"a man stood before me in bright clothing" - The Era Gone with the Wind

Shibuya District, Tokyo

The Era Gone with the Wind

It is as if one era is gone with the stormy wind.

The hurricane caused the biggest turmoil in New York City since the 9/11 Terror of 2001.  It is so impressive as the 2012 Presidential Election is now going on.

But, in 2001, Mr. Barack Obama was an unknown young politician in  Chicago.  And, it was the 2001 Terror that spotlighted him.  Without the cruel suicide attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center allegedly ordered by Osama bin Laden, Mr. Obama had no chance to appeal to the American voters.  Mr. Obama was really the great creature of the age.

And, more than expected, President Mr. Obama took on Osama hiding in Pakistan in the spring of 2011.  Accordingly, Mr. Obama pulled down a curtain for this long show of the War on Osama and Terror.    

It can be more specifically examined why Mr. Obama was chosen for this task to address Islamic terror.  But, was he chosen to handle the present or future financial crisis of the great scale?  And is he really suitable for handling any other type of crises, such as a super-violent hurricane?

To address those critical crises, you need a wider support base.  But, those who support Mr. Obama account for just 36% among European Americans.

As the US has been mostly built on business, technology, science, and culture descendants of Europeans have cultivated and developed for centuries, apart from moral discussions, it is fatally disadvantageous that Mr. Obama is not purely one of those offspring, though he is a son of a European American mother.      

So, Mr. Mitt Romney looks more appropriate for the US presidency.




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Act 10:30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
Act 10:31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.

"preach ye upon the housetops" - Buddhism to Save the World

Refurbished Tokyo Station

Buddhism to Save the World

Daisetsu Suzuki is one of the most respected Buddhist philosopher in Japan even today.

Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki (October 18, 1870 – July 12, 1966[2]) was a Japanese author of books and essays on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were instrumental in spreading interest in both Zen and Shin (and Far Eastern philosophy in general) to the West. Suzuki was also a prolific translator of Chinese, Japanese, and Sanskrit literature. Suzuki spent several lengthy stretches teaching or lecturing at Western universities, and devoted many years to a professorship at Otani University, a Japanese Buddhist school.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._T._Suzuki 

Daisetsu is well known as a person who introduced Buddhism in the upper society of the U.S.

One day he made a speech in Japan.  He said that he had never seen money when he was a child.

In those days everybody practiced bill-and-hold trade in their daily life, especially in local places in Japan.  General shops and country stores in a village and a local town before WWII usually sold goods and commodities on credit.  People  settled accounts once in a year, or usually at the end of the year.

So, children in a village  went on an errand without holding coins and sometimes with vague notion about what to buy.  But a shop owner could find what the child wanted.  So, he handed goods precisely his or her family wanted.  Such a shop owner even knew what state each family nearby was in.  Then he put it down into a book to collect money at the end of the year.

So, most of local people lived in close human relationships in Japan.  Japanese villages were places to grow and harvest rice mostly.  People ate rice with vegetables, fish and some other animal protein though the Japanese Buddhism forbade meat eating.  The land tax was paid with rice in the samurai era.   However money economy was also  active in big cities such as Edo (Tokyo), Kyoto, and Osaka.

But in a local village where Daisetsu was raised, money was a rare thing for children even in the late 19th century.

Daisetsu Suzuki continued his speech, saying that the Empire of Japan failed in WWII since it had adopted the German philosophy when it abolished the samurai rule and opened the nation to the world in the 1860s.  He continued that someday the world would be stalled if people continued to rely on Western philosophy as the Empire of Japan had experienced.

After WWII, Japanese people switched their philosophical base from the German ideals to the American style of democracy based on the American Christianity.  It has worked so  far well.  But even the US would be lost in maze of complicated situations in the modern society.  Japan would follow suit.

If Japan borrowed any Western philosophy, it should be driven to the wall.  Someday, Japan will have to pay for its easy introduction of foreign philosophy on credit.

So, Daisetsu emphasized that  oriental ideas or the ideals of the East would be needed and wanted in future.

But India has lost Buddhism for 1000 years or more; Chinese has been brainwashed by Western communism and then capitalism without democracy.

Of course, various schools of Buddhism are preserved and practiced by some other people in South East Asia in addition to Tibetans and some other tribes in the east of the Indus River.  And Japan is the largest Asian country that keeps and practices its own version of Buddhism today though Japanese are living in the very Westernized and advanced society.

Put simply, in this context, you can still expect Japan to exert its cultural potential to contribute to salvation of the world, spiritually and materially, as it did in the 20th century when it became the first non-European leading power in the world.


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Mat 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

"nothing covered, that shall not be revealed" - Black vs. White

Tokyo...

Black vs. White 

It is said that 60% of the American whites support Mr. Romney but only 36% of them support Mr. Obama.

It is decisive.

In these four years, President Mr. Obama should have made a full effort to gain support from European Americans or to promote African Americans in the society as much as possible.

But we have not heard that the living standards or the social status of African Americans have been improved so drastically in these four years.

We have neither heard that more and more European Americans have come to respect Mr. Obama, the first African American President.

Maybe President Mr. Obama  has been helping American Muslims or Chinese Americans with all of his resources.

Then, he has opted for his philosophy rather than his success.

By the way if we read the name Romney in the reverse direction, it is "Yen More."  It might suggest "President Romney" is good for Japan.

If we read the name Obama in the reverse direction, it is "Am a Bo..."  It might be a bogy...




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Mat 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mat 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

"the eye of a needle" - The Supreme Relationship

Tokyo Railroad Station with Sight Seers...

The Supreme Relationship

It is simple but it has a deep meaning.

The Bible describes the God as the Lord.

It is a little strange; why can the God be the Lord of every human?  Does He use everybody as His servant.  Or otherwise, the Bible must term Him as the supreme observer or watcher of mankind.  But, the Bible uses the title that implicates direct and intimate relationship between the God and a man: the Lord and a servant if not a slave.

If the God created mankind just to see how they will live, fight, and perish, the God must be indeed a cool observer and a cold watcher.  He must have no feeling to see all the human beings get terminated some day in future.  And He would not even send His messengers, His prophets, His angels, and His Son to the human world.

If a good lord has bad servants in a remote place, he would surely send his messenger to them to correct them.   Why?  Because the lord has responsibility for their behaviors and deeds.  As long as the lord admits that they are servant under his authority, he has to guide them and discipline them to make them reasonable servants who do not harm reputation of the lord.

So, as the God created the universe and mankind, he must want the universe to work precisely according to his expectation and mankind to behave precisely according to his expectation.  So, the universe must follow the laws He set.  And mankind must follow the code of conduct he has suggested.

