Kurashi - News From Japan

NHK, also recently known as the "Abe Channel" said today that the Prime Minister "was speaking at a conference of an international environmental NGO in Tokyo on Thursday." NHK World: Abe: Japan will do its best for climate agreement But NHK World would not tell us what NGO that was, so I did a search. Neither google nor yahoo had any hints about a major NGO conference on October 15, 2015, so I went to the home page of the PM, and on its Japanese website (not very international) there was a note about today's event, ＧＥＡ国際会議２０１５ (J). So I searched for that. And found nothing, neither in Japanese nor in English, nothing about today's "international" event. Turns out, the "international environmental NGO" is an affiliate of the Japanese government, here: Global Environmental Action (E). Among its "Membership Companies" you get Mitsui and Mitsubishi. "Supporting Members" are Tokyo Gas and TEPCO. Here is th...

We resisted this for a long time, but social media is a way to reach out to more people. Do join Consumers Union of Japan, and our humble Facebook page, if you are so inclined. https://www.facebook.com/nishoren I wish consumer organizations in other countries would also pick up "peace" as a major theme. How about it? On the left in the photo, let me introduce Oono-san, who edits the Nikkan Berita website. Cool dude who lives in Chichibu, Saitama. He knows all about Okinawa, if you need a quote (or some history of the issue). Or labour issues, or more. On the right, our very special ladies from the No! GMO Campaign. They know even more about genetic engineering and why we shouldn't be eating the stuff,  than I do. If you like Facebook, do sign up!

Do you drink "English tea" from Harrods, or Earl Grey from Twinings? Thinking it is worth the heavy price? Or Kirin's Afternoon Tea? Maybe you think the NGO Rain Forest Alliance label makes it worth even a little extra? So did I, until BBC and others revealed indescribable conditions for the workers at the plantations at India's Assam tea plantations. Shocking. BBC: The bitter story behind the UK's national drink Several of Britain's biggest tea brands, including PG Tips, Tetleys and Twinings, have said they will work to improve the tea estates they buy from in India after a BBC investigation found dangerous and degrading living and working conditions. Harrods has stopped selling some tea products in response, and Rainforest Alliance, the ethical certification organisation, has conceded the investigation has revealed flaws in its audit process. The joint investigation by Radio 4's File on Four and BBC News in Assam, north-east India, found ...

Just published is the 83rd issue of KJ, as it is known among fans. I have some old print issues that I hope will become really valuable at some point (just kidding) from when I first lived in Japan 1988-1993. This time, KJ is all digital, the topic is food, and what could be more timely? Japan, Asia and the world face a number of huge challenges, including food safety, food security, seed/genetic/biodiversity concerns, not to speak of water and agro-chemical/fertilizer related concerns. Climate change is already causing havoc. Fuel? It will not stay cheap forever, and then how do we keep supermarkets and convenience stores up-to-the-last-minute with the latest "fresh" goods? Fertilizers? Not up for grabs forever, either. Add to that land ownership legal battles, and the fact that in many places, farmers are aging and not enough young people are prepared to take over. Plus trade related issues like WTO/TPP and a "spaghetti bowl" of bilateral trade agreements ...

Quickly before it is too late... http://www.readthetpp.com/ ;)

I went to the large demonstration today at Hibiya in central Tokyo and in the warm, sunny weather, some 10,000 people showed up for the parade to surround the Parliament Building (Diet) - Japan's Palace of Westminster or Capitol Hill... Update : Kyodo (J) has the number of participants today as 14,000. The event was also billed as the "Democracy Convention 2015" in English. If you have ever been to a large demonstration elsewhere, prepare yourself for the utter control here in Japan. Police and riot vans are everywhere, but as long as things go smoothly, like today, you can bring your baby stroller and your grandma... The organizers are committed to peaceful protests and so be it. But, that may not be the way Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency sees things, according to Eric Johnston in The Japan Times: Security blanket: Should Japan beef up its anti-terrorism measures? Great coalition of hundreds of groups for solidarity with Okinawa an...

C onsumers, farmers, activists, and invited guests from Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, Germany, Sweden participated in the Korean demonstrations at the MOP7 meeting in Pyeongchang, October 2014. Among the topics were farmers' rights as well as local seed saving and consumers' right to know. Do share. Seems Japan has totaly ignored this opportunity to make any effort at all to lead in the effort to work for biodiversity. Korea isn't doing much better, but we can only hope. Or will they just pass the bucket to Mexico, the next host in 2018? People do attend these meetings hoping to make a difference. Why does industry (Monsanto, DuPont, Dow, Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, and others...) have such a massive influence on the results? Deutsche Welle: UN alarm over shrinking biodiversity Grim warnings on the earth's dwindling biodiversity have been given at the opening of a UN conference in South Korea. A UN report says governments are only...

