Thursday, June 21, 2012

"for ye shall laugh" - TEPCO's Report on Fukushima Daiichi



TEPCO's Report on Fukushima Daiichi

Tokyo Electric Power Corporation (TEPCO) finally issued a report on the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

So far, four Japanese organizations have been studying the accident to compile and deliver their own reports.

The Japanese Government set up a special investigative committee that already issued an interim report on the Fukushima Daiichi accident.  Their report denied the claim by former prime minister Mr. Kan that TEPCO tried to totally withdraw or run away from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant from fears in a coward manner on Maych 15, four days after the start of the nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011.  Its final report is expected to be delivered this summer.

A private committee, supported by journalists associated with The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, made public its report on the accident, though it is intended not to make true cause of the nuclear accident clear but mostly to save former prime minister Mr. Naoto Kan while the public doubts ability of Mr. Kan and suspects that he made a big failure in prevention of the accident and protection of Fukushima people and parties concerned.  Mr. Kan was in charge of handling the Fukushima Daiichi accident as prime minister of Japan from March to August 2011.

This private committee has no legitimate and official authority.  They could not even get cooperation from TEPCO.  TEPCO staff all refused to be interviewed by members of this committee who from the beginning tried to save face of former PM Mr. Kan.  In his 30-year career as a lawmaker, the liberal politician Mr. Kan has been helped or fostered by the liberal newspaper company The Asahi Shimbun newspaper.  As 80% of the Japanese voters think that former PM Mr. Kan made the situation worse in Fukushima Daiichi, The Asahi Shimbun set up this committee to defend Mr. Kan so tactically and politically.

A more authentic report is expected to be issued by an official investigating committee set up by the Japanese parliament (called the Diet).  The committee, with institutional power, has been interviewing many parties involved, including TEPCO executives.  This committee is to make public its report in a month.  As this committee is under supervision of all the parties of the Diet, it is expected that its report is not biased by any political groups, especially by the one linked to the ruling party DPJ where former prime minister Mr. Kan belongs.

Now back to the TEPCO's report, it is still unclear how the four nuclear reactors in the power plant were damaged and radioactive material was discharged after the great tsunami on March 11, 2011.

The No.1 Unit of Fukushima Daiichi released 14% of all the radioactive material discharged (which is about 900,000 tera Becquerels); No.2 accounted for 40%; No.3 for 36%; and No.4 for 10%.

(However, radioactive material discharged from the No.2 Unit seems to account for 90% of radioactive contamination in the land of Fukushima Daiichi and other prefectures.)

However, the No.2 reactor unit did not suffer a hydrogen explosion unlike all the other three Units.  The building housing No.2 Unit is not so severely damaged.  At 6 a.m. on March 15, a big exploding sound was heard from the Unit No.2, and the pressure in its pressure suppression pool decreased so sharply.  And from 7 a.m. of the day, doses measured at the main entrance to Fukushima Daiichi increased from hundreds of micro Sieverts per hour to 10 milli Sieverts per hour, taking several hours.  And around the same hour of the day, a surveillance video camera captured white smoke rising from Unit 2 and its periphery.

When an endoscope was inserted into the No.2 Unit reactor this March, it was found that a water level inside the reactor was just about 60 cm (2 feet).  So, water is leaking from the reactor while cooling water is input at a rate of 8.8 tons per hour.  But it is still unknown where the leakage has occurred.


http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/OmMaNiPadMeHum/diary/201103160001/

The key to understanding the true cause of leakage from Unit N o.2 must be in the structure of the pressure suppression pool.
http://pegasus1.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2011-03-12-2

A possible sequence of radioactive leakage from the Unit No.2 facilities is as follows:

1. An M9.0 earthquake damaged the structure of Unit No.2.

2. A great tsunami hit the Unit No.2 building.

3. Electric power to circulate cooling water to/from the reactor vessel was lost.

4. A meltdown of nuclear fuel started.

5. Some radioactive atoms flew into the Pressure Suppression Pool with heated water.

6. Vapor increased pressure against the wall of the Pool already damaged by the quake.

7. Water vapor with radioactive material leaked out inside the Unit building.

8. Heat from melted nuclear fuel accelerated leakage of radioactive vapor to the outside.

However, TEPCO claims in its investigative report that the M9.0 earthquake of March 11, 2011, never damaged the structure of any reactor buildings of Fukushima Daiichi.

(to be continued...)


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Luk 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

"Blessed be ye poor" - Swedenborg


On the Beach in Northeast of Tokyo

Swedenborg

A notable 18th-century Swedish scholar wrote about what will happen after one is dead.
World of Spirits 
(This is not to be confused with “the spiritual world,” which is a general term referring to the whole extent of Heaven, Hell and the World of Spirits) The traditional idea was of resurrection on Judgment Day at the end of history. Swedenborg says judgment takes place in the World of Spirits immediately after each individual’s death. After we die, we wake up in the intermediate region of the spiritual world, neither in Heaven nor Hell, but in the neutral "no man's land" Swedenborg calls the World of Spirits. Here we gradually lose the ability to pretend and the spiritual “real us” comes out. The resulting stripping of one's self bare, even to one's most secret thoughts and intentions, is the judgment. “There is nothing concealed that shall not be uncovered, and nothing secret that shall not be known …” (Luke 12:2, 3; Matthew 10:26, Heaven and Hell, #498). Following this judgment the new spirit goes on to Heaven or Hell of his or her own free will. God does not force them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_and_Hell_(Swedenborg)