So, the idea that the God sent His Son to this world to save and guide human beings and their souls supports the above idea.  However, His Son just appeared in a restricted place in a specific era just in the appearance of an ordinary man.  So, it would take 2000 years that the coming of His Son to this world has an influence on all over the world.  And in these 2000 years many lived and died in various places on the earth without knowing the fact of the coming of His Son.  It might really puzzle people.

Why did not His Son come at one time in history like a superman flying on a super aircraft which would carry Him all over the world and show Him to everybody living on the earth.  Then only within a month all the Europeans, Africans, Asians, and others would see Him so as to realize that the God is real and His Son is real.  But the God sent His Son as if a human lord had sent his human son to a remote place.

Apart from this puzzle, this relationship, if established or realized, indicates that there is a kind of love between the God and mankind.  From a religious point of view, it is interpreted as that the God tries to save as many souls as possible.  The God is trying to prevent human beings from falling to the hell.  This is indeed love in a religious sense.  So, His Son, namely Christ Jesus, even taught His disciples to call the God Father in Heaven.  It means that we, humans, are allowed to receive love from the God as if we received it from our own true father.

But, still, the basic relationship for the God and mankind is the Lord and servants.   Only though His Son, Christ Jesus, we are allowed to call the God our Father in Heaven and receive love as such.

Yet, in Islam, there is no such a possibility to keep the said relationship.   Muslims are all treated like bad servants before Allah, namely the God.   They are all requested to prostrate themselves when praying to the God.  Muslims are not allowed to call their God the Father in Heaven.

Judaists have a simple relationship  with the God.  The God just created their ancestors.  And the God protects them so long as Judaists have faith in Him.  And Judaists know that their God loves good and hates evil.  It is as if to know their own God was the most important thing.  So, to change their religion or their God is the most serious sin.  Their God mostly requests them to keep faith in Him.  It must have been, however, very difficult in the long human history with full of turmoils, wars, and tragedies to find, always remember, and stick to one God.  So, Judaists have been requested  such a simple thing of.  It looks like a primitive relationship even before the concept of the father and the lord prevailed in the religious sphere.

So, anyway, we have to advance this relationship with the God, since it is the 21st century now.

But what is the relationship to be?  It must be more than the Father and sons and daughters, the Lord and servants, the Creator and creatures, or the Cool Observer and poor living things.

What will it be?

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Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

"And Cornelius waited for them" - US President vs. China

Near the Tokyo Station...

US President vs. China

This year while Syrian people were suffering the cruel civil war, Europeans and other people were enjoying the London Olympics games.

This is very bad.  The God must be angry at Europeans and other people.  However as it was one year after 2011 when Japan experienced the huge natural calamity and the nuclear accident, Japanese people had psychological room in their minds to enjoy the sports events.

In 2008, it was bad.  The Beijing Olympics were crazy as athletes were forced to compete in heavily contaminated air of Beijing.  Even before the Olympics games, a big earthquake occurred in southern China, especially, around a region where there were many nuclear weapon related facilities and installations run by the Chinese defense sector.

What was worse, the sub-prime mortgage crisis finally entered its worst phase; the oil price hit the highest level in history; and decisively the Lehman Shock started in Wall Street.

Riding on this exceptionally bad trend, Mr. Barack Obama was elected as US President.

And four years later, today, no American elites passionately talk about the coming of the G2 era, like they did before 2008, where every issue in the world is supposed to be solved by G2, the US and China.      

Now let's see what President Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney have said about China:

Obama, Romney say China needs to play by the rules 

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON | Associated Press – Tue, Oct 23, 2012

"I want a great relationship with China," Romney said. "China can be our partner. But that does not mean they can just roll all over us and take our jobs on an unfair basis." 

Obama described China as both an adversary and a potential international partner. He defended his record in addressing China's trade violations, saying his administration had brought more cases than his predecessor, George W. Bush, did in two terms. 

Neither candidate grappled with the deeper challenges of China's rise: that it has managed to build a competitive economy while maintaining an authoritarian political system. There was also little substantive discussion of the challenge posed to U.S. military pre-eminence in the Asia-Pacific by China's rapid military buildup. 

Romney said China needs to create 20 million jobs every year, and that it wants a stable world in which it can trade its goods. But he said China would not respect a United States that has a heavily indebted economy and is cutting back its military.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-romney-china-needs-play-rules-034530218--election.html

By Elizabeth Dwoskin on July 05, 2012   

At a campaign stop in Toledo on Thursday, President Barack Obama announced his latest gambit in the race to demonstrate a tough line against China: a World Trade Organization case against the Chinese government’s tariffs on American cars.
This is the seventh such case the U.S. has brought against China during Obama’s tenure, and the location and timing are significant. Toledo, as my Bloomberg colleague Kate Brower reports, is home to a Chrysler plant that manufactures the Jeep Wrangler.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-05/obama-to-china-dump-the-car-tariffs

14 November 2011 Last updated at 12:42 GMT 

To be fair Barack Obama was a little more circumspect about the way he put it, but it's still a pretty extraordinary statement to make. 

He was careful to begin by saying he welcomed China's "peaceful rise", and believed there could be "friendly and constructive competition" between the two.
But China's leaders, he said, need "to understand that their role is different now than it might have been 20 years ago or 30 years ago when, if they were breaking some rules, it didn't really matter, it didn't have a significant impact".
"Now they have grown up. They are going to have to help manage this process in a responsible way." 

There is a widespread view in America that China's rise is happening because it is willing to flout the rules that others follow, profiting at their expense.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-15718392

BUSINESS | 9/13/2011  

Romney Takes On China 

Romney promised last Tuesday that one of his initial executive orders on his first day as president would be to “clamp down on the cheaters” by slapping duties on Chinese imports if Beijing doesn’t move quickly to float its currency. “I will label China as it is, a currency manipulator and I will go after them for stealing our intellectual property,” he said while unveiling his plan to revive the troubled U.S. economy and create jobs.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackperkowski/2011/09/13/romney-takes-on-china/

Mitt Romney on Free Trade

China doesn't want to have a trade war; so push hard

Source: 2011 GOP debate at Dartmouth College, NH , Oct 11, 2011

Q: Candidates have talked tough on China before--George W. Bush did it, Barack Obama did it--but once elected, the president takes a much more cautious approach.
A: They have been played like a fiddle by the Chinese. And the Chinese are smiling all the way to the bank, taking our currency and taking our jobs and taking a lot of our future. And I'm not willing to let that happen. We've got to call cheating for what it is. 

Q: Isn't that risking a trade war?
A: Well, now, think about that. We buy this much stuff from China; they buy that much stuff from us. You think they want to have a trade war? This is a time when we're being hollowed out by China that is artificially holding down their prices. On day one, I will issue an executive order identifying China as a currency manipulator. We'll bring an action against them in front of the WTO for manipulating their currency. If you're not willing to stand up to China, you'll get run over by China. And that's what's happened for 20 years.
http://www.ontheissues.org/2012/Mitt_Romney_Free_Trade.htm

Nobody wants war between the US and China.

