FOLLOW US
Day of Peace in Tokyo, Japan
Written by Shigenari Kato, UPF-Japan
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tokyo, Japan - UPF-Japan organized a commemorative event for the International Day of Peace in Tokyo September 30 on the theme of “Youth for Peace and Development.” More than 50 people participated in this 39th Ambassadors for Peace meeting, a bimonthly seminar series of UPF-Japan.
In his opening address, Mr. Seiichi Kikuya, Secretary General of UPF-Japan, said, “After World War II, we verified the cause of that war and established the United Nations. However, we did not do this after the Cold War. We need to verify the cause of the Cold War in such depth so that we can find a fundamental solution to realize a world of lasting peace; this might lead to establishing another international institution.” Then he explained the need for an interreligious council, which was proposed in 2000 by the founder of UPF, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon.
Prof. Masahisa Hayashi, a professor at Waseda University and a member of UPF's Global Peace Council, gave the main speech on the theme, “The Mission of Youth in the Global Age.” Pointing out the decreasing number of Japanese students who study abroad, he expressed concern about the introspective mindset of Japanese youths and emphasized the importance of going abroad and experiencing different cultures.
He also quoted from the teachings of The Great Learning by Confucius, "Cultivate personal virtue, rule the family, govern the state, and pacify the world," as a core precept and said, “A leader bears responsibility for people's well being.”
After the main speech, Mr. Soichiro Kobayashi, a board member of the Redevelopment Council of the Adachi Ward in Tokyo, and Mr. Takatora Kobayashi, the representative of the Multicultural Co-existence Volunteer Group in the Mie Prefecture, gave reports on their activities.
Mr. Kobayashi pointed out that people are gathering to work together through cleaning projects and collecting garbage, and that this is becoming a solution to weakening of human relations. Mr. Kobayashi said, “Through having Japanese and foreign residents work together in cleaning projects, we are trying to form a culture of multi-ethnic coexistence in Japan.”
To read a report of a recent clean-up project on the Miura Peninsula, click here.
If you find this page helpful and informative please consider making donation. Your donation will help Universal Peace Federation (UPF) provide new and improved reports, analysis and publications to you and everyone around the world.
UPF is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and all donations are tax deductible in the United States. Receipts are automatically provided for donations of or above $250.00.
|
Donate to the Universal Peace Federation: Your donation to support the general programs of UPF. |
Donate to the Religious Youth Service (RYS): Your donation will be used for service projects around the world. |
Donate to UPF's Africa Projects: Your donation will be used for projects in Africa. |
Related Articles
Australia
UPF-Australia Convenes Mutual Prosperity Summit
Melbourne, Australia—The Mutual Prosperity Summit focused on “Rethinking Our Economic Models.”