Enslaved by the need to be free!

"Burma's military government, already under criticism for abuses, is recruiting children as young as 10 into its armed forces". This is one of the multiple infamous faces of the Burmese regime. Soon, to be added on this blog I ll talk about the flow of Burmese refugees escaping to Asian neighbors to try to avoid misery, brutality, slavery and death, but to gain nothing better than an other slavery. On Asian Gazette a few chapters to be coming about the enslaved Burmese and about the responsibility of Asean nations in such despair, following my recent journey in South East Asia.

Missiles hi tech battle in northern Asia

Nobody wants to get this one in his Japanese garden. So, how to screen any incoming missile on the northern coast? Here is the added defense jewel. After the big station, little ones. Still some Japanese seem or pretend to be unsatisfied in spite of the US Japan military alliance. Details on quotes, local press & agencies:

"US forces deployed a mobile missile-tracking station in Japan for the first time Friday, officials said, as part of efforts to defend against a potential attack from North Korea. The Joint Tactical Ground Station was being set up at the Misawa base in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan's most populous island of Honshu. But local authorities and media had criticised the deployment, saying they were not sufficiently informed. "The US military might not be able to disclose military secrets. However, we should not just let it be," the local To-o Nippo newspaper said in an editorial before the deployment. "The mayor must press the US military and the (Japanese) government to give us detailed explanation."

The mobile missile-tracking system is designed to receive launch data from early warning satellites, analyze the projected destination of missiles and forward the information to the U.S. military and Japan's Defense Ministry.



It is the first time the US military has deployed the mobile unit in Japan, although one is already in South Korea, said Yutaka Shirasawa, an official at Japan's defence ministry. The system consists of a vehicle equipped with three satellite antennas and information-processing equipment, which is meant to send news of any incoming missile to the US military and Japanese defence ministry.

It will be operated by 18 US servicepeople from an army base in the western US state of Colorado, Shirasawa said, adding the local government was informed of the deployment Thursday. Tokyo and Washington launched work on a missile defence shield for Japan after North Korea shocked the world in 1998 by firing a long-range missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean. In March, Japan for the first time installed Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptors in the Tokyo area.

Japan will conduct its first missile test in mid-December, from an Aegis-radar equipped destroyer off Hawaii, "to confirm its ballistic missile defense capability," the Defense Ministry said separately in a statement.

Japan deployed its first advanced U.S.-developed Patriot missiles earlier this year, and plans to introduce SM-3 interceptors on its destroyers in the next few years, including one in December. The two countries held a regional ballistic missile defense drill in July. Another round of exercises is scheduled for November, followed by a test launch of the U.S.-developed SM-3 missile interceptor from Japan's Aegis-class destroyer Kongo during the week of Dec. 17 off a Hawaiian island of Kauai, the ministry said.

The United States last year installed Japan's first anti-missile system on the southern island of Okinawa, the hub of the 40,000 US troops in Japan."

No strict sanctions from Tokyo on Burmese junta

Japanese journalist, Nagai Kenji, on the road, killed during Burmese demonstrations.

Tandis que la junte birmane brûle les cadavres de ses opposants, victimes des tirs de ses soldats, Tokyo évite de s'impliquer, perdant une nouvelle fois l'occasion de faire entendre sa voix, et le poids de ses sanctions, sur le régime militaire narco - trafiquant, et pendant ce temps, plusieurs centaines de personnes, dont de nombreux ressortissants birmans, ont assisté aux obsèques du cameraman japonais Kenji Nagai, abattu à l'âge de 50 ans le 27 septembre pendant les manifestations pro-démocratiques à Rangoon. L'hommage à Nagai s'est déroulé dans un cimetière du centre de la capitale japonaise.

Le cameraman été tué quand les militaires ont ouvert le feu sur les protestataires. Des images du drame semblent montrer que Nagai a été tué à bout portant par un soldat. L'autopsie a indiqué que Nagai aurait été tué dans le dos d'une ou plusieurs balles ayant atteint le foie et divers organes vitaux. Le régime militaire au pouvoir en Birmanie affirme qu'il a été tué par accident. La police japonaise a effectué une autopsie pour déterminer les circonstances exactes de la mort du cameraman, ce qui pourrait conduire Tokyo à réduire son aide au Birmanie à hauteur de 500 millions de yens (4,27 millions de dollars).

