public on the pitfalls of supporting the death penalty in Japan. The highly questionable practice of relying on confessions made in police custody suggests that there may be innocent victims out there (on death row)," Hiroyuki Ito, professor of political science at Ritsumeikan University, said, stressing this was one issue he would like addressed more openly. In March, the Japanese media reported the concerns over one capital case voiced by Norimichi Kumamoto, a retired judge. Kumamoto and two colleagues presided over the trial of Iwao Hakamada, a professional boxer who was sentenced to death for murder in November 1980. Kumamoto told newspapers that he thought the evidence at the trial was insufficient for a conviction. "Generally speaking, ordinary people tend to find it difficult to accept the notion that suspects are innocent until proven guilty," said Ito, addressing concerns that the proposal might undermine this basic legal principle. "It is important that lawyers keep this point in mind when defending suspects," he stressed. Opponents of the scheme also believe it could harden attitudes still further against abolishing the death penalty in Japan. In the last government poll on capital punishment in February 2005, 80 percent of Japanese expressed support for the death penalty. Recent highly publicised murders have made it even more difficult for the government to go against the majority of public opinion and ban capital punishment, even if it wanted to, Ito said. One such case was the killing of a married woman and her young daughter by an 18-year-old man some eight years ago. The woman's husband, Hiroshi Motomura, is currently campaigning for the courts to set aside its life imprisonment sentence for the convicted killer, now 26, and send him to the gallows. The Hiroshima High Court has decided to review the sentence. The proposal to allow crime victims the right to address the courts has still not been formulated into a draft law. It will take two years at least for it to become law, according to Itoh.
The Fossil-of-the-day Award Japan, Russia, New Zealand, Australia... and Canada United Nations climate change negotiations 12th Dec. 2008 This group of umbrella countries--and Canada in particular--wins its Fossil for insisting that they haven't been obstructing progress. Their best evidence? The fact that they reaffirmed the decisions on targets made in Bali. Guess what progress isn't? Begrudgingly saying the same thing you did last year, and refusing to go any further.
Why Bangladesh floods are so bad BBC News 27 July, 2004 There seems to be no end in sight to the misery of around 30 million Bangladeshis affected by flooding. With 40% of the capital, Dhaka, underwater and warnings from aid agencies about water-borne diseases once the water finally recedes, questions have been asked as to why the floods this year have been so damaging. Part of the answer is due to the fact that Bangladesh receives enormous amounts of water from four major rivers. The Padma - more widely known as the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Jamuna and the Meghna. Himalayan snows All are filled up from melting snow in the Himalayas. While the monsoon season always brings flooding in Bangladesh, devastation on the current scale is less frequent. Recently it has been happening on a 10-year cycle. The last major floods were in 1998 and 1988. But this year the floods have arrived three years early. Deforestation may be partly to blame, causing soil erosion which reduces the ability of the land to absorb water. Irrigation for farming is a factor, because this causes river channels to silt up, reducing their capacity to hold flood waters. According to some experts, irrigation interferes with river drainage into the sea. Climate experts also believe global warming is partly to blame, by increasing monsoon rainfall and speeding up the melting of Himalayan snows. 'Quicker rehabilitation' But Barbu Alam, a researcher at the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, says that the country's poverty also hampers its ability to cope with floods. He argues that its weak economy, and low levels of technology and infrastructure combine to make matters worse. "The damage [in places like Bangladesh will] be higher due to the climate change," he told the BBC. Barbu Alam believes that with more money, Bangladesh could install early-warning systems that alert people to flooding four or five days in advance, instead of the current four or five hours. During floods lives could be saved by providing clean water more quickly, along with food, shelter and health care.
And after the deluge, more funds would mean quicker rehabilitation for those affected. But more strategic planning ahead of time and better information sharing with Bangladesh's neighbours is also required, he says, so that the country does not continue to be caught unawares.
Japanese kill 26 at Tel Aviv airport BBC On This Day 29 May Three Japanese gunmen have opened fire on crowds at Lod International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 26 people and injuring dozens more. The three men arrived on an Air France flight from Paris and once their luggage had come through to the baggage hall, they drew out automatic guns and hand grenades and fired randomly at anybody in sight. One of the men ran out onto the tarmac, shot passengers disembarking an El Al flight and then killed himself with his own hand grenade. A second man was shot by security guards and a third was arrested. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said they had recruited the gunmen from the Japanese Red Army and said they "came from thousands of miles away to join the Palestinian people in their struggle". In a statement, they said the raid was an act of revenge for killing two Arab hijackers who attempted to take a plane at Lod airport on 8 May. Among the victims were 11 Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land from Puerto Rico. Eminent scientist dead A leading Israeli scientist Professor Aharon Katzir, aged 62, was also killed. He was professor of chemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science and former president of the Israel Academy of Sciences. All incoming airliners were diverted to Cyprus until authorities had taken control of the situation. Israel's defence minister, Moshe Dayan and Transport Minister, Shimon Peres, arrived at the airport soon after the attack to witness a scene of carnage, with dead and dying people all across the terminal. Israeli officials are expected to call on all international airports to improve their security measures. In Context The two gunmen who died were later named as Kyoto university student Takeshi Okudaira , codenamed Giro, and Yasuyuki Yasuda, also a student. All three had been trained in Baalbeck, Lebanon, and had planned to commit suicide after their "mission" was completed. The surviving gunman, Kozo Okamoto, was tried in June 1972 and given a life sentence, in spite of his pleas to be allowed to shoot himself. He spent 13 years in jail in Israel before being released in a prisoner exchange with the Palestinians. He was given asylum in Lebanon where he is regarded as a hero and converted to Islam. Lod, or Lydda, airport has since been renamed Ben Gurion Airport and has some of the strictest airport
security in the world.
Obituary: Jun Ui Japan Times Nov. 12, 2006 Environmental scholar Jun Ui, known for his series of public lectures on pollution and his involvement in a number of antipollution movements, died early Saturday at a Tokyo hospital, his family said. He was 74. Ui was known as an "activist scholar" for such efforts as forming a network of environment conservationists in Okinawa and giving advice in a civil lawsuit in a Niigata mercury poisoning case. Ui joined the faculty of engineering at the University of Tokyo as an assistant in 1965 and was involved in investigations into the Minamata mercury poisoning and pollution cases in Europe as a researcher for the World Health Organization. Based on these experiences, he opened his classroom at the university to the public in 1970 for a series of lectures on the "principles of pollution." About 20,000 people are estimated to have attended the lectures through 1985 in which he talked about the importance of the viewpoints of ordinary people rather than those of the authorities and corporations, in addressing pollution issues. His lecture notes were used as guidelines by organizers of antipollution movements and had a considerable impact on various other citizens' movements.
High court upholds 20-year term for Shigenobu Japan Times Dec. 21, 2007 The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a 20-year prison term for one of the most notorious members of the Japanese Red Army, saying she played an indispensable role in plotting and aiding the 1974 seizure of the French Embassy in The Hague. But presiding Judge Fumio Yasuhiro dismissed prosecutors' claims that Fusako Shigenobu, 62, was one of the leading members of the guerrilla group at the time, noting the organization of the group had not been firmly established as of 1974. Appealing a 2006 Tokyo District Court ruling, prosecutors had demanded that Shigenobu, also accused of passport forgery, be given a life term as one of the group's top leaders at the time of the attack. Shigenobu had maintained she was innocent and said the embassy attack was in fact orchestrated by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Her attorney, Kyoko Otani , said she would appeal the case to the Supreme Court at the end of the month. Shigenobu was found guilty of conspiring with three other Red Army members to storm the embassy and take the French ambassador and 10 other employees hostage, shooting and seriously wounding two police officers. They then demanded that a fellow Red Army member be released from a French prison. Shigenobu was not among the three who actually seized the embassy. The focal point of her trial was whether she conspired with fellow members in plotting the attack.
In dismissing her appeal, the judge said there is no room for extenuation, noting Shigenobu has shown little sense of remorse. Shigenobu was a key member of the Japanese Red Army, which horrified the world with terrorist attacks in Israel, the Netherlands, Malaysia and elsewhere in the 1970s. She was arrested in Osaka in 2000. The Japanese Red Army disbanded in April 2001. Shigenobu, once widely known among Japanese as a combative extremist beauty, smiled and pumped her right fist into the air many times before and after the verdict. "I will keep fighting," she told the gallery.
Shoes thrown at Bush on Iraq trip President Bush ducks as the shoes are thrown BBC News 15 December 2008 A surprise visit by US President George Bush to Iraq has been overshadowed by an incident in which two shoes were thrown at him during a news conference. An Iraqi journalist was wrestled to the floor by security guards after he called Mr Bush "a dog" and threw his footwear, just missing the president. The US president has now continued to Afghanistan to inspect troops there. He arrived before dawn at Bagram air force base, and is due to hold talks with President Hamid Karzai. Earlier in Baghdad, Mr Bush and Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki signed the new security agreement between their countries. The pact calls for US troops to leave Iraq in 2011 - eight years after the 2003 invasion that has in part defined the Bush presidency. Speaking just over five weeks before he hands over power to Barack Obama, Mr Bush also said the war in Iraq was not over and more work remained to be done. His previously unannounced visit came a day after Defence Secretary Robert Gates told US troops the Iraq mission was in its "endgame". 'Size 10' In the middle of the news conference with Mr Maliki, Iraqi television journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi stood up and shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," before hurling a shoe at Mr Bush which narrowly missed him. Showing the soles of shoes to someone is a sign of contempt in Arab culture. With his second shoe, which the president also managed to dodge, Mr Zaidi said: "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq."
Mr Zaidi, a correspondent for Cairo-based al-Baghdadiya TV, was then wrestled to the ground by security personnel and hauled away. "If you want the facts, it's a size 10 shoe that he threw," Mr Bush joked afterwards. Al-Baghdadiya's bureau chief told the Associated Press that he had no idea what prompted Mr Zaidi to attack President Bush, although reports say he was once kidnapped by a militia and beaten up. "I am trying to reach Muntadar since the incident, but in vain," said Fityan Mohammed. "His phone is switched off." Correspondents said the attack was symbolic. Iraqis threw shoes and used them to beat Saddam Hussein's statue after his overthrow. 'American security' Mr Bush's first stop upon arriving in Baghdad was the Iraqi presidential palace in the heavily-fortified Green Zone, where he held talks with President Jalal Talabani. "The work hasn't been easy but it's been necessary for American security, Iraqi hope and world peace," Mr Bush said during his talks with Mr Talabani. The Iraqi president called Mr Bush "a great friend for the Iraqi people, who helped us liberate our country". The BBC's Humphrey Hawksley, in Baghdad, says the key issue at present is exactly how American troops will withdraw within the next three years and what sort of Iraq they will leave behind. The US media has just published details of a US government report saying that post invasion reconstruction of Iraq was crippled by bureaucratic turf wars and an ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society. The report is circulating among US officials in draft form, says the New York Times. It reveals details of a reconstruction effort that cost more than $100bn (67bn) and only succeeded in restoring what was destroyed in the invasion and the widespread looting that followed it, the newspaper said. Troop promises Mr Bush's visit, unannounced in advance and conducted under tight security, follows the approval last month of a security pact between Washington and Baghdad that calls for US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011. US troops are first to withdraw from Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, by June next year. Defence Secretary Gates said on Saturday that "the process of the drawdown" had begun. "We are, I believe, in terms of the American commitment, in the endgame here in Iraq," he told US troops at an airbase near Baghdad. Mr Gates has been picked to stay on as defence secretary by President-elect Barack Obama. President Bush leaves the White House in less than six weeks. He said in a recent interview with ABC News that the biggest regret of his presidency was the false intelligence that Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction. Finding these was one of the key justifications for the invasion. None were ever found. Mr Obama has promised to bring home US combat troops from Iraq in a little over a year from when he takes office in January. More than 4,200 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and security personnel have been killed since the invasion in 2003. There are currently about 149,000 US soldiers in Iraq, down from last year's peak of 170,000 after extra troops were poured in to deal with a worsening security situation. As Mr Bush arrived in Baghdad, Gen David Petraeus, the head of the US Central Command, which includes Iraq, said attacks in the country had dropped from 180 a day in June 2007 to 10 a day now. In a sign of modest security gains in Iraq, Mr Bush was welcomed with a formal arrival ceremony - a flourish that was not part of his previous three visits. He arrived in the country on Air Force One, which landed at Baghdad International Airport in the afternoon, after a secretive Saturday night departure from Washington on an 11-hour flight.
The earth breathed fire . THE FREE LIBRARY On a stormystormy night in December 1943, Masao Mimatsu felt a jolt. His house shook. An earthquake! He looked through the swirling snow to Mount Usu, less than two miles away. Mount Usu was a volcanovolcano, but it had been quiet for 33 years. Was it going to erupt again? Masao was a postmaster in the village of Sobetsu in northern Japan. He had lived his whole life at the foot of Mount Usu. As a boy, he had often climbed the mountain. In the summer of 1910. when he was 23 years old, Mount Usu had erupted. It had blasted smoke, ash, and rocks into the sky. Seeing that eruption, Masao developed an interest in volcanoes, which became a lifelong hobby. In 1943, Japan was fighting in World War II, a terrible conflict that caused suffering for people all over the world. Masao knew that the people living near Mount Usu were enduring great hardships due to the war. An eruption would make it even harder to survive. Earthquakes continued through New Year's Day. There were no scientists to monitor the volcano. They were all busy with the war. Masao was also busy, making sure the mail was delivered, but he found time to observe the volcano every day. He kept a diary of all earthquake activity. On January 1, 1944, he wrote, "Two earthquakes strong enough to knock things off of shelves." Masao Climbs a Volcano Masao climbed Mount Usu to check for volcanic activity. The volcano remained quiet, but a mile to the east there were ominous signs. In the farming village of Fukaba, huge cracks appeared across roads. Water pipes broke. Railroad tracks were twisted by the shifting earth. The most troubling change was the ground itself. It was slowly rising, like the surface of an inflating balloon. All winter the earthquakes continued. In spring, the farmers of Fukaba returned to their fields, despite the
rumbling in the earth below. On the morning of June 23, 1944, a farmer spotted white smoke coming out of the ground. Suddenly he heard an enormous explosion . He raced back to the village as the earth erupted, blasting ash and large rocks into the sky. By midday, the green fields and forests were covered with almost a foot of volcanic ash for a mile in all directions. Masao rushed to the site. The explosions had created a crater crater, circular, bowl-shaped depression on the earth's surface. (For a discussion of lunar craters, see moon.) Simple craters are bowl-shaped with a raised outer rim. Complex craters have a raised central peak surrounded by a trough and a fractured rim. 150 feet across and 100 feet deep. A new volcano had been born. "The crater was in the same place that I sat and ate my lunch yesterday," he wrote. During the next four months, earthquakes and eruptions continued to rock the land. "Ash clinging to the plants caused the crops to die," Masao reported. "The local farmers are in despair." The Villagers Flee The people of Fukaba fled their homes. Soon, their houses were pounded to fragments by rocks blasted like cannonballs out of the new volcano. Masao wrote that the volcano "looked like a monster breathing out fire." But the danger did not stop him. As the volcano pushed skyward, he climbed up its jagged slopes to make observations, and he kept a careful record of its growth. Molten rock, called lava, started forcing its way out of the crater. This lava hardened into a black dome, shrouded in white smoke. For the next eight months the lava dome continued to push upward until the volcano stood 1,300 feet high. As the volcano grew, the war continued, causing great hardship for the people. Finally, on August 15, 1945, after years of war, the emperor of Japan made a radio address to his people: Japan had surrendered. The war was over. Six weeks later, Masao recorded that the new volcano was quiet at last. He noted that "signs of joy could be seen on the faces of the totally exhausted people." Masao named the volcano Showa Shinzan. Showa honors the emperor of Japan at that time. Shinzan means "new mountain" in Japanese. Masao Saves the Mountain Many people wanted to dig mines into the volcano to get sulfur and other minerals that had come to the surface during the eruptions. To save the mountain, Masao sold some of his own property and used the money to buy Showa Shinzan from the Fukaba farmers. He protected Showa Shinzan for the rest of his life. Today it is protected by the government of Japan. Masao was a postmaster, not a scientist. But his careful notes, photographs, and sketches were an important contribution to the understanding of volcanoes. In 1958, his report on Showa Shinzan was presented at an international conference on volcanoes, and he was recognized for his contribution. Showa Shinzan has not erupted for more than fifty years. You can visit it. It is a rusty-red, rocky mountain standing where farmers once grew wheat. The volcano is quiet, but steam and smoke still escape from its jagged sides. At its base is a statue of postmaster Masao Mimatsu looking up at the volcano whose birth he recorded.
Secular Party Wins Landslide Vote in Bangladesh New York Times December 30, 2008 NEW DELHI After two years of army-backed emergency rule, democracy returned to Bangladesh as the secular Awami League party scored an apparent landslide victory in election results announced on Tuesday. Voting on Monday had proceeded in a largely peaceful atmosphere, and in many locations it was even quite festive. According to the Associated Press, the election official Humayun Kabir said the Awami League, in alliance with a smaller party called Jatiya, won a more than two-thirds majority in Parliament after votes in most districts had been counted. "This has been a very free and fair election," Mr. Kabir told reporters at his office in Dhaka. The leagues leader, Sheikh Hasina, urged her supporters to remain calm and off the streets, fearing that any victory rallies would result in clashes with rivals. Ms. Hasina, a former prime minister, has promised to quash Islamist extremist groups in the largely Muslim country. She has been a target of the extremists ire already, having been wounded by a grenade at a 2004 rally in an attack linked to Islamist radicals that killed 23 people. If the apparently high turnout election officials said it could exceed 70 percent was an endorsement of elected civilian rule, it was also a challenge to the nations political leaders to conduct themselves better than they had in recent years. I know politics in this country is dirty, said Monira Khanam, 22, a medical student who voted in the capital, Dhaka. Now that the country is returning to democracy after two years, I expect politicians will behave better. It is out of this expectation that Ive come out to vote. These national elections had to be postponed for nearly two years because of repeated, violent clashes between rival parties. The army-backed government, in taking over in January 2007, banned political activity altogether, took 11 million fake names off the voter rolls, and arrested scores of politicians and businessmen on corruption charges. According to human rights groups, it also arrested people arbitrarily and, on some occasions, tortured them.
Most of all, in its bid to clean up politics, the caretaker government sought to drive the two women who head the countrys two principal parties out of politics forever: Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Ms. Hasina. But the leaders refused to go into exile and even after they were jailed on corruption charges, they fought to be let out and campaign for office. The government relented, releasing both women this year on bail as their cases wound through the courts. It is unclear whether the loser will accept the election verdict or resort to street violence as in the past. Also unknown is whether the army will fully give up power and go back into the barracks. It appears that Sheikh Hasina is heading for a landslide victory in a free and fair election observed by hundreds of foreign and thousands of local observers at a time when Bangladesh faces some unprecedented economic, political and security challenges, said Farooq Sobhan, a former foreign secretary, who had supported the caretaker regimes crackdown on politics two years ago. There are high expectations, both inside and outside the country, almost on the scale of the Obama
victory, he said.
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The 1940 Tokyo Games: The Missing Olympics: Japan, the Asian Olympics and the Olympic Movement Institute of Historic Research August 2008 Review The 1940 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games are a non-event, because they never happened. Promoted by Japanese organisations since the early 1930s, decided on by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in 1936, and given up by the Japanese in 1938, they were soon forgotten, overshadowed by the war with China and the Second World War. When the Tokyo Olympics, the first ones in Asia, finally took place in 1964, few remembered and few cared to mention the unpleasant circumstances under which the previous attempt to hold the games there was conceived and abandoned. Sandra Collins exhumes this fascinating story and brings it back to life. Using a variety of sources, she describes the day-to-day developments which led to the selection of Tokyo for the 1940 Olympic Games, and later to Japan's decision to relinquish them. Although the reader knows how the story will end, the author manages to maintain suspense throughout the book. The main contribution of this monograph is the presentation of the various backgrounds against which this affair evolved. The rise and fall of the 1940 Olympiad project is described in the contexts of the Olympic movement, the political developments in Japan at that time, the international relations in East Asia, the war with China, the press and public opinion in Japan and abroad, and the Japanese and Western personalities that played a role in this episode. There are no villains or heroes in this narration. As the story develops, we see how great ideals, as often happens, become entangled in the web of national, organisational, and personal interests, and how important decisions are made without adequate understanding and with no way of predicting their results. As Collins shows, the Japanese were eager to host the 1940 Olympic Games for both external and internal reasons. They hoped that staging these games would establish Japan's status as a first-rate modern power, an Asian empire, and leader of the non-Western world. Against growing international criticism of Japan's aggression on the continent, the Olympic Games were considered to be a form of 'people's diplomacy' that would generate foreign good will. The Tokyo Olympiad was to coincide with the 2,600th anniversary of the legendary establishment of the Japanese empire by Emperor Jimmu (kigen) in 660 BC, planned for 1940. The combination of these two splendid celebrations was expected to boost nationalism, enhance the prestige of the emperor, and mobilise the Japanese masses for national causes. Thus, from the beginning, the Tokyo Olympics carried a double message: They were to advance modernisation and internationalisation on the one hand, but also to foster tradition and national pride on the other.
