Hiratsuka, Japan - The third “Family Peace Festival in South Kanagawa” was held in a venue in Hiratsuka City in the Kanagawa prefecture on April 26 as a part of the Global Peace Festival. Nearly 1,200 people gathered for the event.
Representing the host organization, Mr. Hiroshi Aoki, Chair of the executive committee, said in his opening address, “The family is the foundation for peace. In this district, we have the Shōnan resort where many young people gather. This May, we are planning to hold a Pure Love Rally at the Shōnan resort to call attention to the importance of family and pure love.”
After an address by one of the distinguished guests, Prof. Hiroo Suzuki, Chair of the Council for Ambassadors for Peace in Japan, gave a speech entitled, “Reconstructing Japan through Family Reconstruction.” Below is a summary of his speech:
Right after World War II, Japan as a nation was utterly disoriented. However, we were not as confused as we are today. The greatest reason was that although Japan had lost the war, the foundation of the Japanese families was firm and strong. Actually, ever since the Meiji era, the Japanese family has been the foundation for Japanese development. Today, this foundation is starting to collapse. This is the very cause of the chaotic social situation in Japan today.
Japanese people have been very sensitive toward external matters since the Meiji era. This may have played some role in the development of our nation, but we have forgotten something important in this process. We have forgotten to look deep into our internal world, the innate “spirituality” we hold as Japanese. Spirituality is the ability to feel God. Today is a time when every one of us must live with conviction by listening to the voice of God we hear in our hearts.