Le Japon, le principal donateur de la Birmanie, a déjà restreint son aide économique à la Birmanie, notamment son aide humanitaire. Il "considère maintenant la possibilité de la diminuer encore", a déclaré le chef de la diplomatie japonaise Komura. Jusqu'ici le Japon finançait principalement des programmes destinés à la santé, à l'éducation et des projets humanitaires. En 2005, ses subventions ont atteint 1,3 milliard de yens (11,2 millions de dollars, 7,9 millions d'euros), alors que l'aide technologique était de 1,7 milliard de yens (14,7 millions de dollars, 10,3 millions d'euros), selon les chiffres du gouvernement.

La nouvelle des manifestations en Birmanie n'avait pas alarmé les autorités japonaises comme j'ai pu le constater, une fois la "révolution safran" couverte et reprise par la presse internationale. Cette crise a été révélée lors de la session des Nations Unies a New York et monté en épingle par la présidence américaine, ce qui a fait dire que G. Bush souhaitait occulter le drame irakien des débats onusiens et agiter l'opinion sur le sort des Birmans...

Durant les journées d'agitation médiatique, insufflée par les agences de presse américaines, le Japon marchait sur des oeufs ainsi que les diplomates nippons et les services du premier ministre le laissaient entendre. Il a fallu attendre la mort d'un vidéo - reporter de 50 ans, monsieur Kenji Nagai, employé d'une société de production japonaise du nom de A.P.F., pour que le gouvernement Fukuda réagisse avec un peu de vigueur une fois l'annonce de la mort du journaliste.

Dans les journées qui ont suivi, le Japon a modéré ses commentaires afin de contenir l'impact déplorable de la mort d'un "Nihonjin" sur les médias et la fragile société nippone plus soucieuse de son bien être insulaire que des questions humanitaires et des graves enjeux de la politique internationale. Pire, les commentaires des autorités Tokyoites étaient évasifs concernant l'impact sur les violations des droits de l'homme en Birmanie avec lequel le Japon entretient de bonnes relations depuis la seconde guerre mondiale et la colonisation de l'Asie du sud-est. Des relations douteuses au point que Tokyo reçoit régulièrement les dirigeants de la junte birmane. Motif? Le Japon a des relations industrielles avec la Birmanie et ses gisements gaziers. A ce propos, cliquer sur le titre pour accéder a cet article :"Companies doing business in Burma".

Citations

(Anglais): "Burma's gas industry brought more than 2 billion dollars in revenue to the country's military last year, providing its single largest source of income. Most of this money was generated from just two gasfields, Yetagun and Yadana. The latter, situated in southern Burma, has been developed by a consortium led by Total, since 1992. Human Rights Watch pointed out this week that there is no transparency about how income derived from gas sales is used, although the military is believed to receive the lion's share, with a comparatively paltry sum reserved for health, education and other social services. Investors in the Burmese oil and gas sector hail from such countries as Australia, China, the British Virgin Islands, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Russia, France, the U.S., Japan, Singapore and India. " (Sources IPS) http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39496/)



"Japan, which generously provided aid to Burma over decades, imposed cuts in 2003 when pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest. Yet, during 2006, Japan’s grants amounted to 1.35 billion yen (11.1 million US dollars), besides technical assistance worth 1.73 billion yen (14 million dollars). Historically, the financial flow goes back to the two-billion-dollar war reparations paid by Japan to Burma for having invaded the country during World War II. Gen. Ne Win, who engineered a coup in 1962, successfully developed pro-Burma sentiments among Japanese leaders and reaped huge aid programmes. Japan was among the first countries that approved the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), set up by the military junta that seized power in l988. " (Sources IPS http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39559/)

Japan and strategic history

I read this article in the press on Sunday, and even if there is a trade context in the back stage, I felt it would again cause uproar in the columns and the assemblies:

"A Shizuoka Prefecture railway firm on Sunday restarted regular operations of a Japanese-made steam locomotive used in Thailand until 1979 to mark the 120th anniversary of the signing of the 1887 Japan-Siam amity treaty. Oigawa Railway Co held a ceremony at the platform of its Shinkanaya Station to mark the restart of the Class C56 locomotive's operations, with its exterior color returned from black to green, the same exterior color when it was used in Thailand. Popular Thai actress Kanyarat Jiraratchakit celebrated the resumption of the operation at the ceremony by opening up a "kusudama" decorative ball which had been hung from the platform's ceiling."