The Olympic Games were, since their inception in 1894, a symbol of universal peace, fair play and global understanding through sport, but in fact they were seen as a white man's affair that was held only in Europe and the United States. The argument that the Japanese used, to promote Tokyo for the 1940 Olympics, was that only by staging the games in Japan, the most modern country of the non-Western world, would the Olympic movement become international. This was a powerful argument that appealed to many members of the Olympic organisation. Therefore, when the IOC voted, in July 1936, on the venue of the 1940 Olympiad, Tokyo's candidacy was supported not only by such Western countries as the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, but also by China, India, Egypt, and Iran (pp. 74-5). Japan earned the 1940 games also by the achievements of its athletes. In the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Japanese won 35 medals, including seven gold medals, and Japan was ranked fifth, after the United States, Italy, France, and Sweden, ahead of Great Britain, Germany, and Australia. In the 1936 Berlin Olympiad, which took place shortly after Tokyo had been chosen for the 1940 games, Japanese athletes won 44 medals, including six gold medals (p. 10). These victories and world records won Japan the praise of the whole world. Collins makes the illuminating remark that 32 years after the Japanese novelist Natsume S seki referred to himself in London as 'small, ugly and yellow', a Japanese athlete in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles described himself as 'tall, powerful and seemingly white' (p. 37). In their efforts to promote Tokyo, the Japanese resorted to unprecedented tactics. Japanese diplomats lobbied foreign governments, especially those of Italy and Great Britain, to persuade their Olympic committees to withdraw the candidacies of their cities from the race. In January 1935, the Japanese ambassador to Rome, Sugimura Y tar , who was also Japan's IOC member, met with Mussolini and convinced him to drop the candidacy of Rome for the 1940 Olympics, in exchange for Japan's support of Rome's candidacy for the 1944 games. This enraged the Italian National Olympic Committee, which possessed the right to make such decisions, but the committee had to abide by the will of the Duce (pp. 607). Japan also used monetary incentives to promote its case. In December 1934, the Tokyo City Assembly allocated one million yen (half a million US dollars) to subsidise the travel of athletes and officials to the Tokyo Olympiad (p. 56). The president of the IOC, the Belgian Count Henry Baillet-Latour, was invited to Tokyo, on an all-expense paid trip, to inspect the city's sports facilities. He arrived in March 1936, shortly after the suppression of the attempted coup d'tat of February 1936, but despite the troubled times he was wined and dined during the two and a half weeks that he spent in Japan, and was even received by the emperor. Baillet-Latour was greatly impressed by what he saw and heard and returned home as an enthusiastic supporter of the Tokyo games (pp. 67-70). The IOC claimed that its decisions were based purely on sport considerations and had nothing to do with politics, but the selection of Berlin and Tokyo as the venues of the Olympic Games in 1936 and 1940 enabled Nazi Germany, and almost enabled militarist Japan, to use these games as a propaganda tool of their authoritarian and militaristic regimes. Avery Brundage, the president of the American Olympic Committee in 1936, rejected the demands of Jewish groups in his country to boycott Hitler's Olympiad, on the grounds that 'sports is above politics' (pp. 147, 149). The choice of Tokyo, in July 1936, as the venue of the 1940 games caused a great sensation in Japan. The streets were decorated with Japanese and Olympic flags, fireworks were lit, congratulatory slogans were displayed, and commemorative stamps were issued to celebrate the occasion (p. 76). But it soon turned out that the Japanese could not make up their minds on important issues concerning the games. The first problem was the location of the Olympic Stadium. When Tokyo submitted its bid, it notified the IOC that the central stadium would be located in the Outer Gardens of the Meiji Shrine. When Baillet-Latour visited Tokyo, he was deeply impressed by the serene beauty of that site. But after Tokyo had been chosen, the Home Ministry and the Shrine Bureau objected to that plan, claiming that the boisterous stadium would disturb the sanctity of the gardens dedicated to the spirits of the Meiji Emperor and his wife. After a long debate, which dragged on for two years, the government decided, contrary to the wishes of the IOC president, to construct the central stadium in the Komazawa district of the capital (pp. 112-123).
Another controversy surrounded the route of the Olympic flame. The custom of bringing the fire from Olympia in Greece to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games by relay, was started with the Berlin Olympics, at that time to symbolise that Nazi Germany was the successor of ancient Greece. This new tradition struck roots and has continued until today. The planners of the 1936 relay recommended that the 1940 relay, which would span 10,000 km, should be conducted by horse riders and runners and should follow the ancient Silk Road. But the Japanese did not like the idea of the Central Asian route which would cross China, and suggested instead that one of their warships carry the torch from Greece to Japan. Later, the Japanese proposed that the Olympic flame be carried by an airplane (called 'kamikaze') along a South Asian route. Within Japan the fire would be carried by relay from Mount Hy ga in Kyushu (where the legendary Ninigi-no-mikoto descended from heaven to rule Japan), through the Ise Shrines to Tokyo (pp. 124-132). Another problem was the emperor's role in the opening ceremony. According to the Olympic rules, the head of the host state officially opens the games. But the Japanese emperor at that time was considered to be too sacred to have his voice transmitted electronically by microphone, loudspeaker or radio (pp. 132-5). Collins shows how difficult it was to transplant the Western traditions and practices of the Olympic Games into the political and cultural context of pre-war Japan, and how difficult it was for the Japanese to decide how to present their 'Asian' traditions and values to the Western world through the Olympic Games. Obtaining consensus on these issues in pre-war Japan was almost an impossible goal, with the military, the bureaucracy, the Olympic Committee, and the public pulling in different directions. Under these circumstances it became questionable whether the 1940 Tokyo Olympic Games would ever take off. But what finally sealed their fate was the expanding war in China, which had broken out in July 1937. At first, the Japanese hoped that the hostilities would end in a short time and they would be able to stage the Olympic Games as scheduled. But as the war situation intensified and required more and more lives and materiel, the prospects of the games started to look dim. The financial allocations for the Olympiad were gradually curtailed, and voices were heard that it was inappropriate to host such a festive event at a time when Japanese young men were dying on the battlefields. In March 1938, Army Minister Sugiyama Hajime declared that the Olympic Games interfered with the 'successful conclusion of the China Incident'. Two months later, Welfare Minister Kido K ichi, the cabinet minister responsible for the games, informed the Diet that the government had decided to cancel the Tokyo Olympiad (pp. 151, 161-162). Although there had been earlier calls in the United States and Britain to boycott the Tokyo Olympics, in protest of Japan's aggression in China, the cancellation of the games was made by the Japanese themselves. The IOC president Baillet-Latour insisted until the last moment that the games should be held as scheduled, explaining that he opposed the boycott of Tokyo 'with the same arguments I used to fight the Jewish campaign in 1936' (p. 157). The cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics did not bring about the cancellation of the 2,600th anniversary of the foundation of the empire. On the contrary, relieved from the need to host a multitude of Western athletes and to perform problematic Western ceremonies, the Japanese celebrated the kigen of 1940 on a grand scale in a solemn and traditional way. As part of the celebrations, Tokyo hosted the East Asian Games, in which 700 athletes from Japan, Manchukuo, occupied China, Thailand, the Philippines, and Hawaii participated . A 'sacred fire', brought by relay from Kashihara Shrine (dedicated to Emperor Jimmu) in Nara Prefecture, ignited the flame at the Meiji Shrine Outer Gardens, where the central ceremony took place (pp. 179-180). Meanwhile, the IOC had chosen Helsinki to host the 1940 Olympic Games, but the Second World War, which broke out in September 1939, led to the cancellation of both the 1940 and 1944 Olympiads. After the war, the Olympic Games were resumed, with London hosting them in 1948, Helsinki in 1952, and Melbourne in 1956. In May 1952, shortly after the end of the Allied Occupation of Japan, the governor of Tokyo submitted the candidacy of his city for the 1960 summer games. But Rome, which had competed with Tokyo for the 1940 Olympics in the past, won. In 1958 Tokyo hosted, with remarkable success, the third Asian Games, proving how well it was prepared to host international sporting events. In 1959, Tokyo's
candidacy was submitted again for the 1964 Olympics and this time it won. The bid was supported by the IOC president, Avery Brundage, who had succeeded Baillet-Latour and who had been, like him, an enthusiastic supporter of the 1940 Tokyo games (p. 182). The 1964 Tokyo Olympiad was an astonishing success, showing the whole world how successfully Japan had modernised and democratised. The Olympic flame was carried from Athens to Kagoshima by a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane, which stopped on its way in Istanbul, Beirut, Tehran, Lahore, New Delhi, Calcutta, Rangoon, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Hong Kong, and Taipei. In Kagoshima, the flame was separated into four flames which advanced to Tokyo by relay along four routes, passing the capitals of all prefectures. The flames were reunited in front of the imperial palace into one torch, which was carried from there, to light the Olympic Cauldron at the Olympic Stadium at the Meiji Shrine Outer Gardens, by Sakai Yoshinori, who was born in Hiroshima on the day that the atomic bomb was dropped. The Sh wa Emperor announced the opening of the Olympic Games into a microphone, with no objection from the conservatives (p. 184). The second time that the Olympic Games were held in Asia was in Seoul in 1988, and the third time will be in Beijing in 2008. Collins thinks that the historical precedent for the Seoul and Beijing Olympics was not the 1964 Olympiad in Tokyo, but rather the aborted 1940 Tokyo Olympiad. She points out that like Japan in 1940, but unlike Japan in 1964, South Korea in 1988 and China in 2008 were authoritarian Asian countries which wished to strengthen their regimes and improve their international standing by demonstrating their modernity (p. 186). Collins alleges that when the mayor of Beijing, Liu Qi, announced that the 2008 Olympic Games would 'promote economic and social progress ... promote the exchange of the Great Chinese culture with other cultures ... [and] mark a major step forward in the spread of Olympic ideals', he was mimicking the rhetoric of the campaign to promote the 1940 Tokyo games (p. 187). The book is well-written, with charts, cartoons, and black and white photographs. Yet, it is not clear why the author, or the editor, decided to present the chapters as independent essays, with their own lists of references. As a result, there is some overlapping on the one hand and some lacunae on the other. The most important topic which I found missing was the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The Berlin Olympiad is remembered in Japan and Korea because of the Korean athlete Sohn Kee-Chung (Son Kitei in Japanese), who won the marathon race as a member of the Japanese team. Another Korean, Nam Sung-Yong, won the bronze medal of that marathon, also representing Japan. In 1936 they were regarded as Japanese, today they are regarded as Koreans. At the opening ceremony of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Sohn KeeChung, at the advanced age of 76, carried the Olympic torch into the stadium, as a representative of Korean athletic achievements. This whole story is not mentioned in the book. Another problem is the haphazard spelling of Japanese names. In transcribing Japanese names into English, one can either ignore the long vowels, as some authors have done, and not use macrons, or one can, as many scholars nowadays do, indicate the long vowels by macrons. This book follows a strange middle way, sometimes using macrons, sometimes attaching them partially, and sometimes avoiding them altogether. Thus, Kido K ichi and K no Ichir appear throughout the book without the macrons, while Kan Jigor appears sometimes with macrons, sometimes without them, sometimes as Senator (?) Kano (p. 52, caption), and sometimes as Kan Jigar (p. 92). In addition, Niniginomikoto on p. 127 becomes Nihigi-nomikoto on the following page, and Kido's Nikki (diary) becomes Nikko in the references on p. 176. A little more editorial attention would have avoided these mistakes and inconsistencies. But these are minor defects. The book is recommended reading to anyone interested in modern Japanese history or the history of the Olympic Games.
Japan-China compromise over East China Sea getting harder UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA Kyodo News May 10, 2006 Amid intensifying resource wars with rising nationalism in every corner of the globe, a conflict between
Japan and China over the East China Sea, where there are rich oil and natural gas deposits, is heating up. Behind the conflict, there is 'neglect' by the Japanese government over a long period of time -- a failure to approve applications for the rights to explore for 33 years. It was the late Tsunehisa Omija, an Okinawa Prefecture businessman, who first predicted rich oil deposits in the sea. On Yaeyama Islands, there are beaches with star-shaped foram corpses also found along the Persian Gulf, leading him to believe that there would be undersea oil fields in the neighborhood of the islands Japan calls the Senkaku. Since 1948, when the islands were under the administration of the U.S. military, Omija had conducted his own investigations, and in 1969, he successfully applied for the mining right in the sea around the islands. An investigation report by the U.N. Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) also pointed to the possibility of oil deposits there. Omija, who wanted to use oil revenues for Okinawa's development found a congenial spirit in Masao Araki, now 83, who later became vice chairman of now defunct Nissho Iwai Corp., which merged with Nichimen Corp. into Sojitz Holdings Corp. Uruma Resources Development Co., a subsidiary of Toyo Oil Development Co. affiliated with then Nissho Iwai, succeeded the mining right from Omija and applied to the then Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) for the right to explore in the sea around the Senkaku Islands in 1973 and received approval. But for 33 years since, the Japanese government has approved no test drilling. Araki has appealed to about 50 politicians, including former prime ministers, and bureaucrats at the Foreign Ministry and METI for such approval. In 1990, when China proposed to Japan a joint development plan, Araki appealed to the Foreign Ministry, but the bureau chief in charge said, 'The Soviet Union may propose a joint development plan in resolving the problem of the Northern Territories, and Japan will be placed in a disadvantageous position.' The Northern Territories is Japan's name for four islands northeast of Hokkaido that the former Soviet Union took control of at the end of World War II. In 1997, he called on then Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita at his home together with Yoshitaka Yotsumoto , dubbed 'the political community's trend spotter,' and was told, 'It is better to study Japan-China joint development.' He also met late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. Takeshita, Yotsumoto and Obuchi are now dead. Obuchi visited China in 1999 as prime minister and then Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji proposed that both countries use resources in the East China Sea together. But Obuchi returned home without responding to the proposal, missing a good opportunity to break the deadlock over the development of resources in the sea. China has since carried out test drilling in more than 20 places near the Japan-demarcated median line between the two countries and begun production at the Pinghu gas field. China does not regard the median line as legitimate. The now defunct Export-Import Bank of Japan, currently the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, extended $120 million in loans together with the Asian Development Bank to China for helping construct a 375-kilometer-long pipeline to carry the Pinghu gas to the Shanghai-Pudong district in fiscal 1996.
This money was supplied by the governmental finance body without policy coordination with the government, according to the bank's sources. Two U.S. and European companies, including Unocal Corp. of the United States, which had engaged in joint development near the Japan-drawn median line with a Chinese enterprise, withdrew from the work in 2004 for 'commercial reasons.' It appears there are insufficient natural resource deposits near the line. According to Selig Harrison, a senior scholar at the U.S. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the most promising oil field in the East China Sea is in the Okinawa trough. This is followed by areas around the Senkaku Islands, which themselves are disputed with China and others. China calls them the Diaoyu Islands. China is proposing joint development with Japan on the Japanese side of the median line and areas near the disputed islands. Resources in these areas are said to be rich. In July last year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry finally approved an application for the test drilling right filed by Teikoku Oil Co., a company merged with International Oil Development Co., into Inpex Holdings Co. in 1969. But if the company carries out test drilling there, 'obstruction by Chinese warships' is expected, and it will not do so until an 'environment is prepared,' said an industry source. So far, four Japanese companies have applied for the test drilling right, but work has yet to begin. The Japanese government investigated the geological structure from 2004 to 2005, but no exact information about resources deposits can be available until test drilling is done. Japan has no information. Araki said the 'ostrich policy' of politicians and bureaucrats has invited rough times for Japan. The East China Sea, the gateway to China, is gaining importance as a strategic military area, making it harder year by year for the two countries to compromise, analysts said. Manabu Takamizawa, a section chief at the research divisions at the Japan-China Economic Association, said Japan's energy-relation loans to China have totaled 1.7 trillion yen since 1979 in addition to the country's huge official development assistance. 'These Japanese financial and technical contributions to China's energy development are little known among Chinese people,' Takamizawa.
Cops plan internal monitors of grillings Japan Times Nov. 2, 2007 The National Police Agency plans to launch a new system as early as fiscal 2008 to monitor police questioning of suspects in an effort to ensure transparency, NPA officials said Thursday. The NPA plans to draw up guidelines for the plan by the end of the year, the officials said, as public trust in police questioning tactics has been damaged amid a series of acquittals involving people who were forced to confess to crimes they didn't commit. The plan calls for officers from noninvestigative divisions to be involved in the questioning process, a move that represents a "major turning point for the police," a senior NPA official said.
Under the NPA plan, prefectural police forces will set up a monitoring body with members other than from the investigative division possibly from the administration division to carry out the monitoring, according to the officials. The NPA will compile guidelines based on four points sought Thursday by the government's National Public Safety Commission. The commission asked police to strengthen the monitoring of and keep set hours for questioning, adopt measures to ensure questioning is conducted in an appropriate manner and increase the discipline of the people involved in criminal investigations. Under the plan, police officers will be required to tell the monitoring body the times when a suspect enters and exits a detention room to ensure suspects will not be questioned late at night. Suspects would be able to submit complaints about questioning procedures to the body. The body could also send staff into the interrogation rooms during questioning. In October, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations called for a law that requires police to make transparent the entire process of questioning suspects by taping sessions, which would allow courts to deny evidence if such a procedure is not followed. The Toyama District Court on Oct. 10 acquitted a man in a retrial after he served about two years in prison in a wrongful conviction of rape and attempted rape. The court discredited the man's confessions, noting the crimes were committed by another person. The man, Hiroshi Yanagihara, was not pleased about the ruling, saying the court had failed to clarify what went wrong in the police investigation that led to the false charges. In February, the Kagoshima District Court cleared 12 people accused of vote-buying after discrediting the confessions of some of the defendants, who prosecutors said confessed to violating the election law.
Stalker judge Yoshiharu Shimoyama fired The Mainichi Dialy News December 25, 2008 Judge Yoshiharu Shimoyama has been impeached following his conviction under the Anti-Stalking Law for repeatedly e-mailing to a woman. The Diet's Judges Impeachment Court stripped 55-year-old Shimoyama, a judge at the Utsunomiya District Court, of his legal license on Wednesday. He is the first judge to be impeached in Japan since a Tokyo High Court judge was dismissed seven years ago after being convicted under the Law for Punishing Acts Related to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the sixth in history. House of Councillors member Iwao Matsuda, who presided over the trial, said Shimoyama "has no conscience or dignity as a judge." "It was outrageous that he sent e-mails to the victim while knowing that his actions constituted a crime. He betrayed the public's trust in him," Presiding Judge Matsuda added. The court added that the incident came as a shock to the public and badly damaged the public's trust in the judicial authorities at a crucial time, as Japan prepares to introduce the lay judge system.
The impeachment court then concluded that his actions fall under immoral conduct that badly damages his dignity as a judge, for which judges can be sacked under the Law for Impeachment of Judges. Shimoyama was sentenced in an earlier criminal trial to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for sending a subordinate in her 20s anonymous e-mails, including some of a sexual nature, on 16 occasions between February and March this year. He pleaded guilty to the charges. Under Article 78 of the Constitution, judges cannot be dismissed except by public impeachment unless judicially declared mentally or physically incompetent to perform official duties. They can be impeached only if two-thirds or more of the 14 judges in the Diet's Judges Impeachment Court agree on the decision. The Judges Impeachment Court comprises seven members of the House of Representatives and seven from the House of Councillors. Impeached judges cannot appeal the Judges Impeachment Court's decision, and automatically lose their legal licenses and pensions. However, judges can ask the Judges Impeachment Court to restore their license five or more years after they are impeached.
Reported stalking cases likely just tip of iceberg Teacher's murder shines light on ordeal faced by thousands of women in Japan Japan Times April 10, 2007 The day started like any other. The alarm clock rang at 7 a.m. and Laura Fitch, a Canadian then 28 years old, made her sleepy-eyed way to the shower to freshen up before brewing her first coffee of the day. About 10 minutes later, as soon as she turned off the water, the phone in her Tokyo apartment started ringing -- a sound that she would soon become all too familiar with. Fitch had only given her land-line number to family members and close friends overseas, so she quickly dried herself off and rushed to catch the call. "A whiny male voice asked me in Japanese if I was Laura," Fitch recalls of the morning two years ago. "I was tired, I wasn't thinking about who he could be, and I answered yes. "Then he said, 'Is this the Laura that lives at such and such an address?' and I said yes again. Then he said, 'You just got out of the shower, right? ' " Fitch explains, adding that she had a small window in her bathroom that looked out to the front of her building. "At that point I clued in and freaked out. I hung up immediately, checked my locks and called my friend who lived next door." From that day, every day until Fitch left Japan 10 months later, she was bombarded with phone calls. Her privacy was invaded and she feared for her safety. She was being stalked. Fitch didn't get her normal life back until she left Japan. And hearing two weeks ago about the murder of 22-year-old English teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker -- allegedly by a man who had stalked her -- sent a chill down Fitch's spine and reopened mental scars. Last year, 12,501 stalking incidents were reported in Japan -- 90.4 percent of the victims were women, with 67.7 percent being between 20 and 39 years old, and the stalker was male in 89.7 of cases, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Police records. The number was a 2.3 percent increase compared with 12,220 reported cases in 2005.
Those numbers likely don't even scratch the surface. Eighty-three percent of stalking incidents in the U.S. are not reported to the police or other officials, according to a survey conducted in 2000 by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) of 4,446 female students at 223 colleges and universities. Of the 83 percent of victims who did not make a report, 72 percent didn't think the incident was serious enough to report, 44.6 percent didn't know it was a crime and 33.6 percent didn't believe the police would take it seriously. After receiving her first freaky phone call, Fitch went straight to the police, who she says were "not too concerned" and told her they couldn't do anything because her stalker was "only phoning" her. She said the police patrolled her area a few times in the beginning, but that was about it. "There was a definite 'boys' club' feeling about the whole thing," Fitch says. "I was told that he was just a boy having fun, that I should change my number and forget about it. When the calls kept coming, they refused to do anything more to help me and started getting obstinate." So Fitch, an English teacher at the time, was left to cope on her own in a situation she was powerless to control -- a situation that can leave victims in a state of near-constant paranoia. Fitch says she was always on the lookout for strange behavior. She carried a Taser with her everywhere, she never listened to music while she was walking, she always tried to take different routes to and from work, and she alerted her colleagues and friends to the situation. "The first few days I was f---ing terrified," says Fitch. "I was constantly checking my lock and looking over my shoulder." "He would call all night, all day," she says. "I once took the phone off the hook for a whole two weeks, but it started ringing again within an hour after I replaced it." Stalking is an extreme symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a recognized mental illness, according to Dr. Chie Okuda, a Tokyo-based clinical psychologist. "People who are obsessive can't stop what they're doing," says Okuda. "It's also a sexual and hormonal issue that becomes a compulsion -- a driven state -- that affects their reasoning and can't be controlled. It's like a state of hunger. "Sexual or romantic attachment is a strong force in people's basic needs," says Okuda. "Needs for attachment are very basic. You crave things like food and sex. That's a basic driving force and can become heightened when you don't feel close to anyone. "People have to balance and inhibit their impulses all the time, but some people don't learn how to deal with frustrations in life," says Okuda. "Once they find something that catches their attention, and then add to that the stress level that they may feel at a particular time, that person may act upon it." Such may have been the case when 28-year-old Tatsuya Ichihashi, who remains at large, allegedly stalked and killed Hawker, a British Nova teacher, leaving her body in a bathtub of sand on his balcony in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture. In the five years that records of stalking cases have been kept in Japan, 48 of the victims were murdered. The unpredictable nature of stalkers makes them especially threatening. Victims can never be certain when or how they will next encounter their stalker.