However, the scholar Swedenborg cannot be trusted as a faithful follower of Christ Jesus, since he was rich and he wanted to enter Heaven without becoming poor in this world to save the poor.
But those who know anything of the spiritual sense of the Word think otherwise; they know that heaven is for all who live a life of faith and love, whether rich or poor. But who are meant in the Word by "the rich" and who by "the poor" will be told in what follows. From much conversation and intercourse with angels it has been granted me to know with certainty that the rich enter heaven just as easily as the poor, and that no man is shut out of heaven on account of his wealth, or received into heaven on account of his poverty. Both the rich and the poor are in heaven, and many of the rich in greater glory and happiness than the poor.
http://swedenborg.newearth.org/hh/hh39.html

But it is still likely that Christ Jesus chose Swedenborg for some kind of holy mission.
In April 1745, Swedenborg was dining in a private room at a tavern in London. By the end of the meal, a darkness fell upon his eyes, and the room shifted character. Suddenly he saw a person sitting at a corner of the room, telling Swedenborg: "Do not eat too much!". Swedenborg, scared, hurried home. Later that night, the same man appeared in his dreams. The man told Swedenborg that He was the Lord, that He had appointed Swedenborg to reveal the spiritual meaning of the Bible, and that He would guide Swedenborg in what to write. The same night, the spiritual world was opened to Swedenborg.
The point at issue is that poverty causes pain in a human being.  In his private and social life, a poor man cannot obtain essential products and services, so that he has to suffer more, working more in worse condition.  He is also forced to be subject to a rich man who would pay wages to him.  Such a rich man can avoid a painstaking task as he can force a poor man to do it.  A rich man keeps his pride by sacrificing the pride of a poor man.  And a poor man cannot enjoy a high-level medical services a rich man can use casually.  So, poverty causes big pain in the poor man while money spares the rich man even health problems.  Accordingly, a rich man cannot be admitted into Heaven so easily while a poor man can, since a rich man is one of causes for pain a poor man suffers. while he can be stopped being such a cause if he has love to the poor.

Nonetheless, Christ Jesus chose Swedenborg, a rich Swedish scholar, for a certain mission.  Accordingly, even Immanuel Kant studied writings of Swedenborg.  And though Kant first criticized Swedenborg even by publishing a book to deny Swedenborg's intellectual and spiritual ability, he changed his view on Swedenborg 14 years after the publication of the book.  Kant accepted an idea of existence of the spiritual world or the world of spirits Swedenborg depicted in his books, saying, "It constitutes a special realistic world.  It must be understood that this world is distinct from the world we perceive."

Indeed, what we see is too simple; there must be another world we cannot easily see but our spirits are linked to.

http://www.7netshopping.jp/books/detail/-/accd/1101494954/subno/1


(to be continued)

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Luk 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth" - The Six Tests to Assess a Man

A Pacific Coast Line in Northeast of Tokyo

The Six Tests to Assess a Man

When King Zheng of Qin became the First Emperor of China, as he unified all the warring states in the era, in 221 BC, there was prime minister of Qin who had helped Zheng's father, once only one of princes of Qin, ascend the throne.
Lü Buwei (291?–235 BCE), Lord Wenxin, was a Warring States Period merchant who schemed his way into governing the State of Qin. He served as Chancellor of China for King Zhuangxiang of Qin, and as regent and Chancellor for the king's young son Zheng, who became Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Lü Buwei committed suicide after being implicated in plotting with the Queen Dowager and her "eunuch" lover. Lü notably sponsored an encyclopedic compendium of Hundred Schools of Thought philosophies, the 239 BCE Lüshi Chunqiu ("Mr. Lü's Annals").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BC_Buwei

In the encyclopedic Chinese classic text, there listed are six tests to assess a man.  Some wise ancient Chinese set six criteria to judge how well a man could be trusted and promoted in a royal court.

1. Make a man feel happy, and see how he becomes relaxed and sloppy.

2. Make a man enjoy what he wants, and see toward what he has an inclination.

3. Make a man angry, and see how he loses his control.

4. Make a man have fears, and see how much he could keep his principle.

5. Make a man suffer, and see how much he could keep his spirit high.

6. Make a man feel sad, and see how he would lament according to his caliber.    

By applying these six tests, you can find how a man is suitable for any office in the government.  You may find, according to a result of the tests, that a man should assume office of the prime minister or of a petty official.



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Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Monday, June 18, 2012

"John had said unto Herod" - A Former Enemy

A Pacific Coast on the Honsyu Island, Northeast of Tokyo

A Former Enemy

In ancient China, namely before the era of First Qin Emperor, there was a state called Qi under authority of the collapsing Zhou Dynasty.

But the ruleer of Qi, called Duke Xiang, was an outrageous man.  Accordingly, the Duke was killed by his cousin.  Yet, this cousin of the Duke was also killed by soldiers.  So, ministers of Qi decided to call back other younger brothers of Duke Xiang who had already fled from Qi as they were afraid of terrible Xiang.