Then I received an email from a friend who sent me this blog address Tokyonodoko: From there, here I quote:

"On entering the Yasukuni shrine, where some of the worst war criminals are enshrined, the museum foyer visitors are greeted by a Model C56 Locomotive 31, a large restored stream engine sitting peacefully next to the escalators, (the same type of steam loco as the Kanchanaburi Thailand River Kwai museum, Added by Jlk.)

"In the Yasukuni museum (Yushukan) a plaque informs the visitor that locomotive 31 was produced in 1936 by Nippon sharyo and operated in the Nanao region of Ishikawa prefecture until being commandeered to the ‘south’ for the Greater East Asian War. The engine played an important role in Thailand including the opening of the Thai-Burma Railroad.

After the war it was used by the Thai national railroad until retirement in 1977, where members of the southern forces field railroad section who were involved in the construction of the Thai-Burma railroad gave money to have the engine shipped back to Japan, restored, and placed in Yasukuni Jinja."

"A question arises whether it is important that the Thai-Burma Railway is also know as the Death Railway. It was built from Thailand to Burma (now Myanmar) by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II to complete the route from Bangkok to Rangoon and support the Japanese occupation of Burma. It was so called ‘The death railway’ because of the human cost of its construction.

About 100,000 conscripted Asian laborers and 16,000 Allied prisoners of war, 6,318 British, 2,815 Australians, 2,490 Dutch and the remainder from the USA or unknown died while being enslaved. And, theirs was no ordinary death. Most of the slave prisoners were weakened by malnutrition before succumbing to disease, medical treatment being withheld. Many were brutally murdered."

I know! People will think that Foreign round eyes look for the evil everywhere. But was it necessary to reactivate such infamous nightmares for millions of people around the world and in particular Asian nations who fell victims of the imperial armies whose heirs, among them some politicians, historians, right wingers of the worst caliber, not so much offending their "elites", pretend as if nothing else than an Asia liberation from the "whites" had happened? Preposterous. Comfort the sanitized sleepy society with an infamous strategic history is all it takes to build a modern society? Many would object.

Sarkozy et l'Asie...

Les premieres questions posees sur la presidence de Nicolas Sarkozy par un important representant de la presse officielle chinoise en poste en Asie. Nous sommes en haut du building de la presse nippone, invites par le celebre Foreign Press Center pour son remarquable cocktail annuel reunissant journalistes-correspondants, diplomates, gouvernements locaux, artistes et entrepreneurs. C'est ici, depuis un siecle, a Tokyo que se font les meilleures observations sur l'Asie, un fait explique par les extraordinaires reseaux d'influences exerces par les entrepreneurs nippons des "Shosha" et aux infos distillees par les "Asia Watchers" bases au Japon.

Un "pack" de reporters chinois, dont quelques tres grosses pointures pekinoises appreciant le bon vin francais servis ce soir ouvrent le cercle au francais present, qu'ils connaissent bien... et mon collegue chinois chef de bureau du plus grand et influent quotidien chinois me demande ouvertement : "Selon vous, Nicolas Sarkozy est-il le Junichiro Koizumi francais?" Voila la question qui interesse naturellement ces plumes de la grande presse de l'Etat chinois, plus interessees par Paris que par les premiers (faux) pas du gouvernement de Yasuo Fukuda.

Est ce un compliment pour ce qu'ils me decrivent comme etant selon eux (et pour beaucoup des francais) l'esprit de reforme, d'ouverture, de transformation des mentalites des francais ou bien s'agit il de critiques naissantes pekinoises sur les intentions de "Sarko l'americain", vu par l'Empire du Milieu comme un bulldozer populiste, habile manipulateur des medias, insensible aux aspirations des pays situes "a l'Est, en Asie et au Sud" et menant une vie un peu trop "boheme" pour les neo- confuceens...?

Sarkozy est il le Koizumi francais? Question neanmoins tres interessante sur l'ADN de la politique asiatique de la France sous Sarkozy avant sa prochaine visite en Chine a l'automne et au Japon pour le sommet du G-8 de Hokkaido-Toyako en 2008. Je leur reponds sur le meme ton franc et directement, et les questionne concernant les intentions chinoises vis a vis de l'Asie et des americains:

"Nous, les chinois, voulons d'abord, comme l'ont fait les pays fondateurs de l'Europe, nous reunir pacifiquement avec le Japon et la Coree, bien nous entendre avec le sud de l'Asie, batir ensemble nos ponts et nos institutions selon nos modeles," regardez Singapour par exemple, "et prier poliment les americains de se cantonner a leurs frontieres ou de bien vouloir comprendre nos realites."

