Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

Please listen to the music. It is a good one.

Umi Yukaba (If I go away to sea).

I like it. I can feel the souls of dead soldiers belonging to Japanese army.

The song is played with translated lyrics (English and Russian).

The song is not played in public any more because it souds encouraging military men to die.

But it had been considered Japanese imperial army's anthem and second national anthem until the end of second world war.

The below one is without lyric subtitle but with adequate images for the song.

I never support war actions for invasion but I like the song anyway.

In Berlin film festival, a very controversial film would be shown.

The title is "John Rabe." The story of German business man who saved tens of thousands of Chinese in Nanking when the city was invaded by Japanese imperial army. He and other westerners set up International Safety zone in the center of the city. He became the leader of the committee that managed the zone. He is like Oskar Schindler in China.

 The movie is scheduled to be released in April in Germany and China. Release in Japan seemed not be determined.

I think it should be shown in Japan, too at least in mini-theatres or civil conventions like No More Nanjing people did last December.

Please see the article for that event.

In September 2004, I actually visited the house Rabe lived.

It may be very hard for Japanese to see the bad past.

Many right wingers denied the existence of the massacre. They say Rabe was liar.

John Rabe was kind of complicated figure of the history. He was loyal to Nazism. He used Nazi flag to avoid bombing from Japanese army. He reported Nazi officials the atrocities in Nanking. But he was detained and interrogated by that act because Germany at that time was allied with Japan. Actually Nazis has done more of Nanking things so called "Holocaust" afterwards.

The film would be very interesting in the sense a good man loyal to the evil organization has done good thing. The below is trailer of the film.

The film is based on a true story of murdered Iraq war soldier and his parents.

Tommy Lee Jones acted as young soldier's father who was informed that his son was AWOL.

He searched for his son nearby towns of the base he dissappeared and later learned that he was brutally murdered.

Who killed him? What caused them so mad?

It was thrilling and the theme was kind of common with "Two People," Vietnam war dessertor's story in early 1970's.

The U.S. repeats the same mistake. Why?

Well, that is common with any other country like my country, Japan. I saw the American documentary "Nanking."

Japanese imperial army mass-murdered many, many Chinese civilians. Actually that trauma still goes on in our society.

Conservative people try to whitewash the atrocities commited by Japanese military in Asia.

But the facts can never be cancelled. We all have to deal with it, which is a big burden.  The below is trailer of "In the valley of Elah."

Last Sunday, I went to the public conference building in Tokyo. One room was rent by Japanese peace group named "No more Nanjing."

The purpose of the room renting was to show a very shocking Hollywood produced documentary film "Nanking" and hold the public hearing of the masscre survivor from Nanjing. Plus public speech by journalist of Japan's mainstream newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun.

The below is the preview of the film. The film was shown in the U.S. and China.

It was the first showing in Tokyo, Japan. Very first one in Japan was done in Fukuoka, Japan on 7 of December.

The film started with the speech of memoires of westerners who stayed in Nanjing during the occupation by the Japanese army.

The speeches are made by the actors who disguised as actual characters in that event.

In August 1937, Japanese army grounded on Shanghai and started invasion of China. They bombed Nanjing (Nanking) which was the capital of China at that time. In November the troops arrived in Nanjing and occupied the city. They looted, raped and killed Chinese citizens there.

The westerners set up the safety zone to protect Chinese. American college teacher, Minie Vautrin acted by Mariel Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's grand daughter defended young women from rape by Japanese.

The actual footages, real talking of survivors and soldiers are also shown. The survivors talked about their rape experience or what happened in front of them such as their parents or brothers or sisters being murdered in front of them. The soldiers talked how and why they mass-murdered thousands of POW or innocent citizens and raped women.

There is not much new to me because I've got involved in this peace activity and learned the history of Sino-Japan war in 1930's. 

It was cruel, our people in fact did terribles things to neighboring nations before WW2 ended.

The survivor who talked to the audience (approximately 200) in the conference room was the old Chinese woman who experience rape by Japanese soldier. She was raped and survived in the hell. But even after the war was over, she had to go through very hard time because her husband treated her so badly because she was found not virgin. She never could tell him why she was not. After the age of 80, she decided to speak up.

After her testimony, Japanese journalist, Mr. Yoichi Jomaru made a speech on the role of his company in the war. During the war time, especially embedded journalists were not allowed to report anything unfavourable to their troops, they had to act as PR section of the military. But the media themselves actively became backers of their troops. That exactly happens even in present time when freedom press is insured.

Some right wingers criticize me and other peace activists for revealing such unfavourable stories of Japan's history. I do not get along with them. I love my country. I am proud of being Japanese. That is why I am involved in this activity. By doing so, we can appeal to the world including Chinese people, we are no longer brutal like that in the film, we know the facts, so we do not do that again.

And we all wish for the world peace and happiness of all the people on the earth.

Response to Christopher's question:

Rape is crime in modern Japan and even before the war ended it was a crime in our terriorty or outside. What the troops did in China was against Geneve Convention and even the marshal law of the imperial army.