Nobody minds if poor Chinese get rich.

But it might lead to a de facto war between the coalition of the US and Japan and China, if rich Chinese are all bad.


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Act 10:24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and he had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
Act 10:25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
Act 10:26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.

"Blessed are the eyes" - More Christian President

Tokyo Station 2012

More Christian President

The US President should observe the teaching by Christ Jesus as much as possible, as the US is the richest nation in the world.

Should a Christian be a Republican or a Democrat? 

Should a Christian be a conservative or a liberal/progressive?   

... 

The Bible teaches that a leader in the church should be a godly, moral, ethical person (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9). This should apply to political leaders as well. If politicians are going to make wise, God-honoring decisions, they must have a basic morality and worldview on which to base the decisions they are going to have to make. So if there is a clear moral distinction between candidates, as Christians, we should choose the more moral, honest, and ethical of the candidates.
http://www.gotquestions.org/Republican-Democrat.html

There is a slight difference between Republicans and Democrats in terms of Christianity:

How Does the Faith of Republicans, Democrats Measure Up?
By Audrey Barrick , Christian Post Reporter
March 6, 2007|4:30 pm

According to survey results, 57 percent of Republicans assert that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches compared to 40 percent of Democrats. Republicans are also twice as likely to believe Satan is a real spiritual entity (33 percent versus 17 percent); more likely to reject the idea that good works can earn salvation (35 percent versus 23 percent); more commonly describe themselves as absolutely committed to Christianity (61 percent versus 48 percent); more likely to deem their religious faith to be important in their life (77 percent versus 67 percent); and more likely to believe that God is the all-knowing, perfect Creator and Ruler of the universe (75 percent to 65 percent).

Overall, 51 percent of Republicans qualify as born-again Christians, according to the Barna Group, compared to 38 percent of Democrats.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-does-the-faith-of-republicans-democrats-measure-up-26175/

But specifically, how do Americans feel about the degree of being Christians of their political leaders?

Are Republicans more Christian than Democrats? 

I am sorry but even though Barak Obama is not as much of a Christian as I would like for him to be, I have concluded that neither is John McCain and the Republican Party. The Republicans don't care about the poor, they want to continue to war and continue to see thousands of young Americans losing their lives, and they have no real interest to see a national health care system that supplies health coverage for everyone. Approximately 18,000 people die every year because they did not have health coverage. Is this any better than killing an unborn baby? By the way, during George Bush's presidency, who is supposedly against abortion, who is a Republican, approximately 1.2 million abortions occured every year. Doesn't sound very anti-abortion to me. The Republicans have been in power but abortion has continued.
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080913134659AA9JHtA

More interestingly with a deep insight....

Column: God vs. GOP politics
By Tom Krattenmaker Updated 9/25/2012 4:50 PM 

As if we harbored any last doubts, we now have statistical evidence of a truth that's seems more obvious by the year. "God" appears 12 times in the Republican platform this election season and just once in the Democrats'.

Couple this with the rhetoric of the candidates and GOP enthusiasts, and it seems clearer than ever that Republicans, the party of tax cuts for the wealthy and up-by-your-own-bootstraps regard for the poor, is the God party, the Christian party, in American politics.

If you're like me, you have often puzzled over the combination of Christianity and hard-edged conservative politics and, like many progressives, you've probably asked how a religion of love, compassion and selflessness could lead to the positions and tactics that seem so at odds with what we think about Jesus.
Allow me to answer the question — by rejecting its premise.

Consider the very real possibility that Christianity is not what fuels Republican politics but rather that the two co-exist in today's conservative movement, as they do in the hearts and minds of its members. 

Not to say that GOP positions are untethered from Christian ideas and teachings. You'll invariably find religious conservatives citing chapter and verse in their justifications for policy stands against gay marriage, for instance, or for keeping government hands off our wallets and religious practices.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-09-25/republicans-religion-evangelicals-election/57841682/1

There is no conclusion in this theme, since an individual should stand before the God but not as a political party.

Nonetheless, if Hitler had not authorized the killing of European Judaists before the end of WWII, he might be still regarded as a great German hero even today.

But, if his decision to terminate existence of those Judaists had been found as a lack of his faith in God and some pious Germans could have stopped Hitler based on their religious motivation, we must admit that Christianity or religion is so important as a measure to check politicians.

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Luk 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
Luk 10:24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

"he addeth no sorrow with it" - Nanjing in 1920s

The Tokyo Railroad Station Refurbished to the Original State...

Nanjing in 1920s

It was not that crazy Imperial Japanese troops invaded well-governed and peaceful Nation China in 1930s.

There were more complicated backgrounds.

In other word, existence of the Imperial Army in China in 1930s might have been like some European troops stationed in the US during the era of the Civil War in 1860s.

Both the Union Army and  the Confederate Army might have tried to desperately involve such foreign forces in battles going on to turn the situation in favor of them.  If the Union troops had been losing the war, they would have offered the Confederation to cease the fire between them and tie up to fight those foreign troops.  And, meanwhile, the Union Army might have been able to gain strength again, while making the Confederation fight the European Army, and the Union would find a chance to attack the Confederation.  In this case, the European troops were abused.

Nanking Incident 

This event should not be confused with the Nanking Massacre in 1937. 

The Nanking Incident, or Nanjing Incident occurred in March 1927 during the capture of Nanjing by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) in their Northern Expedition. Foreign warships bombarded Nanjing in defense of the foreign citizens against rioting and looting within the city. Several ships were involved in the engagement, including vessels from Great Britain and the United States. Marines and sailors were also landed for rescue operations. Both Nationalists and Communists soldiers within the NRA participated in the rioting and looting of foreign residents in Nanjing.[1]
.....
Nanking in 1927 was a treaty port located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River, a large waterway that separates northern and southern China. Because the foreign interests in China were largely American and European, squadrons of foreign naval vessels were stationed along the Yangtze to protect their citizens doing business at the treaty ports. The British Royal Navy operated the China Station under Rear Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt and the United States Navy the Yangtze Patrol; both lasted for around 80 years until World War II.
.....
By March 26, NRA commander Cheng Qian restored order in Nanjing and successfully restrained soldiers from further hostile actions against foreign forces, while requesting the Red Cross to mediate a cease fire with foreign naval vessels. On March 27, with 70 more refugees aboard, Preston left Nanking and headed downriver. Lieutenant Commander G. B. Ashe later recalled that the Chinese had emplaced a field-piece at a river bend outside of Nanking so he ordered general quarters well in advance of the battery, but when the ship went around the bend the Chinese did not fire. By the end of that day all hostilities ended and about 40 people were killed in total. At least one British sailor was killed, and there was only one American casualty, Fireman Ray D. Plumley. American forces involved in the Nanking incident received the Yangtze Service Medal, three sailors also were awarded the Navy Cross.[1][2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Incident

Shanghai massacre of 1927 

The April 12 Incident of 1927 refers to the violent suppression of Chinese Communist Party organizations in Shanghai by the military forces of Chiang Kai-shek and conservative factions in the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party). Following the incident, conservative KMT elements carried out a full-scale purge of Communists in all areas under their control, and even more violent suppressions occurred in cities such as Guangzhou and Changsha.[1] The purge led to an open split between KMT left and right wings, with Chiang Kai-shek establishing himself as the leader of the right wing at Nanjing in opposition to the original left-wing KMT government in Wuhan. 