"Notre revolution aujourd'hui", ajoute un diplomate chinois, "n'a pas disparu, contrairement a ce que vos collegues eloignes ecrivent sur la Chine. La revolution chinoise, c'est la reforme partout et pour tout." Bien vu. Que voulez vous avec la France lui ai je demande? "Beaucoup. Il faudra revoir tout cela apres les J.O. de Pekin et l'Exposition Universelle de Shanghai, nous avons quelques idees. Venez nous voir."

Apres les jeux... le pain ? Vaste programme que les Asia Watchers devront suivre attentivement.
Jlk

Burma's tragedy

Yesterday at FCCJ, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Tin Win, a former member of the National League for Democracy in Burma, told me that not only the Burmese junta used forced labors but also foreign companies did. Tin Win spoke on the record.



Now a few quotes:

"Japanese foreign minister Masahiko Komura protested in the strongest terms at the killing of the 50-year-old journalist, Kenji Nagai, with his Burmese counterpart at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the Japanese press agency Kyodo reported Saturday. Komura also demanded an account of the circumstances surrounding the journalist's death. As far as could be gleaned from media reports, he was shot at close range and was not caught in crossfire, he said...According to reports in the Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun, the reporter was filming the protests Thursday at the Sule Pagoda, which has been a focal point for several of the demonstrations in Rangoon, when a military commander ordered soldiers to shoot. Nagai filmed the soldiers chasing protesters and then fled, but was pursued by a soldier who then shot him at close range. A Japanese doctor who examined his body said that the bullet had pierced his heart, according to the reports.

.../...

"Lawyer Shogo Watanabe, who represents many Burmese asylum-seekers in Japan, said the Japanese government should strongly reproach the Burmese junta and even try to take the international initiative to get the military government to move toward democratization of the country.

"The junta has put their hands on monks, who are untouchables (in their Buddhist culture), which showed that they will do anything to remain in power," Watanabe said. "But I think the people have stood up with a strong determination (to fight against the military regime.) And they won't stop now because they're afraid they may not have the chance to move toward democracy again for another 19 years, or even forever." (JT Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007 "Scholars split over sanctions")

.../...

"On the other hand, Toshiro Kudo, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies at the Japan External Trade Organization, opposes isolating Burmese government by imposing strict economic sanctions, calling for continuing dialogue instead. An expert on Asian diplomacy, Kudo said such sanctions will not improve the situation because Myanmar would simply rely on its connections with China, India and Thailand. Japan's decision to cut economic ties with the country will hurt the civilians the most and break its already tenuous connection with the junta. "Once the junta judges that Japan is no different from the U.S., it will close all doors of negotiation with Japan," Kudo said. The close relations between Burma and Japan are based on history, he added, noting that Japan played a role during World War II in putting the country on the path to independence." (JT Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007 "Scholars split over sanctions")

.../...

"French oil group Total says it has not made any new acquisitions or investments in Burma since 1998, after French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday urged the company to freeze investments in the southeast Asian country. Total defended its business in Burma, saying companies that would take their place in the country may be less ethical. The French oil giant directly employs at least 240 people in Burma, and operates the Yadana offshore gas field, selling the majority of its product to Thailand. Chevron, a U.S. oil company, also has a stake in the Yadana project. Critics say the money brought in by foreign investors like Total keeps the current military regime in power. Burma is thought to have substantial supplies of natural gas and oil that have attracted energy companies from China, India, and Malaysia."

.../...

"August 11, 2002: Bush’s Advisers Advocate Attacking Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Other Countries. A Newsweek article suggests that some of Bush’s advisers advocate not only attacking Iraq, but also Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Egypt, and Burma, shocking many. One senior British official tells the magazine: “Everyone wants to go to Baghdad. Real men want to go to Tehran.” [Newsweek, 8/11/2002; Newsweek, 8/11/2002]"

Japon: La bataille des héritiers

Le Parti libéral-démocrate (PLD, droite au pouvoir)
doit élire dimanche prochain son nouveau président
qui deviendra automatiquement le premier ministre
du Japon. Remake du duel historique entre les deux
factions (courants) des Fukuda-Tanaka!