The comic you suggest is not popular in Japan but maybe among porno comic maniacs, not among ordinary comic fans.

Today marked 7th anniversary of 911 attack on WTC and Pentagon.

The U.S. army attacked Afghan and Iraq without mercy to civilians. The purpose was to find Bin-laden.

 But where is he now? In Guantanamo?

Things are getting worse since 911. The photo was taken in July, 1993 just after first terrorist attack took place in WTC. As you see, I was wearing United Nations T shirt. I don' t have that shirt any more.

I think 911 opened the door to awful 21st century.

That is the title of a book written by Mika Tsutsumi, who wrote this book, which I wrote the review of.

She has lived in New York as college student and office worker but since she experienced 911 turmoil, she started to learn what went wrong in the U.S.

In this book, she paid attention to poverty issue. Some of the things mentioned overlap in her previous book.

The book became best-selling non-fiction book in Japan. It was sold at the price of 700 yen (US$7).

At first she talked about subprime loan crisis. The real estate business took mean advantage of poor people who have dreams of having their own houses, which they could never afford by their cheap salaries. They ended up losing  houses and dreams and then being poorer than before.

50 million people don't have medical insurance. 60 million live by the wage under $7 per day. 35 million people are in hunger. That was a result of free economy. The poor gets poorer, the rich gets richer.

Although so many are in hunger, but at the same time so many of them are suffering from obesity. The poverty and the obesity are linked. Poor people cannot afford healthy food. They had to buy cheap junk food which is filled with oil and contain less nutrition. They get fat but lack nutrition that result in sickness but they have no medical insurance to cure. The medical insurance issue she mentioned is similar to Micheal Moore's "Sicko."

Americans favour free competition, smaller government, and privatization. Hurricane Katrina was a catastrophie caused by privatization. FEMA was privatized and disaster prevention budget was cut-off.

In the last chapter, she described working poor became new type of military drafting system. A truck driver was offered high-paying job in Iraq by a military contractor. After months of labor in Iraq, he got leukemia because he drunk highly radioactive water. He had no insurance coverage to take care of his illness. Even though he got a big money for that job, he had to use all of it to cure the illness and ended up being poorer and getting heavy illness.

The poor people had no choice but to work for the military which offers only very hard and dangerous tasks.

That is the true figure of America, now. The popularity of Obama seems to be supported by those who experience such hard situations.

Today the U.S. marked very historical moment, Afro-American was nominated for presidential candidate of major political party. Some might hope because he is Black, he should know how the oppressed feel.

Can Ob(s)ama-Bi(nla)den change things better for the U.S. rather than fighting against terrorists outside their country? No more war and poverty, please! 

From last week until early in the next month would mark 5th anniversary of the major combat of the Iraq War.

There was a demonstration march to call for the U.S to end the war in Tokyo. The city also had a march to call for China to end the oppression against Tibet.

Japan's position is kind of complicated for the both issues. Japan helped your country with the war and occupation in Iraq sending troops there.

As for China,  we invaded China in the past and currently we have been having controvesy over historical issues with them, such as how to acknowledge Nanking Massacre, and PM's Yausukuni shirine visits. It is just like Germany's position in Palestinean issues with Israel. Well, Germans have made up their mind to admit their faults. But we haven't done it enough.

American politicians criticize China for oppressing Tibetan. But I want to say, what about the U.S. for what they have done to Iraqis!

Tens of thousands of civilians were killed. Proportion of one out of 6 Iraqi have become refugees. They live lives without clean water, electricity and safety. You might insist Iraqi were liberated from tyranny like Hussein. But after Hussein, what is left is anarchism, division of the nation, and worsening the security.

American army dumped depleted uranium weapons that are very hazardous to human bodies with high level of radioactive. Iraqi were worried whenver they give birth to a child as if they get a defective baby.   

Hussein was a monstrous dictator but he could at least maintain the minimum infrastructure for his people's lives. The U.S. never thought of what to do after Hussein regime was toppled. That is totally different from the U.S. occupation strategy of Japan and Germany. There was no strategy for Iraq.

Please think of your own problems before accusing others of human rights violation. Not only things related to Iraq, but also domestic ones such as health insurance, poverty and etc. Your government is not so different from Arabic dictators who use anti-Israel and anti-U.S. propaganda to distract attention from their own citizens who are frustrated with poverty and inequality of the society.

P.S. I am writing a novel on this blog that points out the above issues. If you read the story and learn the things you have to be aware of.   

It is been reported that Obama's long time inspirer, Pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright made very controversial remarks in his Gospel speech. Obama denounced his remarks and he never knew the pastor did it until recently.

I can't find anything so controversial in his sermons.  

He, himself is Afro-American, so there is no problem that he uses the word "Niger." He said America is founded on racist culture. I think he talked about slavery and masscre of Native Americans.

The most impressive to me, was he said "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," he said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and Black South Africans, and now we are indignant. Because the stuff we have done overseas has now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."