...
On April 9 Chiang declared martial law in Shanghai and the Central Control Commission issued the "Party Protection and National Salvation" proclamation, denouncing the Wuhan Nationalist Government's policy of cooperation with CPC. On April 11 Chiang issued a secret order to all provinces under the control of his forces to purge Communists from the KMT. 

Before dawn on April 12 gang members began to attack district offices controlled by the union workers, including Zhabei, Nanshi and Pudong. Under an emergency decree, Chiang ordered the 26th Army to disarm the workers' militias, that process resulting in more than 300 people being killed and wounded. The union workers organized a mass meeting denouncing Chiang Kai-shek on April 13, and thousands of workers and students went to the headquarters of the 2nd Division of the 26th Army to protest. Soldiers opened fire, killing 100 and wounding many more. Chiang dissolved the provisional government of Shanghai, labor unions and all other organizations under Communist control, and reorganized a network of unions with allegiance to the Kuomintang and under the control of Du Yuesheng. Over 1000 Communists were arrested, some 300 were officially executed and more than 5,000 went missing. Western news reports later nicknamed General Bai "The Hewer of Communist Heads".[9] Some National Revolutionary Army commanders with Communist backgrounds who were graduates of Whampoa Military Academy kept their sympathies for the Communists hidden and were not arrested, and many switched their allegiance to the CPC after the start of the Chinese Civil War.[10]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_massacre_of_1927





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Pro 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
Pro 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Pro 10:23 It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
Pro 10:24 The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

"all these have I observed" - The Greatest Issue for Imperial Japan

Tokyo, Japan

The Greatest Issue for Imperial Japan

The incumbent Emperor of Japan is the 125th emperor in the Imperial House family line.

This is the only family line for the imperial monarch of Japan.

In other word, only one family has presided over the land of Japan and its history since the beginning of the nation Japan.

So, according to the Japanese myth, 660 years before the birth of Christ Jesus, the first emperor Jinmu was established as he was a descendant of Japanese gods.  Since then to date, only one imperial house occupied the imperial status.

However, from a scientific viewpoint, it is believed that the first emperor whose existence looks so real is Emperor Ojin who lived from the 3rd to the 4th centuries AD.   So, it seems that the imperial family of Japan has a 1700 year-long authentic family history.

The most important thing in this genealogy is that any emperor is a son of the father who is linked to a preceding emperor only through a paternal line.  In other word, any emperor is linked to the first Emperor Jinmu through the paternal line.

It is probably related to the shinto religion, though no theory on it is clear.  Customarily the imperial house has observed this rule.  So, they could prevent other families to get mingled with the imperial family to take over the imperial position.

There were some female emperors in the past.  Nonetheless, they had all fathers who had been an emperor.   Those  Madam Emperors were all on the male line of the imperial succession.

But, according to the current Japanese Constitution, established after WWII, the emperor has no political power and right.  Everything about the Imperial House is decided by the Japanese Government.  And the  Government still upholds an old provision, made before WWII under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, that the emperor shall be a son of the father who was the preceding emperor or a brother (or a son of a brother or a male-line grandson) of a preceding emperor.

Yet, the incumbent  Crown Prince has no sons but only one daughter.  The only younger brother of the Crown Prince has two daughters but one son.  And, there are no other male members in the Imperial Family who might become emperor in future.  There are no living grandsons (except the incumbent Crown Prince and his brother), no great-grandsons (except the said one), no eligible male-line nephews, or  no eligible male-line grand-nephews of the late Showa Emperor, the father of the present emperor.  

There are no noble class in Japan, and there is only a limited number of branches of the Imperial Household (including brothers of the Showa Emperor and their offspring) in Japan after WWII.  Accordingly, if the son of the younger brother of the Crown Prince should not beget boys in future, the imperial family tree could be terminated, unless the Government changes the related provision in the law concerning the Imperial House.

One solution is to bring back old members of branches of the Imperial Family who were forced to step down from the imperial position after WWII.  Some members of those branch families preserve male members who are linked to a preceding emperor though a paternal line.

Though it seems to need to trace their pedigrees over 400 years to connect to the last emperor from their own family line, they had been members of the large imperial family.  They had never lived outside this supreme class of Japan except almost these 70 years after WWII.  So, the gap of 400 years for such branch families to the past emperor from their house might not be a problem at all, since it is also an issue of the shinto religion or the imperial shinto.



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Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mar 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
Mar 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

"a division therefore again among the Jews" - A Bullied Girl in Japan

In a Tokyo Governmental District....

A Bullied Girl in Japan

A primary school girl in Japan wrote to the editor of a newspaper.

She wondered if she was truly lucky as she was born as a human being.  She thought a human looks like the sliest but the most easy-going  animal.  So, she wondered if it was truly the greatest thing to be born as a human being.

There is one junior-high school girl in Japan who has been bullied since she entered an intermediate school.  So, she finally gave up learning in the same class room with her enemy pupils.  She started to learn alone in a medical room of the school.  But she made a high score in each test, though she could not join skill practice in a class room with other school boys and girls.  She tackled the same test as other students did, but alone in the medical room.

She studied hard even at home.   It is because she had an aim to get into a first-rate high school through an entrance examination.

But, she got shocked recently to know that high schools in her prefecture check assessment of test-taking pupils concerning their performance in class rooms in addition to giving them a paper test on a test day.  Unfortunately, the junior-high school girl has not joined class-room and group activities, so that assessment of her concerning class-room performance is not so high or at an average at best.  Accordingly her chance to get into one of the the best high schools in the prefecture looks very small.

As a consequence, she has become unable to sustain enthusiasm for learning and studying to make a high score in tests.

However, in some other prefectures in Japan, high schools adopt a special method in their examination process to fairly treat those bullied pupils or handicapped children forced to study in their homes or in special places for any reasons.  In such a prefecture, the said school girl can be fairly assessed and allowed to study in the high school she wants to enroll in.

Indeed, it can be easy or difficult to live as a human in this world depending on a situation and environment.