The Journal of Forensic Sciences 2006 found that two-thirds of stalkers in cases across North America used more than one method of approaching or pursuing their victim daily or at least once a week. Seventy-seven percent of victims in the U.S. are telephoned, 47.9 percent are waited for, 44.6 percent are watched from afar and 42 percent are followed, according to the NIJ/BJS survey of post-secondary students. A Tokyo police report shows that last year in Japan, 54 percent of stalkers waited for and followed their victims, 53 percent pressured their victims to meet them and get to know them, and 31 percent called their victims on the telephone but did not say anything. The report states that the motive for 65 percent of stalkers was emotional attachment to the victim and 33 percent did it because of unreciprocated love, which means 98 percent of all reported cases were driven by feelings of desire. After a case is reported, police judge whether it is serious enough to warrant legal action. "It's a very sensitive issue," says Yasuo Sato, director of the Victim Support Center of Tokyo. "How much legal action is taken in each situation is left to the discretion of each individual police officer. "Usually, first police give the stalker a warning," says Sato, who is a former police officer. "In my experience, 90 percent of stalkers stop after a warning." Japan's Antistalking Law was enacted in 2000. According to the law, after the stalker carries out one of eight actions, such as following the victim home or calling the victim, the victim should file a report asking for the police to give a warning. After the warning, if the stalking continues, the chief of police at headquarters will give a final warning. If the stalker still doesn't stop, the Public Safety Commission examines the case. The PSC can then order prohibition of the stalker's actions. Finally, if the stalker fails to cease and is arrested, he or she could face up to a year in prison or a 1 million yen fine. In the early stages of a stalking incident, much of the onus is on the victim to prove the seriousness of the crime. "In the case of continual phone calls, the victim should record everything," says Sato. "They should tell the stalker that if they keep doing it, they'll call the police." Fitch did exactly that on the advice of a student who had read what to do on a Japanese antistalking Web site. "I got an extension to my tape recorder that allowed me to tape the telephone conversations," Fitch says. "Once I had it set up, I talked to him a bit to get something to take to the police. "I could hear him jacking off on the phone and he asked me if I had ever seen a Japanese penis and then he would proceed to blow his load," says Fitch. "I only stuck on the phone to give the cops more evidence, which they asked for. They said it's not a crime unless it's sexual. "However, that still wasn't enough for the police and they said that he had to want to date me," she says. "When I pressed them to open my phone records, which according to NTT they could do with a police or judge's warrant, they became less helpful and for some reason were really against doing it." Sato says if Fitch had gone to another police station, her request might have been granted.
"The police should have taken action and I feel sorry for her because maybe the person in charge didn't do the right thing," says Sato. "Her stalker masturbated on the phone and I think maybe he was a little bit crazy. The police could have traced the call. "Victims should not hesitate to call our center because there is a lot we can do to help," says Sato. "If someone reports the incident to a police officer who doesn't take action, we can refer the victim to a good officer. We have a strong relationship with the police force and we also have interpretation services." Fitch was just one thousands in Japan last year who reported the often-faceless crime that can leave its victims feeling helpless and traumatized. In her case, leaving the country has helped put the painful experience behind her. The Antistalking Law in Japan is still relatively new, and perhaps many remain unaware of how dangerous stalkers can be. Hawker's murder was a brutal reminder of the seriousness of the issue -- and a wakeup call for the countless victims of stalkers who are suffering in silence.
Judge'setup'ownstalkingprobe Daily Yomiuri May 26, 2008 KOFU--The Yamanashi prefectural police made the decision to arrest a judge on suspicion of stalking a woman after concluding he "might have destroyed evidence" once he realized how far a police investigation into the case had proceeded, according to sources. Yoshiharu Shimoyama, a judge of the Utsunomiya District Court in Tochigi Prefecture, was also responsible for setting up the stalking probe in a bid to throw investigators off the trail, the sources said. Shimoyama, 55, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of violating the Antistalking Law for sending anonymous e-mails and making silent phone calls to a female court employee in her 20s. The police also searched Shimoyama's home in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, on Sunday in an attempt to find evidence related to the stalking case. The woman, who was unsure whether Shimoyama was responsible for the e-mails and phone calls received in February and March, reportedly spoke to him about them, apparently prompting the judge to play innocent and urge the head of the prefectural force, via a senior National Police Agency officer he knew, to launch an investigation. The woman reportedly stopped receiving the e-mails immediately after the investigation began, leading the prefectural police to determine it was indeed Shimoyama who had sent them. The police, however, failed to issue him a warning based on the Antistalking Law. Warnings are usually issued by heads of police stations or other senior officers at the request of a victim to prevent recurrences of stalking or demands to meet or go out on dates. Should the perpetrator not comply with the warning, the Public Safety Commission may issue an injunction, which if violated can lead to a maximum prison term of one year or a fine of up to 1 million yen. According to a source close to the investigation, when the victim spoke with Shimoyama he was her superior as chief of the Tsuru branch of the Kofu District Court's family court. Shimoyama then told a senior NPA officer who was at Tokyo University at the same time as him that a subordinate of his was being pestered by silent phone calls. The officer contacted the head of the prefectural police headquarters in mid-
March and requested to speak with the woman. Furthermore, Shimoyama reportedly authorized the seizure from a telephone company of the call log of his own phone, at which point he became fully aware of how far the investigation had proceeded. The log helped prefectural police deduce that Shimoyama was the perpetrator of the e-mails and calls, but they did not issue him a warning. The police are said to be incensed with Shimoyama not only for sending the unsolicited and obscene emails and other messages to the woman, but also for trying to "play" them by contacting them over the matter as if he were unconnected to the case. "He somehow believed he wouldn't get arrested," the senior prefectural police officer said. "He tried to make fools out of the police." === Victim wants harsh penalty The female employee was sent more than a dozen unsolicited e-mails, but the police only revealed those not containing any obscene content. "If it'd only been that kind of content, I doubt we'd have been able to obtain an arrest warrant," the investigation source said. "The e-mails were of a sufficiently malicious nature and the victim strongly hopes the perpetrator is dealt a harsh punishment." Another senior police investigator complained of difficulties the investigation had brought to light in dealing with such cases. "Revealing the content of the e-mails would mean disclosing the private details of the victim," the senior investigator said. "Under the Antistalking Law, the case would've been swept under the carpet if the victim had retracted her complaint. Protecting the victim is our highest priority." To establish a prosecutable case as a violation of the Antistalking Law, stalking behavior must include an element of amorous intent. Shimoyama has reportedly admitted sending e-mails to the woman, but has denied the stalking allegations, saying he was not seeking any kind of romantic involvement with her. Shimoyama was the presiding judge in a trial at the Urawa District Court--now the Saitama District Court--in 1999 over a case in which a female university student was murdered in Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture, by several men who had persistently stalked her.
Hasina warns against intimidating voters New Age 26th of December, 2008 The Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, on Thursday called upon the people to vote for her partys symbol boat without fear and remain vigilant against any attempt at vote rigging. Attempts to intimidate voters will not be tolerated. Cast your vote for Awami League to build a prosperous Bangladesh and end all types of repression, Hasina told a large election rally at Nawabganj Pilot High School ground, 27 kilometres south of the capital, in Dhaka 1 parliamentary constituency in favour of AL candidate Advocate Abdul Mannan.
She also addressed two other campaign rallies, one at Lalbagh of Dhaka 7 in favour of AL-led alliance candidate Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, and a wayside rally at Rohitpur in Dhaka 2 constituency. Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to address an election rally, on the final leg of her electioneering for December 29 polls, Friday afternoon at Paltan Ground. The AL chief introduced alliance candidates Advocate Kamrul Islam for Dhaka 2 and Nasrul Hamid Bipu for Dhaka 3 at the wayside rally. Thousands of people standing at roadsides in different places welcomed Hasina as her motorcade passed by. They chanted slogans in favour of boat and the AL chief. In Nawabganj, businessman Noor Ali, who had filed an extortion case against Hasina during the state of emergency and withdrawn it recently, stood beside her on the dais saying he hoped all misunderstandings had been removed. I offer an apology if you [audience] are hurt by the misunderstanding. Im here to strengthen the hands of Sheikh Hasina, Im here to work for victory of the AL candidate in the parliamentary seat, said Noor Ali, who was the AL candidate for the constituency in 2001 election and was chosen for January 22, 2007 elections as the party candidate. In her addresses, Hasina compared her 1996-2001 tenure in office with the rule of the BNP-led alliance government in 2001-2006 saying that the BNP-Jamaat rule had pushed the nation to the brink of disaster. Instead of development, they gave the nation corruption, violence and militancy, she said. She called upon the voters to stamp the symbol of boat on the ballot to ensure peace, development and security and put an end to crimes, corruption and militancy. Introducing Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin for Dhaka 7 at a rally organised at Shaheed Abdul Aleem Eidgah ground at Lalbagh, Hasina said her party had nominated a complete gentleman who always takes care of his people. In contrast, the BNP has nominated a person who led the killing of seven people in the area after the 1994 elections to the Dhaka City Corporation. You know well about his behaviour in jail, she said without naming the BNP nominee for the constituency. I leave it to you to choose the best candidate from among the contenders, she told the locals. Hasina promised to take appropriate measures, if her party was voted to power, to address the problems facing the locals, including water and electricity shortages. She accused her political rival Khaleda Zia of not continuing the programmes in education sector saying she [Khaleda] did not want the people to be educated. She [Khaleda] does not want people to get education as she failed in matriculation examinations, she said adding the AL would take every effort to ensure free education for all if it was voted to power.
Yasukuni in spotlight as Aug. 15 nears Japan Times Aug. 5, 2008 Low-profile Fukuda not expected to visit contentious Shinto shrine as he tries to keep relations with Asia positive Aug. 15 marks the 63rd anniversary of the end of World War II. For the people of Japan, including relatives of the war dead, it is a day of remembrance and of peace. And every year on this day, the spotlight shines on Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo especially on whether the prime minister and Cabinet ministers will pay a visit to pray for those enshrined there. Following are some questions and answers regarding the Chiyoda Ward landmark and its political nature:
When was Yasukuni Shrine built? The shrine dates to the Meiji Restoration. At that time, Japan had been going through dramatic political and social upheaval that culminated in the Boshin War in 1868. The civil war was fought between the Tokugawa shogunate that had ruled Japan for more than 260 years and the Satsuma-Choshu alliance that sought to restore Imperial rule. It ended in victory for the Imperial forces in 1869. To honor the memory of those who died fighting for the Imperial forces, Emperor Meiji (1868-1912) ordered the establishment of a shrine in Tokyo's Kudan district. Initially called Shokonsha, the shrine was renamed Yasukuni in 1879. What does Yasukuni Shrine mean? The name represents Emperor Meiji's "wishes for preserving peace for the nation." The spirits of the war dead are enshrined and "worshipped as venerable divinities of Yasukuni," according to the shrine. Who manages it? Until the end of World War II, Yasukuni was a state-sponsored religious institution, run by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of the Navy. After Japan's defeat in 1945, the General Headquarters of the Allied Occupation Forces ordered a ban on state Shinto. By law, Yasukuni Shrine today is an independent religious corporation under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Who is enshrined at Yasukuni? There are currently about 2.47 million people enshrined there, all of whom "sacrificed their lives to the public duty of protecting their motherland," the shrine's Web site says. Historical figures in the closing days of the Edo Period, including Sakamoto Ryoma and Yoshida Shoin, are among those honored. Most of those enshrined are soldiers who died in wars, including the Sino-Japanese War, the RussoJapanese War, and World Wars I and II. Civilians, including women who took part in relief operations on battlefields, are also honored. Much of the political and diplomatic controversy, however, centers on the 1978 enshrinement of the 14 wartime leaders convicted as Class-A war criminals after World War II, including Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo. Also, an estimated 27,000 Taiwanese and 21,000 Koreans who died as "Japanese" soldiers during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan are enshrined at Yasukuni, according to the shrine. Lawsuits have been filed by relatives of some of these Koreans and Taiwanese, seeking so far in vain to have the shrine strike the names of their kin. Why are prime minister visits to Yasukuni contentious? One reason is that under the postwar Constitution, the government and related organizations must not be involved in religious activities. Article 20 of the Constitution, which was drafted during the Allied Occupation, stipulates the separation of religion and the state. "Under (the Constitution), the state or related organizations cannot take part in any sort of religious
activities, and this leads to the notion that prime minister visits to Yasukuni Shrine are unconstitutional," said Tetsuya Takahashi, a professor of philosophy at the University of Tokyo graduate school of arts and sciences. Since August 2001, when Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid the first of six visits to Yasukuni over his 5 1/2 years in office, several lawsuits have been filed. The Fukuoka District Court in April 2004 and the Osaka High Court in September 2005 ruled that Koizumi's 2001 visit was unconstitutional, although the Supreme Court has avoided making a constitutional judgment in any of the suits. Also, visits by the nation's leaders to Yasukuni, which is viewed by many as a symbol of Japan's wartime militarism, is a contentious issue in other parts of Asia where memories of Japanese aggression and colonial rule still haunt relations. The fact that such visits also honor people convicted of war crimes after the war only adds to the contentiousness. China and South Korea have strongly protested prime minister visits since Yasuhiro Nakasone paid an "official" visit to Yasukuni in 1985. Relations with China were severely strained during Koizumi's stint over his repeated visits to Yasukuni. Are there people who want the prime minister to visit the shrine? Conservative lawmakers and organizations such as the Japan War-Bereaved Families Association have been strong advocates for official visits by the prime minister. In the 1960s and the 1970s, the Liberal Democratic Party repeatedly tried to pass a bill to return the shrine to state ownership. Since the 1980s, members of a group of lawmakers, including members of the LDP and the opposition camp, have visited the shrine every Aug. 15. Have many prime ministers have visited Yasukuni since the war? Shigeru Yoshida, Nobusuke Kishi and Kakuei Tanaka repeatedly visited the shrine during their times in office. But Takeo Miki in 1975 became the first postwar prime minister to visit Yasukuni on Aug. 15, the most contentious day, followed by Takeo Fukuda, father of current Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Both Miki and Takeo Fukuda stressed that they paid the visits in their capacity as private individuals, not as public figures . Nakasone in 1985 made it clear he was visiting the shrine in his official capacity. The visit stirred domestic scorn and rankled China, which resulted in no prime minister visits to Yasukuni for 11 years until Ryutaro Hashimoto went in 1996. Koizumi declared his intention to visit Yasukuni on Aug. 15 as a campaign pledge during the LDP's presidential election in 2001. As prime minister, however, he paid the Aug. 15 visit only once in his final year in office in 2006. On other occasions, he chose other dates to visit in an apparent attempt to ease the diplomatic row with China. What is Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's position on Yasukuni visits? Fukuda is considered relatively conciliatory toward Japan's neighbors. During his LDP presidential campaign last year, he announced his intention to avoid visiting Yasukuni as
prime minister. "Would you do something your friend doesn't want you to do? I don't think so," Fukuda said at a news conference last September when he declared his candidacy. "That goes for relationships between countries, too. I don't think it is necessary to do something that another (country) doesn't want you to do." Are there any discussions afoot to resolve the issue? One idea is to remove the names of the Class-A war criminals a major source of the anger on the part of China from those enshrined at Yasukuni and have them honored at a separate body. Their inclusion at the shrine didn't come until the 1970s. Another idea is to build a nonreligious facility to honor the war dead. A special government panel was formed in 2001 headed by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda under Koizumi to discuss establishment of such a facility. One year later, the panel issued a report saying "a national nonreligious permanent facility to pay tribute to the war dead and pray for peace is necessary," but "a final decision is up to the government." A nonpartisan group of lawmakers headed by LDP lawmaker Taku Yamasaki was formed in November 2005 to consider building a new national memorial. To this day, however, no such institution has been established and no active discussion appears to be going on in political circles.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217A (III) of 10 December 1948 Preamble Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now, therefore, The General Assembly, Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of
territories under their jurisdiction. Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6 Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7 All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8 Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. Article 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 10 Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. Article 11 Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed. Article 12 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13 Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Article 14 Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 15 Everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. Article 16 Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Article 17 Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. Article 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 20 Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. No one may be compelled to belong to an association. Article 21 Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. Article 22 Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. Article 23 Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests. Article 24 Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Article 25 Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his
family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. Article 26 Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Article 27 Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author. Article 28 Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. Article 29 Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 30 Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Lower House members from kagoshima Okiharu Yasuoka Takeshi Tokuda Kazuaki Miyaji Yasuhiro Ozato Hiroshi Moriyama Hiroshi Kawauchi
UN climate summit opens in Bali PRESS TV 03 Dec 2007 Delegates and scientists from around the world have opened a key UN climate summit aiming to build a new pact to combat global warming. A major climate change conference opened on the Indonesian resort island of Bali Monday, with an aim to breathe new life into the troubled 15-year-old global climate treaty and to reach a deal on what should replace the Kyoto Protocol, which ends in 2012. Talks will center on whether binding targets are needed to cut emissions. It will also debate how to help poor nations cope in a warming world. The annual high-level meeting, organized by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is under pressure to deliver a global agreement on how to cut rising greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the past years, climate change talks have been bogged down by arguments over who's going to pay the bill for cleaner technology and how to share out the burden of emissions curbs between rich and poor nations. The bottom line is no nation at the Bali talks wants its economy to suffer by implementing strict emissions curbs. But climate scientists say time is running out.
Saiga to be judge on International Criminal Court Japan Times Dec. 2, 2007 NEW YORK (Kyodo) Fumiko Saiga, Japanese ambassador in charge of human rights and a member of the U.N. Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, was elected Friday to fill one of three vacant judge seats on the International Criminal Court. Saiga, the first Japanese to take that post, received 82 votes, which is more than the two-thirds majority required from the 105 countries eligible to cast secret ballots. Saiga is a prominent Japanese diplomat who has extensive experience working with the international body. She has held several key posts, from consul general in Seattle to an ambassador post at the Japanese mission in New York and Japanese ambassador to Norway and Iceland. The diplomat, nominated by the Japanese national group in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, is recognized as a human rights expert and is particularly well-versed on gender issues. She is also known for her attempts to bring greater recognition to the plight of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. The independent and permanent court, which consists of 18 judges, tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Saiga qualified for consideration on the basis of her experience in international law, whereas the other two candidates were required to be chosen from a pool of nominees with expertise in international law and procedure. "We are very pleased. Japan has succeeded in the International Criminal Court and it took several years," said Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu, noting that Japan had recently become a member of the ICC. Bruno Cotte of France received 79 votes, becoming the second judge. However, the other candidates from Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago and Panama failed to pass the minimum vote requirement. The Hague-based ICC is based on a treaty joined by 105 countries that went into effect in 2002. Japan became a signatory country this year. The United States, China and Russia have yet to ratify the treaty for fear that their troops, deployed worldwide, could be prosecuted.
Storm leaves 15 dead in S Europe BBC News 25 January 2009 Hurricane-force winds lashed northern Spain on Saturday, bringing down the roof of a sports hall near Barcelona, killing four children, officials said. Eleven people died in separate incidents in Spain and south-western France as the fiercest storm in a decade blew in from the Atlantic. Torrential rains and winds of up to 184km/h (114mph) were reported. It is now tracking across central Italy, bringing rain and winds of 80-95km/h (50-60mph), forecasters say. Some 1.3 million homes in France suffered power cuts while road and rail links were blocked and airports closed. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit the region on Sunday. The impact of the storm was felt from the Channel Isles to Barcelona, but the strongest winds and heaviest rain were concentrated on south-western France. See map of the storm's path Although this type of active low pressure system is fairly common in winter, BBC meteorologist Alex Deakin says Saturday's storm has been described as the most damaging since that of December 1999, which killed 88 people and uprooted millions of trees. The storm tracked south-eastwards and cleared the south-east coast of France during Saturday evening. The Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily have also been affected. Children killed The sports hall partially collapsed in the town of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Catalonia, with between 20 and 30 youngsters inside, officials said.
The youngsters had gathered to play baseball but the fierce winds drove them to take shelter in a small covered area for spectators, made of concrete, with a corrugated iron roof. "It seems that the roof shifted and brought down part of the wall," a regional government spokeswoman said. Local people and fire-fighters helped free the survivors from the rubble but three children aged between nine and 12 died at the scene, and a fourth child died later in hospital. More than a dozen others received treatment for injures.
TEIGIN INCIDENT CONVICT LONG DEAD Fight to clear mass-killer's name unending Japan Times Jan. 23, 2008 Takehiko Hirasawa has devoted himself to clearing the name of his adoptive father, who was convicted in the Teigin Incident, the most notorious mass-poisoning case in postwar Japan. "I cannot leave the erroneous ruling on my father as it is," the 49-year-old Tokyo resident said, showing his readiness to continue the struggle even though the incident took place 60 years ago this month. His adoptive father, Sadamichi Hirasawa, was sentenced to death in 1950 on charges of fatally poisoning 12 people at a Teikoku Ginko (Imperial Bank) branch in Tokyo on Jan. 26, 1948, and seizing cash and checks. He confessed during interrogation but later retracted his admission and pleaded innocent in court. Petitions for a retrial were filed with the Tokyo High Court 18 times until he died of natural causes in prison in May 1987 at age 95, but all of them were rejected. The 19th petition, filed after his death, is now pending at the high court, with Takehiko Hirasawa and a group of lawyers submitting what they claim is new evidence, including a memorandum by an investigator that indicates the investigation team believed someone from a secret unit within the old Imperial Japanese Army was involved in the murder due to the rareness of the poison. The lawyers plan to submit additional evidence, including expert opinions questioning the credibility of the confession and the police lineup used to identify Hirasawa as the murderer. "The deposition documents of Mr. Hirasawa show he resigned himself to his fate and tried to play the role of the criminal as investigators demanded when he confessed," said Sumio Hamada, a psychology professor at Nara Women's University. "It is a typical example of a false confession." Hamada doubts the credibility of the identification of Hirasawa by witnesses in the lineup. "The survivors of the Teigin Incident faced Mr. Hirasawa half a year later, after their initial memories had been distorted by seeing the faces of many suspicious people," he said. "We also want to conduct a chemical test to prove that the poison was not potassium cyanide as the final ruling determined," Takehiko Hirasawa said. If the poison had been potassium cyanide, the victims would have been in agony immediately. Instead, the effects were delayed, suggesting they had been given a special poison developed by a secret military unit, such as the infamous Unit 731, the legal team argues. "I believe there was a hidden intention within the postwar power structure to sweep the Teigin Incident
under the rug," Takehiko said. "But I have been driven by a determination to redress the injustice since I met my (adoptive) father for the first time at a contact room in prison 35 years ago." Takehiko Hirasawa was adopted by the Hirasawa family when he was 22 so he could take over the retrial campaign that was headed by his natural father, Tetsuro Morikawa, a well-known writer. Currently, five lawyers are working with Takehiko Hirasawa without compensation on behalf of Sadamichi, meeting monthly. One of the lawyers said, laughing, "People often ask me 'Are you still involved in such an old case?' " The lawyers know that it is a hard road that lies ahead of them. "It is extremely difficult in Japan to open the door for a retrial, even if a defense team comes up with new evidence," said one of the lawyers, Koichi Kikuta, a professor emeritus at Meiji University. "But we need to break it down" to bring about justice. Despite the legal difficulties, Takehiko Hirasawa's other challenge, to restore his father's reputation as a painter, has made headway. Hirasawa had been a highly acclaimed tempera artist, but his reputation was damaged by his arrest. Many of his works were discarded or kept in storehouses. Some 120 works have been found since his death, enabling Takehiko Hirasawa to hold exhibitions dedicated to his work several times in Tokyo and Hokkaido, where Hirasawa spent his youth. This April, some of his tempera paintings will be displayed at Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo for a special exhibition, together with some 110 other works. "Mr. Hirasawa developed a nationwide reputation as a tempera artist, and he is the crucial person in reviewing the history of Japanese paintings," said Naoko Tomana, curator at the museum. "We have determined that his works are worth display in the special program," she said, suggesting his criminal status has not affected the museum's decision. The newly found paintings include pornographic works that Hirasawa is believed to have drawn merely for profit, according to Takehiko Hirasawa. "The existence of the obscene paintings indicates he did not have to run the risk of robbing a bank for money." Looking back on their meetings in prison, he cannot forget the day when his father shed tears after the 17th retrial petition was rejected shortly before his death. "He was usually high-spirited, but he told me at that time, 'Could you do something for me?' He must have gone through unimaginable suffering when he faced the news of the rejection in his solitary cell." Hirasawa often said that the Justice Ministry would release him if he could survive to be 100 years old, "but he had five years more to live when he died." "He lived desperately in prison, showing me the preciousness of life."