And then, one official named Guan Zohng  was bringing back one, and another official called Bao Shuya was taking another brother to Qi back from other state.  But Guan Zohng tried to prevent another brother of the late Duke from reaching the state of Qi first.  So, Guan ambushed his target coming in a carriage, shooting him with an arrow.  But, the arrow hit only a metal part of armor of this good prospect for the next ruler of Qi.  So, the attacked one pretended to be killed in a carriage but sped up his horses to his home state.  Eventually, this younger brother of the former ruler, protected by Bao Shuya, could return to the royal palace of Qi earlier than his rival brother helped by Guan Zohng who tried to assassinate him.

Now, the one supported by official Bao Shuya became the ruler of Qi.  So, he wanted to kill Guan Zohng who actually shot at him.  But, Bao Shuya remonstrated with the new ruler, recommending, with enthusiasm, forgiving Guan Zohng and rather appointing him to a key position in the government.  So, the new and young ruler of Qi, now called Duke Huan of Qi, suppressed his bitterness and decided to see Guan Zohng in person, following advice of his loyal subject Bao Shuya.

When Guan Zohng met with Duke Huan, he eloquently explained how to govern the state Qi, making it stronger and prosperous.  So, immediately the new ruler of Qi appointed Guan Zohng to the prime minister.  Bao Shuya voluntarily took a lower position to serve new prime minister Guan.  And, the state Qi became the leading state among several competing states in the era called the Spring and Autumn period (770 BC - 403 BC).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi_(state)

At the time, still the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC) had nominal sovereignty over local states, though actual political power shifted from the royal court of Zhou to each government of virtually independent states.  So, Duke Huan of Qi behaved sometimes arrogantly before the Zhou authority.  In such a case, Guan Zohng  always remonstrated with Duke Huan so as not to cause unnecessary political friction.  And, his lord  Duke Huan always accepted Guan's advice.

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Mar 6:18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

"and from the wrath of the Lamb" - Confucius' Parents


The North Pacific Ocean, North of Tokyo, Japan

Confucius' Parents

Confucius' mother was a shrine maiden who must have been supposed not to marry a man.

So, not many things are known about  Confucius' father.  But according to a theory, his father advanced his career in a kingdom.  But, the more he made a rise in the royal court, the more he was humbled.  Confucius' father even did not walk with his head held high on the main street of the kingdom. He trotted along on the edge of the street as if he had been a  petty official even when he became a minister.  However, this humble high ranking minister was highly respected by people.   However he died when his son Confucius was about three years old.

Later when Confucius became a well-known master in ancient China, he came to a certain country.  A provincial governor of the country got a report that notable master Confucius was traveling his territory, teaching people and observing the state of politics in his province.  So, the governor decided to rather go before Confucius and tell him how he governed well the territory.  

Seeing Confucius, the governor said, "This province is well under the rule of law, Sir.  When a son saw his father stealing a sheep, the boy honestly reported the fact to authorities.  I really think the boy is truly an upright one.  In this way, everybody respects law in my province."

But Confucius said, "I don't think such a boy is upright.  When a son sees his father committing an offence, the boy should hide the case from the public.  It is from a natural feeling that a son helps his father hide a mistake from others.  Such a feeling must be respected."   

In the Analects of Confucius, not many things are written about  Confucius' father and mother.  Not even one chapter is used to describe his parents.


It is also noteworthy that the three great sages of the world lived almost in the same era:

Gautama Buddha (563-483 BC)

Confucius (551–479 BC)

Socrates (469– 399 BC)




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Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Friday, June 15, 2012

"again into a mountain himself alone" - Christians around AD 110

North Pacific Ocean in North of Tokyo...

Christians around AD 110

Early Christianity was prevailing in Asia Minor.
Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia-Pontus from c. 110-112, wrote a series of letters to Roman Emperor Trajan, one of which asked for council on dealing with Christians. The letter (Epistulae X.96) details an account of how Pliny conducted trials (cognitio extra ordinem or the process where the magistrate was not only a judge but active in the investigation and examination of evidence) of Christians brought before him by private accusations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Younger_on_Christians


