Don't Give Up - from Nagasaki Peace Declaration of 2005

2005 marked 60th anniversary of Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bombing. Last week, I went to a concert organized by the citizens of Wakaba Town, Chiba, east of Tokyo and listened to a song called "Don't Give Up".

The words of Don't Give Up were taken from the Nagasaki Peace Declaration of 2005, written by Mr. Iccho Ito, the Mayor of Nagasaki who was killed by two shots fired at point-blank range in April last year.

This song was so well composed and arranged and moved me so deeply that I would like to organize a concert and film screening of the film Hiroshima Nagasaki - White Light Black Rain in New York. If anyone reading this is from NY or if you know someone in NY and would like to organize such an event near/or at the UN, please contact me by email.

Thank you! Dugongs Win Against US Defense Department

Dear friends for peace and environment!

Enormously good news today.

Some of you came to Okinawa with me to see the beautiful coral reef where Dugongs, an endangered sea mammal, dear to the Okinawan people, live. The US military proposed the building of a new airbase exactly where the Dugongs are living. Of course, we wanted them to change their plan. Well, on January 24th, a federal judge ruled against U.S. Defense Department plans for the airbase that would have encroached on the habitat of Okinawa Dugong.

Click here to read the full story.

I know some of you have lobbied and worked towards resolving this issue in favor of the dugongs. Well, we have won the first stage! Thank you. Now, those of you who are hearing this for the first time, please send letters (emails) to your representatives so that we can continue to pass on our beautiful nature and the precious species left to next generations to come. Only Americans can do this effectively! (American politicians do not care at all about what we Japanese say...)

The Ruling can be read here. (46 pages, PDF)

Yumi Kikuchi
founder, Global Peace Campaign, JUMP (Japan United for Ministry of Peace)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968

It is hard to believe that black people in southern USA didn't have the right to vote until 1965. It seems so recent. Well, Japanese women didn't have the right to vote either until 1945, but that is still 20 years earlier than American black people.

The issues Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr fought for then, not only for human rights and civil rights, but also for economic justice, are still with us and we face even more challenges today. He said that the United States was ”the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." Unfortunately, this is still true today...

Take a look at this Democracy Now link and make sure you listen to the speech he made before he was assassinated.

Japanese Councilor (Senator) Mr. Yukihisa Fujita Questions the Official US 911 Story

It was historical and exciting to watch 911 truth being questioned at the Japanese Diet (Parliament) on Jan 10, 2008. For the first time in Japan serious questions were first asked as to the legitimacy of Japans support for the US 'War On Terror'. The proceedings were aired live on NHK TV (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). See the full session below on YouTube, with English subtitles... A transcript can be read here.

Though the session was broadcast live on NHK TV, no newspaper or TV new program on that day or in the days following has mentioned it. Only people who happened to be watching TV at the time it was broadcast know of it, and that, of course, is not so many people.

It is quite obvious that the media here is Japan is controlled by powers that do not want this topic to be brought to the attention of the population in general.

The person who made history is Mr. Yukihisa Fujita, a member of Democratic Party of Japan and of the House of Councillors. Before becoming a politician, Mr. Fujita spent more than 20 years working for International human rights NGO's such as MIRA (IC) and Nanmin wo Tasukeru Kai (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan), helping young refugees of war.

I have known him for quite a while and we have a mutual trust and understanding. I was honored to be able to provide the information he used during the January 10th session of the Diet. Benjamin Fulford and Chihaya also supplied him with 911 related information. Mr. Fujita was warned not to speak too much about 911 as it is dangerous matter, but he was and is determined to continue seeking the truth regardless of such threats.

Working for refugees, especially children, for so many years made him realize that war is not the way to tackle terrorism. In this regard we have a common stance about how to go about international politics and the importance of using peaceful means to resolve disputes and conflicts. Thanks to the many wonderful activists, film makers and researchers around the world I am now convinced that 911 was not the terrorist attack planned by Osama bin Ladin and Al Quada that the US would like us all to believe. The people behind 911 wanted an excuse to have a 'war' so that they could get rich from the making weapons and the destruction of innocent lives. Their greed is not only for money however, it is for power too. It is becoming clear that they are now trying to control every aspect of our lives, from what we eat and drink, to where we go and can't go, to where we live and can't live, to even what we think! (Alex Jones is doing a good job of exposing many of these things.)

The events of September 11th, 2001 could not have happened without the support of people high in power in the US government, including perhaps Vice President Dick Cheney. I doubt President Bush could have planned such sophisticated and complicated events but that does not mean he was not 'in the know.'

What we can and need to do is to spread this news, the truth of what really happened on 911, as widely as possible! There are many good 911 videos you can watch online for free... If you are in Japan, we have some DVD's available in both English and Japanese at our Global Peace Campaign Store.

Let's finish the absurd and cruel war game now.

♪ Interview with Alfred Weber on Vancouver Coop Radio ♪ - 50 min 59 sec - 11.8 MB

I had a wonderful and fun conversation with Alfred Webre early in the morning of January 3, 2008 at our home, The Harmonics Life Center, just before coming to Kona, Hawaii, where I am writing this. I shared with him the major changes that have occurred in my life, from being a corporate bond trader to an environmentalist, and now a peace and environmental activist, living at 200 year old farm house growing rice and vegetables.

I enjoy my life in the mountains surrounding Kamogawa, which is fishing and agricultural village, endeavoring to live a sustainable life as possible. I am eager to learn from other wonderful people around the world who also live a creative and sustainable life. We are visiting people in Kona who live such a life like Mayumi Oda at Ginger Hill Farm(The website is in Japanese only!) in Kealakekua.

I have been just following my passion and love and this way of life naturally became my lifestyle. I am sure every one of us has a unique passion, it is important to follow it and keep your dream alive.

Please listen to the Coop radio program. You are welcome to stay our farm when you are in Japan. One night stay with two organic meals (dinner and breakfast) at Harmonics Life Center is US$50 per person.

Happy New Year!

Hope some of you are from Canada as I just did an interview with Vancouver Co-op Radio this morning (it will be aired on Monday, Jan 7). I will post the URL once I know it.

So, how are you and what you would like to do in 2008?

I am in the middle of getting rid of my clutter and renovating our 200 year-old house. My intention is to finish this big task and to remodel our barn into our guest house.

I would love to publish two new books, write 100 Japanese and 50 English blogs, 50 Japanese mail magazines, translate two documentary English films into Japanese, and give 100 lectures. (it is about the same amount of work as I tackled last year)

I also would like to attend the 4th global summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace that will be held in Sydney, Australia in Sept, 2008. I will be attending the Article 9 World Conference in May.

It will be another eventful year and I am here to make this planet more peaceful and sustainable place for every one of us and to serve humanity. God and goddess of the universe, please use me as your tool.

Let me hear from you on your New Year's resolution.