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Extending SDF missions Japan Times 2005/10/14 The government has opted to extend by one year the Maritime Self-Defense Force mission to supply fuel in the Indian Ocean to ships of the U.S. Navy and allied nations engaged in anti-terrorist activities related to security in Afghanistan. A law specifying a duration of two years enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States has enabled the MSDF mission so far. That law will expire Nov. 1. The legislation raised a constitutional question and should not be extended offhandedly. International cooperation is important for thwarting terrorism. Afghanistan took a landmark step in its march toward peace and democracy by holding elections Sept. 18 for the National Assembly and Provincial Councils, the first such elections under its new Constitution. The fact that the elections occurred with relatively little confusion was a sign of progress that strengthens the case for ending the MSDF's mission. Regrettably, this issue was not publicly debated during the recent election campaign as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi chose to focus on one issue essentially the postal service privatization bills. The government is scheduled to submit a revision bill that would extend the MSDF mission by one year to the current special session of the Diet. Thorough discussion is demanded of legislators. The legislation for special measures against terrorism passed the Diet on Oct. 29, 2001, with the support of the Liberal-Democratic Party, New Komeito and the then Conservative Party. The law was opposed by the Democratic Party of Japan, the then Liberal Party, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party. It was revised in October 2003 to permit a two-year extension. The law's primary aim was to provide backup logistic support to U.S. forces engaged in military activities in Afghanistan. It has enabled the MSDF to carry out support activities, mainly supplying fuel to ships of the U.S. Navy and other nations in the Indian Ocean, and to provide transportation assistance for refugees. It also has enabled the Air Self-Defense Force to transport supplies for the U.S. armed forces. Under the law, the Self-Defense Forces may carry out their activities only in international waters and areas of foreign countries where there is no fighting. In the latter case, permission from the governments concerned is required. The special measures legislation marked a turning point in Japan's security policy because it enabled the
http://book.geocities.jp/japan_conspiracy/Y02/ere025.html[08/04/2013 20:57:17]
wartime dispatch of SDF units overseas. The law has aroused suspicion that it may violate the Constitution under which use of force abroad is prohibited. Separately, a law enacted July 26, 2003, authorizing special measures for humanitarian assistance in Iraq enabled the dispatch of a Ground Self-Defense Force unit to Samawah, Iraq. This, too, provoked suspicion that it might be unconstitutional. At present, four MSDF supply ships take turns supplying fuel in the Indian Ocean, accompanied by two to four destroyers. By the end of August, the MSDF ships had provided about 407,000 kiloliters of fuel free of charge (but worth about 16 billion) to ships of the United States, Britain, Germany, New Zealand, France and six other nations on 541 occasions. The Defense Agency does not disclose the names of ships that receive fuel or the locations where refueling takes place on the grounds that it would unveil details of the operations involved. Suspicion lingers that the MSDF has provided, or is providing, support to the U.S. armed forces in Iraqrelated activities since the Iraq war began. In the Diet, an opposition lawmaker alleged that a declassified document of the U.S. armed forces shows that the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, from which air raids against Iraq were mounted, received fuel from a U.S. supply ship that earlier had been supplied by an MSDF ship. The government has not offered a convincing answer to the allegation. It has been reported that Mr. Koizumi, at one point, considered pulling the MSDF out of the Indian Ocean but instead has opted for a one-year extension of the 2001 law for fear of souring his government's relations with the Bush administration. The LDP's landslide victory in the Lower House election Sept. 11 may have led Mr. Koizumi to think that a revision to the law will easily pass the Diet. The government is also most likely to choose to extend the GSDF unit's mission in Samawah, which is due to expire in midDecember. It is impossible to contain terrorism by military means alone. Japan should expand its activities that concentrate on eliminating the social and economic causes of terrorism in cooperation with other nations under the leadership of the U.N.
JULY 26, 2003 NORTHERN MIYAGI (JAPAN) EARTHQUAKE Tohoku University A powerful shallow inland earthquake occurred in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan at 07:13 AM. local time July 26, 2003 with magnitude M6.2. The epicenter is located lat. 38.40 N., long. 141.175 E. (about 25km northeastern Sendai city), with focal depth 12km, as shown in Figure 1 (From USGS). The same day, foreshock and aftershock of magnitudes -M5.5 and M5.3 - hit the same area at 00:13 AM. and 04:56 PM. with epicenters about 3km and 11km north of the mainshocks, respectively. The maximum PGA value (2005.1gal at thk.NARUSETY Station) in seismogram history was recorded in the 00:13 event and very high JMA intensity (at many sites 6+(about 10 in MMI scale)) were observed in all the three earthquakes. The distributions of seismic intensity (in JMA scale) for three earthquakes are shown in Figure 2, 3 and 4.(From JMA). These earthquakes caused total 676 injured persons (slightly injured person: 626, seriously injured person: 50), and 11,341 buildings were damaged, 1,017 of which were collapsed. Fortunately, no death or missing persons were reported. The economic losses due to these earthquakes are 195.4 million dollars (FDMA).
Chinese prime minister visits UK BBC News 31 January 2009 The Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, has arrived in London for a three-day trip to the UK. Talks are expected to focus on the global financial downturn; both the UK and China are keen to boost their economic ties with each other. The Free Tibet protest group said it was planning a number of demonstrations during the visit. Mr Wen's European tour also includes Germany, Spain, the EU in Brussels and the World Economic Forum in Davos. The prime minister is expected to join celebrations in London on Sunday marking the start of the Chinese New Year. He will also make a speech at the University of Cambridge, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. 'Troubled times' BBC News correspondent Jill McGivering said Mr Wen is expected to promote China's economic prospects and push for more investment from the UK. She said: "These are troubled times - and Britain and China are sticking together. "Gordon Brown sees China as a powerful ally as he presses for reform of international financial bodies. "And China's economy - expected to grow at about 7% this year - is very attractive to British investors." She added that Mr Wen would be seeking reassurance that the UK will join China's fight against global protectionism. This is when governments restrict import quotas in a bid to protect domestic industries from global competition - but China says this is damaging to its export trade. The visit follows an announcement earlier this month by Foreign Secretary David Miliband that improving relations with China is to be a "major priority" for the UK in the years ahead. 'Candid' In a 20-page framework document Mr Miliband said the UK will be "candid" when it disagrees with China, but will build a relationship based on co-operation He also stressed the importance of economic ties between the two countries and emphasised China's growing role in international affairs. The document represents a sort of stock-taking of ties between London and Beijing and sets out aspirations for the way in which Sino-UK ties should develop over the next four years. Mr Wen has snubbed France during his European tour, reportedly because of a meeting between President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama late last year. China reacted at the time by cancelling a scheduled summit with the EU.
Storm leaves 15 dead in S Europe BBC News 25 January 2009 Hurricane-force winds lashed northern Spain on Saturday, bringing down the roof of a sports hall near Barcelona, killing four children, officials said. Eleven people died in separate incidents in Spain and south-western France as the fiercest storm in a decade blew in from the Atlantic. Torrential rains and winds of up to 184km/h (114mph) were reported. It is now tracking across central Italy, bringing rain and winds of 80-95km/h (50-60mph), forecasters say. Some 1.3 million homes in France suffered power cuts while road and rail links were blocked and airports closed. French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit the region on Sunday. The impact of the storm was felt from the Channel Isles to Barcelona, but the strongest winds and heaviest rain were concentrated on south-western France. See map of the storm's path Although this type of active low pressure system is fairly common in winter, BBC meteorologist Alex Deakin says Saturday's storm has been described as the most damaging since that of December 1999, which killed 88 people and uprooted millions of trees. The storm tracked south-eastwards and cleared the south-east coast of France during Saturday evening. The Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily have also been affected. Children killed The sports hall partially collapsed in the town of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Catalonia, with between 20 and 30 youngsters inside, officials said. The youngsters had gathered to play baseball but the fierce winds drove them to take shelter in a small covered area for spectators, made of concrete, with a corrugated iron roof. "It seems that the roof shifted and brought down part of the wall," a regional government spokeswoman said. Local people and fire-fighters helped free the survivors from the rubble but three children aged between nine and 12 died at the scene, and a fourth child died later in hospital. More than a dozen others received treatment for injures. In other incidents: In the Landes region of south-western France, near Bordeaux, a driver was killed by a falling tree, a 78year-old man was killed by flying debris and a third man, 75, was crushed by a tree A woman, 73, died in France's Gironde region when the storm cut electricity powering her breathing
machine A woman was crushed by a door in Burgos, Spain A collapsing wall killed a woman and a falling tree killed a male park employee in the Barcelona area; a man, 60, was killed elsewhere in the Catalonia region In Galicia, a policeman was killed by a falling tree as he directed traffic in Burela and a sailor from a cargo ship died when the vessel got in trouble off the coast A falling wall crushed a man in Aigues de Busot, near Alicante in the south-east of Spain Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power in Spain. 'Ghost town' French weather agencies had forecast the storm but it affected a wider area than expected. A state of "red alert" was declared in nine departments, but lifted by the end of Saturday. The storm caused havoc from the Dordogne area to the Pyrenees. Torrential rains caused flooding in some areas prompting thousands of calls to the emergency services. The force of the storm also led to the closure of airports in Bordeaux, Pau, Biarritz and Toulouse, and train services also ground to a halt, leaving several hundred passengers stranded in stations. Many roads were also blocked. Mark Richardson, a BBC News website reader visiting Bordeaux from the UK, said the city ground to a standstill following the storm overnight and felt like a ghost town. Another reader, Simon Ritchie, witnessed the damage wrought by the storm in the French town of Rodez. "This morning, I awoke to the sound of very strong winds and lashing rain or hail," he said. "I looked out of my kitchen's skylight window to see scaffolding and sheets or corrugated iron blowing of the adjacent cathedral. One such sheet blew about 50 yards from the tower and landed on a car below, smashing it in completely." "People were screaming on the street below, and bits of masonry and scaffolding continued to fall," he added.
Heavy snow disrupts London travel BBC News 2 February 2009 Thousands of people have been unable to travel in London as snow disrupted the city's transport network. Only limited bus routes were running in central London and Tube lines, including the suspended Circle line, coped with the effects of the weather. London Mayor Boris Johnson suspended the city's congestion charge for the day and said authorities had done "pretty well" under the circumstances.
Both runways at Heathrow Airport were closed although one has since reopened. London City Airport will remain closed for the rest of Monday and flights at Luton Airport will not resume until 2100 GMT. The snow caused a Cyprus Airways flight to slip off a taxiway at Heathrow, leaving its front wheel stuck in grass. Passengers were unhurt in the incident which took place at about 0820 GMT, airport operator BAA said. The operator added it was the last flight to land before the runways were closed. British Airways cancelled all flights until 1700 GMT. A trickle of mainly long-haul flights has since begun to depart Heathrow, but many more are delayed or cancelled. Passengers are strongly advised to check the BAA website's live departures board before setting out for the airport, a spokesman said. Earlier, all bus services in the city were suspended. A few were gradually reintroduced but most remain withdrawn owing to slippery road conditions. London has seen the heaviest snowfall in 18 years , weather experts said, with an accumulation of 20cm (8in) in some areas. 'Message to heaven' Mr Johnson said: "I think we've done pretty well in what are absolutely extraordinary circumstances. "There's no doubt about it, this is the right kind of snow, it's just the wrong kind of quantities. "My message to the heavens is: 'You've put on a fantastic display of snow power but that is probably quite enough'." By mid-morning, up to 10cm (4in) of snow had fallen in parts of Greater London, with 6cm (2in) of snow reported at Heathrow Airport. The conditions led the Met Office to issue an extreme weather warning for London and the south east of England. On the Underground, the Circle line is fully suspended, while Hammersmith & City trains are not continuing eastbound of Aldgate East station. There are partial suspensions on the Central, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Piccadilly, Metropolitan and District lines. There are minor delays on the Northern line and a good service reported on the Victoria and Waterloo & City lines. Several Tube stations are also closed. Services are severely disrupted on Southeastern Trains and there is only one Gatwick Express train an hour. Southern and First Great Western are running reduced services. The Heathrow Express trains are suspended and the Stansted Express trains are reduced to twice an hour.
Although Gatwick Airport was open, there were significant delays and cancellations. Passengers were advised to check before leaving for the airport. 'Severe pressure' On the roads, the southern section of the M25 has treacherous driving conditions between the M23 and the A3. The Highways Agency said there have been too many minor accidents on the roads "to put a number on" and recommended people should only take essential journeys. London Ambulance Service spokesman said it received more than 650 calls between midnight and Monday morning and stressed that it would only respond to "life-threatening calls" as it was under "severe pressure". London NHS has advised patients who have outpatient appointments or are booked to undergo nonemergency surgeries to call their local hospitals before travelling. Many elective procedures have been cancelled and out-patients clinics closed both Monday and into Tuesday. More than 260 schools across London have been closed with the boroughs of Haringey and Camden in north London, Westminster in central London, Hounslow and Ealing in west London, Bromley and Lambeth in south London and Barking and Dagenham in the east being the worst affected. Eurostar services from London are currently operating but are subject to possible delays. Night-time temperatures across London could drop to -3C as a blast of cold air sweeps in from the North Sea.
Shoe hurled as Chinese PM speaks BBC News 2 February 2009 A protester has thrown a shoe at Wen Jiabao during a speech at Cambridge University and called the Chinese prime minister a "dictator" . The shoe landed about a metre away from Mr Wen and the protester, a young man, was then removed by security guards. Mr Wen, who earlier signed a series of trade agreements with Gordon Brown on the final day of a three-day UK visit, described the incident as "despicable". Protests have taken place about human rights and Tibet during his visit. Protests Five people were arrested in London on Sunday after trying to approach Mr Wen. According to eye-witnesses, Mr Wen was interrupted near the end of a speech he was giving in Cambridge
on the global economy. According to the Press Association, the shoe was thrown from the back of the hall and landed "well away" from Mr Wen. Reports said the protester urged the audience to challenge the Chinese prime minister, shouting "how can the university prostitute itself with this dictator?" AFP reported that fellow members of the audience shouted "shame on you" as he was escorted out of the auditorium. Police later confirmed that the man had been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence. As Mr Wen arrived to deliver the speech, he was met by both pro-Chinese supporters and people demonstrating against China's human rights record in its own country and in Tibet. The incident was similar to an event in December when US President George W Bush was forced to duck to avoid shoes thrown at him during a visit to Iraq. 'Determination' Earlier, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for greater collaboration on trade between the UK and China during talks with Mr Wen at Downing Street. Mr Brown said they shared a determination to reverse the economic downturn and Mr Wen said "concerted efforts" were needed to "address the common challenges that we face". Mr Wen said the economic crisis showed the "dangers of a totally unregulated market". He added: "Only by working together, only by making a concerted effort, can we address the common challenges we face." Mr Brown said the 4 trillion yuan (400bn) fiscal stimulus announced by the Beijing authorities in November would help British exports to China, particularly in low-carbon technologies. "The strength of the relationship between China and Britain will be a pivotal force in helping us through the downturn and a powerful driving force behind our future growth and prosperity." Mr Wen met Conservative leader David Cameron for 45 minutes on Sunday to talk about topics including the economic crisis and fighting climate change. Mr Cameron raised human rights issues with the Chinese leader and emphasised the importance of "greater participation" in Beijing's political process. Mr Wen's European tour includes visits to Germany, Spain, and Brussels.
Beverly Eckert, widow of 9/11 victim, was aboard Flight 3407 Buffalo News 02/13/09 The usually joyful meet-and-greet area of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport was a corridor of tears and sorrow early this morning as family and friends of those aboard Continental Express Flight 3407 filed in
to get official word of their loved ones' fates. For Sue Bourque, the wait for confirmation regarding her sister, Beverly Eckert, was all too familiar. Eckert is the widow of Sean Rooney, a Buffalo native who lost his life in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Eckert was traveling to Buffalo for a weekend celebration of what would have been her husband's 58th birthday. She also had planned to take part in presentation of a scholarship award at Canisius High School that she established in honor of her late husband. Bourque said that while the family had not yet received official confirmation of her sister's fate, the reality was settling in. "We know she was on that plane," Bourque said, "and now she's with him." Eckert, Rooney's high school sweetheart, continued to live in their home in Stamford, Conn., after the terrorists' attacks of 2001. As co-chairwoman of Voices of Sept. 11, she pushed for a formal commission to investigate intelligence failures and for a proper memorial to the victims. Family members and friends identified two other people believed to be on the plane as Ellyce Kausner, a graduate of Clarence High School and Canisius College who was studying law at Florida Coastal University in Jacksonville, and Maddy Loftus, a Buffalo State College graduate who lives in New Jersey. Friends said Loftus was heading here for a weekend reunion of Buffalo State women hockey players. One friend said she may have been flying with other young women heading here for the same reunion. "You never think this is going to happen to you," Kausner's aunt, Susan Leckey, also from Clarence, said at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. "It always happens to somebody else, and you see it on TV." Those waiting to pick up passengers from the ill-fated flight at the time of the crash were ushered to the USAirways Lounge, where airline employees answered general questions and offered consolation, beverages and snacks. A chaplain also was brought in to calm the distraught loved ones. But formal conformation was not expected to be given until later this morning, when Continental corporate officials could be flown to Buffalo. "We know they're dead. Why can't they just tell us or take us to ID them," said one grieving man who declined to give his name. Passengers arriving for early morning flights also were subdued. "I really don't feel like getting on a plane right now," said Runda Ry, who had driven from Toronto to catch a flight to Atlanta.
Niigata team inspects nuclear power plant Japantimes July 22, 2007 Prefecture looks to verify Tepco's measurements on radiation leaks KASHIWAZAKI, Niigata Pref. The Niigata Prefectural Government inspected the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant Saturday to check for radioactive water leaks and other problems caused by last week's powerful earthquake. The plant the world's largest in terms of capacity announced a barrage of leaks and malfunctions in the wake of last Monday's magnitude-6.8 temblor, which killed 10 people and injured more than 1,000. The inspection was based on a safety agreement signed by the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., with Niigata Prefecture, the city of Kashiwazaki and the village of Kariwa. "Concerns over nuclear power plants have been spreading. It is important for Tepco to ensure transparency and promptly disclose information," Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida said after a meeting on the disaster. The prefectural team spent more than four hours inspecting radiation measurement data provided by Tepco and leak sites after arriving at the nuclear power plant at around 11 a.m. "The data that Tepco has been showing is correct, and the measures they employed for (radiation) detection were appropriate," team member Tetsuo Hashimoto said after the inspection.
The team agreed with the assessment that the leaks appear to have posed no threat to local residents. The earthquake resulted in a raft of malfunctions, damage and mistakes at the plant. Among them were an electrical transformer catching fire, planks toppling into a pool of spent nuclear fuel and some barrels of atomic waste getting knocked over. The problems exacerbated by Tepco's delays in notifying the public were capped by news that radioactive water had sloshed out of a tank and was flushed out to sea, and that radioactive material was vented into the air in two separate instances. Plant officials acknowledged they had not foreseen such a powerful quake hitting the facility. They also repeatedly underreported its impact after it hit. The government has urged the operators of all 55 nuclear reactors, which supply nearly a third of the nation's energy to speed up safety checks for earthquake resistance. No IAEA inspection Kyodo News Japan has decided not to ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant for damage caused by last week's powerful earthquake, government sources said Saturday. Niigata Gov. Hirohiko Izumida criticized the decision, saying "withholding an acceptance (of inspection) could give an unintended impression that there may be something wrong." Izumida said Japan should bring in an IAEA team "as soon as possible to show to the world what has happened." The government has already conveyed its decision to the IAEA, the sources said. They added that while Japan's nuclear safety authorities will go it alone for the time being, the government's decision leaves room to seek an IAEA inspection in the future. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said Wednesday that Japan needs to conduct a full and transparent assessment.
Earthquake simulation by nuclear explosions Nature A country wishing to evade a comprehensive test ban treaty could disguise a clandestine nuclear test as a natural earthquake by detonating a sequence of explosions, one of which would be caused by the device of interest.
Trimming bureaucracy would give Japan years of 'buried treasure' Japan Times Jan. 26, 2009 Every time a new economic indicator is released by the government, it becomes even more evident that this
year will be a tough one for the Japanese economy. Take industrial output. If it keeps shrinking at this pace for another six months, manufacturing and mining production could drop to half. Last week, the government revised its assessment of the economy from "worsening" to "worsening rapidly" its fourth downgrade in as many months. Given the state of the global economy, we have to realize that the recession has only just begun. With the interest rate already close to zero, there's little room for monetary policy to boost the economy. It would be inconceivable, for example, to penalize depositors by charging them negative interest rates on their savings, now that a "rainy day" has finally arrived in the form of a recession. Because of this and the approaching general election, hopes are building for a government boost in fiscal spending to shore up the economy. It almost seems like all the countries of the world are in a competition to increase public spending. The fiscal 2009 budget features stimulus measures that will push total expenditures to more than 88 trillion. The question is revenue. Tax income is expected to drop while sales of government bonds are scheduled to see their first year-on-year rise in four years to 33 trillion. The government has already given up its target of achieving a balance in the primary account by 2011, and lawmakers are now debating how to insert a consumption tax hike into the ruling coalition's policy platforms.