http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitinia_e_Ponto

How early Christians were observed by the Roman elite can be understood letters Pliny the Younger wrote to the emperor.
Pliny then details the practices of Christians: he says that they meet on a certain day before light where they gather and sing hymns to Christ as God. They take various oaths not to do any crimes such as fraud, theft, or adultery, and then dine together. However, Pliny says, all of these practices were abandoned by the Christians after Pliny forbade any political associations (hetaerias or “club”). These clubs were banned because Trajan saw them as a “natural breeding ground for grumbling” about both civic life and political affairs. One such instance of a banned club was a firemen’s association; likewise, Christianity was seen as a political association that could be potential harmful to the empire.[10] However the Christians seem to have willingly complied with the edict and halted their practices. Pliny ends the letter by saying that Christianity has spread not only through the cities, but also through the rural villages as well (neque tantum...sed etiam), but that is will be possible to check it.... 
Accordingly these letters can be pieces of evidence for existence of Christ Jesus as a man in history.
Pliny the Younger's letters are rare descriptions of Roman administrative process and problems. Pliny's letter describing the Christians allows modern scholars to accurately conceive of the Christian experience in Rome. They are some of the few non-Christian sources about the legal status and treatment of Christians. The correspondence between Pliny and Emperor Trajan describes that the Roman Empire, as a government entity, did not encourage the pursuit or “seek[ing] out” of Christians. Although Emperor Trajan gave Pliny specific advice about disregarding anonymous accusations, for example, he was deliberate in not establishing any new rules in regards to the Christians. In doing so, Trajan allowed Pliny to try cases as according to his discretion and to the social demands of his province. This purposeful lack of specificity demonstrates the delicate and nuanced professional relationships between the Emperor and his governors. 
Additionally, Pliny's letter also allows scholars to date the Christian pogroms in the Eastern provinces. Pliny specifically says in his letter that he cannot find anything to answer his question on the Christians in any constitutiones of previous Emperors[2]. Given that Pliny wrote his letter to the Emperor because he was unsure of any previous legal precedent implies that there was not a systematic Roman persecution of the Christians prior to the letters. The letters also serve as evidence for the historical Jesus Christ. It supports the existence of the early Christian Church and speaks to its belief system.
So, 1900 years later, Christianity has prevailed all over the world, since so many courageous believers practiced and kept their faith in Christ as God.  But who carried out the mission to diffuse words of the Christ as far as the Black Sea area 70 years after the death of Christ Jesus?


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Joh 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

"John the Baptist was risen from the dead” - 1937 Battle of Shanghai

Ibaraki Prefecture, Northeast of Tokyo

1937 Battle of Shanghai

In the summer of 1937, there were more than 20,000 Japanese citizens in Shanghai, the most prosperous international city in the Chinese Continent facing the East China Sea.

Those Japanese were protected by 5,000 marines of the Imperial Navy of Japan.  But on August 13, Chinese troops started a full-scale attack on Shanghai under administration by the UK, the US, France, and the Empire of Japan.  This Chinese offense was later to be ended in Nanjing months after as the Empire of Japan dispatched several divisions to Shanghai that drove Chinese troops to Nanjing and beyond.

On August 14, 1937, two divisions of the Chinese Army occupied key positions around Shanghai.  Chinese military planes tried to bomb Japanese troops but blindly dropped bombs on streets, killing and wounding more than 1000 Chinese citizens.

On August 17, 1937, the Imperial Government in Tokyo abolished its localization policy on the Shanghai battle due to severe Chinese offense.  Tokyo decided to take on main Chinese forces even if battles could expand to inland China from Shanghai. China further mobilized three more divisions, now having 70,000 soldiers in the front line.

On August 23, two divisions of the Imperial Army landed around the Shanghai region.  However, these divisions lost 2,582 Japanese soldiers in a month.  Chinese leader Chiang Kaishek further intensified forces for his first-full scale offense against Shanghai and the Imperial military.

Till early October, Tokyo sent three more divisions to the Shanghai battle front over the East China Sea.  But till the beginning of November, they lost 3,833 Japanese soldiers.  The Kuomintang Government of China further called up more troops to this battle which first looked so easy but turned to be so desperate.

On November 5, 1937,  three more divisions of the Imperial Army landed on Hangzhou Bay in the south of Shanghai City.  The tide finally began to change in favor of the Imperial Army.  And then one more Imperial division and one brigade landed from the Chang Jiang river to occupy a key area.  Accordingly, the whole Chinese troops started to retreat from the Shanghai front line on November 11.

Then, on December 1, 1937, the Tokyo headquarters ordered the commander of Imperial troops dispatched and stationed in Central China to advance to Nanjing.  The history entered a decisive phase for the Empire of Japan and China as well as the US.

In this 1937 Battle of Shanghai, China mobilized 600,000 troops in 75 divisions and 9 brigades with 250 airplanes and 16 tanks, while the Empire of Japan committed 300,000 troops in 8 divisions and 6 brigades with 500 airplanes, 300 tanks and 130 naval ships.  But China suffered 335,000 casualties while the Empire 92,640.  And over this scale of tragedy, the battle of Nanjing was yet to start...

The distance between Shanghai and Nanjing is about 300 km (190 miles).


(to be continued...)

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Mar 6:14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
Mar 6:15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

