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Thursday, January 07, 2010
"your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world"
(Touching a tip of the Pacific Ocean 40 Km southwest of Tokyo.)
More than Living for Money and Pleasure
Today, before noon, I saw five police or defense-force helicopters in formation flying toward me, though 400-meter high.
Approaching enough, they gradually U-turned midair, while I was watching, to the south or Tokyo. Anyway, such a thing never happened in my life.
Accordingly, I have recorded it here, since there might be five people viewing EEE Reporter in Tokyo.
SECTION I: Japanese Homeless Women
Several days ago, a Japanese TV station presented a homeless woman living alone on Tokyo streets for years.
She was not admitted to a shelter the Japanese Government had set up for homeless and jobless people to spend this New Year Season somewhat decently, because she had to first go and file a request at a local public office of a ward where she mainly lived. But she was not welcomed by officials of the public ward office who advised her to go to certain remote public facilities instead of the Government-set-up shelter.
The Government shelter so televised and covered by the media during New Year holidays this year was basically intended to provide aid for those who were recently fired by businesses, such as subcontractors of Toyota, Nissan, or Sony, due to this recession.
The over-middle-aged homeless woman would not go to the remote facilities, since she had no homeless friends in the area and no acquaintances in homeless aid groups working in the area where the recommended facilities were situated. Besides, if she had traveled to the remote facilities, she might have been simply and coolly advised again to go to other facilities.
Of course, officials of the public ward office who advised her to go to the distant facilities must have well understood that it was difficult for her to move there leaving her friends, her last resort of living in this world. They sent her back to cold, winter streets of Tokyo, while they knew that a chance of her accidental death was very high.
It is said that women account for 5% or so of all the homeless persons in Japan estimated to be around 50,000 among 125 million population.
(http://www.news.janjan.jp/living/0706/0706137208/1.php)
There was a case that a homeless lady was killed by a young adult who mobilized teenagers to attack and rob her of money in a local city of Japan.
(http://www.oita-press.co.jp/worldSociety/2009/04/2009040601000631.html)
If the situation is so bad even in Japan, how desperate it is in China, the U.S., and the U.K. where so many racial, ethnic, and religious prejudices and conflicts are alienating people and groups of people from one another!
SECTION II: 1549 to 1639 of Japan
Christianity was officially introduced into Japan in 1549 and was officially terminated in Japan in 1639, once.
Around 1500, Christopher Columbus reached part of the American Continents. Then, half a century later Christianity reached Japan.
(It was just like that in 1955 Sony rolled out its first transistor radios [for listening of consumers] in Japan to be a global maker while in 2005 EEE-Reporter Blog was launched in Japan to be a global announcing site.)
Nestorius Christian is believed to have reached Japan more earlier, though evidences are scare.
The most authentic record is as follows:
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Francis Xavier reached Japan on 27th July, 1549, with Anjiro and three other Jesuits, but it was not until 15th August that he went ashore at Kagoshima, the principal port of the province of Satsuma on the island of Kyūshū. As a representative of the Portuguese king, he was received in a friendly manner, hosted by Anjiro's family until October 1550. From October to December, 1550, he resided in Yamaguchi. Shortly before Christmas, he left for Kyoto but failed to meet with the Emperor. He returned to Yamaguchi in March, 1551, where he was permitted to preach by the daimyo of the province. However, lacking fluency in the Japanese language, he had to limit himself to reading aloud the translation of a catechism.
Francis was the first Jesuit to go to Japan as a missionary.[citation needed] He brought with him paintings of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child. These paintings were used to help teach the Japanese about Christianity. There was a huge language barrier as Japanese was unlike other languages the missionaries had previously encountered. For a long time Francis struggled to learn the language. Artwork continued to play a role in Francis’ teachings in Asia.[citation needed]
For forty-five years the Jesuits were the only missionaries in Asia, but the Franciscans also began proselytizing in Asia as well. Christian missionaries were later forced into exile, along with their assistants. Some were able to stay behind, however Christianity was then kept underground as to not be persecuted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Xavier
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(To be continued...)
*** *** *** ***
There was a change in the Japanese Finance Minister.
It is purely an inner-party issue of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
Though Prime Minister Mr. Yukio Hatoyama did not intend this change, the former Finance Minister decided to leave the Cabinet based on his personal judgment about situations involving human relationships with top leaders of the Party as well as progress in investigation by public prosecutors into allegations of mishandling of political funds by some Party members.
However, the New Finance Minister of Japan Mr. Naoto Kan is truly a stranger as an expert in finance, though he has been a national lawmaker for 30 years or so.
And, it is unknown what personal relationships he has with Chinese leaders and American leaders. Probably, only a few...
You may check Prime Miniter Mr. Hatoyama's remarks on this issue at his personal Twitter site in Japanese:
http://twitter.com/hatoyamayukio
Indeed, Twitter is getting popular among some elite politicians in Japan, though twits are not desirable at all in the National Diet or Parliament.
Rom 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.