Hopes for big government may be understandable, given the wide-ranging damage brought about by excessive trust in market forces over the past several years. Still, the need for radical cuts in wasteful public spending remains, and any effort to seize the recession as a golden opportunity to boost political and bureaucratic interests must be stopped at all costs. This year's annual labor-management wage talks highlighted the issue of manpower cuts in the private sector. Given that national and local governments are heavily in debt, it would be natural to reduce expenditures related to the Diet and local assemblies. Several legislative groups, including one linked to former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, have advocated that Japan switch to a one-chamber legislature, but such proposals should have been made much earlier. The annual salary of a Diet member is about 34 million. I won't go as far as calling for abolishing the House of Councilors, but reducing the 242-member Upper House to just 100 members the same as the United States Senate (which represents a population more than twice as large as Japan's) would save the government about 4.8 billion a year. It also would be common sense for loss-making companies to skip bonus payments. It is unreasonable for a debt-laden government to pay bonuses to members of the legislature and public servants. Diet members get an annual bonus of about 6.3 million. That means the bill for paying the Upper House and the 480 members of the House of Representatives is 4.5 billion. Toss in prefectural and municipal assembly members, bureaucrats, quasi-bureaucrats hired by groups that pose as private-sector entities, and ex-bureaucrats engaged in the "watari" system of rapid job-hopping to pad their retirement allowances, and you get a number so huge that there is suddenly no excuse to avoid paring expenditures. The vast presence of public and semipublic workers produced unnecessary regulations that have lowered national productivity as a whole. As the proverb "Less is more" suggests, lawmakers and public-sector
workers who debate the employment issues facing the private sector should take the lead in reducing their manpower costs. Another concern is that the expanding fiscal deficit caused by increased public spending is exacerbating fear of the future by raising the likelihood of a consumption tax hike, reduced pension benefits and a rise in the age limit from which pension payouts start, chilling consumer sentiment for the near term. Last year's popular phrases included "maizokin" (buried treasure), which is used to refer to the mysterious cash reserves socked away in special government accounts. Given that the nation is facing a recession some describe as the most serious in 100 years, it would be logical for the government to tap these reserves as they will disappear once used. On the other hand, cutting wasteful government spending will create surplus funds the nation can use each year for other purposes. Japan is saddled with public-sector debts that have been acknowledged as the largest in the world. We need to stop wasteful spending, especially in times of recession.
Plane crash in NY state kills 50 BBC News Friday, 13 2009 Fifty people have died after a US passenger plane crashed into a house in Buffalo, New York state. The Continental Connection flight 3407 was five minutes from Buffalo airport when it came down at 2210 (0310 GMT). Officials said there were no survivors from the 45 passengers and four crew on board the flight from Newark. One person on the ground also died. It is not clear what caused the crash. There was reported to be light snow and fog at the time. TV footage showed a house engulfed in flames and the tail of the plane sticking out of the ground. Officials said surrounding homes suffered only superficial damage. Twelve other homes were evacuated around the crash site in Clarence Center, a suburb of Buffalo. State police spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons said that of those on board, "there were no survivors". The number of passengers is now thought to have numbered 45, after it was revealed that an off-duty pilot was also on board. Erie County Executive Chris Collins said there were three people in the house that was hit. One died and the other two - believed to be a woman and child - managed to escape with apparently minor injuries, he said. President Barack Obama said he and his wife Michelle were "deeply saddened" by the news. "Our hearts go out to the families and friends of loved ones," he said, thanking the "brave first responders" who tried to save lives and make the area safe.
'Dropped off radar' The twin-prop Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, operated by Colgan Air for Continental Airlines, was flying from Newark airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport. US media say a recording of Buffalo's air traffic control before the crash showed no concerns by either the controller or the pilot. However, a minute later, the controller was unable to contact flight 3407 and asked other planes in the area if they could spot it. One airport official said he had been told "the plane simply dropped off the radar screen". Eyewitnesses spoke of hearing unusual sounds coming from the plane before it crashed. "It sounded quite loud, and then the sound stopped," David Luce, who lives 150 yards (137m) from the crash site, told the Buffalo News. "Then one or two seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion. I thought something hit our house. It shook our whole house." He described going to the scene of the crash and seeing flames up to 50ft (15m) high. "The house was already flattened. There was no house, just a pile of rubbish and still burning," he said. Dave Bissonette, emergency control director in Clarence, described the crash as a "catastrophic event". "It's remarkable that it only took one house," he added. "As devastating as that was, it could have easily wiped out that entire neighbourhood. "The fuselage of the plane lies directly on the footprint of the house. It basically dove right into the top of the house from my perspective, and again I am no expert on recreations, but it landed on the house," he said. Investigation Relatives of the victims have been offered counselling and support as they wait for news. One of those believed to be on board the plane was Beverly Eckert, widow of Sean Rooney who was killed in the 9/11 attacks on New York. Her sister Sue Bourque told the Buffalo News that Ms Eckert had been travelling home to mark what would have been her husband's 58th birthday. "We know she was on that plane," she told the newspaper, although she had not received official confirmation, "and now she's with him." Chris Kausner, whose sister is believed to have been on the plane, was forced to break the news to his mother, holidaying in Florida. "I heard my mother make a noise on the phone that I never heard her make before," he told reporters. Officials say the fire has been brought under control and the area has been sealed off.
An investigation into the accident is expected to begin at midday local time on Friday, when the site has cooled down enough. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are going to the scene. Continental Airlines expressed profound sadness over the crash and said it was working closely with Colgan Air to "provide as much support as possible for all concerned".
Bombardier delivers 8 DHC8-Q300 prop planes to Japan Coast Guard BREITBART.COM Feb 12, 2009 TOKYO, Feb. 13 (AP) - (Kyodo)Canada's Bombardier delivered eight DHC8-Q300 prop planes to the Japan Coast Guard on Friday. A ceremony for the delivery took place at the JCG hanger in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture. The DHC8-Q300s will replace the outmoded YS11 propeller planes, which the JCG introduced more than 30 years ago. The twin-engine Bombardier plane, worth about 4.2 billion yen, has a flying range nearly double that of the YS-11, developed more than 40 years ago as the first made-in-Japan civil airplane since the end of World War II. The 26-meter DHC8-Q300 has about 50 seats. The ones delivered to the JCG have only 32 seats with patrol equipment furnished in part of the seating area. Of the eight planes, two will be deployed at the JCG air base in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture and one at the Haneda air base in Tokyo, both by March. Others will be deployed at the Chitose base in Hokkaido Prefecture in fiscal 2009 and later. The JCG has introduced five YS11s for patrol missions since 1969. But all of them will have been retired by the end of fiscal 2010 in view of the difficulty of procuring replacement parts.
Politics and Culture in Wartime Japan When the Pacific War broke out, the newspapers rivalled each other in praising the brilliant achievements of the armed forces and in calling for national unity. On 10th December 1941 all major newspapers sponsored a rally in Tokyo on the theme of 'Crushing the US and Britain'. The main speakers were Ogata Taketora, Shoriki Matsutaro,and Tokutomi Soho. They hailed the military and condemned the wickedness of the US and Britain. The editorial of the Nichi nichi on 17 December declared:'The War of Great East Asia is not a war of destruction. There has never been a more constructive war than this. Every bullet fired from the guns of the Japanese forces carries the destruction of the old order and helps to bring a new and better one.' In January 1942 the government designated the eighth day of each month as Imperial Rescript Proclamation Day (taisho hotaibi), and from that time, all newspapers carried the imperial proclamation of war on their front pages on the eith day of each month. On these days Ogata, according to his biographers, used to come to his office in a national uniform (kokumin fuku) and conduct a thanksgiving prayer towards the imperial palace. In this way the newspapers used their prestige and credibility for the purpose of whipping up support for the war, and by doing so became propaganda tools of the wartime regime.
US rejects N Korean conditions for new talks ABC News Oct 23, 2004 US rejects N Korean conditions for new talks The United States will not accept North Korean demands as "conditions" for the resumption of stalled talks on resolving the Korean nuclear deadlock but Pyongyang is free to raise them if it returns to the table, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said today. Mr Powell, in Japan on the first leg of a three-nation Asian tour that will also take him to China and South Korea, said North Korea would not win rewards for simply agreeing to attend a next round of the so-called "six-party talks." "Anything they wish to talk about we should talk about in the six-party framework and not talk about conditions to have another session of the six-party group," he told reporters on his plane en route to Tokyo. "They're free to bring anything forward at those discussions but to put forward these kinds of conditions, which may lead to yet another set of conditions, is not the way to approach this problem," Mr Powell said. His comments came after the North Korean foreign ministry on Friday signalled that Pyongyang would be willing to return to the talks but only if the United States met three conditions. Washington must drop its "hostile intent" toward North Korea, must agree to reward Pyongyang for giving up its nuclear weapons program, and South Korea must fully explain secret uranium and plutonium enrichment experiments it conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, it said. At the last round of six-party talks in June, the United States proposed an aid-for-disarmament offer that would give North Korea a formal security assurance and provide economic and energy benefits for its complete and verifiable dismantling of its nuclear arms programs. North Korea then boycotted a fourth round which was to have been held in September while the other parties to the Beijing-hosted talks - China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States - have urged Pyongyang to return. Friday's statement from the state's foreign ministry, which followed a three-day trip to China by North Korea's second-ranking leader, was the first overt sign that the North might be willing to resume participation. Mr Powell said the United States would not sweeten its proposed package and appeared exasperated that the North Koreans continued to dwell on US "hostile intent" after Washington had repeatedly said it would not invade the North. "We have discussed this hostile attitude issue over and over," he said, rejecting suggestions that upcoming naval exercises off Japan aimed at stopping and seizing shipments of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons might be seen by the North as antagonistic. Powell also downplayed North Korea's concerns about South Korea's admission last month that it secretly enriched a tiny amount of plutonium in 1982 and uranium in 2000 for scientific research. "That should not be an obstacle," Mr Powell said, noting that Seoul was already addressing international
concerns on the matter.
TIFF Kicks Off Japan Entertainment News October 25, 2004 The 17th Tokyo International Film Festival kicked off at the weekend. In addition to the usual screenings in Shibuya, this year also sees the Roppongi Hills complex hosting many entries. Roppongi's Keyakizaka Dori street was lined with a whopping 200m-long red carpet and 6,000 people turned out to welcome such local beauties as Matsu Takako, Matsuzaka Keiko, Hasegawa Kyoko and Ueto Aya, all of whom were dressed to the nines. Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro gave the opening speech, and said he used to go to the cinema at least once a month before becoming leader, but now has no chance to. The festival opened with a screening of Yamada Yoji's latest samurai pic "Kakushi Ken, Oni to Tsume" starring Matsu and Nagase Masatoshi. The prize money has been increased to $100,000 this year, the highest among the 11 major international festivals. The panel of 6 judges is led by Yamada, and the winner of the main Grand Prix award will be announced on October 31.
Japan rebuffs Rice on lifting beef ban Japan Times March 20, 2005 Japan did not provide a timetable for reopening its market for American beef on Saturday as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice strongly pressed Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura for an early resumption of imports. Rice said Japan should at least accelerate the process for lifting the ban, noting that the dispute is starting to damage Japan-U.S. relations, according to a Japanese official who briefed the media. Japan started the ban in December 2003 following the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S. Machimura, meanwhile, said political pressure on the government's food safety panel won't help bring about an early resumption of imports but may negatively affect U.S. beef consumption in Japan after the imports are resumed, the official said. Rice's remarks came amid growing pressure from U.S. lawmakers from farming states who have threatened to retaliate if Japan does not provide a timetable for lifting the 15-month-old ban. With the deadlock continuing after Saturday's talks, the U.S. lawmakers are likely to increase pressure, including launching a campaign to limit tire imports from Japan. "I urged the minister to put in place efforts to resolve these issues as quickly as possible, given that there is indeed a science-based standard that is global on this issue," Rice told reporters after the meeting with Machimura. "This has gone on for a very long time." While Japan tests all slaughtered cattle for mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the European Union conducts testing for suspect cattle aged 24 months and older and unsuspected cattle aged 30 months and older. In an apparent effort to show that Japan is doing everything it can toward resuming the beef trade, Machimura briefed Rice on domestic procedures expected to take place in the coming months.
Machimura said he told Rice that the Food Safety Commission should come up with a conclusion to ease blanket testing on March 28, and the government will then refer to the commission the question of whether to reopen the market to U.S. beef. "But I cannot say for sure when the conclusion will be reached," he said. "It is important that we try not to make this issue an impediment in Japan-U.S. relations." Japan and the U.S. agreed in October to partially resume U.S. beef imports for cattle 20 months and younger. But there is strong opposition in Japan to stopping blanket testing, particularly among consumer groups. As for North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons program, Machimura and Rice agreed that Pyongyang should unconditionally return to the six-party talks at an early date. Both emphasized that China, as North Korea's ally, should play a greater role in pressuring Pyongyang to come back to the talks, which also involve South Korea and Russia. Rice is expected to push China on this when she visits Beijing on the final leg of her Northeast Asia trip. After her two-day stay in Tokyo, during which she also met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono, Rice left for Seoul later Saturday. She is scheduled to move on to Beijing on Sunday. "It is the only way that (North Korea) can resolve this issue in a way that gives them access to the international system and to the benefits thereof," Rice said. North Korea's intention to pursue nuclear weapons and declaring their possession to the international community are damaging its relationship with other nations, she said. Rice reiterated to Machimura that the U.S. supports Japan's efforts to force North Korea to come clean on the fate of Japanese it abducted during the 1970s and 1980s. Machimura told Rice calls are mounting in Japan for the government to impose economic sanctions on North Korea, the official said. Machimura and Rice agreed to "accelerate talks" on the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan. Rice also reiterated her support for Japan's effort to gain a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Schieffer confirmed WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The U.S. Senate late Thursday confirmed Thomas Schieffer as ambassador to Japan, according to a congressional record. The Senate also approved Christopher Hill as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and the promotion of Joseph DeTrani, special envoy for the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, to the rank of ambassador. Schieffer is succeeding Howard Baker, who left last month. During a Senate confirmation hearing earlier in the week, Schieffer, currently ambassador to Australia and a longtime Texas friend of President George W. Bush, urged Japan to lift its 15-month-old import ban on U.S. beef to prevent it from damaging overall bilateral ties. In 1989, Schieffer became an investor in the partnership led by Bush and Edward Rose that bought the Texas Rangers, later working as the partner-in-charge of ballpark development, president and general partner.
Summary of Typhoons in 2008 Digital Typhoon 2008-12-27 The 2008 typhoon season had 22 typhoons, which is a smaller number than average, and this season was even less active than the 2007 typhoon season. Because many typhoons did not turn north and move westward, the number of typhoons that passed near Japan was 9, which is less than the average of 10.8, and the number of landfall was even zero, which is only the fourth year on record since 1951. In Japan, only Izu and Ogasawara Islands have more typhoons than average, 6 to the average of 5.0, but generally speaking, the effect of typhoons on Japan was small this year.
Clinton visits Asia to send key message CNN February 16, 2009 TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Japan Monday to begin a weeklong trip through four Asian nations, looking to begin building new international relationships to help tackle some of the world's toughest challenges. Speaking to reporters en route to Tokyo, Clinton said "going to Asia is, for me, a very big part of how we're going to demonstrate the Obama administration's approach to dealing with the multitude of problems that we see, but also the opportunities as well." Her visits to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and China will include discussions on a host of sensitive topics, from climate change to nuclear proliferation. And Clinton vowed that she will not be "shying away from talking about human rights issues." But there will likely be few fireworks or confrontations. "I think it's fair to say that this first trip will be one intended to really find a path forward, to have as robust an engagement as possible on a range of issues," she said. Clinton added: "I chose to go to Asia deliberately in order to send that message that we are reaching out. We do see Asia as part of America's future." Her meetings will not be limited to government officials, Clinton said, "because I think it's important that we get out of the ministerial buildings and listen to the people in the countries where I'll be visiting. So to that end, I'll be doing town halls and visits in areas of concern that we can discuss with NGO leaders and local officials." Clinton has had official travels through Asia previously, dating back to when her husband was U.S. president. She described the trip as "an opportunity to renew relationships with some people that I've known before" and to speak face-to-face with "those with whom I'll be meeting for the first time." The backdrop for the visit is the global economic crisis, she said. All four nations are members of the G-20, which is composed of financial leaders of 19 nations and the European Union. The group was formed in the late 1990s to bring together key figures to help improve the world economy. The next G-20 meeting is in London in April. "I will be discussing with them the approaches that each are taking, explaining what we have just done with the passage of our stimulus bill, and seeking greater cooperation about how together we're going to work our way through these very difficult economic times," Clinton said.
Japan finance minister steps down BBC News 17 February 2009 Japan's Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa has resigned, amid claims that he was drunk at a recent G7 meeting. Mr Nakagawa said earlier that he would wait until parliament had approved a supplementary budget to step down. But he brought forward his departure after calls for his immediate exit escalated. Prime Minister Taro Aso said he respected Mr Nakagawa's decision and named Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano to take over the finance portfolio. At a news conference just hours after his appointment, Mr Yosano said the country's economy had deteriorated "beyond expectation". Mr Yosano said his priority was to "smooth" the financial system as well as stimulating demand. He said he would decide whether to take additional steps after consulting not only the government but business leaders, academics and the media. 'Embarrassing' Mr Nakagawa's departure is seen as a major blow to Mr Aso's government in an election year. The prime minister was already facing plummeting support; a poll by broadcaster NTV on Sunday put backing for his cabinet at 9.7%. Voters are worried both about the economy and Mr Aso's leadership credentials in the wake of a series of gaffes, analysts say. Mr Nakagawa apologised for "causing such a big fuss" and told journalists: "I decided that it would be better for the country if I quit." He has already apologised for his behaviour at last weekend's news conference in Rome but blamed cold remedies for a slurred performance there. He said he had not drunk more than a sip of alcohol before facing the media. The news conference in Rome followed a meeting of finance ministers focussing on the current world economic crisis. Footage showed Mr Nakagawa slurring his speech and closing his eyes repeatedly as if he was dozing off. At one point, he mistook a question aimed at the governor of the Bank of Japan as one intended for him. "It's embarrassing," said Democratic Party Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama. "This has sent a message to the whole world. He's damaged the national interest."
He explained that he had sipped wine at a luncheon toast on the day of the news conference, but had not consumed an entire glass. He said he had taken too much medicine, including cold remedy, and that had made him drowsy. Mr Nakagawa has denied reports - including the view of a former prime minister - that he is a regular drinker.
Aso accepts blame for Nakagawa Japan Times Feb. 20, 2009 Ex-minister was warned about alcohol in past Prime Minister Taro Aso apologized Thursday over the abrupt exit in disgrace of Shoichi Nakagawa as finance minister and accepted responsibility for appointing him. "There were no cases in the past where a finance minister was replaced during Diet deliberations" of a budget bill, Aso said during a Lower House Budget Committee session. "I really apologize for this," he said, stressing that swift enactment of the fiscal 2009 budget should be the Diet's priority. Nakagawa stepped down as finance minister and head of the Financial Services Agency after slurring his speech and looking like he was having trouble staying awake during a news conference after a Group of Seven meeting in Rome on Saturday. In the subsequent firestorm, Nakagawa denied he was drunk. Aso revealed during the session that when he appointed Nakagawa in September, he cautioned him "to be careful about drinking sake." Nakagawa has long been known as a heavy drinker. "It is true that I did hear various rumors" about his drinking habits, Aso said. He also tried to defend his disgraced ally by stressing that Nakagawa stepped down "mainly" because he could not manage his " health condition." Also appearing before the budget committee, Rintaro Tamaki, director general of the Finance Ministry's International Bureau, revealed that Nakagawa ordered a bottle of wine during a private working lunch before the news conference. But Tamaki, who accompanied Nakagawa to Rome, also said the finance chief didn't drink a lot of the wine and only "tasted it with his lips." Aso told the committee he was shocked when he saw footage of Nakagawa's behavior at the news conference, which was aired repeatedly by national TV stations and picked up by overseas media as well. "My first reaction was one of surprise I couldn't grasp the situation," Aso said. "I was shocked and didn't understand what was happening" to Nakagawa.
"Maybe it had to do with health reasons, but people would normally assume Nakagawa was drunk after seeing those images," said committee member Yukio Edano of the Democratic Party of Japan. "Don't you know how ashamed the people felt over this incident?" DPJ deputy chief Naoto Kan also grilled Aso during the session, saying Aso was responsible for choosing a Cabinet minister rumored to have alcohol problems. Strong calls for Nakagawa's resignation came from not only the opposition force but also the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc, which meant his fate was sealed.
Little Tramp still big in Japan The Standard April 21, 2006 Charlie Chaplin's ties with his Asian assistant throw new light on the legend, says Bruce Wallace Friday, April 21, 2006 Charlie Chaplin's ties with his Asian assistant throw new light on the legend, says Bruce Wallace Charlie Chaplin traveled to Japan just four times in his long life and narrowly missed being assassinated by a gang of rogue naval officers on one visit. But the Japanese loved Charlie and his Little Tramp. Still do. Chaplin's films and Tramp character carved a lasting place in Japanese culture, and new evidence of a little-discussed relationship with his longtime Japanese assistant is offering fresh opportunities to explore one of the most poked and perused lives of the 20th century. The barely mined Japanese connection is what drew many of the world's top Chaplinologists as well as a few hundred fans and the late comedian's daughter Josephine to the first conference on Chaplin in Japan. In chilly Kyoto one weekend last month, participants swapped business cards and traded Chaplin anecdotes, examining such questions as how much influence Kabuki theater had on his art and what moved prewar Japanese cinema audiences to embrace a movie character originally dubbed "Strange Person" and, later, "Professor Alcohol." Kathryn Millard, an Australian shooting Here Comes Charlie, a feature documentary on Chaplin's influence around the world, says: "I'm searching for an explanation of why Chaplin's Tramp has had such resonance in so many cultures for so long and why he keeps popping up everywhere. "It's not just about the appeal of silent film stars. It's that the Tramp seems infinitely adaptable." But the honey that drew the specialists to Kyoto was the recent emergence of documents and photographs from the estate of Chaplin's longtime assistant Toraichi Kono, a Japanese national who had settled in California. Kono went to work as the star's driver in 1916 and was, for the next 18 years if you believe his most enthusiastic Japanese supporters, one of the comedian's closest confidants. The FBI had another view. They thought Kono became a Japanese spy after he left Chaplin's employ in the mid-1930s. In the run-up to Pearl Harbor, with Japanese-American tensions rising, they caught Kono meeting with Japanese naval officers looking for information about US naval deployments. He was arrested, released and then quickly interned after the attack.