"they cast out many devils" - Christianity in China

A Raised Railway through a Rural Zone in the South of Fukushima Prefecture


Christianity in China

How much is Christianity prevailing in China now?
Greater China
Aug 7, 2007
Christianity finds a fulcrum in Asia
By Spengler  
Ten thousand Chinese become Christians each day, according to a stunning report by the National Catholic Reporter's veteran correspondent John Allen, and 200 million Chinese may comprise the world's largest concentration of Christians by mid-century, and the largest missionary force in history...  
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IH07Ad03.html
Christianity in China
By Lauren Green
Published January 20, 2011
FoxNews.com 
According to China Aid, a Texas-based human rights group, the number of Christians in China has increased 100-fold since 1949. Current estimates range from 80 million to 130 million active members. And one startling estimate from a Chinese Christian businessman has that number doubling or even tripling in the next generation.
Christianity could become one of the macro forces shaping Chinese culture, say experts like Dr. David Aikman, author of "Jesus in Beijing"...‬‪ 
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/#ixzz1xgSpltrm
11 September 2011 Last updated at 23:51 GMT
Christians in China: Is the country in spiritual crisis?
By Tim Gardam
Radio 4's God in China 
It is impossible to say how many Christians there are in China today, but no-one denies the numbers are exploding. 
The government says 25 million, 18 million Protestants and six million Catholics. Independent estimates all agree this is a vast underestimate. A conservative figure is 60 million. There are already more Chinese at church on a Sunday than in the whole of Europe...
A Chinese academic close to the government told me that the government would prefer to ignore the house churches, as unlike the Falun Gong they are not seen as a threat. But where a church oversteps the line, as happened in Beijing this year, taking its worship on to the streets, then the authorities will crack down... 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14838749
Liao Yiwu

Christianity in China: God Is Red
Posted: 09/14/11 10:04 AM ET 
In the Mao era, local Christians were not allowed to pray and attend church, and were forced to accept the Communist ideology. They complied but only a few openly denounced their faith. Some brave Christians gathered secretly for services. As a result, Christianity survived, and a few years after Mao Zedong's death, it came back again with a vengeance.... 
I live in the cities, where Christianity has also flourished in the post-Mao era but with a distinctive foreign identity. Many new converts, who are educated and well-off professionals or retirees, have embraced Christianity the way they do Coke-Cola or a Volkswagen -- believing that a foreign faith, like foreign-made products, has better quality. Here in the Yi villages, Christianity is now as indigenous as qiaoba, a special Yi buckwheat cake. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liao-yiwu/christianity-china-god-is-red_b_960498.html
Now that China has fully introduced the modern capitalistic market and systems in its industrial sector, how it will introduce democracy and Christianity is of a big concern.  

Of course, while Japan is not a Christian country, Japan is a very friendly and peaceful neighbor to the US.  So, China does not have to be a Christian country to be a friendly and peaceful neighbor to the US.  But sharing the same value standards with the US will make China a less threat to the US and the world.

The point at issue is that Christianity can become a major factor in the Chinese society as a way to take in solving its problems.  When poor Chinese people realize that they cannot solve problems and misfortunes by any other means but Christianity, they will follow the teaching of Christ and the God.  And it is not so unthinkable, as China once introduced Western philosophy Marxism as its national ideology.  So, the largest Asian country China may adopt Christianity as its national religion.

https://tabidachi.ana.co.jp/topic/4398
A Christian Church in Shanghai, China


(to be continued...) 


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Mar 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
Mar 6:13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

"men should repent" - Modern History of Senkaku


Mt. Tsukuba & To the South of Fukushima Prefecture...

Modern History of Senkaku

Tatsushiro Koga, the first Japanese owner of the Senkaku Islands, was born in a farming house cultivating and selling tea, etc. in Fukuoka Prefecture of the Kyusyu region, Japan, in 1856.

In 1868, the last samurai regime of Japan fell through a civil war.  It was replaced with the modern Meiji Government which soon consolidated its power as the Imperial Government of Japan.  In those days, the Senkaku Islands were virtually part of Okinawa (Ryukyu Kingdom) which was subject to a samurai clan in Kyusyu, the most westward region of Japan proper, who was called Satsuma.  As Satsuma was under the Tokugawa shogun (the head of the samurai regime) in Tokyo, Okinawa became part of the Empire of Japan as the most southern prefecture.  But there was some official ambiguity about attribution of the Senkaku Islands, as Ryukyu Kingdom of Okinawa had had a unique relationship with China (the Qing Dynasty) as a tributary.

When Koga was 24 yeras old in 1879, he moved to Naha City, Okinawa, to start his own business. Then in 1884, he ventured into development of the Senkaku Islands, 410 km far from the main island of Okinawa.  Koga filed an application for use of Senkaku to the Okinawa Prefecture office in 1885.  Okinawa officials consulted Tokyo, and the central government of the Empire started to investigate legal status of the Senkaku Islands situated between the Chinese continent and the Okinawa islands.

In 1895 during the First Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Government officially decided, through a Cabinet meeting decision, to incorporate the Senkaku Islands into the Japanese territory.  In 1896,  Tatsushiro Koga was officially authorized to lend the Senkaku Islands in a 30-year contract by the Imperial Government of Japan.   In one time, Koga employed 200 workers for fish processing work in the Senkaku Islands. This is the only known case in history (of Japan and China) of any business activities that have ever been onducted in the Senkaku Islands.  In 1909, Koga was praised publicly by the Imperial Government for his business activities in Senkaku.  And in 1918, Tatsushiro Koga died.

In 1932, the Imperial Government of Japan sold four islands of the Senkaku Islands to Zenji Koga, the eldest son of Tatsushiro Koga.  But, Zenji Koga and his wife Hanako had no children, though the Kogas loved a young man named Kunioki Kurihara who later came to possess the Senkaku Islands.

In 1968, a seafloor survey suggested a strong possibility of existence of a huge amount of deposit of crude oil and natural gas around the Senkaku Islands and surrounding areas of the East China Sea.  This possibility was confirmed by a UN survey team in 1969 and 1970.  Accordingly, in 1971, Taiwan and China started to claim their sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands.

