Coming Winter

The place I live is about 700 meters above sea level and we have already had some frosty mornings. Tree leaves are changing their colors. People are rushing to harvest and get ready to meet coming winter. Tokyo is far warmer than here.

Two women ministers of the government quit today. One month ago the prime minister Abe designated five women as new ministers saying "the society women can act". He is trying to get more popularity. But two of them had to quit becaause of their money scandals. I would like to say that women love peace, but it's not always true. Those five women are war-like and agressive, conservative in gender problems. One of them was in a photo with a leader of an extreme right group, and another was also in a photo with the leader of the group that has been doing hate crime.

In Japan, we have so many serious problems,like changing constitution, nuke power, new US military base, taxes, tax treaty with America, etc. The LDP government and greedy capitalists are destroying our country and our lives. We are saying "NO!", but our voice is not loud enough. They are ignoring the voice. I"m gazing this stream, scared.

We, Japanese people have never experienced struggling and getting democracy ourselves, I think. The democracy of Japan was given or forced from the Allied Powers after the WWII. In Japan we are told to be subdued, not to be against the power.
Oh, I remember there were people who tried to start a revolution against the government 150 years ago in Japan. They named themselves "the party of struggling people", and their motto was "change the society, equal society". It's wrong that we have no experience. But they were crushed only after half a month and only a few people know about them.
I am feeling to be stiffened preparing for coming winter of Japan.

To Enjoy Our Routine Life...

I often write about political matters agressively, but most of my life is full of routines and peaceful. Today, I went to see my doctor, then went to a pharmacy. On the way home I visited the cell phone shop to talk about my husband's broken phone. In the afternoon I got some beans and sweetpotetos in our vegetable garden. We are happy to get nonchemical, organic vegetables from our garden. We had dinner with our grandchildren and their mother and talked about their sports day next Saturday. Their father, our son, came home late as usual, like most of the workers of Japan.

There seems to be no problem, nothing to complain. It may be the problem. In Japan there are so many things to discuss, to solve. to be corrected. Many people think it is the biggest crisis of our society, of Japan, after the W.W.II. But our routine life is going on. Of course I love peaceful life with my family myself, and it's good for people to enjoy peaceful life. The problem is; most of Japanese are interested only in their personal affairs, not seeing what is happening in this world, even next to them. Why are we like this? It's a little too late for me to think and write about it today. I'll try next time.

It Is a Shame To Ignore Okinawa

Do you know what is going on in Okinawa, a small islands prefecture? Many USA military bases are in those islands, and the people have been suffering danger, noises,crimes caused by the bases and its armies. Around fifteen years ago, an elementary school girl was raped by three US soldiers from the base. Seeing the rage of the people, the US and Japan areed to give the Hutenma Airport back to Japan, but instead, the US demanded a new airport. They chose a place in the north of Okinawa, and they have tried to build a new base, a huge military base including a harbor for even nuke battle ships.
People stood up against the plan in the area. They built a small tent on the beach and have been sitting in it more than ten years, and organized the movement against the military bases. People of Okimawa have been doing every activities they can think of, and they have showed their will through the elections, but Abe cabinet is doing the construction work violently.
My friend Humiko, a 84 year-old Okinawan woman, is standing at the gate of US military camp everyday in the heat. I saw her on the internet and there she was standing with a stick alone on the road in front of a big concrete mixer car and saying, "Boy, if you want to go into the base, run over me. Your concret will build a military base, and it will bring you a war. Don't you understand? Come down from the car and look at me, listen to me!" After this, she was sorrounded and taken to the side of the road by several big police officers.
Another friend Kim is protesting on a tiny boat against the construction, against the ships of the Coast Gurd.
What a shameful government we have!! I would like to appologise about the discrimination against Okinawa.

Japan Can Go Into Wars with Big Weapns

On July 1st Abe Cabinet of Japan resolved that Japan has the right of inclusive self-defense. It means Japan is going to join the war of U.S.A. Japan will go to the other country with weapons and kill the people.
Our constitution declares that we will never have armed force and we will never go into wars. Those ideas came from the deep regret for the misled nation that made a lot of people suffer. We have been proud of our peace-loving constitution for almost 70 years.
But actually,since just after the war, some people tried to have millitary force again,and the USA also wanted Japan to work as its follower. Japan has the fifth biggest force in the world now. Even though, we have the constitution that is forbidding to go into a war and so our self-defense force has never been in the other country with weapons and killed anyone.
Abe and his right wing followers have planned to change the constitution and have a strong military force that can threat other countries. When they realized it is difficult to change it soon,they began to say that the cabinet could change the interpretation of the constitution.
So many people includng lawers, ex-government officers, have protested against it, but Abe has no ears to listen. What a despotism!
We won't to stop protesting, but they have power and brain. Japan can be a big war- like military nation. Keep wtching,please.

Can We Be Optimist?

In Liverpool, we got two T-shirts that have the phrase "Imagine peace" in many different languages,one for our son and one for a fried of ours who is acting for peace. When I was teaching at junior highs, I often read the phrases with students. "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one"
Is the world getting better?
When I handed a flier about the government and its politics a few days ago, a man said," I agree with the government. China and Korea are making a fool of us, Japan. We can't bear their underestimating us. We have to be strong, and the only way to show it is the military strength." He talked about the nations and the wars like a quarrel among the children. More people look to be thinking like them these days, and the fact scares me.
Another friend of ours who is acting in Okinawa says that he is givig canoe lesson to fight on the sea against the construction of new US military base and he is enjoying it. What an optimism!

How Free Are We?

It's rainy season now in Japan, and I struggle against weeds in my garden everyday. I don't know the reason why, but we have a pandemic of caterpillars this year. Whenever I find them on the leaves, I slaughter them mercilessly. Many of the trees especially azaleas were damaged. Roses are beautiful this year and it makes me happy.

The World Cup of soccer is now held In Brazil. I've heard that there were demonstraitions against it in Brazil evn just before the games. I wonder whether we can have the same kind of actions against Tokyo Olimpic Games. Probably NO. We are not free like them, I feel.

Surveillance Cameras Work, But...

My husband and I went on a tour to the UK last month. We enjoyed the beautiful fields with sheep, old stone houses, and flowers. And at the very last moment there, I was robbed my bag at the airport. The security gard of the airport called the police and soon two officers came along to me. Wow! Famous Scotlandyard!
The officers asked me many questions, made a documentM, and gave me a victim card. The officer's name and e-mal address, the steps how the investigation go, and where to access in emergency were on it. It also said that the police would report the result of the investigation in six days.
My bg was a cheap old one and it had nothing expensive except the electric dictionary. The cash I had in my wallet was only 20 pound. Poor thief! He must have been disappointed. Luckily I had my passport im my hand, and I could come back to Japan. And! To my surprise, I got an e-mail from Scotlandyard that they had arrested the thief after five days.
I have heard that there are surveillce cameras everywhere in the UK. The officers said they would check videos from cameras, and so they could identify the thief, I guess. Even in Japan, we are alwys watched by many eyes of cameras unknown to us. It is a little uncomfortable, isn't it?
Our tour conductor said that the UK is the best friend of the USA, and so they are aware they can be the biggedt target of the terror. Yes, the security check there was very close. After 9.11, the security of the airports in Japan also has changed.
When the USA declares that a person is a terrorist, they even go to another country and attack it. What is left must be just hate. Hate can be a cradle of terror. Endless hate and endless suspicion. It is sad.