That hazy, curious life story has somehow remained below Hollywood's radar. The question, as phrased by conference organizer Hiroyuki Ono, the leading authority on Kono and who is writing his biography, is: "Why did the right-hand man of the world's greatest comedian disappear from history?" Until Ono started asking questions, the truth about what Kono did for his movie star boss - and perhaps for the Japanese navy - had disappeared into the mists. Chaplin called Kono his secretary in the fleeting references he made to him in his 1964 autobiography. He also had minor roles - as a chauffeur - in three Chaplin films, although he was credited in just one: 1917's The Adventurer. But Ono sees Kono, who died in 1971, as much more than a gofer: He was Chaplin's gatekeeper. Although Ono says the relationship between the men was "never warm," he cites dozens of letters intended for Chaplin but addressed to Kono as evidence the Japanese assistant was the man you had to go through to get to the star. Ono argues that Kono had such control over Chaplin's domestic arrangements that at one point in the mid20s, all 17 male workers at the actor's estate were Japanese. And it was Kono, he says, who encouraged his boss to visit Japan for the first time in 1932 and cultivated a love in Chaplin for everything from Japanese literature to tempura. Ono's fascination with Chaplin began 22 years ago when, at nine, he saw The Great Dictator on Japanese TV. As an adult, he has visited all the Chaplin haunts: from the south London of his impoverished childhood to the road in California where the Tramp walks off into the unknown arm in arm with Paulette Goddard's gamin at the end of Modern Times. An energetic storyteller dripping with enthusiasm, Ono is what the Japanese would kindly call an otaku - a Chaplin geek. In 2004, he met Kono's second wife, who uncrated hundreds of photos and letters for him and gave approval for a biography that would unveil the driver- valet-fixer's importance in the Chaplin pantheon. Ono took news of his find to a Chaplin conference in London last July, where the assembled Chaplin scholars excitedly encouraged him to host his own conference in Japan. In 1931, six months after the world premiere of City Lights, a Kabuki company adapted it in a piece called Komori no Yasusan, with a lead actor in a Chaplin mustache and the boxing scene converted into a sumo wrestling match. Chaplin made his first visit to Japan a year later, shepherded by Kono. His autobiography describes it as a trip bristling with intimidation and violence. The visit's defining moment came while Chaplin watched a sumo match with Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai's son, Ken, on the afternoon of May 15. Six young naval officers broke into the leader's official residence in Tokyo and murdered the prime minister, hoping to spark a revolution that would reinstate an emperor-based government. Their plot dissolved. But later court- martial testimony into what the Japanese call the May 15 Incident suggested the officers had debated killing Chaplin, on the dubious premise it would provoke the United States into war with Japan. But the conference in Kyoto skipped over any discussion of the political violence of those times. Chaplin was a leading critic of fascism, militarism and imperialism - extremist forces that were all swelling in strength in Japan during that visit and two more in 1936. Yet there was no discussion on what effect Japanese nationalism might have had on him, his politics or films. And it was noted but never deeply discussed that Japan's wartime government banned The Great
Dictator, Chaplin's film skewering Adolf Hitler. It was not shown in Japan until 1960. Ono said the conference ignored Chaplin's collision with nationalist extremism because the near assassination of the world's greatest comedian is well known in Japan - a debatable statement in a country whose school texts are notoriously skimpy on the history of that dark period. Instead the participants stuck safely to a mandate of uncovering evidence of Chaplin's Japanophilia. They learned he once devoured 30 shrimp tempura in one sitting. And they heard from Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a leading TV personality who met Chaplin in New York in 1972, that the actor told her of his love for Japan, even bursting into tears at the sight of her in a kimono. Kono's story - the driver entered Chaplin's orbit in 1916, by which time he had been living off and on in California for more than a dozen years - was the perfect catalyst for the conference. Unlike many Japanese who arrived in America fleeing poverty, Kono was a party guy running from the restraints of an arranged marriage and a wealthy but demanding father. He was a pilot whose first wife would not let him fly, and he worked in a shop and as a houseboy before meeting Chaplin at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, where the actor then lived. Their relationship did not end until 1934, when Kono complained about the spending habits of Goddard, Chaplin's third wife. Chaplin sided with his wife. Kono walked out. "It was a matter of face for him," Ono says. Kono did take up Chaplin's offer to become the Japan representative of United Artists, which Chaplin coowned, but quit after a year, muttering about sabotage from other Chaplin employees. He then slid into a social world that included Japanese naval spies who were scouting for information on US Navy battleships. The FBI arrested Kono on espionage charges although the allegations were dropped in favor of attempts to deport him. But when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Kono was rearrested the same day. He spent the war in internment camps, where he ran the projector on movie nights, just as he had done for the screenings at the Chaplin mansion, says Clyde Kusatsu, a Los Angeles actor and filmmaker who is finishing a shooting script for a documentary on Kono. He was not released until 1948. Kono's defenders say he never was a spy, though he did sign a confession while in custody. Ono contends that Kono sought only to be a bridge between Japan and America. "While the Japanese navy may have used Kono as a tool, we do not believe he betrayed the United States," Ono says. Kono fought further attempts to deport him after the war but by the 1950s had returned to his birthplace of Hiroshima. He was living there in 1961 when Chaplin came to Japan for the last time. On that trip, Chaplin went to Hiroshima, where he visited the Peace Memorial Park built below the spot where the atomic bomb was detonated. Kono lived in an apartment facing the park. The two never met. LOS ANGELES TIMES
Tokyo Journal; Japan's New Generation Of Old Political Names
The New York Times July 17, 1993 Asahiko Mihara and more than 900 other Japanese politicians have spent the last two weeks exhaustively crisscrossing their districts, but Mr. Mihara admits he is one of those who enjoy an advantage that is all but unassailable. It is not his policies, his charisma or even his money-raising abilities. It is his father, who held the seat before him. In this critical election, to be held on Sunday, the principal issue is the discredited state of the Liberal Democratic Party after five years of scandals and whether it will lose its majority. Nearly all of the candidates, whether Liberal Democrats or not, are running on platforms of breaking with the past. A Peculiar Institution But there is one peculiar, if highly influential, institution that is likely to survive all this turmoil intact: most expect Parliament to remain dominated by what are known as "nisei," the children or close relatives of politicians. In Japanese elections, destiny plays as much of a role as policy. "It's not fair for other politicians, but it costs us less because we can use our fathers' names," said Mr. Mihara, who is running in the family's district in Fukuoka, in southwestern Japan. "If someone new wants to run against me, he is going to have a heck of a time." Added Kenji Kosaka, who is running for a second term in a seat in Nagano prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, that has been in his family for four generations, "I just mention my name and people say: 'I know your father and I knew your grandfather. Come in.' Japanese like brand names." A total of 45.5 percent of the Liberal Democratic majority elected three years ago to the lower house of Parliament are nisei -- the word literally means second generation -- and a similar percentage is likely to be returned to office, according to various polls. There are also opposition nisei, so that 29 percent of the 512 members of Parliament have inherited their seats. Of course, there are political families in American politics, too. Vice President Al Gore and former President George Bush are both the sons of United States Senators, for instance. But Japan's new aristocrats clearly outnumber and wield far more influence in this country's political power structure. Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa is the son and grandson of prominent politicians, and 10 of the 21 members of his Cabinet are nisei. The percentage is similar for the parties that have been formed in the last month by Liberal Democratic defectors. Tsutomu Hata, who helped set off the current crisis by forming a conservative splinter party, and his chief lieutenant, Ichiro Ozawa, are nisei. Even Sadao Yamahana , the head of the Socialists, Japan's largest opposition party, "inherited" his seat. "We are totally handicapped when we run against them," complained Takaaki Koga, 40, a member of the local assembly in Yamaguchi prefecture in the southwest who is running against a nisei. "We run the entire marathon with all our energy and still do not know whether or not we will finish. The nisei start two or three kilometers from the finish and then just walk across the line." Egalitarianism vs. Bloodlines The nisei phenomenon speaks volumes about the underlying values of a society that likes to think of itself as a meritocracy. After having been run by an aristocracy for centuries, Japan sought to free itself from its feudal past after World War II by installing a new elite chosen on the basis of rigorous tests and ability. Young Japanese are still told that hard work and brains will be rewarded fairly. But over the years reality has diverged further and further from the ideal as the new aristocracy became more entrenched. The same is also true in the powerful Government bureaucracy, and even at the training
ground of the elite, Tokyo University, showing the strength of bloodlines beneath Japan's egalitarian facade.
"This is a threat to real democracy," said Susumu Saito, who is making a second run for a seat in Shizu oka prefecture, southwest of Tokyo near Mount Fuji, against two nisei opponents. "It makes the system so rigid."
Getting Japan's politics wrong Japan Times Oct. 8, 2007 Western media have reported Japan's new prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, as drab and unexciting and even as "lukewarm pizza." But anyone who watched him during his more than three-year stint as chief Cabinet secretary would know that he has a sharp mind and a laid-back sense of humor. We are now discovering that he also has a quiet determination. If he is unexciting, it is because he realizes the virtue of conciliation rather than confrontation. Just a few years back, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was dubbed "cold pizza" by some Western media. In fact, to anyone who knew him, he was open and warmhearted. Even if you did not know him, his willingness to ignore the United States and have Japan approve the global ban on lethal land mines suggested that he was not your ordinary insensitive, power-grabbing Japanese politician that he had a heart and a soul. None of that got much mention in the Western media. His successor, Yoshiro Mori, was equally misrepresented. He refused to play up to the Japanese media, so in revenge they pounced on anything frank and impromptu he said before any audience, no matter how private, to prove that he was a bumbler. To anyone who knew him, he was sharp and incisive a quality that allows him even today to play a kingmaker role in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He also made some very sensible moves to try to resolve the abductee issue with North Korea and the territorial issue with Moscow. But sure enough, Japan's lightheaded media said those moves were also bumbles. In the Western media, which inevitably takes its lead from the Japanese media, he is still accused of being "gaffe prone." Next came Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the showman. Japan was always vulnerable to booms and fads, and provided they stayed at the level of koalas, pandas and Australian frilly lizards, they could not do too much damage. But when it came to Kozumi waving hands and hair and promising something called "structural reform," we should have known we were in trouble. Claiming a need to clean up bank bad loans and cut public debt, he and his heavily U.S.-influenced adviser, Heizo Takenaka, caused massive bankruptcies, threw the nation into unneeded recession, created severe wealth divisions (kakusa) in this once fairly egalitarian society and left us with an ugly banking oligopoly plus an extra 200 trillion of public debt to boot. Brilliant. Meanwhile, China, with an even larger bank bad-loan problem, solved it simply by continued economic expansion. It also greatly enhanced its Asian status at Japan's expense as a result. Yet throughout this fiasco the media, the commentators and anyone else of influence would religiously recite the Koizumi mantra of structural reform as if it had biblical authority. Western media were equally enthralled. Anyone who cast doubts on his wisdom was quickly ignored and blackballed. We were back to the Japan of the past when the nation, mesmerized by emperor worship, believed its own propaganda about ultimate victory even as its forces were being wiped out and its cities bombed.
True, Fukuda still feels he has to pay ritual homage to the structural reform slogan. But his promise to spend more in neglected areas of the economy reverses a large part of the Koizumi-Takenaka program. Yet another sign of the times is the way the few who opposed the Koizumi obsession over post office privatization are finally being allowed to return from blackball exile. They include Takeo Hiranuma, a leading Liberal Democratic Party intellectual, who also realized the folly of the Koizumi-Takenaka economic policies even if he had to remain silent at the time. Finally the commentators are beginning to say openly that Japan has had enough of Koizumi's theater (gekijo) politics , and that it was time for the more conciliatory and mild-mannered Fukuda to take the stage. Foreign policies are also being revamped. The Koizumi obsession with visiting the contentious Yasukuni Shrine and boosting the military did enough damage to Japan's diplomacy in Asia. But his successor, Shinzo Abe, did far worse with his obsessive desire for constitutional reform that would allow Japan's remilitarization; his deliberate exaggeration of the abductee issue to destroy the Koizumi breakthrough with North Korea; and his bizarre attempt to create an anti-China arc extending from Taiwan, down to Australia, then up to India, and including the U.S. and possibly the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Abe did not pull these ideas out of thin air. Calls for Japan's militarization, the rewriting of school textbooks, denial of war guilt, bitter contempt for Japan's alleged postwar "pacifist senility" (heiwa boke) and dislike of China had been meat and bread on the rightwing guru circuit for decades. Abe was one of their students. But now, with the nonconfrontational and pro-China Fukuda in control, this rightwing push could come to a shuddering halt. Highly significant is Tokyo's current willingness to listen to vocal Okinawan protests against the move under Abe to have school textbooks deny the role of the Japanese military in forcing mass suicides during the last stages of the war there. Toward North Korea the changes could be more dramatic. The strange rightwing attempt to drag the U.S. into supporting Japan's contrived abductee issue, even at the expense of delaying North Korea's denuclearization, seems clearly to have backfired. With it has gone the hope that Pyongyang could continue to be demonized and used as a threat to justify Japan's continued remilitarization. The commentators now feel free to suggest the previously unthinkable that Tokyo's hard abductee line toward Pyongyang is going nowhere and needs to be reversed. Reports say Fukuda will soon send an envoy to Pyongyang to seek a solution. What we are seeing in all this is typically Japanese. For a time the nation allows itself willy-nilly to be dragged in one direction. But when it hits a brick wall, as it clearly had with the economy and the China/North Korea issues, it is just as happy to start moving in the opposite direction. Japan's 1945 switch from rampant militarism to deep pacifism was one example. Let's hope this time the mood for change does not get derailed. And that the Western media finally get their act right over Japan.
Patriot 'Mariko' asks populace to develop global mind-set Japan Times Feb. 10, 2000 True patriotism does not equal narrow-minded nationalism, said Mariko Terasaki Miller , the first female honorary consul general of Japan, as she called on the Japanese to develop a sense of internationalism and pacifism at the core of their identity. "To develop an international or cosmopolitan mind requires substantial effort and tolerance from individuals. But I want all Japanese people to develop such senses to
contribute to the peace and harmony of the world," Miller said in an interview with The Japan Times this week. Miller was born in Shanghai to parents Hidenari Terasaki, a Japanese diplomat, and American Gwen Harold Terasaki. Due to the nature of her father's work, she grew up in such major cities as Havana, Beijing, Washington and Tokyo, exposing her to many different cultures. Miller has devoted more than 30 years of her life to issues ranging from disarmament to world peace, as well as racial and sexual equality. She has also acted as a bridge between the United States and Japan to promote goodwill. Her name, Mariko, won national recognition in Japan with the 1981 airing of a NHK documentary drama, "Mariko," based on the experiences of her family. Her father was known for his last-minute effort to avoid war between Japan and the U.S. during his tenure at the Japanese Embassy in Washington in 1941. He used his daughter's name, Mariko, as a code for Japanese-U.S. relations, sending messages to Japan such as "Mariko is well" and "Mariko is getting worse." Miller was appointed honorary consul general of Japan in Denver in 1995, and was invited to a luncheon hosted by then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1996 during his visit to Washington. At the meeting, she urged Hashimoto to encourage Japan's youth to foster international and cosmopolitan minds. She is currently in Japan on a speaking tour. "I encourage Japanese people to maintain hope for the future in this time of economic hardship, because I believe they have the ability and brave minds to overcome hardships just like they did after World War II," Miller said. But she pointed out that a great danger lies in the time of hardship Japan is now experiencing. "It is easier for people to incline to jingoism, ethnocentrism or extreme nationalism when a country has lost its confidence. But they are ultimate luxuries that must be payed for later," she said. Miller said her father's failure to avert war also affected her family, including her uncle, Taira Terasaki. He suffered radiation exposure after joining, as a doctor, the first medical team that arrived in Hiroshima three days after the atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945. She said she would find it regretful if there were a growing sentiment among Japanese to glorify the time in its history that led to the war, which cost the lives of millions of Japanese. "People must always learn from history to develop true patriotism as well as cosmopolitan minds," she said. Regarding Japan's contributions to the international community, Miller said it should not always follow U.S. foreign policy, although a bilateral partnership is indispensable for a new world order in the coming century. "Japan has its own distinctive role in the world, as the second-largest world economy, as a country with a pacifist Constitution and as the only country that experienced the tragedies of the atomic bombings," she said. "People here must recognize that there are so many things that Japan can do for the world and also must start thinking what they can do for the world as individuals," she added.
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Aso family's 'slave' link under scrutiny Japan Times April 25, 2006 Family link to forced labor increases pressure on Japan's foreign minister While Taro Aso's public statements as foreign minister have done little to help ease tensions between Tokyo and the rest of Asia, a family connection to wartime forced labor has raised further questions over his ability to oversee good relations with Japan's neighbors. During World War II, the Aso family's mining company used thousands of Koreans as forced laborers. The legacy of Koreans, Chinese and other Asians being forced into slave-like working conditions across the region during the war, has become an issue in Tokyo's maintenance of normal diplomatic relations with its neighbors. Aso's family background has led some to suggest that his position as foreign minister is untenable. Meanwhile, a recent study by a group of historians in Kyushu has shed new light on the role of the Aso family in using Korean labor before and during the war. The Korean pit workers, according to the historians, were systematically underpaid, underfed, overworked, and confined in penury. The workers were under 24-hour watch and released only with Japan's 1945 defeat.
Aso himself ran the Fukuoka company from 1973-79, when he entered politics. During that time he did not address its history of using forced labor, nor has he since. The Foreign Ministry did not respond to inquiries on the issue. According to one German Embassy official in Tokyo, speaking on the understanding of anonymity, while family lineage on its own would not be held against an individual, the foreign minister's actions make him an unsuitable foreign minister. "Because Aso's family connection gave him the opportunity to address wrongs in the firm, and he did not do so," as well as comments that "seem to defend criminal policies of the past," Aso would "not be acceptable" for a post such as foreign minister. "He might get into Parliament," said the official, "but not the government."
Japanese media scholars have expressed concern at the the lack of detailed reporting on Japan's corporate forced labor, and Aso's family's role in particular. "As Aso is a candidate for prime minister in September his attitudes and his behavior are political issues," says Tatsuro Hanada of Tokyo University. "The question of his qualifications is an important subject that should be opened to the Japanese public." Takesato Watanabe, of Doshisha University in Kyoto, finds it alarming that Japan has kept in office a minister with links, however distant, to such a contentious issue. "He should be replaced," he says. Hanada, Watanabe, as well as Ofer Feldman, an author and Japan political scholar, blame Japan's kisha club system for media silence on the issue. The Aso family coal mining business dates back to the 19th century in Kyushu's rich Chikuho coal fields in Fukuoka. Aso's great-grandfather, Takakichi, founded the Aso mining firm in 1872. At one time it owned over half a dozen pits in Kyushu and was the biggest of three family corporations mining an area producing half of Japan's "black diamonds." The Aso Group has changed names more than once and in 2001 entered a joint venture with Lafarge Cement of France, the world's largest cement maker. Aso's younger brother Yutaka remained president of what became Lafarge Aso Cement Co. Last December, the French ambassador in Tokyo awarded Yutaka the Legion d'Honneur at a champagne reception. Guests of honor were Taro Aso and his wife, Chikako. The issue of the foreign minister's family links to Korean wartime slave labor has already arisen in meetings between Japan and South Korea. Choi Bong Tae, a member of a bilateral commission studying the issue of forced labor, told reporters in November that the Japanese side had provided no information on the Aso company and others it had named. A spokesman for the Aso Cement Co., a successor company of Aso Mining, said that it would be difficult to provide such data since records aren't available from that long ago. However, the study conducted by the Kyushu historians has documented new information on the role of the Aso family in using Korean labor before and during the war. Eidai Hayashi, Takashi Ono, and Noriaki Fukudome have used official and local library resources to gather contemporaneous statistics and reports on the conduct of the Aso family's mining operation. According to the company's own statistics, by March 1944, Aso mines had a total of 7,996 Korean laborers, of whom 56 had recently died. Some 4,919 had managed to escape. Across Fukuoka, the total fugitive figure amounted to 51.3 percent. At Aso Mines, the figure was 61.5 percent. According to data seen by the historians in Kyushu, Korean workers at Aso Mines were paid a third less than equivalent Japanese laborers to dig coal. It amounted to 50 yen a month, but less than 10 yen after mandatory confiscations for food, clothes, housing and enforced savings (to discourage attempts at escape, though which often remained unpaid) were deducted. Workers toiled for 15-hour days, seven days a week, with no holidays. A three-meter high wooden fence topped with electrified barbed wire ringed the perimeter. Workers were guarded. In 1939, the Japanese government passed the National General Mobilization law, which forced all colonial subjects, including Koreans, and those in Taiwan and Manchuria, to work wherever needed by Tokyo. According to the historians, however, Aso mines was shipping Korean laborers to Kyushu as early as the mid-1930s, before the law was passed.
Although precise numbers are unknown, an estimated 12,000 laborers passed through the company, some necessitated by a strike of 400 miners in 1932. After 1939, the historians calculate, the number of Asians kept in forced labor in the Chikuho region swelled to over a million. Aso has hit the headlines of late with a string of comments that have enraged Japan's neighbors. In January, he said that Emperor Akihito should visit Yasukuni Shrine. He has also been seen to espouse rightwing tenets of Japanese racial supremacy. Speaking at the opening of the Kyushu National Museum in Fukuoka last October, he described Japan as "one nation, one civilization, one language, one culture, and one race, the like of which there is no other on earth."
Osaka pref. gov't put off redemption of 293 billion yen in bonds. BREITBART.COM December 30, 2008 The Osaka prefectural government put off the redemption of bonds worth 293 billion yen for three years through fiscal 2006 in a bid to avoid the dishonor of seeking fiscal reconstruction under control of the central government, prefectural officials said Sunday. Although the local government has not fully explained the measure to the assembly, the officials in its finance division claimed it has no intention of concealing the deficit and that the postponement is not illegal and is inevitable. In order to reduce its deficit, the government of the major western Japan prefecture has borrowed 50 billion to 100 billion yen a year for its general account since fiscal 2001 from a fund amassed for its debt repayment, according to the officials. But an increase in the redemption of 10-year bonds from fiscal 2004 has raised fears it would have to seek state aid for fiscal reconstruction as the fund, if used for redemption, would have run out in fiscal 2007, the officials said. The Osaka government has hence increased refunding of bonds due for redemption and put off actual redemption for the total of 293 billion yen, they said. Although the central government told local governments in 1992 to repay 42 percent of the principal in 10 years and refinance the rest in bond redemption, the Osaka government has been refinancing all the debts. The outstanding balance of Osaka prefectural government bonds was about 4.3 trillion yen in fiscal 2006, which ended in March 2007. Although it aims to return to the black on a single-year basis in fiscal 2010 through administrative and fiscal reform efforts, it is still uncertain if it will manage to trim the refinancing, the officials said.