In 1972, the Kogas handed over two islands of the Senkaku Islands to the Kunihara family.  In 1978, Zenji Koga died and all the properties he owned was transferred to his wife Hanako.  But on this occasion, Hanako Koga handed over the main island of Senkaku, called Uotsuri-jima Island, to the Kurihara family.  When Hanako Koga died in 1988, all the other properties were also transferred to the Kurihara family.

According to a rumor, in the above transaction, the Kurihara family paid about 46 million yen (presently $580,000) to the Koga family, though the Kurihara family today claims that they paid more.

In 2002, the Japanese Government started to lease the Senkaku Islands from the Kurihara family at a rent of 20 million yen ($250,000) per year. A younger brother of Kunioki Kurihara says that he visited the Senkaku Islands scores of times before; but the Japanese Government has prevented ordinary Japanese citizens from landing on the Senkaku Islands so as not to intensify a diplomatic dispute over Senkaku with China.

In September 2010, some Chinese fishing boats were engaged in illegal fishing in the Japanese sea territory around the Senkaku Island (usually many Chinese fishing boats are active in the area).   One of them was captured by the Japan Coast Guard after violent resistance against Japanese patrol boats.  The event was taken into video by Japanese maritime officials, and the video clips were later released voluntarily by one Japanese officer (who was eventually forced to resign by the pro-Chinese Kan Cabinet at the time).  The video exposed lies the Chinese Government told to the world about this collision incident between the Japanese patrol boats and the Chinese fishing boat (they claimed that the Chinese boat was unreasonably attacked by the Japanese authority, which was not true).  But the captain of the illegal Chinese fishing boat who was arrested and indicted was released before a trial in a court by a Japanese public prosecutor in Okinawa (who apparently followed an instruction from then pro-Chinese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his aids in Tokyo).

In the spring of 2012, Tokyo Prefecture Governor Shintaro Ishiahara launched a project to buy out the Senkaku Islands from the Kurihara family.  He first planned to use public money of Tokyo Prefecture office, but the Tokyo Governor also solicited the public for contributions.  As of the beginning of June 2012, more than one billion yen ($12.5 million) was contributed by many patriotic Japanese citizens.

http://ameblo.jp/hinoeuma-v/entry-11245625131.html?frm_src=thumb_module
A processing factory of dried bonito in Senkaku run by Tatsushiro Koga.



(to be continued...)

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Mar 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
Mar 6:13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Monday, June 11, 2012

"whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you" - Suicidal Acts in Japan



In the Northeast of Tokyo...

Suicidal Acts in Japan

The National Police Agency of Japan has conducted surveys on causes of suicides of young people in their 10s or 20s since 2007.

The Agency found that the number of students and other young people who committed a suicide from pains in difficulty in finding jobs in 2011 was 150, 2.5 times more than in 2007.  Males accounted for 80 to 90%.  Nonetheless, the employment rate of university students was 91.0% in April 2011, which was however the lowest in these decades, partly because of influences of the 2008 global financial crisis and the 3/11 Great Tsunami Disaster of East Japan.

Some foreigners have taken notice of this tragic and ominous trend in the Japanese society.
Yet this is only the latest, macabre, technique in a country that suffers an epidemic of suicides. Japan has one of the highest suicide rates among rich countries. Cultural factors are partly at play. Japanese society rarely lets people bounce back from the perceived shame of failure or bankruptcy. Suicide is sometimes even met with approval—as facing one's fate, not shirking it. The samurai tradition views suicide as noble (though perhaps out of self-interest, since captured warriors were treated gruesomely). Japan's main religions, Buddhism and Shintoism, are neutral on suicide, unlike Abrahamic faiths that explicitly prohibit it.

http://www.economist.com/node/11294805

The number of Japanese suicides jumped up in 1998 when the Japanese Government raised the consumption tax rate from 3% to 5% while the Japanese economy started deflation.
http://charger440.jp/kakari/vol59/01.php
(Green: total suicides of men and women; Blue: men suicides; Red: women suicides)

But today not only the ruling party DPJ but also the major opposition party LDP intend to increase the consumption tax rate from 5% to 10%.

If it is inevitable to increase the tax rate, the Japanese Government should not push such a financial policy presently or for the time being, it is still in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis (which could happen once 100 years) and the 3/11 Tsunami Disaster (that could happen once 1000 years).


(to be continued...)