A droite, 71 ans, Yasuo Fukuda, un modéré, est
donné vainqueur de la course à la succession du
premier ministre Shinzo Abe, face à son unique
adversaire, le bouillonnant Taro Aso, ancien chef
de la diplomatie nippone, ultra conservateur.
(gauche sur l'image.)

«Je dois mener à bien des réformes sans oublier
la vie quotidienne des gens», a plaidé M. Fukuda,
en mettant en garde contre «une forme excessive
de rationalisme économique».

Les'exposant aux questions des journalistes étrangers,
devant 250 personnes j'ai demandé aux 2 hommes
politiques ce qu'il était advenu du "leadership" des
hommes politiques japonais depuis l'hyper actif nippon
Junichiro Koizumi et si une dissolution de l'Assemblée
Nationale nippone était en vue pour redonner une
"légitimité" au PLD intelligemment attaqué par
l'opposition du PDJ de M. Ozawa.

«Je ne pense pas que je sois en mesure d'exercer le
même type d'autorité» que l'ancien premier ministre
Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006), a avoué M. Fukuda,
en complet-veston gris, dans une conférence de presse
commune au FCCJ mon club des correspondants au
Japon donnée avec M. Aso.

Mais aucun d'entre eux n'a commenté sur la dissolution
pourtant murmurée récemment par M. Fukuda.
(Un ancien de la firme pétrolière Maruzen)

J'ai ensuite affronté 10 interviews de la presse nippone
et des télévisions japonaises dont NHK (Le France 2 japonais)
qui a repris mes commentaires dans sa "grand-messe"
du 21:00.

Ce qui me surprend est que le PLD se dit tres different
du principal parti d'opposition du PDJ, or, les leaders
Ozawa et Hatoyama sortent eux-aussi du PLD et ont
use leurs premiers Katana sur les memes cibles que
sont les reformateurs et les socialistes "a la japonaise".

Le Japon a reussi en ce sens a gommer de la vie
politique, et son controle par l'opinion, des pans
entiers du debat democratique. Ouvrant la voie a des
derives dangereuses. Une democratie pourtant pas
inconnue sous l' Ere Taisho, ou immediatement apres
guerre.

Impression de malaise d'une societe vieillissante
qui a perdu son esprit dynamique de "miracle
econonique permanent", avec comme chef de l'executif,
un venerable chef de clan de... 71 ans contraint de satisfaire
les exigences d'une opinion en derive, de voisins exigeants,
et d'une amerique "alliee" encombrante et bruyante.

G-8 Hokkaido: Bon sens... interdit!

Je rentre d'un reportage de Hokkaido pour les
préparatifs du prochain sommet du G - 8. En 2008, les
7, 8 et 9 Juillet, ce sera au Japon dans la région de
Toyako, perdu pas loin de Sakhaline et de la Sibérie.

Un séisme et une éruption volcanique tous les 20 ans.
Faudra viser juste!



"L’image de l’archipel ne devrait pas s’arranger après la
mésaventure qui vient d’arriver à quelques eco-touristes
au large d’Hokkaido pris au piège d'une chasse a la baleine
par des pêcheurs nippons furieux. Les eco-touristes se sont
approchés au plus près du baleinier. Les passagers des
bateaux ont hurlé leur dégoût, mais il était trop tard.
Le mal était fait." (citation agences)



Bien que le thème du sommet 2008 soit l'environnement,
le Japon va bassiner la presse avec la langue de bois de ses
officiels et surtout nous parquer dans la montagne avec
les ours, et nous enquiquiner en nous isolant dans un
media center à des kilomètres et des heures de voiture
de l'hôtel des «présidents » devenu citadelle.

Cet hôtel du G-8, le "Windsor", un nom très japonais,
est un typique héritage des projets pharaoniques
transmis part les mafieux de la bulle financière des
années 90, un hôtel moche comme tout, accroché en
haut d'une montagne inaccessible aux médias. Of course.
L'addition de ces projets des criminels en col blanc a été
payée par les contribuables. Hôtel re ouvert, loué en 2002
aux VIP de la Fifa qui n'a pas envoyé ses clients, vu l'ennui
et... le manque d'intérêt des Geishas peu... inspirées.