Top Osaka candidates target education, debt, Kansai airport Japan Times Jan. 11, 2008 The three main candidates in the race for the Jan. 27 Osaka gubernatorial election, which officially kicked off Thursday, have different positions on various policy issues, particularly on education, financial reform and the future of Kansai airport. On education, Toru Hashimoto, a 38-year-old lawyer and TV celebrity backed by the Osaka chapters of the
Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, New Komeito, favors emphasizing interpersonal relationships between students and teachers, and the importance of respecting group norms. He supports specialized education for students interested in sports or the arts, and indicated he favors establishing classes for academically gifted students. Sadatoshi Kumagai, 63, a former Osaka University engineering professor with the backing of the Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties, has a "back to basics" approach to education, with an emphasis on making reading, writing and arithmetic more interesting and pleasurable. He believes this is needed to create a future workforce capable of supporting Japanese society. Kumagai favors more cooperation between schools and the business community. Shoji Umeda, a local attorney recommended by the Japanese Communist Party, opposes privatization of schools or bringing in managers from the private sector to run them. He feels too much media and political fuss is being made over the central government report on Osaka students' worsening academic performance. He proposes that class sizes be limited to 35 students, that the integration of high schools, which is causing class sizes to swell, be stopped, and that the number of day-care centers be increased. On Osaka's massive debt, Hashimoto favors selling off to private industry and towns and villages those prefectural projects that are in the red. He has pledged to cut the salaries and bonuses of prefectural employees and review the entire structure of third-sector funding. Kumagai would cut the number of bureaucrats by 20 percent over the next two years. He vows to introduce a more efficient management system and to consult with the business community on ways to cut costs. He has promised to leave a social safety net for the elderly and children. Umeda says the prefecture is in deep trouble because corporate taxes were cut too much, too much money has been spent on wasteful public works projects and there is unnecessary financing for "dowa" assimilation projects for the "buraku" (former outcast class) community. He would raise taxes on small and medium-size businesses, and seek state support while making prefectural finances more transparent. As for Kansai airport, Hashimoto wants to move all flights connecting Itami airport with Tokyo and Fukuoka to Kansai airport, although he admits this would be politically difficult. He wants more Kansai flights to Europe and North America. He has proposed reducing highway tolls for freight firms using the airport. Kumagai agrees with Kansai Economic Federation plans to make the entire Osaka and Kobe bay area, including the airport, into a vast, global cargo hub. Umeda says he would conduct a review of airport-related projects and take a look at current airport usage and projected demand, and, after consulting voters, adopt a more "realistic" view of what airport projects the prefecture should fund.
School of corruption Asahi Shimbun July 1, 2008 Money talks. This is also true, it seems, when it comes to passing exams to become teachers or being promoted to managerial positions at schools. We are appalled at the corrupt nature of the educational community in Oita Prefecture revealed by a string of scandals. Allegedly, an elementary school principal and others sent cash and gift certificates to senior officials on the prefectural board of education to ensure their children passed examinations to gain teaching jobs. In response, the board officials gave those students extra marks, according to police. Even more appalling, a former official who was No. 2 on the prefectural board pointed out the names of about 10 applicants to a subordinate and ordered him to ensure they passed the exam, police said. If that is
true, it appears the prefectural board systematically engaged in dishonest practices. The corruption not only involved employment examinations. An elementary school principal and two vice principals turned themselves in to police, admitting they had handed gift certificates to a senior prefectural board official to gain managerial promotions. This widespread dishonesty is disgusting. All of those arrested, including the former top official suspected of taking gift certificates worth 1 million yen, are teachers. How can they explain their actions to students? We urge the Oita prefectural police to conduct a thorough investigation to identify and expose all those involved in the alleged bribery. Otherwise, students will never regain trust in teachers. The applicants who would have passed if others' scores had not been padded must find this situation intolerable. And those who did well and passed the test on their own will likely be viewed with suspicion, too. The latest scandal has infected the entire educational system, and it appears the dishonesty in Oita Prefecture was not an isolated case. In fact, a bribery scandal in connection with teachers' employment was exposed in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1990. Two years ago, a former education board official received a suspended sentence in Osaka Prefecture. We also often hear stories about applicants or others asking veteran teachers to act as go-betweens to obtain teaching positions, although it is not always clear if money changes hands. One reason for this unhealthy situation is that prefectural boards of education are closed organizations in which teachers handle all the administrative matters, including hiring and personnel appointments. The system was adopted to preserve "independence of education." However, it also appears to be a way for educational officials to do whatever they wish, dishonest or otherwise. In response, the Oita prefectural education board decided to conduct employment tests for teachers in conjunction with the prefectural personnel commission. Why not take this opportunity to leave the hiring of teachers in the hands of the commission, as is done for prefectural government employees and police? Furthermore, to improve transparency in employment and personnel appointments, the board should also consider using third parties, such as the Oita citizens ombudsman, a nonprofit organization that has pointed out past allegations of cases of unfairness in teacher hirings. It is impossible to verify the rigging of exam scores because the Oita prefectural board only retains applicants' exam answer sheets until the end of the school year, and so has already discarded the sheets of applicants hired for the 2008 school year, which started this April. Answer sheets should be kept for at least several years. To recruit good teachers and enhance the quality of education, teaching personnel appointments and recruiting must be carried out fairly. Instead of thinking of the Oita scandal as someone else's problem, boards of education across the nation must take a hard look at themselves and take steps to improve education.
Showdown at Budokan Japan Times July 2, 2006 It was 40 years ago today, and The Beatles were rocking Japan The rightwing reactionaries were arriving in their menacing black-and-white trucks, blasting military music. The politicians were shaking their fists and telling people to go to a garbage dump. The police had locked down all entrances to the Imperial Palace grounds. Riot police lined the road leading to Tokyo's Haneda
Airport. Girls stood in the streets crying. The fight for political control centered on Nippon Budokan, the two-year-old martial arts hall beside the Imperial Palace grounds. The political stakes were high. There were 35,000 police deployed over the course of the four-day struggle. Military coup? No. The Beatles in concert. The year was 1966, and Budokan was a marvel of Japanese architecture that symbolized the rebirth of the capital and the whole country from the ashes of war. Just 19 years after its abject capitulation, Japan proclaimed its resurrection with three events: The inauguration ceremony of the first shinkansen (bullet train) line, which sliced the tedious 10-hour journey between Tokyo and Osaka to a jaw-dropping 4 hours. That quantum leap came just in time for the second of those three epoch-making events, Tokyo's hosting of the 1964 Summer Olympics -- the first occasion the international competition had been held in Asia. The third of those landmark events was the opening of the Budokan, a stadium in the city's heart dedicated to the martial arts of kyudo, kendo, judo, karate and all disciplines associated with honor and the Shinto spirit. Sited between Yasukuni Shrine and the Imperial Palace, it was reportedly built on the site where soldiers pledged their lives to the Emperor before joining their wartime units. Following a request from Japan, judo had been included at the Tokyo Olympics for the first time as an official Olympic sport -- a move that proclaimed to the world that Asian culture was standing on the world stage along with European and Anglo-Saxon cultures. Japanese xenophobia But if Japanese culture was to make its way onto the world stage, then wouldn't other cultures inevitably show themselves on the Japanese stage? Two years after the Tokyo Olympics, four young men landed in Haneda Airport. Delayed by a typhoon, they were several hours late. The newspapers declared that as one typhoon had left, another had just arrived. It was the first test of what the post-Olympic future of the Budokan Hall would be. Would it remain a sacred venue on hallowed land, or simply become another concert hall? On one side were the four most popular musicians on earth at the time; on the other, four Japanese opinion leaders, including the prime minister. The Fab Four of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- none of whom knew the intricacies of Japanese xenophobia -- were criticized by Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, who declared that The Beatles were not an appropriate act to perform at such a respected venue. As media coverage built up and rightwing groups opined that rock music made young people crazy and would break down social order, Sato was joined by Tatsuji Nagashima, the promoter who had arranged the five Budokan concerts with The Beatles' management, but then changed sides and protested against them; Hosokawa Ryugen, an influential Asahi Shimbun journalist; and octogenarian Matsutaro Shoriki, founder of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and the Tokyo Giants baseball club. As first president of Budokan Hall, Shoriki had originally agreed to host The Beatles but later changed his mind after hearing alarming reports of long hair and girls screaming uncontrollably. He was told that the contract could not be torn up. With The Beatles on one side, and four pillars of the Establishment on the other, you could call it a faceoff between the Fab Four and the Drab Four. The Beatles themselves first sensed trouble while they were still touring Germany. There, they were shown a news report saying that Japanese rightwing groups wanted to capture them on their arrival in Tokyo and cut
their Mop Top locks. Fearing trouble from rightists at Budokan, the Metropolitan Police Department met with fire department officials 10 day before The Beatles' arrival to coordinate crowd control and disaster response. They even arranged for some 40 armored personnel carriers to be brought in to overpower any rightwing trucks in the area. When it became clear there was to be no stopping the concerts, and that they might even become a turning point for Japan's culture, the war of words intensified. Hosokawa and other critics appeared on television talk shows, both criticizing the concert plan and highlighting their ignorance by on occasion referring to the Liverpool quartet as "The Peatle." In other debates, critics began calling for the band to play not at Budokan but at Yume no Shima (Dream Island), an ironically named garbage landfill zone. For Budokan Director Matsutaro Shoriki, this was no mere trifling debate: he had faced political pressures from nationalists before -- and had the scars to prove it. Decades before he had founded a Japanese baseball league and invited U.S. teams to play in Japan. Rightwingers saw this as a sellout to Americans and a form of cultural pollution. As a result, Shiroki was ambushed by sword-wielding would-be assassins and was lucky to survive being stabbed. Next came pressure on the Japanese youth: Tokyo schools began ordering their students not to attend the concerts, even though most of them were on the weekend. This snowballed into a move to stop students playing electric guitars, based on the fear that rock music would turn young people into delinquents and hooligans. At a preconcert press conference, a reporter asked The Beatles if they thought their behavior might have a negative influence on Japanese culture. Paul responded by asking if it should be considered a cultural invasion if a Japanese group were to appear in England. John, making an oblique reference to World War II and the expanding Vietnam War, quipped that singing was much better than fighting. Ringo commented, "It's amazing security, you know. I've never seen so many people guarding us." To this, a reporter responded, "Well, we want to make sure that you're not hurt while you're here." Ringo replied: "But we don't want the security to hurt the fans. Don't be too rough with them." Meanwhile, police were ripping banners out of the hands of rightwing squads outside the Budokan as the rightists berated them through megaphones. Scheduled to give one concert on June 30, and two each on July 1 and 2, the Fab Four thought they would get a chance to see the sights on the morning of the 30th. But the Tokyo police said their officers would not take responsibility for their security on a slated sightseeing trip to the nearby ancient capital of Kamakura. Plainclothes police That official decision was tantamount to grounding the band in their hotel, and George and Ringo obliged by staying there giving interviews and waving at fans through closed windows. Resenting their confinement, John and Paul each came up with their own plans for escaping from the Capital Tokyo Hotel (now the Tokyo Hilton). With a member of the tour entourage in the lead, Paul tried to sneak out of the main lobby but was stopped by guards. After a great deal of haggling, he was placed in a car with plainclothes police officers and given a short tour of Meiji Jingu Shrine and a portion of the Imperial Palace grounds. They briefly got out of the car to have a walk around, but when photographers spotted Paul he was quickly shuffled back into the car and returned to the hotel. One news source later noted that The Beatle had been spotted in the palace grounds "no-neku-tai" (without a necktie).
John fared much better. Borrowing the ID badge and camera of a photographer on their team, he posed as a member of the press corps and used the badge to walk past the lobby security guards and into the street. From there he made his way to the Omotesando boulevard running away from Meiji Shrine, where he is reported to have bought souvenirs at the famous Oriental Bazaar shop. Then he went to the swish Azabu district nearby, where he was fitted for a new pair of glasses before returning to the hotel. He is said to have purchased on the outing a ceramic figure that was included in Peter Blake's collage design for the cover of 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Apparently, back at the hotel Paul complained that he had only managed a few minutes out in the open air -while John had gone on a shopping spree and returned with trophies to prove it. The Beatles played the five concerts with little incident inside the hall. The authorities had braced for two main threats: that the kids in the audience would go crazy, and that rightwing nationalists would get violent outside. Neither happened. The main floor area was kept empty to stop anyone approaching the stage, and the fans were confined to the mezzanine and balcony areas from where they watched the shows from over a sea of police hats. In the aisles, security guards stood at the end of each row, while another security ring of white-gloved officers stood between the stage and the seats, and another security ring sealed off the venue. Ambulance teams were at the ready. In an effort to downplay the presence of a Western band with long hair, promoters arranged for several Japanese bands to perform as opening acts. Elsewhere, because of the limitations of amplifiers at that time, The Beatles were often frustrated that the screaming and wailing of hysterical female fans elsewhere drowned out the sound of their instruments. At the Budokan, though, security was so suffocating that fans didn't even dare to stand up. In fact, the police announced over megaphones before the concert that anyone who did stand up and make any disturbance would be arrested. Consequently, the crowd noise during the meager half-hour they were allowed to play -enough for just 11 songs -- was among the lowest The Beatles had experienced. Photos from the concerts show the four playing against giant billboards for Lion toothpaste, with the audience barely visible in the distance. At the end of each concert, the authorities left no chance for an embarrassing mob scene by fans, or a violent incident by demonstrators in their trucks. The Fab Four were bundled into a police-escorted convoy and returned to the hotel within 10 minutes of taking their last bows. Afterward, the Asahi Shimbun reported that the fans, many of them "haiteen" (late teenagers), were treated like children by the condescending authorities. Then, as The Beatles waved goodbye to Tokyo on their way to Manila, newspapers ran headlines such as "The Beatles typhoon has passed." Photos showed George on the stairs to the plane carrying a suitcase in each hand, and Paul with a camera, taking photos of the crowd. Absence of disturbances Reports in The Japan Times and elsewhere not only pointed out the absence of disturbances during the Budokan concerts, but felt it worth noting that fans did not cause any trouble at the airport farewell. The "Sgt. Pepper's" album cover with the Japanese figurine on the ground near John went on to be voted one of the most memorable design images of the 20th century, and The Beatles sold more than 1 billion records in their careers. Since then Budokan -- whose flip-flopping founder Shoriki Matsutaro died in 1969 -has remained a popular stop for rock bands touring Asia. Deep Purple and Bob Dylan recorded live albums there, and the full-on likes of Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne have performed in the hall. It will even host the BlackEyed Peas in July this year.
Im going to stop wearing underpants. AMPONTAN December 18, 2008 - Katsu Shintaro Mr. Katsu was a leading force in the Japanese entertainment industry as an actor, producer, and director. The son of a kabuki actor, he starred in 26 films as Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, as well as a spin-off television series. He also had too much of a taste for drink and drugs, and the above comment came during a press conference with Japanese reporters after his arrest at the Honolulu Airport on 16 January 1990 for carrying pot and cocaine in his underwear. At the same press conference, he joked that he intended to start a new business as a haberdasher and sell Katsu pants in which anything could be hidden. Now, now, no wise guy comments from the back row! The actor was supposed to have played the lead in Kurosawas Kagemusha mentioned above, but he left without finishing the first day of filming after a serious disagreement with the director.
Okinawa / Cultural background Okinawa Time The people of Okinawa are racially and linguistically the same as the rest of Japan. However, the culture has developed differently because of isolation from the main islands. Taiwan, China, and the South Sea islands are close neighbors. Okinawa has suffered many historic tragedies. They were under a dynasty control from the 12th century, then the isolation policy by the Edo government, dual control by the Satsuma clan, the Ming Dynasty of China, and the policies of the Meiji government. Governmental discrimination continued, followed by the fierce battles World War 2(Apr, 1945). Over third of the islands population died during World War 2. The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War. The battle ended on September 7, 1945 and Okinawa was occupied by the U.S . After Japan was given its independence in 1952, Okinawa remained under U.S. control. In 1969, President Nixon and Prime Minister Sato agreed that Okinawa should be returned to Japan, and May 15, 1972, President Johnson ratified the return. Read more information from Okinawa Prefectures OKINAWA TODAY Operation ICEBERG, as the plan for the Okinawa campaign was officially called, marked the entrance of the United States upon an advanced stage in the long execution of its strategy in the Pacific. Looking for facts of past and new Okinawa today? Take a look!!
Gazprom strikes a deal with Total Economist Jul 13, 2007 ON THE eve of Bastille Day Russias president, Vladimir Putin, handed a royal present to the newly elected president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, by allowing a national French company into Russias mightily tempting energy sector. After years of deliberations, Gazprom, Russias state-controlled energy behemoth that doubles up as the Kremlins foreign-policy arm, has chosen France's Total to develop a giant offshore gas
field in the Arctic. ---- -------------------
Beheadings, Shoot-outs and Baby Dumping: Where is Japan heading? Global Voices Moreover, in Okinawa, to put pressure on the citizens opposed to construction of the military base at Henoko Bay, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) is being deployed. You never know when the SDF will point their guns at the citizens. Even if, tomorrow morning, news comes out that North Korea has fired a nuclear missile, I would not be surprised. Japan's suppression of speech has advanced this far no, actually it's been like this from the beginning.
Chiba's governor may soon be whisked away to his home planet Japan Times April 19, 2009 In the latest installment of Suntory's series of TV commericals for Boss canned coffee, the extraterrestrial Tommy Lee Jones, who has been sent to Earth to study the human race, runs for governor of an unnamed prefecture and wins by a landslide. The excitement is short-lived, though, as his inappropriate response to questions in the prefectural assembly results in a steep drop in his support rate. He is forced to resign and later reports to his superiors, "Popularity on Earth is brief." Actually, that scenario sounds more like the one we've seen lately for prime ministers. Some current governors are enjoying solid support. Osaka's Toru Hashimoto has impressed the people he represents by standing up to imperious bureaucrats. Two weeks ago, he slammed the central government for sending Osaka a bill for construction projects without any detailed breakdown, comparing the ministry's procedures to those of a bar that serves a customer a drink and later charges him an extortionate sum. Hashimoto is admired nationwide as an exceptionally bold leader, but he really has no choice. Osaka is on the verge of bankruptcy, as are many other prefectures. The media can always be counted on to cover people like Hashimoto, Miyazaki's Hideo Higashikokubaru, and former Nagano Governor Yasuo Tanaka because they were TV celebrities before they were politicians. Now, though, they're also paying close attention to the noncelebrity governors of Shiga and Niigata, who are working hard to solve their prefectures' money problems. Kensaku Morita, who won the governorship of Chiba on March 29 by a wide margin, used to be a popular actor, as well as a Diet member. Morita's outgoing personality and background guarantee he'll be noticed, but since the election, he's come under scrutiny for something different. Though Morita was a staunch member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party during his stint in
national politics from 1992 to 2004 and ran under the party banner with his unsuccessful bid for the Chiba governorship in 2005, this time he chose to run as a "completely unaffiliated" candidate to promote his independent stance. However, it has been discovered that Morita is still the head of a Tokyo-based LDP election committee, and a citizens group has filed a lawsuit saying he violated election rules by not declaring this position when he submitted his application to run. The reason no one noticed is that the position is registered under Morita's real name, Eiji Suzuki. Kensaku Morita is his geimei (stage name). Moreover, 100 million was transferred from this committee to Morita's account without being reported to election authorities. Some of this money came from discount chain Don Quijote, whose foreign ownership exceeded the 50 percent maximum allowed by law for donations at the time they were made. These accusations are at least as serious as those leveled against Japan Democratic Party leader Ichiro Ozawa, but all legal questions aside, Morita's vision for Chiba is pretty fuzzy. The prefecture is just as financially strapped as others, but he didn't say much about that during the campaign. He promoted flashy, implausible ideas, like building a Maglev train between Narita and Haneda airports, or promising to reduce the toll on the Aqua Line bridge-and-tunnel route linking Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures to 800 at all times, which sounds nice but doesn't significantly affect most Chiba residents. Otherwise, Morita doesn't seem interested in the fiscal challenges that other prefectural governors are actively struggling with. He is a values man. His manifesto is filled with pledges to make children "stronger and more beautiful" and "educate parents" so that they can "rebuild Japan's family power." These have always been Morita's pet themes, even when he was an actor. He is best known for the early 1970s TV series, "Ore wa Otoko da" ("I Am a Man"), in which he played a high-school kendo enthusiast whose moral rectitude and love of yamato-damashii (the spirit of Japan) was so intense as to be comical. As a politician, he has made traditional values his platform. He supports testable "moral education" classes in schools and is against sex education and the so-called gender-free curricula. These sorts of goals are difficult to realize as a member of an assembly, which is why Morita left his Diet seat to pursue the Chiba governorship. Like his hero, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, he wants to change Japan and believes he can only do so from an executive position, even if it's at the head of a prefectural government. It's no coincidence that he shares Ishihara's nationalist credo, but so do Hashimoto and Higashikokubaru. The difference is that they approach their jobs as servants of the people who elected them, not ideological crusaders. Normally, after a politician wins office he thanks those who supported him and assures those who didn't that he will represent them, too. But, since his victory, Morita has been busy cultivating powerful people outside of Chiba in his own "friendly" way gesturing a little too dramatically, laughing a little too loudly, touching a little too intimately. He has appeared on network variety shows and paid visits to Prime Minister Taro Aso (the head of the LDP, thus bolstering some people's suspicion that Morita's unaffiliated status was a temporary convenience) and Ishihara. He even tried to give Ishihara a hug, but the Tokyo governor managed to avoid full contact. Eventually, Morita will have to address Chiba's financial problems, and it will be interesting to see what happens. If more hospitals and public services in the prefecture start shutting down, residents may wonder why their celebrity governor isn't as effective as Osaka's is. Morita's fame is what won him office, but as the extraterrestrial Jones discovered, popularity is fleeting.
LDP's Nikaido dies of heart failure Japan Times Feb. 3, 2000 Susumu Nikaido , a former vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, died at a Tokyo hospital Thursday due to heart failure, his family said. He was 90. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Nikaido graduated
from the University of Southern California in 1941. He was elected to the Diet's House of Representatives from the then-Kagoshima No. 3 constituency in the nation's first general election after World War II, in 1946. He was elected to the chamber 16 consecutive times until he decided to retire from politics by refusing to run in the 1996 general election. Nikaido was a close aide to late former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, who was convicted in the Lockheed payoff scandal of the 1970s, and was famous for saying, "My hobby is Kakuei Tanaka."Nikaido played a key role in restoring diplomatic ties between Japan and China in 1972. 1984, former Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki, in behind-the-scenes cooperation with some opposition leaders, made an unsuccessful attempt to back Nikaido to topple then LDP head and Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. Nikaido served as LDP secretary general from 1981 to 1983 and was the LDP's vice president from 1984 to 1986. After Noboru Takeshita formed his own group within the Tanaka faction in a revolt against the faction boss in 1985, Nikaido tried to unite pro-Tanaka members.
Mr. Obasanjo, President of Nigeria, to Visit Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan September 4, 2006 1. Chief. Olusegun Obasanjo , President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will visit Japan from September 14 (Thu) to September 16 (Sat).
2. During his stay, President Obasanjo will have talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and important figures of Japan and exchange views on such matters as the bilateral relationship including economic cooperation, Japan-Africa relations including cooperation in the international arena, and the regional affairs.
3. This visit has been set up due to President Obasanjo's strong wish to express his sincere appreciation for cooperation from the Government of Japan to Nigeria directly to Prime Minster Koizumi before he resigns. The last Japan-Nigeria summit meeting was held about two years ago when President Obasanjo visited Japan in November 2004 to attend the TICAD Asia-Africa Trade Investment Conference (AATIC).
4. President Obasanjo is a Japano-phile who has visited Japan for more than 10 times, including the official visit in 2001, visits in 2003 to attend the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD III), and in 2004 to attend the AATIC.