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Mar 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Saturday, June 09, 2012

"not put on two coats" - Syriac Orthodox Church


A Tokyo Railway View

Syriac Orthodox Church

The last phase of the Greatest Change in 2000 years must come or start from Jerusalem, as Christ Jesus concentrated His most efforts there, sacrificing His life.  But if it is not yet the last phase and it is the second last phase, where will a sign be given telling the Second Coming of Christ Jesus?
Few Christian denominations can claim the antiquity of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, whose foundations can be traced back to the very dawn of Christianity. The Church justifiably prides itself as being one of the earliest established apostolic churches. It was in Antioch, after all, that the followers of Jesus were called Christians as we are told in the New Testament, “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26). 
According to ecclesiastical tradition, the Church of Antioch is the second established church in Christendom after Jerusalem, and the prominence of its Apostolic See is well documented. In hisChronicon (I, 2), the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea tells us that St. Peter the Apostle established a bishopric in Antioch and became its first bishop. He also tells us that St. Peter was succeeded by Evodius. In another historical work, Historia Ecclesiastica, Eusebius tells us that Ignatius the Illuminator, “a name of note to most men, [was] the second after Peter to the bishopric of Antioch” (III, 36).
http://sor.cua.edu/Intro/index.html

So, the civil war now being fought in Syria is really symbolic.  The victims in Syria of today must be especially taken care of by God.

Anyway, the situation in Syria today is linked with the history of these 2000 years.  It cannot be easily solved.

In the south of Syria, there is Israel; in the west of Syria, there is the EU; in the north of Syria, there is Russia; and in the east of Syria, there are major Islamic countries.

Libya associated with the ancient Roman Empire was somehow settled with the death of Muammar al-Gaddafi.  Egypt associated with  Cleopatra and Caesar was somehow settled with the arrest of Mr. Mubarak.  But, as Syria is more associated with the early Christianity, it looks more die-hard.

http://www.truthbook.com/index.cfm?linkID=888

So, to solve the Syrian tragedy, peoples in the world must learn the history of these 2000 years with expectation of the Second Coming of Christ.


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Mar 6:9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.

Friday, June 08, 2012

"grace in the eyes of the LORD" - Suicide Attacks


In the West of Tokyo

Suicide Attacks

The drone attack is not a suicide attack.  But, against this high-tech operation by Christian Americans, some Islamic Afghans and Pakistanis are launching suicide bombing attacks, so tragically and unbelievably.
May 18, 2010
Pakistani Patriot has analyzed the number of Drone attacks on Pakistan versus the Suicide bombings in Pakistan. There seems to be a direct correlation between the attacks in FATA and the Suicide attacks in Pakistan.

The CIA's site The Long War has published some astonishing statistics of drone strikes on Pakistan. It promises to update the site  after the latest strike. http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes.php 
The Pakistanis count their dead differently. 
The author of the Pakistani site Pakistan Body Count says: "Whether it is a Suicide Bombing or an Attack by a Flying Drone, For Me it's the Same, A Pakistani Got Killed" 
The website ( http://pakistanbodycount.org/index.php) provides a complete history and time-line of Suicide Bombing and Drone attacks in Pakistan. Data is collected from media reports, hospitals, and internet. All data is publicly available and there is no classified data here. This is an effort to show the world the intensity of Suicide Bombing and Drone attacks in Pakistan. 
Suicide Bombing Victims
Dead = 3607, Injured = 9189, Total = 12796 and Counting  
Drone Attacks Victims
Dead = 1296, Injured = 445, Total = 1741 and Counting  
Success Rate of Drone Attacks against Al-Qaeeda ~ 2.5%
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m66117

In the 21st century when everybody can enjoy i-Pad and so on, how can people kill themselves as a means of war.

Conversely, in what situations will Americans launch suicide bombing attacks to any enemy?

Anyway, as it has entered this phase of the War, the meaning of the War on Terror must be changed.  It must be more important to stop this kind of war operation than to simply protect the US, if it is viewed from a viewpoint of dignity of mankind.  The US is just one nation, but the suicide bombing attack poses an issue that is related to all the mankind in the context concerning its history.  Put simply, for mankind it is more important to stop suicide bombing attacks than to protect American interest.

Accordingly, the US should withdraw from the Islamic world so that there will be no more suicide bombing attacks by Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The US is a super-rich country.  It can continue to be a rich country if it withdraws all the military, business, financial, and cultural operations from the Middle East and other Islamic regions.

And, if there is no US presence in their countries and regions, no Muslims would dare fight the US, taking the suicide bombing attack strategy.


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Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Thursday, June 07, 2012

"when he had opened the fourth seal" - Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto


A Tokyo River...

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

It was Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet Isoroku Yamamoto that planned the Pearl Harbor Attack in 1941.

Most of generals and admirals of the Imperial Navy were against the idea of attacking US bases in the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  It looked too risky to take 12 days for an Imperial Navy feet, including six aircraft carriers, to sail over the North Pacific Ocean from Japan to Hawaii.  Leaders of the Imperial Navy intended to prepare for the long haul in the war with the US.  They did not want to use the main carrier battle group for such a dangerous mission.  However, admiral Yamamoto said to top leaders of the Imperial Navy that he would resign as the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet to which carrier battle groups belonged if his strategy was not adopted.

So, the Pearl Harbor Attack was carried out while most of Japanese Navy admirals and generals doubted whether the operation could really show successful results.  But as the Imperial Navy had no other persuasive plans to attack the US Navy, they reluctantly supported Yamamoto's idea.  The Imperial Navy of Japan had been built to fight US naval fleets invading the Japanese seas.  It was expected that Japanese naval fleets would counter US naval fleets on the seas around Japan, since the US then had a colony of the Philippines.  But Yamamoto opted for a sudden attack on the major part of the US naval power in the Pacific region that was stationed in Hawaii as many US ships were moved from San Diego, California.