This pastor is ex-marine. He knew what the war is like. He just criticized the U.S. foreign policy in his radical way, I think.

I don't think he meant to insult America.

For Japanese like us, Americans criticizing Hiroshima and Nagasaki were kind of impressive. Obama was spritually influenced by this pastor. Well, that sounds nice to us. Very humble attitude of Americans. He knows how the oppressed feel. That is why he is becoming popular among the impoverished layer of society including whites.

But I want to tell this pastor he should condemn not only the U.S. for dropping atomic bombs but also Japan who slaughtered many innocent Chinese and attacked on Pearl Harbor in the name of "justice." That is what I expressed in this post on this blog.

I understand why Mr. Obama had to denounce the pastor because today's America is no longer open-minded to radical leftist speech. This is sad thing to know. Isn't America free country any more? You can't criticize your government's policies because such acts are considered unpatriotical.

That is just like Nazi-Germany. I would be proud of a citizen of a country if the country is democratic and tolerates free speech including the things critical of itself.

Sometimes, by becoming anti of your nation, you will know better of your country and drive your country into right direction.

"God Damn America!" can change your country better after being tired of saying "God bless America."

President Bush was assacinated in Chicago. Who killed him?

Of course, this is the fiction. Janre of mockdocumentary, but it looked very real.

After the assacination, the U.S. government used this fear to justify amendment of Patriot Act, tightening the freedom of citizens. Muslim man was arrested but there was not enough supporting evidence to convict him but he was convicted by the jurors.  

Why? This is the same old fashioned rhetoric. Once awful thing happened, no one can have objective view.

It was well-made documentary although it was a fiction.

But I wasn't very impressed. I am kind of tired of such anti-Bush propaganda films such as Micheal Moore's "Fahrenheit 911."

Yes, Bush was wrong. He did the wrong things. So did other politicians in the world. It is just easy to criticize the politicians but what are behind the actions they make? Think about it.

Even Gore was elected as President of the U.S., he might have dispatched troops to Iraq. Accusing just one politician for all the wrong things in the world doesn't actually change the world better.  

Sorry, I skipped Short Novel 2: The city where my heart is, even before going on to the 2nd chapter. I just could not come up with the ideas of how to develop the story although I made up how to begin.   

I will get back to the story when I made up the full plot.   

Meanwhile, I am presenting an interesting and shocking story to you, Americans.

This one is short, too. Actually shorter than other short novels, 3 to 4 chapter long. It will be written in easy style, like fairly tale. It may become kind of comedy and parody.

The story is fiction but based on the facts that are rarely reported on the mainstream media.

The facts came from two books written by 2 Japanese women. One is Ms. Yumi Kobayashi's and the other is Ms. Mika Tsutsumi's. Please read the related posts.

The story took place in Baghdad, Iraq. 4 Americans were captive by Iraqi insurgents somewhere in Baghdad. Each of them represents American society.

One of them was Loretta, 24. She was from the very rich family, Boltons. Going back for 4 generations from Loretta, George Bolton established the family's wealth by finding an oil mine in Texas, late 19th century. Starting with the oil business, they ran resort hotels, military equipment company, and broadcasting corporations. She lived in Beverly Hills with her parents. She became a celebrity woman after she made a debut in her family's TV show. She had been criticized that she was too much spotlighted using her family's name and power. So she wanted to prove herself how she was brave and independent. Then she went to Baghdad to be in a show to entertain the soldiers.

Next was Kevin, 27. He was born in the rich family, too but not as rich as Loretta's. His father was a lawyer and mother was a physician. He, himself made a fortune by computer software business. He studied business in Harvard. He, himself prided himself as self-made millionaire. He manages his own computer software company in Silicon Valley. He came to Baghdad to distribute and inspect his company's brand new software for the military in Baghdad. His company and Loretta's family company were doing business together for the military.  

Third was John, 19. He was born in Michigan from a father who had worked for the auto-maker and a mother who worked as a secretary in a small company. But when Kevin was 17 and in high school. His father was laid-off. His parents cannot provide tuition for the college. So he decided to join the army to go to the college.

Last guy was Fernando, 17. His family were actually illegal immigrants. Fernado and his parents and a sister crossed the border from Mexico to California when he was 11. His father worked in farms at lower wages than minimum wage set by law. But his father later died by the accident. His mother, sister and Fernando had no place to work and live. They became penniless and homeless. They lived in a homeless facility. Fernando decided to join the army in exchange for the U.S. citizenship.

John and Fernando were in the squad to guard Loretta and Kevin heading towards the military base. But the squad was attacked. Some of the military personnels were killed but they were luckily saved and captured by the Iraqi insurgents.

They were taken to the house and sit on the floor face to face.

The insurgents demanded them to speak on the videotape they shoot. Speak to their government to beg them to withdraw the troops from Iraq immediately. If not, they would be killed.

Go on to Chapter 1.

The stoy is copyrighted by this blog's manager, me, Masagata.