And Christ Jesus said to follow Him as a yoke he provides is light.


*** *** *** ***



Joh 10:19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
Joh 10:20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
Joh 10:21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
Joh 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

"asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter" - Remote Control False Charges

Around the National Diet Bldg., Tokyo

Remote Control False Charges

Some false charges have attracted big attentions from the Japanese society.

Some citizens allegedly sent anonymous blackmail mails over the Internet to some public institutions in Japan, though from their homes using their own PCs.

Some of these mails were sent to a primary school where a grandson of the Emperor studies.  Others were sent to a notable shinto shrine.

The police however soon identified the senders to arrest almost all of them.  It seems that policemen in charge checked IP addresses included in data accompanying the mails.

Those Japanese who got haplessly arrested resisted arrest, but finally confessed that they actually did the crimes.

But, later it was found that some of their PCs used for the criminal acts had been clearly contaminated by computer viruses.  These viruses allowed for remote control of the contaminated PCs from somewhere in the world over the Internet.  A hacker who manipulated this virus could write a blackmail letter and send it to his target from a hijacked PC someone owned.

So, public prosecutors decided to discharge defendants whose PCs were found to have been attacked by some hacker who secretly sent viruses  into those PCs.

And, finally, the hacker sent an e-mail to a TV station and a certain lawyer, telling that he is the one who hijacked others' PCs to use them as platforms for sending the blackmail mails.  The hacker presented critical evidence, as revelation of a secret, that proves that he is the very culprit who has done the Internet crime.

So, it is now clear that the police arrested and indicted several innocent persons for crimes they have never committed.  The Japanese police, of course, know this kind of remote control technique, but failed to carefully check those PCs as to the state of virus contamination after they confirmed IP addresses of those remotely-controlled PCs.

The hacker even used servers operated in Europe as a means to access PCs those innocent Japanese users were using  in their homes.  So, it is almost impossible for the Japanese law enforcement authority to trace the hacker by his footprints left in communications logs of those PCs.

One Japanese university student aged 19 was arrested for the above stated blackmail case.  The young man contended that he was innocent when the police started to investigate him in a police station.  But after days of hard interrogation, he finally falsely confessed that he had sent a blackmail mail to a certain school.  Then, he was placed on probation after a month-long judicial process.  But now the police and the society know that this young man is innocent.

So, do not use the PC and the Internet so often to protect yourself from hackers and policemen acting imprudently.

Malware Dubbed "The Remote Control Virus" by Japanese Media Used to Make Death Threats in Japan 

October 11th, 2012 by Symantec Leave  

News broke over the weekend in Japan that police had arrested three people over the past few months in relation to death threats being posted on bulletin boards and sent through email. However, it was also reported that the suspects were subsequently released without charge due to the discovery of a particular malware infection on all of the suspect’s computers that is believed to have been used to make the threats. Examples of some of the threats include a posting to a government website stating that the person posting the threat will commit mass murder in a popular shopping area; a posting to an Internet forum saying that he/she will blow up a famous shrine; an email sent to an airline company threatening to use a bomb to destroy an aircraft; and an email threatening the kindergarten where a child of the royal family attends. Police are currently investigating the connection between the threats and the malware. 

From our analysis, we have confirmed that the malware is capable of controlling a compromised computer from a remote location, which is not anything new to malware. Furthermore, from the various functions we have confirmed, the creator has the capability to command the malware to make the threats mentioned above. We have also discovered that a string of characters used to process encrypted communication with the creator is in Japanese and the code is taken from a Japanese website. Therefore, we believe the creator is most likely a person who has a good understanding of the Japanese language.

http://www.kashifali.ca/2012/10/11/malware-dubbed-the-remote-control-virus-by-japanese-media-used-to-make-death-threats-in-japan/

http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/04_crime_matters/tcd/smart.html



*** *** *** ***



Act 10:17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
Act 10:18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
Act 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
Act 10:20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

"you up to the councils" - General Election in Japan

The Japanese National Assembly Bldg., Tokyo

General Election in Japan

A general election seems to be close in Japan.

Prime Minister Mr. Noda promised to dissolve the Lower House soon when he asked help from LDP President Mr. Tanigaki this August.  But Mr. Noda did not keep this promise while Mr. Tanigaki lost the position in the opposition party LDP.

Mr. Noda was successfully reelected as the head of the DPJ in September, though Mr. Tanigaki could not even run for the presidential election of his party in September.  Now, the head of the largest opposition LDP is Mr. Shinzo Abe who once assumed office of Prime Minister of Japan, specifically, between 2006 and 2007.

But the promise PM Mr. Noda made with Mr. Tanigaki still remains.  Mr. Noda was desperate this summer trying to make a tax-rise bill pass the Diet.  He however got support from Mr. Tanigaki who then led the LDP to have lawmakers pass the bill.  But Mr. Tanigaku requested early  dissolution of the Lower House, which premier Noda accepted as everybody now knows.

The DPJ took over power in 2009 through a big and hot general election.  Then, the socialistic party has had three top leaders who have become prime minister: Mr. Hatoyama, Mr. Kan, and Mr. Noda.  But recent polls show that the DPJ will lose the coming election against the conservative LDP.

Among 480 seats in the Lower House of the Diet, the DPJ won 308 seats in the summer of 2009.  But the incumbent ruling party is expected to get only 90 seats or so in the coming snap election.

The capitalistic LDP won only 119 seats in the summer of 2009.  But this  very pro-US party is expected to get 240 seats this time.

So, after the coming general election, it is anticipated that the center of gravity in the Japanese politics will move to the right-wing or conservative side again.  That is why China is so intent on some diplomatic war against Japan, specifically, over the Senkkau Isands in the East China Sea.

But, real negotiations might be only possible with a conservative Japanese regime and the Chinese Communist Party.

Incidentally, the Lower House of the Japanese Parliament has right of priority in choosing the prime minister of Japan, though the Upper House has almost the same constitutional right as the Lower House does.


*** *** *** ***




Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

"as sheep in the midst of wolves" - Vulnerable Internet

Downtown, Tokyo

Vulnerable Internet

The technology is progressing so rapidly in a field of electronics.

The advancement of electronics has enabled high-speed computation and ultra-speed telecommunications.

Then, personal computers, cellular phones, and the Internet have triggered a kind of revolution in the society globally.

The point at issue is of course personal information.

As the society has advanced, each individual has more various types of personal data.  And, all these data are stored somewhere in various computer systems.  For these systems to work efficiently, they have to be connected with the Internet.

Of course, in most cases, only an individual who knows a password can access his own personal data in a system.  Or some system administrators who are in charge of maintenance of the system can access personal data of their clients.

What should be noted is that it is not impossible for someone with special skills and knowledge to access and enter such a system as manages a huge amount of personal data, too.

