The third expedition ？？？ Waterfall （taki 滝）

You have to use keiryuutabi (渓流足袋）to climb up the mountain along the streams. Master of fishing in the mountain, Prof. Hattori caught big, big fish that day!!!

Central Asia Research Group (中央アジア研究会）

May Day in Korea

The issue of temporary workers is one of the main concerns to Korean society. They are suffering from the unstable job security and low wage. Some of them do not have compulsory social insurance coverage too.

May 16th - Mountaineering first time in Japan - Kurokamiyama( 黒髪山）

It was the first time again to do mountain trekking in Japan. Kurokami mountain meaning the mountain of black hair changed my impression about the Japanese Mountain. It was absolutely fantasitic!!. Although we could not reach the top due to the rain, I thoroughly enjoyed the first trekking in Japan. Mountain itself was fantastic but the most wonderful thing I got that day was friends. Prof. Hattori and Prof. Matsunaga. I really appreciate both.

Lecture in Korean for the first time since 1996

I could not realize that it would be the first lecture in Korean since 1996. I was invited to Korea for special lectures and conferences but they were conducted in English. The thing I found from this lecture in Korean at Shilla University, 26th of April, 2007, was that it was not easy at all to talk about something even in your native tongue. I really appreciate the offer of Professor Park, Shilla University and those students who were forced to attend and listen to my somehow out of touched lecture.

Principles of True Apology - The Issue of Comfort Women

Source: cafe.daum.net/cybershinsi

The issue of comfort women has been one of the most difficult ones to solve to both Koreans and Japanese in many senses. It is similar to many other issues related to the past which in particular have victims calling for comfort. As other historical controversies, it may be debatable according to the historical perspectives and the historical facts those arguments are based on. However, sometimes this kind of matter does not need conventional historical investigation. Since this matter affects more than those who know or do not know the historical facts. We need much more simple but effective solution to this debate and it can be from the conscience rather than the hitorical facts, and from the warm humanism rather than the cold scientific analysis.

The summary of Cat Saunders' article about the four princiles of true apology has the following relevant part to this issue.
In 1990, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported a story about theEast Germany's first freely elected governemnt's admittance about the war crime against the Jews. It quoted the statement of the East Germany's parliament that "We feel sad and ashamed and acknowledge this burden of German history….We ask the Jews of the world to forgive us." Following this statement the East Germen Government offered to give persecuted Jews asylum in their country, and financial compensation to holocaust victims for their material losses. Obviously, it was impossible to compensate for the pain and horror experienced by those who suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime but East Germany's apology provided a powerful move toward healing for both sides. The apology of the East Germany Government was to acknowledge the nature and extent of the victims' suffering, to take the whole responsibility regardless of nitty gritty details of the history, to ask for forgiveness without expectation or demand, and to make amends and followed through on this commitments. (http://www.drcat.org/dchh/html/apology.html)

Is it right to talk about the historical facts as the PM Abe and other ministers have often said? Is it right that we have to wait until the exact historical facts are found to prove who were responsible for this? I am sure that those victims of the Comfort Women do not want to even remember all those happend during that horrible period. All they need is the comfort for them who happened to be the worst victims of the history not only from Japan but also from all of us as human beings. The best format of the comfort from Japanese Government to these women would be the sincere apology which has the same nature of East Germany's government's. Of course, we need to think about our way to comfort them too.

Monday 26 March 2007 Gana Poverty Research (If you want to see the video with subtitles, click on this title!The video below does not have subtitles)

Poverty Reduction in Gana-QuickTimeFile
Video sent by sant0521

If you want to see the music video style film recording our activities, click on the above.



I have finalized the poverty research funded by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in March 2007. The above video is one of the products from it. I wonder whether our research can contribute to reducing the poverty of those living in Kampung Gana, Sabah, Malaysia. I have almost cried when I saw the the film clip showing the innocent children living there, without thinking the reality they will face in near future. All the participants and I did our best but there were limits to us. We are still waiting for the positive answer from many parties involved.