On nous promet une hyper sécurité électronique qui
sera l'obstacle des temps modernes à notre boulot et
l'on aura droit à une férocité en béton armé des flics
et même des japonais locaux héritiers des brigands du
siècle dernier qui sous l'Empereur Meiji ont massacré
les premiers habitants, les Ainous. Puis ont abrité
des camps de prisonniers de guerre, des POW exterminés
dans le plus grand silence.

On craint donc que les mauvaises habitudes n'aient pas
disparues comme on a pu le constater en discutant d'emploi
des immigrés avec des chinois. Les nouveaux esclaves des firmes
nipponnes. Ou en notant la langue de bois des communautés
locales embrigadées dans le mensonge national d'un Japon,
imaginaire, soudain amoureux de l'environnement.

Pardon?

Impression tragi comique en écoutant les diplomates nippons
pour un foutage de gueule intégral, face aux VIP du G-8, face
aux médias, face aux ONG et ONP et aux mouvements anti
mondialisation désireux de parler de nature, de démocratie,
d'alternatives aux options de quelques grandes puissances.

Démocratie? Nan desu ka?

Bref, les enquiquineurs nippons voudraient-ils aussi
"dissuader" la presse internationale et les chercheurs
de faire leur boulot avec la complicite des pays membres?
Pas d'hôtels suffisants, et très chers, certains a 2 heures
du media center. Sympa! La Corée du nord est proche.

La-haut sur la montagne de Toya, Sarko et son jogging
du matin est compromis sauf sur les parcours de golf entre
2 ours atteints par la pollution au mercure.

La montagne fait face à un lac plus triste qu'un lac Suisse.
Cecilia va craquer et pas de « grilauvent » comme Wolfeboro,
chez Bush.



Mais le plus lamentable est de voir avec quel cynisme
les japonais traitent le thème de l'environnement, et
aussi, avec quel mépris (ce n'est pas moins
problématique) le Japon considère la question
même de l'élargissement du G-8 à d'autres nations…

Interrogée par un journaliste français, la Gouverneur de
Hokkaido n'a pas même daigné répondre sur ce point.
Mépris habituel des officiels japonais pour tout ce qui est
français, sauf pour la bouffe et les sacs à main.

Bonjour tristesse!

Shinzo Abe aveuglé...

... par un excès de confiance?

Qu'adviendra t il des réformes, de la place du Japon
dans le monde, des lois de défense et sécurité collective
les milieux économiques sont moins inquiets que les
commentateurs des mass medias...

Pourtant.

La coalition au pouvoir au Japon a subi une défaite
historique aux élections sénatoriales de dimanche 29
Juillet, perdant sa majorité à la Chambre haute. Les
électeurs "ont montré leur colère", a reconnu le
Premier ministre Shinzo Abe, tout en excluant de
démissionner. Selon les projections, le Parti
libéral-démocrate (PLD) de Shinzo Abe et son allié, le
petit parti bouddhiste Nouveau Komeito, obtiendraient
105 sièges contre 137 au Parti Démocrate sur 242. Le
gouvernement de Shinzo Abe a été rongé par des
scandales qui ont poussé l'un de ses ministres à se
suicider. L'un des dossiers brûlants concernait la
disparition de 50 millions de dossiers de retraites
des japonais. Le Premier ministre Abe affirme pouvoir
rester en place au sommet du PLD et procédera à un
remaniement gouvernemental fin Août.

Les 2 "étranges" candidats, la petite fille du
criminel de guerre Tojo et l'ancien président Péruvien
Fujimori, retenu par les autorités judiciaires
Chiliennes pour enquête sous les accusations de
corruption et de violations des droits de l'homme, ont
été rejeté par les électeurs dont moins de 59% se sont
rendus aux urnes.


Image, le Japon tel qu'il est.

Les commentaires des media avides de sensations et de
politique spectacle ont bizarrement tous évoqué la
thèse de l'extrême difficulté à gouverner pour le
premier ministre Shinzo Abe, il n'en n'est rien si
l'on prend la peine d'étudier l'article 59 de la
Constitution japonaise:

(En anglais) Article 59: Japan Constitution

"A bill becomes a law on passage by both Houses,
except as otherwise provided for by the Constitution.
2) A bill, which is passed by the House of
Representatives, and upon which the House of
Councillors makes a decision different from that of
the House of Representatives, becomes a law when
passed a second time by the House of Representatives
by a majority of two-thirds or more of the members
present. 3) The provision of the preceding paragraph
does not preclude the House of Representatives from
calling for the meeting of a joint committee of both
Houses, provided for by law. 4) Failure by the House
of Councillors to take final action within sixty(60)
days after receipt of a bill passed by the House of
Representatives, time in recess excepted, may be
determined by the House of Representatives to
constitute a rejection of the said bill by the House
of Councillors."