For example, it is probably not impossible for someone with special skills and knowledge to get into database where personal data of President Mr. Obama are stored and saved over the Internet.

So, the best way to keep secrets is to keep personal information on sheets of paper which are locked in a safe or such an appropriate cabinet.         

Yet, banks expect you to use an online account which can be also accessed via the Internet.  And, if a bank system is not connected to the Internet, it is linked to its own separated telecommunication network.  And it is also possible for  someone with special skills and knowledge to break into such a dedicated system independent from the Internet.

Probably you have to use a cash dispenser, but your account is not necessarily perfectly protected from intruders.  Somebody might find a way to get in it through the Internet over some bridge.  Or he might get a help from an insider who connects such an independent system to the Internet.

So, essentially this cyber space is vulnerable.

Accordingly, it is necessary to find a way to protect the society and individuals from cyber attacks.  A war must be always started between bad guys and good guys in the cyber space.

Everybody in the world must help good guys win; otherwise everybody might lose all his personal data and money over the Internet.



**** **** ****


Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

"salute it" - Patriotic Nobel Prize Winner

Patriotic Nobel Prize Winner

Mr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan won the Nobel Prize for his iPS study this year.

But he was not a blessed medical doctor.

After graduation from Kobe University, he first worked as a surgeon but could not make great progress in his skill.  So, Mr. Yamanaka changed his career to medical research.  Then he went to the US to advance his study.

After returning to Japan, he started to tackle some biological issue in a university in Osaka.  But he was not regraded as a promising doctor.  He received very limited budget for his study.  There were no assistants in his laboratory.

He even asked his wife and daughter to go to an airport to receive lab mice some US laboratory sent to him.  He was busy taking care of rats in his laboratory alone.  He was really depressed about his circumstances finally.

So, he decided to abandon his medical study.  He thought to go back to a hospital and diagnose patients.  To fix his mind he planned to buy a house.  As a new hose cost much, he thought he could be determined to work as a clinician and make more money.   But, one night his mother saw her late husband in dream at night; he said to her not to have his son buy a new house.  So, following this advice from his late father who had been glad to see his son become a medical doctor in his dying bed some years before, Mr. Yamanaka abandoned the idea of ending the career in research.

He then applied for a position as assistant professor in a university in Nara Prefecture, south of Kyoto.  At the time he held a new subject of study: Make a master cell from a skin cell.

Then Mr. Yamanaka could make great progress. Finally he was rewarded the Nobel Prize to "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent." He could show his iPS cells were "pluripotent, i.e. capable of generating all cell lineages of the body."

One cell on the skin of a man can be engineered to became a primary cell that can develop again to become any organ or part of his body, according to his discovery.

So, if Mr. Yamaka had bought a new house, his discovery would not have been realized.

Today, Mr. Yamanaka is invited by many foreign universities that offer to him a big salary and better environment for his research.  But he is not going to leave Japan.  Then his late father might help him again even in dream at night.



*** *** *** ***




Mat 10:12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
Mat 10:13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

"his disciples asked him again" - New Economics for Japan

Tokyo Skytree Tower Street...

New Economics for Japan

Now the annual conferences of IMF and the World Bank are held in Tokyo.

The amount of total assets possessed by Japanese individuals has reached about $20 trillion.

But most of this money is in domestic bank accounts.  And Japanese banks buy government bonds in large quantity.

Even it is suspected that the Japanese Government does not especially recommend Japanese individuals to invest into foreign markets.  Japanese money should be kept in Japan to sustain the government budget.  Maybe they thin so.

Due to deflation, continuing more than a decade, the Japanese Government has experienced a plunge in tax revenues for many years.  The total amount of accumulated financial deficits of Japan gets 200% in a ratio over its GDP, which is the largest or the worst in the world.  Therefore to compensate the budget deficit, the Japanese Government issued so many bonds year after year.

Now the amount of outstanding Japanese government bonds has reached  $9 trillion.  By comparison, the amount of outstanding US government bonds has reached  $14 trillion.

On the other hand, the total accumulated amount of direct investment from Japan to China was $45 billion from 2001 to 2010.  It accounted for about 7% of the total direct foreign investment into China.  However, there is also a huge amount of transfer of technology and know-hows from Japan to China.  Japan has helped Chinese economic growth as one of major players or as the key contributor.

Japanese deflation has progressed in parallel with an increase of Japanese involvement in Chinese industry and economy.  Japanese makers built plants and factories to make the best use of cheap labor force in China.  It is estimated that 6,000 Japanese makers are in operation in China while total 15,000 Japanese businesses have offices and plants in China.  Accordingly, the wage level of Japanese workers in Japan has been heavily influenced.  With intensification of global economy, Japanese workers have to face competition with less salaries.  As a result, tax revenues of the Japanese Government has continued to decline.

But, Japanese businesses are not losing in this global competition in economy and industry.  They are securing reasonable profits, making products with less costs and less wages.  So, corporate executives and other middle-class workers have received reasonable payments.  It resulted in $20 trillion of total assets possessed by Japanese individuals.

In fact, though the Japanese society has suffered deflation for 15 years, the number of wealthy people is increasing in Japan.

What's more, compare with euro and the US dollar, the Japanese yen is appreciated higher; the yen is now the strongest currency in the world.  It is partly because of financial crises the US and the EU are now  struggling with.  It is also partly because of stable transactions of the Japanese Government bond in the Japanese financial market.

But, the Japanese Government has recently decided to take a concrete measure to deal with the huge budget deficit by increasing the consumption tax rate from 5% to 10% in several years.

But, any conventional financial measures do not look like working well in this scale of economy of Japan which is virtually and substantially the second largest in the world.  (Chinese economy does not possess quality necessary to be evaluated on equal terms with Japan and the US.)

So, a new theory is needed to handle the financial problem of Japan.

The point at issue is that such creative work  looks so costly even with $20 trillion of  individual assets all the Japanese have.  But Japan has to devise one.

Incidentally, Japan has no Nobel laureates in economics so far, though 16 Japanese natural scientists have won the Nobel prize.

*** *** *** ***




Mar 10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mar 10:10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
Mar 10:11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
Mar 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

"The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you" - American Attitudes toward Senkaku

Tokyo Skytree Tower...the tallest TV tower in the world, 634 meters

American Attitudes toward Senkaku

How has the US Government ever discussed the Senkaku Islands issue?