Koji's Column Oshogatsu discovernikkei January 3, 2008 Besides Groundhogs day, my favorite holiday is New Years. I look forward to it every year. I always forget though that most people just think its a day to watch football. For those who dont know, New Years or Oshogatsu in Japan is the most important and elaborate holiday of the year. When Japanese Americans talk about New Years, they usually just mention the osechi (New Years food). Things like: soba (buck wheat noodles) on New Years Eve for a long life, the zoni (soup) on New Years morning with kurikinton (mashed sweet potato with sweet chestnuts) and kinpira gobo (simmered burdock root) and of course the shot of sake. But when I think of New Years, I think about the Japanese superstition that everything you do on that day is a reflection of the way the rest of the year is going to turn out. To me, this is better than the resolution
system because I get to actively shape whats going to happen to me in the coming year. I want a good/calm year so I spent my New Years day relaxing and hanging out with my wife and my doggie. I also did some writing, took a long walk and made sure to stay happy and positive all day. Planning the day can be stressful but with the right prep it tends not to be a problem. For example, I cant spend any money since I dont want to be spending money all year. So I have to make sure to buy everything I need the day before. I cant clean or work or do things that can be construed in any way as negative since the last thing I want to be doing this year is any/all of those things. This tradition has always comforted me because it means that no matter how bad my previous year was, I can shape how the coming year will be. Are you worried about what you did on New Years now? Dont. You have one year to prepare.
The Aesthetic of Transience JAPANECHO In modern times, some haiku poets have rejected the convention of the kigo and advocated seasonless haiku, but to this day a huge number of people in Japan continue to enjoy haiku following the traditional form. In fact, attesting to the continued importance of kigo is the number of kigo dictionaries, known as saijiki. The kigo compiled in these saijiki are by no means limited to terms that have been around for centuries. In modern times, as lifestyles have grown increasingly complex and objects associated with particular seasons have proliferated, poets have actively embraced words like senpki (electric fan) and denki sutbu (electric heater) as kigo, along with such nontraditional events as Pari-sai (Bastille Day , July 14) and Shsen kinenbi (the anniversary of the end of World War II, August 15). One recent saijiki contains some 2,500 kigo, testifying to the multitude of seasonal associations that continue to play a part in Japanese life.
Ogata to plead innocent in Chongryon fraud trial Jaoan Times Oct. 26, 2007 Former intelligence chief Shigetake Ogata will plead innocent when he stands trial over his alleged involvement in fraud involving Chongryon's headquarters property, retracting his earlier admission during questioning by prosecutors, sources said. The move will lead to a showdown between the prosecutors and defense as both camps investigate the motives and criminal intent behind an unusual case in which the supposed victim, the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, has rebutted allegations that it was defrauded, believing Ogata was sincere in buying the site to keep the group running. When Ogata, 73, will stand trial has yet to be decided. His alleged accomplice, Tadao Mitsui, the 73-year-old former president of a real estate company, is also expected to categorically deny the charges against him, the sources said. Mitsui has also been indicted. The fraud came to light in June when it was revealed that registration of the ownership of Chongryon's land and building had been transferred to Ogata's side. Prosecutors arrested Ogata, a prosecutor-turned-lawyer who formerly headed the government's Public Security Intelligence Agency, and Mitsui on June 28 on suspicion of fraud connected to an alleged bogus 3.5 billion deal to acquire the premises of the group's head office without any intention of making a
payment. Chongryon at the time was looking for a buyer for the building and premises of its headquarters in Tokyo in an attempt to prevent them from being seized as part of the state-run Resolution and Collection Corp.'s debt-recovery efforts. On July 18, prosecutors served fresh warrants against Ogata and Mitsui for allegedly defrauding Chongryon of 484 million. Ogata denied the charges when he was first arrested in June but later owned up to them just before the prosecutors filed an additional criminal charge against him in August. However, having apparently reviewed the facts and circumstances, Ogata has decided to plead innocent and tell the court that he had no intention of deceiving others, according to the sources. Ogata is now being held at the Tokyo Detention House. After the dubious transfer registration came to light on June 12, Ogata told reporters he had concluded the deal so that he could help maintain the operations of Chongryon to guarantee the protection of its affiliates' rights. Ogata has denied that the deal was fake and claimed he intended to secure funds for it. Sources said Ogata is likely to argue along these lines in court.
HQ sale broke no laws, Chongryun lawyer says Japan Times June 15, 2007 A lawyer representing the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryun, said Thursday no crime was involved in a deal to sell its Tokyo headquarters to an investment advisory firm headed by a former chief of the Public Security Intelligence Agency. The comments by Koken Tsuchiya , 84, came just before police raided his office in Tokyo's Chuo Ward and a day after prosecutors raided the home and office of the agency's former director general, Shigetake Ogata, 73, on suspicion he registered the ownership transfer without paying for the building. "It was not a disguised transfer, as we were serious about the transaction," Tsuchiya said Thursday. "Our action had nothing to do with any crime." He also said he had been questioned by the special investigative squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office over the matter. Ogata, now president of investment advisory company Harvest, was a prosecutor and chief of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, a body under the Justice Ministry. One of the main tasks of the agency is to monitor the moves of North Korea, including those of Chongryun. The prosecutors also questioned Ogata, who is now a practicing lawyer, on a voluntary basis over the deal, sources said. "The deal with Chongryun is real and anything but a disguised transaction," Ogata said after the prosecutors' raid. "The deal is still ongoing, and I intend to try hard to secure funds. I can't help but think the search is politically motivated to destroy the deal."
Ogata told reporters Wednesday the deal was meant to prevent the Tokyo District Court from seizing the head office and evicting Chongryun from the premises in the event the group loses a suit in which the statebacked Resolution and Collection Corp. has sought a debt repayment of 62.8 billion yen. According to Ogata, he was first approached by Tsuchiya, a former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, about the deal in April. Tsuchiya represents Chongryun in the lawsuit involving the RCC.
Kunimatsu ambush remains a mystery Japan Times March 30, 1998 Three years ago Monday, Takaji Kunimatsu, then chief of the National Police Agency, was shot by an unidentified gunman and seriously wounded as he left his condominium in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward for work. The unprecedented assault on the highest national police authority remains a mystery, although investigators still believe Aum Shinrikyo was behind it. The ambush took place only 10 days after police launched a nationwide raid on the doomsday cult in connection with the nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 12 people and injured thousands of others. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, people closely resembling senior Aum members were witnessed near the scene before and after the shooting. The cult members in question do not have solid alibis to rule out their involvement, MPD sources said. Several former Aum leaders and rank-and-file cultists have also recently hinted the cult was involved, a ranking MPD official said. Since January, the MPD has increased the number of investigators covering the case by 20 to 130. Still, police have been unable to obtain concrete evidence that could lead to a breakthrough in the case. A former MPD sergeant and ex-cultist later confessed to the shooting and told police he dumped the pistol used in the attack in Tokyo's Arakawa River, but police divers combed the murky riverbed in vain, and the officer was never charged. "Unless this incident is resolved, we cannot fully regain the public's trust in the police organization," an MPD official said. "Our investigation is not moving backward. It is making progress." Kunimatsu, 60, suffered three bullet wounds in the attack, and at one time was in critical condition. He recovered and returned to his job as NPA chief until he retired.
Toru Hasuike Talks about Abduction Issue - Negotiation As the Only Way Out Labornet Japan February 11, 2009 On Jan. 24, Asia Press Club held a lecture by Toru Hasuike(former deputy director of abductees families network/ photo). About 250 people packed the venue at Bunkyo Kumin Center. They listened attentively as if trying not to miss a word of the stories behind the scenes of negotiations on the abductees. Hasuike severely criticized former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi for settling the negotiation with returns of the five abductees and the deaths of eight others upon visiting North Korea on Sept. 17, 2002. Attempts to resolve through political channel have failed three times there after. The current government and mass media have completely failed to think. We cant resolve this issue just by blaming the North for being evil. I was considered a hardliner, but I didnt have enough time to think about it, but now I believe negotiations are the only way out, Hasuike said. The lecture has made audience think about the abduction issue.
Parental love versus Kim Jong-il Asia Times Apr 28, 2009 Until that fateful day, Shigeru and Sakie Yokota had enjoyed a happy family life, just like any other. Then, on the evening of November 15, 1977, their 13-year-old daughter Megumi disappeared on her way home from school in Niigata city, which is about 200 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. Shigeru Yokota, Megumi's father and then a Bank of Japan official, had loved to take snapshots of Megumi to record her growth and use in prayers for her health. Sakie Yokota, Megumi's mother, had made her skirts and embroidered blouses from the clothes Sakie wore when she was young. Megumi was a cheerful, bright and active girl who liked music, books and paintings. She loved her twin younger brothers Takuya and Tetsuya, now 40. At 13, she gave her father a turtle-shell comb on his 45th birthday, telling him to pay more attention to his looks. The next morning, she left for school and never returned. So began the anguish of the Yokota family and their desperate efforts to search for their daughter - said to have been the largest in the history of the prefecture's police department.
RCC plans to purchase bad loans in June Japan Times May 27, 1999 The Resolution and Collection Corp. hopes to start buying bad loans from healthy banks in late June or July, its president said Thursday. Kohei Nakabo said at a regular news conference that the state-backed debt collection body is now consulting with Deposit Insurance Corp., which wholly owns the RCC, on ground rules regarding how and at what price the RCC will purchase sour loans from banks. Officials from the Finance Ministry and the Financial Supervisory Agency are also involved in the rulemaking process, he said. Nakabo said the RCC will hold a seminar in June for banks interested in selling it bad loans, adding that some banks have already shown interest. The outstanding bad loans of the nation's 17 major banks topped 20 trillion yen in fiscal 1998, according to earnings reports. Nakabo has said the RCC wants to buy at least 10 trillion yen worth of the bad loans. The RCC, created in April through the merger of two state-backed collection firms, plans to specialize in the recovery of loans that are the hardest to collect. Such loans include those connected to gangsters or those in which debtors have hidden their assets to avoid confiscation. In such cases, the RCC is believed to have an edge over other collectors, because it can use the special investigative power given to the DIC. Nakabo also announced that the RCC's loan collection target for fiscal 1999 will be 710 billion yen. This includes 425 billion yen in loans formerly held by the Housing Loan Administration Corp. and 285 billion yen formerly owed to Resolution Collection Bank, which took over loans from failed banks and credit unions before it was merged with the HLAC into the RCC.
Kohei Nakabo, President, Resolution & Collection Corp.
BusinessWeek June 14, 1999 PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN JAPANESE bankers is at an all-time low. No wonder. They're responsible for stacking up an estimated $1 trillion in bad loans. So the government has turned to Kohei Nakabo. Although he has no background in finance, the feisty 69-year-old lawyer has proved to be Japan's most talented debt collector and one of the country's most trusted public figures. Since 1996, Nakabo has tackled the debt problem of the failed jusen, or housing-loan firms, recovering $13 billion in dud loans. On Apr. 1, he became head of the Resolution & Collection Corp. Formed through the merger of two public collection agencies, the RCC is charged with taking over outstanding bank loans and collecting on them. Nakabo will continue to use his proven tactics--filing lawsuits and directly confronting renegade borrowers. Honest and conscientious, Nakabo has refused to accept payment for his public work for the past three years. But his debt-collecting days are drawing to a close. He plans to resign in August on his 70th birthday. His legacy is proof of how a piece of Japan's bank problem can be solved.
Bomb by bomb, Japan sheds military restraints New York Times July 22, 2007 ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam To take part in its annual exercises with the United States Air Force here last month, Japan practiced dropping 500-pound live bombs on Farallon de Medinilla, a tiny island in the western Pacific's turquoise waters more than 150 miles north of here. The pilots described dropping a live bomb for the first time shouting "shack!" to signal a direct hit and seeing the fireball from aloft. "The level of tension was just different," said Captain Tetsuya Nagata, 35, stepping down from his cockpit onto the sunbaked tarmac. The exercise would have been unremarkable for almost any other military, but it was highly significant for Japan, a country still restrained by a Constitution that renounces war and allows forces only for its defense. Dropping live bombs on land had long been considered too offensive, so much so that Japan does not have a single live-bombing range. Flying directly from Japan and practicing live-bombing runs on distant foreign soil would have been regarded as unacceptably provocative because the implicit message was clear: these fighter jets could perhaps fly to North Korea and take out some targets before returning home safely. But from here in Micronesia to Iraq, Japan's military has been rapidly crossing out items from its list of can'tdos. The incremental changes, especially since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, amount to the most significant transformation in Japan's military since World War II, one that has brought it ever closer operationally to America's military while rattling nerves throughout northeast Asia. In a little over half a decade, Japan's military has carried out changes considered unthinkable a few years back. In the Indian Ocean, Japanese destroyers and refueling ships are helping American and other militaries fight in Afghanistan. In Iraq, Japanese planes are transporting cargo and American troops to Baghdad from Kuwait. Japan is acquiring weapons that blur the lines between defensive and offensive. For the Guam bombing run,
Japan deployed its newest fighter jets, the F-2's, the first developed jointly by Japan and the United States, on their maiden trip here. Unlike its older jets, the F-2's were able to fly the 1,700 miles from northern Japan to Guam without refueling a "straight shot," as the Japanese said with unconcealed pride. Japan recently indicated strongly its desire to buy the F-22 Raptor, a stealth fighter known mainly for its offensive abilities such as penetrating contested airspace and destroying enemy targets, whose export is prohibited by United States law. At home, the Defense Agency, whose profile had been intentionally kept low, became a full ministry this year. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used the parliamentary majority he inherited from his wildly popular predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, to ram through a law that could lead to a revision of the pacifist Constitution.
Japan's 241,000-member military, though smaller than those of its neighbors, is considered Asia's most sophisticated. Though flat, its $40 billion military budget has ranked among the world's top five in recent years. Japan has also tapped nonmilitary budgets to launch spy satellites and strengthen its coast guard recently. Japanese politicians like Abe have justified the military's transformation by seizing on the threat from North Korea; the rise of China, whose annual military budget has been growing by double digits; and the Sept. 11 attacks even fanning those threats, critics say. At the same time, Abe has tried to rehabilitate the reputation of Japan's imperial forces by whitewashing their crimes, including wartime sexual slavery. Japanese critics say the changes under way whose details the government has tried to hide from public view, especially the missions in Iraq have already violated the Constitution and other defense restrictions. "The reality has already moved ahead, so they will now talk about the need to catch up and revise the Constitution," said Yukio Hatoyama, the secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party.
Humpback hunt stirs protest THE ASAHI SHIMBUN 11/26/2007 As far as media in this country were concerned, the Nov. 18 departure of Japan's whaling fleet to hunt humpback and minke whales in the Antarctic was hardly news. Few newspapers or TV news shows bothered to mention the story. In sharp contrast, the fleet's departure from Shimonoseki Port in Yamaguchi Prefecture made headlines the world over, sparking outcries in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe. The reactions thrust Japan's near-isolated stand on whaling into sharp focus. Protest abroad is especially strong because Japan is hunting leviathan humpbacks for the first time in decades. The fleet hopes to harvest about 1,000 whales, including humpbacks, minkes and fin whales, before returning home in the spring. The International Whaling Commission passed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. A year later, Japan returned to the seas to harvest Antarctic minke whales for "research purposes," allowed under IWC rules.
Since then, Japan's hunt has expanded to other waters and types of whales. Whale meat is sold to cover the costs of the expeditions. While domestic consumption of whale is not rising-due to the high price of the meat--critics say the "research" is simply a guise for the profit-making sales. Worldwide conservation and citizen group protests have spurred governments to make clear their anger toward Japan. In Australia, a staunch foe of whaling, criticism mounted ahead of the overwhelming Labor Party victory in Saturday's general election. Labor Party member Robert McClelland said earlier that when in power, he plans to push hard for Tokyo to end the whaling. The issue gained heat in the run-up to the vote. Outgoing Foreign Minister Alexander Downer issued a statement Nov. 19 calling for a stop to whaling--despite the Howard administration's earlier soft stance on whaling, which was out of consideration of Australia's ties to Japan. Argument until now has centered on scientific issues, such as how to estimate whale populations and how to protect them. This time, feelings are stirred because the humpback whale, a favorite sight of whale watchers, is targeted. Whale watchers can easily identify individual humpbacks by their long pectoral fins, bumpy heads and wide tails. When a humpback dramatically breaches the surface, it is a sight to behold. Animal rights activists in Australia, meanwhile, question whether Japan is really engaged in science when it sends vessels great distances to hunt and kill whales. Also, some note that such activities also affect coastal economies where whale watching is popular. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, whale watching is profitable, netting income equivalent to about 3.8 billion yen in Oceania and the Antarctic region in 1998. Adding related businesses, the industry brought in an estimated 13.2 billion yen in income that year for the region. Washington also joined in the criticism. "We call on Japan to refrain from conducting this year's hunt, especially with respect to humpback and fin whales," U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said Nov. 19. Japan plans to hunt 850 minke, 50 humpback and 50 fin whales and others on this expedition. Britain's Independent newspaper in its Nov. 19 editorial wrote: "To many, it is hard to comprehend how a country that helped initiate the Kyoto treaty and has been in the vanguard of the environmental movement could have so little sympathy for the whale." The government's Fisheries Agency decided to return to hunting humpbacks, it said, because surveys of the minke whale population do not give the whole picture in the Antarctic. Humpback hunting was halted in the 1960s after the population plummeted. Currently, estimates put the number of humpbacks in the Antarctic at between 35,000 and 40,000. The IWC estimates that humpback numbers have risen 10 percent or more annually in recent years.
The agency contends that whales eat huge amounts of fish--which in turn lowers fishing catches worldwide. Agency officials maintain that food shortages will increase due to dwindling fish hauls if humpbacks are not controlled as are minke whales. Other nations don't accept that position. The IWC voted at the end of May to support a moratorium on commercial whaling.
Sea Shepherd Requests the Australian Navy to Keep the Peace in Antarctica Sea Shepherd December 25, 2005 It is time for the government of Australia to act responsibly in the Australian Antarctic Territory. Australia needs to send a naval ship to keep the peace and to observe for themselves what is going on down in the Southern Ocean instead of believing every lie that Japan fabricates to defend their bogus research commercial whaling operations. The Japanese whaling fleet is in flagrant violation of numerous international and Australian laws by killing whales off the coast of Antarctica in waters claimed by Australia. The Japanese have rammed a Greenpeace ship and attempted to ram my ship the Farley Mowat on Christmas day. Prime Minister John Howard said that at a recent meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that, "I do not support action which endangers lives or breaks the law." He was referring to those of us defending the whales when in reality it is the Japanese breaking the laws and endangering human life and inhumanely killing whales. When I warned that the Japanese were armed and were planning to damage our ship, Environment Minister Ian Campbell spun the story to suggest that it was the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that were the bad guys and said, "There appears to be a prima facie case that they may be setting out to break the law." He has asked the Ministry of Justice to investigate Sea Shepherd yet Japan is openly breaking Australian law without any action by Australia. What is curious about this is that Campbell is acknowledging that Australia has the right to investigate and lay charges against a Canadian flag vessel and non-Australian citizens over a Japanese complaint coming from the Australia Antarctic Territory. Yet he claims that Australian has no right to enforce conservation laws against Japan. Australia must send a Naval vessel down here to see what is going on and to keep the peace. What if the Japanese kill or injure one or more of the whale defenders? Will Australia intervene then or will they intervene to appease Japan by arresting those defending the whalers? This is a highly dangerous situation down here. Volunteers from around the world are here to do the job that the world's governments should be doing. The Japanese are aggressive, violent, and arrogant. The whale defenders are determined, courageous, and bold. This is a recipe for disaster, Mr. John Howard and Mr. Ian Campbell. You will not be very popular if the Japanese kill one of us because Australia did nothing to keep the peace. The government says that the Japanese do not recognize the Australian claim to the Antarctic treaty. In
1942, they did not recognize Australia's claim to Australia. Australians fought them and won, yet today's leaders bow and surrender to Japan. Japanese money has succeeded today, where Japanese military might failed in the past. We, who Howard and Campbell consider the bad guys, are asking for the Navy to sail south to protect the lives of whales and people. If our intentions were criminal, would we be requesting the Navy? Send the Navy to keep the peace. That is the responsible thing to do. If Australia has eyes down here, Australia will have the facts and then the Australian government can stop acting like a public relations firm hired by Tokyo.
Prison sought for ex-minister's sister Japan Times Dec. 1, 1997 Prosecutors demanded a three-year prison term Monday for Yoshie Yamaguchi for allegedly receiving two credit union loans totaling 2.7 billion yen without sufficient collateral. Appearing before the Tokyo District Court, prosecutors claimed that her brother, former Labor Minister Toshio Yamaguchi, was also involved in the illegal loan operation. According to prosecutors, Yoshie Yamaguchi, 61, in collaboration with Harunori Takahashi, 52, former president of the Tokyo Kyowa Credit Union, had his credit union and the Anzen Credit Union extend the loans to her company, Musashi Kosei Bunka Corp., which operated golf courses. They said the loans, made from June to December 1994, drove the credit unions into bankruptcy and undermined public trust in the national financial system. The prosecutors said the certificates of golf club membership provided as collateral were worthless.
Tench setsu Encyclopedia of Shinto "Day of Celebration for the Longevity of Heaven and Earth." The old name for the emperors birthday deriving from a similar observance in Tang China. It was a religious holiday from the early Meiji era to just after World War II. The ceremony performed at the Three Sacred Halls (ky ch sanden) is called the tench sai, or Rite for the Longevity of Heaven and Earth (though in the Prescriptions of the Imperial House Rituals the rite itself ranks among the sh sai, or Minor Rites) while the holiday (shukujitsu) is called the Day of Celebration for the Longevity of Heaven and Earth. The first known observance celebrating the birth of the emperor was a banquet held by the many court officials in 775 in honor of the K nin Emperor. The first actual Tench setsu was instituted during the Meiji restoration and occurred on September 22, 1868 (by the corrected calendar November 3) and has continued henceforth pattered on it. On the day of the celebration, the tench sai is performed in the Three Sacred Halls, and the Rituals for the Day of Celebration for the Longevity of Heaven and Earth (tench setsu no gi) are performed at the palace. The emperor receives felicitations from the imperial family then goes to the Toyo-no-akari Hall where he receives felicitations from high-level ministers and ambassadors or representatives from each country. Following this, there is a celebratory banquet. This celebration, together with New Years and the Observance of Era Change (Kigen setsu), comprise the Three Great Observances, or sandaisetsu (In 1927, Meiji setsu was also included, thus becoming the "Four Great Observances," or shi dai setsu).
Anniversary celebrations are held throughout the countrys elementary schools and by various groups. Emperor Taish s Tench setsu was August 31 (though it had been fixed as October 31 since the original date fell during the summer holiday season). Emperor Sh was Tench setsu was April 29. In 1948, in compliance with the "Laws of Religious Days for the Citizenry," the Day of Celebration for the Longevity of Heaven and Earth was renamed the Emperors Birthday. The current Heisei emperors birthday is December 23. Emperor Sh was birthday was renamed "Green Day" and has been a national holiday since 1990.
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