Shinzo Abe, dont le bloc conservateur a subi une
lourde défaite aux élections sénatoriales, prépare
maintenant un remaniement de son cabinet qui pourrait
intervenir fin août, selon l'agence Kyodo. Abe a
affirmé son intention de rester au pouvoir malgré le
revers essuyé par sa coalition au scrutin de dimanche.

En revanche la difficulté majeure viendra des rangs de
la coalition actuellement au pouvoir qui réunit des
parlementaires PLD, au parti fragilisé, et le parti
Nouveau Komei, allié de la Soka Gakkai. C'est ici que
le ré-alignement des forces politiques est attendu et
pourrait susciter un Eté "chaud" tant la défaite de Mr
Abe a été qualifiée d'historique. Verra t on de
nouveaux ultra conservateurs aux commandes ou le
retour éventuel, suite a de nouvelles élections, du
charismatique Junichiro Koizumi doté d'excellents
sondages de popularité chez les électeurs japonais?
A suivre.


Image, le Japon tel quil se rêve en "terminator."

Resistance sparkling Okinawa shallow waters

Okinawa, July 25th, I fly to Okinawa thousands of
kilometers from Tokyo, I am on a special assignment
report about this pearl of the Pacific island part of
Japan archipelago. Okinawa is the location of an
impressive and dissuasive US military armada. 70% of
US military forces are stationed on Okinawa since it
was reversed to Japan in 1972. About 26000 US
military personal live here and criss cross the whole
Asia and Middle East for security and military
operations. Okinawa is under their thumb and
Okinawans don't like it at all.

Opposition remains firm from population who feels
harassed but also needs the economical assets provided
by US military bases.

There, a few days ago, at Henoko beach where the USA
and Japan government seem to agree to build a new
runway for its Air Forces, an issue far from being
resolved by Tokyo government and local Okinawans
nature lovers, an incident happened, as many before,
between Okinawans and military forces.



One activist, Teruo Onishi of the Nago Peace Commitee,
embarked with us on our frail wooden boat. In spite
of the distance to approach the activists off shore,
we could reach the 3 boats that permanently strike
since nearly 4 years! There we met Taira Natsume, who
could have died from the hand of a JSMDF diver as
local press stated after a very nasty under water
lethal alike struggle between well trained military
divers and peaceful but unwavering activists.

Taira san told us how events got sour after an anti-base
activist action opposed to building a new U.S. airfield at
Henoko and took his protest to a physical violence
level. He was physically trying to block a military diver
from doing his job. The Japan Maritime Self Defense
Forces divers were inspecting underwater sonar
equipment and repairing damages to moorings caused by
Typhoon Man-Yi.

Natsume Taira, leader of the Peace Liaison Network, a
Christian, approached the divers and began disrupting
their work re-securing the sonar units. Taira and
other activists have learned scuba diving in order to
take their protests beneath the water, where they
could watch JSDF divers.



The three divers report that they first ignored Taira
as he interfered with their work. During the scuffle
that ensued, anti-base divers claim one of the JSDF
divers turned off the oxygen valve on Taira’s scuba
air tank, and he was forced to return to the
surface. Taira, whose encounter with the divers was
documented by another underwater anti-base activist
with a camera, now charges the diver tried to kill
him. He is threatening a lawsuit against the JSDF,
claiming the divers’ action prevented him from
breathing. “I am going to contact my lawyer,” he
says, “and see if we can take this to court.”

"Do you think the JMSDF diver wanted to kill you or
just scare you as you are a good diver"? I asked him.
"I do not know for sure if his intentions were to kill
me, but why did he cut air from my tanks? What we
want is simply to preserve life and nature, and this is
why we are opposing the construction of the runway for
the US and Japanese military forces".

When we visited the place, I myself felt a bit of
anxiety when we saw a threatening Japan Coast Guard
helicopter approaching our small boat and the
opponents' cruisers. The chopper flew above our
heads, monitoring and, we guessed, filming our small
boats off shore. Then after spying on us, to the
point to interfere in our freedom of report, and
hearing a few words from the sea... the Coast
Guard helicopter escaped.