Lending clarity to the China-Japan dispute 

ANURAG VISWANATH
Posted: Wednesday, Sep 19, 2012 at 0336 hrs IST 

However, the Japanese dismiss this version. They contend that Senkaku/Diaoyu was discovered by Japan in 1884. Then Senkaku/Diaoyu showed no traces of Chinese control, nor did China protest any activity by the Japanese on the islands. It was made a part of Okinawa in 1895 and markers erected. Okinawa was carved from the Ryukuku Islands (once an independent sovereign kingdom incorporated into Japan as Ryuku-han in 1872). The Japanese contend that Senkaku/Diaoyu was never “transferred to Japan via Treaty of Shimonoseki” as the Chinese claim....
Hara notes that Senkaku (and Okinawa) were placed under US control under Article 3 of the peace treaty. The US relinquished its administrative rights over Senkaku in 1972, but despite “reversion” remained stationed in Okinawa. Japan’s residual sovereignty over Senkaku/Diaoyu was recognised by successive Presidents—Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson. But Nixon made a departure.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/lending-clarity-to-the-chinajapan-dispute/1004556/0

As Nixon at the time wanted to improve relationship with China to end the American involvement in the Vietnam War where China played some supportive role to North Vietnam, Nixon refrained from continuing support for Japan regarding the sovereignty issue over Senkaku.

Senkaku (Diaoyu/Diaoyutai) Islands Dispute:  U.S. Treaty Obligations 

Mark E. Manyin
Specialist in Asian Affairs
September 25, 2012   

....

U.S. Administration of the Islands, 1953-1971  

U.S. administration of the islands began in 1953 as a result of the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan. The Treaty did not mention the Senkakus (Diaoyu/Diaoyutai), but it referred to other islands that had reverted to Chinese control or which China claimed. These included Taiwan, the Pescadores (off the western coast of Taiwan), as well as the Spratlys and the Paracels (both in the South China Sea). Article 3 gave the United States sole powers of administration of "Nansei Shoto south of 29 north latitude (including the Ryukyu and the Daito Islands)...." In 1953, the U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyus issued U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyus Proclamation 27 (USCAR 27), which defined the boundaries of "Nansei Shoto [the southwestern islands] south of 29 degrees north latitude" to include the Senkakus.  At the time of the signing of the Okinawa Reversion Treaty, several State Department officials asserted that following the signing of the Japan Peace Treaty, "Nansei Shoto south of 29 degrees north latitude" was "understood by the United States and Japan to include the Senkaku Islands." Moreover, during the period of U.S. administration, the U.S. Navy established firing ranges on the islands and paid an annual rent of $11,000 to Jinji Koga, the son of the first Japanese settler of the islands. China has described the U.S.-Japan understandings related to the islands as “backroom deals” that are "illegal and invalid."

http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/198821.pdf

So, the US has conventionally admitted that Japan possesses the Senkaku Islands, since it came to be directly involved in international and diplomatic issues in East Asia after WWII, though the US colonized the Philippines before WWII.

More specifically, the Senkaku Islands are situated far closer to Japan, namely Okinawa Prefecture with so many islands such as Ishigaki, than to mainland China.  The Senkaku Islands also naturally accompanies 36 Okinawa islands.

http://shokasen.blog122.fc2.com/blog-entry-57.html

The island to the right in the Senkaku Islands (in the above map) is called Taisho-to which is possessed by the Japanese Gov. for more than a century  unlike other islands of Senkaku.

Therefore it is very unreasonable that China recently started to release its hostility to Japan in the wake of the transaction of the Japanese Government, concluded in September 2012, purchasing the main island, called Uotsuri-jima, and two other small ones accompanying Uotsuri of Senkaku from a private Japanese owner.

Incidentally, the history of Taiwan has made it a little complicated, but the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) of China regarded the Senkaku Islands as lands out of its territory as Taiwan was then.  It could be confirmed in some old maps made in Ming.  The then Chinese Imperial court regarded Senkaku as part of the Ryukyu (Okinawa) kingdom which brought a tribute to Ming.

Finally, you had better refer to the Historical Analysis on the Senkaku Islands in http://eereporter.blogspot.jp/2010/10/yesterday-two-miracles-however-you.html.


*** *** *** ***




Luk 10:8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
Luk 10:9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luk 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
Luk 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

"Peace be to this house" - Obama vs Romney

A Tokyo Street on a Rainy Sunday...

Obama vs Romney

One sub-era is passing by.

China is gong to have a new top team that will lead the nation for the coming decade.

Russia has new Mr. Putin as new president.

The memory of Mr. Blair and Mr. Sarkozy is now so far away.

Japan is also expected to undergo other regime change from the labor-union supported DPJ to the capitalist LDP within a few months at the earliest.

So, there is a strong momentum around the US to allow for a change from Mr. Obama to Mr. Romney.

It is not economy that is at issue.  If the US unemployment is improved, you do not need Mr. Obama any more.  If the   US unemployment is not improved, you do not need Mr. Obama any more, either.

In the era of President Mr. W. Bush, the US exposed so many scandals in the business sector.  But, the stable status of religion in the US sustained its society facing the War against Violent and Mad Muslims through those difficult years after the 9/11 Terror.  No grave spiritual degradation was observed in the US apart from usual and conventional corruption among rich people which culminated in the 2008 Lehman Shock.

But, under the Obama Administration which succeeded in improving the American health insurance system to some extent, loosening of  morals and  other disciplinary problems might be surfacing, though absolute number of crimes has been decreasing in the US.

Especially, nowadays people are engaged in dubious or criminal activities in the cyber space.  So, the trend of Internet crimes in the US must be reflecting some significant spiritual corruption in the US.  

IC3 2011 Internet Crime Report Released   

More Than 300,000 Complaints of Online Criminal Activity Reported in 2011

Washington, D.C.May 10, 2012

FBI National Press Office

FAIRMONT, WV—The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) today released the 2011 Internet Crime Report—an overview of the latest data and trends of online criminal activity. According to the report, 2011 marked the third year in a row that the IC3 received more than 300,000 complaints. The 314,246 complaints represent a 3.4 percent increase over 2010. The reported dollar loss was $485.3 million. As more Internet crimes are reported, IC3 can better assist law enforcement in the apprehension and prosecution of those responsible for perpetrating Internet crime. 

In 2011, IC3 received and processed, on average, more than 26,000 complaints per month. The most common complaints received in 2011 included FBI-related scams—schemes in which a criminal poses as the FBI to defraud victims—identity theft, and advance-fee fraud. The report also lists states with the top complaints, and provides loss and complaint statistics organized by state. It describes complaints by type, demographics, and state.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/february/internet_022411/internet_022411

Though President Mr. Obama was supported greatly by power of the Internet in 2008, it might be contributing to degradation of the American spiritual sector.

In this context, a very strong faction of Christianity in the real world might be wanted.  And, Mr. Romney might be rather closer to it than Mr. Obama.  A trend might be in favor of Mr. Romney.


*** *** *** ***



Luk 10:5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
Luk 10:6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

"as lambs among wolves" - Diaries in WWII

The 333-meter Tokyo Tower in Tokyo since 1958...