The COP12 conference in South Korea is currently discussing all kinds of matters related to biodiversity, from falcons and sharks to illegal logging and "Action for a World Living in Harmony with Nature": Read more: http://biodiversity-l.iisd.org/guest-articles/how-cites-is-taking-concrete-action-for-a-world-living-in-harmony-with-nature-cites-contribution-to-the-un-decade-on-biodiversity/ The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from 1973 is contributing to: realizing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011-2020); achieving the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets; and celebrating the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity's vision of a world living in harmony with nature... Learn more about CITES by visiting www.cites.org or connecting to: www.facebook.com/CITES ; www.twitter.com/citesconvention ; www.youtube.com/citesvd ; and www.flickr.com/cites . The CBD Alliance is in Pyeongchang, and publishes dail...

What's the name of that children's game, where you get to hit one thing after another, and another one after the other pops up, and it is the same thing over and over? Same thing with TPP, the trade pact that seems to have no benefits at all, yet the economists and free market liberals and people in charge (who will no doubt profit from it since they own the right stock and have all the connections for future cushy jobs, aka revolving door or amakudari, with variations). Round after round of negotiations with little or no result. I went to the Brunei Round last year, and here we are, more smoke screens on the foggy radar (forgive mixed images). Ahem. Met a friend today, he just got married. Has his own issues, but loves nature and farming and has recently moved to an organic scheme near Tokyo, and he is getting a lot of attention. Young and handsome and generally genki. And even he said he was worried about TPP. "How can we farm if all these cheap foods are impor...

I like rivers, and moreover, I like people who care about rivers... Kiso River and the entire system that forms the Kiso Valley in Nagano, Gifu and then all the way down to Aiichi prefectures - such a treasure. Earlier this year, I went to Magome and visited the small towns like Tsugamo that remain intact since the Edo era. I hope you can stay there and enjoy the tranquility of ancient Japan. Just a couple of hours from some of the busiest cities on Earth, such rural places remain to inspire and educate. These towns do a lot better than some of the "shutter towns" in more urban settings. Why? Because of tourism? I don't think so. The secret is in the appreciation of the values that have been a cornerstone of life here, for a long time . Kiso Valley is located north east of Nagoya, a couple of hours by train, in Nagano-ken. In the old days, when voyagers were taking weeks to travel from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto, and all the way to Nagasaki, one of the main roads...

...Here is one place that will let you get started. PARC in Nerima is a Free School that has some land and people that can lend you a hand. They do it the Japanese way, but hey, that's why we are here, right? All organic or at least no pesticides, and the rest is up to you! Shiroishi-sensei's family has been growing veggies here in Oizumicho, Nerima for 300 years or so. Groups meet on Saturdays at 10 AM and get basic training before heading out to their own plots. You get to grow your choice of some 30 different veggies during the four seasons during the one year course. They also offer optional rice planting for those so inclined. Sign up now for next year! PARC (Pacific Asia Reseach Center) Freedom School was founded in 1982. More details here (J) and they are also looking for volunteers to translate and help out as interns . PARC is a non-profit organization committed in international social and economic justice. Since 1973, we have been working with a va...

Japan's Environment Ministry has released its annual report and notes that "the release of radioactive materials following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident remains Japan's biggest environmental problem, " according to NHK World . Little surprise there, but good to note that it is put squarely on the agenda and not swept under the carpet... Image from NHK The report says building intermediate storage facilities for contaminated soil and other waste is essential to speed up the decontamination work and promote reconstruction. The government plans to build such facilities near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The report also says determining amounts of radiation exposure is important for managing the health of residents. The report points to the need to provide better information to alleviate their concerns. It notes Fukushima Prefecture's efforts to train personnel for health consultations. The white paper also calls for rapidly moving ah...

I saw Paul at Tokyo Dome when he first played the old Beatles tunes, 1989 or so. Was glad to have him back again but now he is - down - with a cold so here is a medley of videos, from Shea Stadium and The Budokan, back in 1965 and 1966. So very much loved here in Japan, after all these years. Back then I was impressed that he promoted Friends of the Earth , the NGO here in Japan. Do support them, if you have the means. Paul has also always been a proponent of the vegetarian way of life, and encouraged " Meat Free Mondays " for people who needed that kind of inspiration. Climate change? EAT LESS MEAT is a major message if you try to contribute to a world that has looked at all the evidence, and we need to get the message across. Is it that difficult? Paul says, it is the kids that give us the hope for the future. I like how Paul also supports meditation  McCartney has also in the past called for Transcendental Meditation to be used in schools. He said: “I believe...

What a lot of travels and what everyone here calls the 連休 (renkyuu, consecutive days off) or "Golden Week" but here are some links that I think are important. Andrew DeWit has a great take on Obama's visit and how a US-Japan Green Alliance may be the key to the future. Heavy on military information but why not? The Pentagon apparently is way ahead of whoever-is-in-charge here in Japan when it comes to visions for defense that will not depend on oil. Japan Focus: Could a US-Japan “Green Alliance” Transform the Climate-Energy Equation? There was no emphasis on US-Japan military cooperation on climate change, even though the US military itself has for years identified climate change as the mother of all threats, including fully 8 detailed references to “climate change” and its consequences in its March 4, 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR 2014). Indeed, the American green military-industrial complex is openly calling for NATO to focus even more on climate ch...