Admiral Yamamoto had good knowledge about the US.  He knew that the Imperial Navy would be overwhelmed by the US Navy as time went by.  GDP of the US was at the time ten times larger than Japan's GDP.  The US would build ten aircraft carriers and 1000 war planes while the Empire of Japan would produce one aircraft carrier and 100 war planes.  So, it is still a mystery how Admiral Yamamoto  planned to end the war against the US though it was started with the successful Pearl Harbor Attack.
Nevertheless, Yamamoto accepted the reality of impending war and planned for a quick victory by destroying the US fleet at Pearl Harbor while simultaneously thrusting into the oil and rubber resource rich areas of Southeast Asia, especially the Dutch East Indies, Borneo and Malaya...
...
On the morning of 18 April, despite urgings by local commanders to cancel the trip for fear of ambush, Yamamoto's two Mitsubishi G4M fast transport aircraft left Rabaul as scheduled for the 315 mi (507 km) trip. Sixteen Lightnings intercepted the flight over Bougainville and a dogfight ensued between them and the six escorting Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes. First Lieutenant Rex T. Barber engaged the first of the two Japanese transports which turned out to be Yamamoto's plane. He targeted the aircraft with gunfire until it began to spew smoke from its left engine. Barber turned away to attack the other transport as Yamamoto's plane crashed into the jungle....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto#Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor







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Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

"because of their unbelief" - God and Time

Around Tokyo Imperial Palace Plaza

God and Time

If somebody has ability to stop and restart time of the universe at his will, we cannot conceive it.

And, if that somebody has no intention to interfere with any phenomena in the universe while he has stopped and restarted time of the universe, we cannot see any influences of his action.

So, it has no meaning at all to us living in this universe.  But if that someone has a mission to check everything in this world, he can do it by stopping and restarting time at his will.  He can stop the time of our universe almost forever until he has checked out everything of our universe at a certain point of our time.  In this way, the God might use His angel to check this universe of ours.

But what is the time for the God?

It is beyond our ability to imagine that the God who can create our universe, including time, lives in His own time.  What is the God's time?  Is it akin to our time that flows from the past to the future?

Thinking about the God using concepts the modern science has given us is truly horrible in a sense.  There might be other larger universe outside our universe.  And this sequence can be repeated to infinity.  Yet, the God must be above this sequence generating the infinite of universes.

Nonetheless, we can respect the God more with more awe of the God than those who lived in older days.

However, Christ Jesus did not teach what the modern physics teaches us to His followers.  And His teaching is that we may be admitted into Heaven that is an extension of the best environment we can imagine.  We don't have to know how the God created our universe with time to be eventually saved in Heaven, leaving this world.

Besides, while mankind has discovered so many scientific facts and laws and so much truth, our faith in the God has not increased in proportion to the amount of scientific knowledge.  The more we know the nature and the universe, the more we must be expected to revere the God.  But, modern people have come to have less time for thinking about the God, while enjoying so many products and services our science and technology can now produce.  It is so dangerous.

Finally, we don't know what makes it possible for time to flow without a failure at any moment in this universe.  And, the God must be able to stop it at any moment.  It is truly a terrible story.  But if the God should want to punish mankind or should lose interest in our universe, it must be so simple for him to stop and freeze everything in our world and the universe.  He can have one of His angel simply stop time.

Anyway, if you cannot explain who or what created time in our universe, it is impossible for you to think about the God, at least, in a scientific manner.

Better believe in the God.


http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/God


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Mar 6:6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Mar 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

"thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are" - Jesus and Poverty


Tokyo Governmental District...

Jesus and Poverty

Poverty in the society is a result of rich men's negligence of Jesus' teaching.

9 Jesus Quotes About The Poor 

Luke 6:20-21 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
'Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. 'Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 

Luke 4:16-19 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.' 

Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." 

Mark 10:21-22 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 

Mark 12:41-44 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." 

Luke 14:12-14 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." 

Luke 16:19-25 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 
In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 

Luke 11:39-42 Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God. 

Luke 12:16-21 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Jesus never drank beer with His rich friends.

He never made a joke with His rich friends.

It is because He could be richer than any rich man in this world, but He loved the poor and gave a warning to the rich, as their being rich is a result of their negligence of the teaching of the God.




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Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Monday, June 04, 2012

"thine alms may be in secret" - New York & Terror


A Paddy Field around Tokyo

New York & Terror

New York has become safer along with diffusion of the Internet, PCs, and cellular phones.


Or does it mean that the number of Christians has drastically increased since 1995?

Or are New Yorkers today far happier than those having lived in New York before 1995?

There must be a key in this trend to understanding special characteristics of this era.  

Now the following figure shows the number of terror incidents (the upper figure) and the number of people killed in terror (the lower figure) in the world.

 http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/9360.html
Light Blue - Western Europe; Red - North America; White - The Middle East; Pink - Latin America; Green - Eurasia; Yellow - Asia; Gray - Africa

Maybe Israel is the closest nation to New York.
Here are statistics for the number of Israelis killed in terror attacks from 1948-2006.

http://israelmatzav.blogspot.jp/2011/02/palestinian-authority-settles-terror.html




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Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.