Diaries in WWII

In the Pacific Theater of WWII, many Japanese soldiers were killed, but some were captured alive.

But it was not only from Japanese prisoners of war that the US military got precious information.

Most of Imperial soldiers and officers of Japan kept a diary even in a battle field.  After a fierce battle was over and Japanese troops were driven out, US soldiers picked up many diaries and other documents from corpses of Japanese and from inside trenches.

Those diaries gave precious military information to US forces.  Americans could understand how Imperial forces were organized and how their bases were fortified in addition to minds and heats of Japanese soldiers.

In order to read and translate these documents and inquire Japanese prisoners of war, the US Government recruited a large number of second-generation Japanese Americans and other Americans who were learning Japanese in universities and so on.

In the Imperial Army, Japanese soldiers and officers were advised to keep a diary.  It was probably regraded as a kind of discipline.  Soldiers wrote many things almost freely without inspection by supervisors.

Especially in lines of battle in the Pacific Ocean, the Imperial Army did not mind if those diaries could be taken by Americans.  Japanese generals thought that Americans could not read and understand diaries Japanese wrote, since the written Japanese language was complicated and difficult.  They even did not strictly control handling of military documents so as not to leave them behind when Japanese troops retreated.  No Japanese elites even dreamed that the US military was mobilizing thousands of second-generation Japanese Americans and other Americans who could read and speak Japanese to get information in front lines.

Of course, in addition to Americans capable of reading Japanese, many Japanese prisoners of war cooperated in reading and interpreting diaries in addition to providing information they had.  (However, it is also true that many Japanese soldiers and officers chose to commit a suicide before being taken captive by US or other allied forces.)

During WWII, the US had not CIA, but their experiences in the war against the Empire of Japan gave precious experiences in collecting information from an enemy whose language and culture were so different from those of the US.

Anyway, even today, many Japanese like to keep a diary.  In primary school in Japan, teachers always teach pupils how to keep a diary.  And they show good examples of a diary.

In addition, it was expected that 100% of Japanese soldiers could read and write during WWII as  the literacy rate of the Empire of Japan was almost 100% far exceeding the wold average at the time.

What's more, Korea before annexation to the Empire of Japan in 1910 had only 10% of the literacy rate.  But 25 years after the annexation, the literacy rate among Koreans increased to 65% in 1936.  The Empire of Japan saved and educated the Korean people who had been abandoned by their royal government before the annexation to the Empire.




*** *** *** ***


Luk 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

"but the labourers are few" - Voting Right

Tokyo Tower...

Voting Right

How long can Chinese citizens endure the current political condition that they have virtually no voting right.

But it was in 1889 that Japanese citizens got right of vote for the first time, though only rich people could exercise this power.

Those who were 25 years old or older and paid 15 yen or more of direct tax to the central government were given this right of vote.  Those eligible to vote to choose lawmakers accounted for just 1% of all the Japanese people at the time.  But it was vote in an open ballot.

 n 1900, those who were 25 years old or older and paid 10 yen or more of direct tax to the central government of Japan were allowed to exercise anonymous vote.   Those eligible at the time accounted for 2.2%.

In 1919, the tax condition was changed to 3 yen and more.   Those eligible at the time accounted for 5.5%.

In 1925, the restriction on tax was abolished.  All the male Japanese aged 25 or more were allowed to cast a ballot in a national election.  Those eligible at the time accounted for 20%.

So, far before the beginning of WWII or the Pearl Harbor attack, all the Japanese male could participate in national politics.

And when WWII ended in 1945, all the Japanese males and females aged 20 years old or older were given voting right without any restrictions.   For reference, French women also got voting right in 1945 though US women in 1920.

Nonetheless even today  Chinese citizens have virtually no voting right.  Their congress is not a real national assembly.  Their Cabinet is not filled with ministers or secretaries who are chosen through a democratic process.  Their prime minister and president have no democratic backgrounds.

It is time to think about how to introduce real democracy and a true voting system in China.


*** *** *** ***


Luk 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

"the LORD appointed other seventy also" - Japanese View on China and Korea

The Tokyo Tower...

Japanese View on China and Korea

The First Sino-Japanese War (1 August 1894 – 17 April 1895) was the first big incident Japan was engaged in after the fall of the last samurai regime and the establishment of modern government in 1860s.

At the time the Meiji Government of Japan was tackling treaty revision with the UK.  And when this effort of Japan was fulfilled, not only the Japanese elites but also the general public of Japan felt that their country became an equal partner with Western powers.

Then when they looked around, China, namely the Qing dynasty, and Korea, namely Yi-Dynasty Korea, were behind the times.  China behaved as the sole suzerain in East Asia as it had been for centuries.  As Japan had not been fully subject to Chinese dynasties at least since the sixth century, this situation in Korea did look so irrational for Japan.  As Japan wanted to promote and strengthen economic, diplomatic, and military ties with Korea, the Chinese influence on the Korean royal court was so troublesome.  But, Korean politicians still lived on the old paradigm that the universe worked with China at its center and Korea was the best follower of the Great Chinese Civilization.  

Accordingly, the Meiji Government of Japan started to drive out Chinese influences from the Korean Peninsula.  As Korea was split into a pro-Chinese faction and a pro-Japanese group, the Korean royal government could not manage the situation.  They could not even modernize its society and westernize its industry to have strong military.  Finally, Japan and the Qing dynasty embarked in a war in and around the Korean Peninsula.

Most of the Japanese people at the time, namely in the Meiji era, supported the Government starting the war as one of Westernized and modern countries in the world against the old-fashioned Asian empire Qing that was against progress of Asia toward full Westernization.  

Put simply, the First Sino-Japanese War meant the right and just war for the Japanese people who believed and supported the progress in new civilization; it was a war between a civilized country (Japan) waking up to a new era and an old-guard empire (China) trying to sleep in an old dream.

But, one notable Japanese politician at the time named Katsu Kaisyu (1823-1899) was against this war.  Ex-elite samurai directly subject to shogun (the king of samurais) Katsu did not despise Koreans and Chinese unlike most of his contemporaries.

Katsu who also occupied key positions in the Meiji Government, such the Navy Minister, said that Japan should not behave like one of Western countries that were busy cruelly colonizing Africa and Asia.

And, even today the psychology of the Japanese people nurtured in the era of the First Sino-Japanese War still lingers in the Japanese society.  But the spirit of Katsu Kaisyu has been also alive in both the leftist camp and the nationalistic group in the Japanese society, though it does not necessarily mean an increase of Japanese who become so pro-Chinese or pro-Korean.

Anyway, in the samurai era, Japanese people did not especially despise Chinese and Koreans.  They rather respected many cultural and religious figures in China and Korea as culture came to Japan through the Korean Peninsula from the Asian Continent.  




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Luk 10:1 After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.