Taira's father is a minister who gave him the sense of
moral responsibility and duty and a sense of givings,
his mother Etsumi san said. "

"I belong to a small NGO and I had occasion to bring
medicines to Iraq and went to Fallujah in 2003",
Natsume said. "I consider myself as a responsible
citizen of Okinawa." He said to me before to jump in
the emerald shallow bay of Henoko, marvelous location
for nature lovers indeed and refuge to the famous
endangered specie, the Dugongs.

Okinawa Mayor Mrs. Toumon raised strong issues against
American and Japanese military forces recently at
FCCJ. She strongly believes that the message of peace
from Okinawa has strengthened. Her city of
Okinawa organizes the Kijimuna Festa, an International
Festival for Young Audience, currently into its third
year of its dreamlike art project, at public
facilities in Okinawa City. 250 performing artists
from 15 countries are coming to Okinawa with their
sophisticated art including workshop for Ballet star
such as the extraordinary Dominique Genevois.

Okinawa's Mayor Toumon more than ever stated her
desire to lead Okinawa and youth's lives with ideals
of peace and "nurture individuals and sensitivity".
Are they all ready to face challenges? One roof is
certainly the vitality of the environmental appeal for
the protection of Okinawa's nature to the point of
close confrontation.

Mayor Toumon is helped in this Festa by the famous producer
Shimoyama Hisashi and Okinawa history specialist, the
excellent academic and author Ooshiro Masayasu. (Pen
name Shima Tsuyoshi)

Today, the Oceanic culture of Okinawa, a crossroad
between Asian seas and the Pacific ocean, an Umi no
Kuni, developed a strong commitment to natural
"resistance and identity" as the author Shima
Tsuyoshi wrote. Indeed it is necessary to come and
see the pearl of southern waters to understand what
these words mean to the proud and gentle islanders.



This pic shows how many military bases the United
States has on Okinawa. With these multitudes of
military bases which are present on the Ryukyu Islands, the
Okinawans do not enjoy the military presence. In the
spring of 1996, three United States serviceman were
found guilty in the rape of a 12 year old Okinawan
girl. Since then, more actions have been made to
reduce the amount of space the military bases take up.

The United States military bases have taken up 20
percent of the best Okinawan beaches. The beaches in
Okinawa are a large attraction to tourists. In July
2000 another U.S. serviceman was found guilty of
breaking into a 14 year old girl's room and molesting
her. Time to reflect on the people's needs, with realism.
Okinawans say.

Culture of Okinawa:

To understand the personality of Okinawans:
Two main religions are dominating Okinawa. Animism
and Shamanism have both been influenced by other
religions brought during the influence of Japan and
China.

Animism is the belief that spirits can be found
everywhere in the world. The ancestral spirits, heart
spirit, well spirit, spring spirit, house spirit, tree
spirit, and rock spirit are known as kami. People
involved with Animism believe that relgious rituals
and making the gods happy will keep the bad away and
bring blessings. The most beloved worship sites are
utake, a sacred grove, and the uganju, an honorable
praying place.

Shamanism has two major spirits, the kaminchu and
yuta. Both positions are held by women. The kaminchu
performs relgious rites and the position is passed
down hereditarily. The yuta, a figure between the
spirit world and living world, has supernatural powers
of seeing and hearing. She makes suggestions of what
actions to take. A role held by men is the sanjinso,
fortuneteller. This role has lesser importance than
the kaminchu or yuta. The fortunes are told using the
lunar almanac, I Ching, and some other sources. The
hinukan, fire god, is used as a messenger to the gods.
Many Okinawans use a ceramic censer, kouro, to pray to
hinukan. Many Okinawans also have ancestral shirnes
in the house.

Statistics

Total Population: 1.3 million
Exact Location: 24'' 02' N to 27'' 51' N
Number of Islands: 42 inhabited and 16 uninhabited
Total Land Area: 2,267.48 sq. km
Land Area of Okinawa Island only: 1,199 sq. km

Life style:
Small villages with red tile-roofed houses are the
main housing for Okinawans. Rice and pork are the
main foods eaten. Farming and fishing are a major
occupation. Only the cities have become somewhat
westernized with heavy traffic and Western clothing.
The University of the Ryukyus is located in Naha and
is Okinawa's major higher education system.