IMA 3-Year Anniversary @ Tokyo this Sunday: Celebrating awakening, resilience, compassion, community as we transition to a Post-3/11 World

Right: Poster for Jeffrey's Jousan's "Tohoku Laughing"; Right: Dean Newcombe and Justin Berti of IMA. 

Photo: IMA (Intrepid Model Adventures) 3 year Anniversary Party!

Until 3/11, nuclear plants supplied one third of Japan's energy; they're all offline now. However, they're poised for restarts in March. Instead of systemizing the radical energy conservation efforts instituted right after the Fukushima meltdowns and aggressively supporting a shift to renewable energy, the Japanese government and energy companies have turned to global-warming fossil fuels: oil, coal, LNG (liquified natural gas) to make up for the loss. Because of this increase in imported energy (compounded by a monetary policy aimed at devaluing the yen), Japan posted a record trade deficit in 2013, an economically unsustainable situation used to justify the planned return to nuclear power. 

However, the proposed restarts won't be met with complacence. Heightened awareness and social energy in post-3/11 Japan has given rise to deepening collaboration between old and new Nuclear-Free activists, Japanese people and expats, across interrelated issues (organic, local, slow, low-consumption, fossil-free, renewable energy, fair trade), and across borders.

This month a lot of this amazing energy is visible above radar. Canadian environmentalist Severn Cullis-Suzuki (daughter of David Suzuki) is traveling throughout Japan, screening Occupy Love, Velcrow Ripper's third film in his "Fierce Love" trilogy about nonviolent grassroots environmental and social change movements.

And one of the founders of Beautiful Energy, Dean Newcombe, has been spotlighted in a nice feature by Liane Wakabayashi at JT. The Japan-based Scottish model, founder of Intrepid Model Adventures, shared his story about how he was spurred to personal action after witnessing the plight of 3/11 survivors.

Knew Dean Newcombe and his colleagues are dynamic, but didn't realize the breadth, depth, interconnections of their activities. It's a little hard to keep up: volunteering and raising funds for reconstruction in Tohoku; bringing hot meals to and supporting nuclear evacuees from Futaba; supporting fair trade; raising funds for typhoon reconstruction in the Phillipines; instituting a scholarship fund for an orphanage in Bali; supporting Hafu David Yano's NGO which is building a school in Ghana; initiating Beautiful Energy's Nuclear Free/Renewable Energy advocacy every Friday in Tokyo; and screening socially significant films.

The charismatic leader and networker  explained how serendipity, combined with intentional support of authenticity, snowballed his initiative in Tohoku into many directions :

“One of the surprises that perhaps I didn’t expect,” says Newcombe, “is that the volunteers that worked with me in Tohoku would step forward to suggest Tohoku-related support projects that we could do in Tokyo.”

“I want them to apply skills they were born with to make right what they believe is wrong. Deep down we all see what is wrong and unjust in this world. It’s just our choice whether we do something about it!”

This Sunday, IMA and related groups are celebrating their three-year anniversary all day at the Pink Cow in Tokyo.

2pm – A documentary film "Tohoku Laughing" (笑う東北) by Jeffrey Jousan (30 minutes)

(Photo: IMA (Intrepid Model Adventures) 3 year Anniversary Party!)

Events include the screening of Tohoku Laughing" (笑う東北), a 30-minute documentary by Jeffrey Jousan:

Filmed in September 2012 in Miharu, Fukushima, Ishinomaki, Kitakamigawa, Oiwake Hot Spring and Minami Sanriku

It took about 2 years after the Tsunami but people in Tohoku that we met started saying that they could finally laugh again,as if they had entered a new stage in dealing with their horrific experiences. Everyone's process of dealing with these events continues and will continue for some time.

This is a little film to share the healing and life affirming power of laughter, from the awesome people of Tohoku. Please come to Tohoku and laugh!

This post sounds like a valentine, because it is, to all at Beautiful Energy, Hot Meals for the People of Fukushima (双葉町交流プロジェクト( and IMA, MTM, et al., with appreciation for their efforts (born out of compassion), creating ripple effects, bringing people together in unexpected ways to help actualize the best in each other and a peaceful, affirmative, life-sustaining world.

(Photo: Beautiful Energy)

Irankarapte! Ainu to Aou Concert event @Osaka, Feb. 23, 2014

Irankarapte! Ainu to Aou Concert event   日本語以下　

Sunday, February 23rd 13:30 to 15:30 (Doors open at 13:00)

Irankarapte Ainu to Aou! Irankarapte- Let's meet Ainu!

Song and dance concert based on beautifully illustrated Ainu picture books. Through this concert event children can learn about Ainu in an easy to understand way.

Entrance free!!

For more information contact:
Osaka Shimin koryu Center North
http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/shimin/page/0000064688.html

(*Still looking for people to help out with the event, so if you are available get in touch through the minaminanokai facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/minaminanokai)

2／23日曜日 13:30(受付13時)〜15:30
出演:ミナミナの会
主催:大阪市立市民交流センターすみよし北 指定管理者 公益財団法人住吉隣保事業推進協会

場所:大阪私立市民交流センター
すみよし北ホール

「イランカラプテ アイヌとであおう」
絵本を通して唄や踊り、演奏を踏まえながら、お子さんから、わかりやすく
アイヌ民族を知っていただけるよう楽しいコンサートです。
入場無料(先着順)
※350名なり次第締め切りとさせていただきます。

お問合せ先
大阪市立市民交流センターすみよし北
地図 http://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/shimin/page/0000064688.html
〒558ー0054
大阪市住吉区帝塚山東5-3-21
☎︎06-6674-3731
📠06-6674-3710

【最寄駅】 南海高野線「住吉東」下車 5分 阪堺電気軌道「神ノ木」下車 5分

※人手不足のため、私達と一緒に前日のリハーサル、本番と裏方としてお手伝いしていただける方を募集しています。音響、証明、映像のお手伝いです。興味がある方はミナミナの会、フェイスブック上にてコメントいただければこちらからコメント通してご連絡いたします。
よろしくお願いします！

Stories from the spirit world and heart of Ainumosir @ Sakaimachi Garow, Kyoto - February 22, 2014

Ainu Art Project founder, artist and storyteller Yuki Koji will be in Kyoto for the first time in years to share his new hanga (woodblock prints) and stories from the world of the spirits. Nagane Aki will also be performing on the mukkuri and tonkori and tea and snacks will come with entry. **English translation not available.

Stories from the spirit world and heart of Ainumosir (note the play on words in the Japanese title!)

2/22 (Saturday) 15:00 doors open 15:30 event starts
Location: Sakaimachi Garow (http://sakaimachi-garow.com/blog/?page_id=110)
Nearest station: Karasuma Oike
Entrance fee: 2800円（with reservation 2500円）

For more information contact: information@sakaimachi-garow.com

Deep Kyoto: "Taking my time getting to work this morning (in snowy Kyoto)"

Nishi-Honganji, Western Temple of the Original Vow," 
one of two Jōdo Shinshu (Pure Land Buddhist) temple complexes in Kyoto.
(This & more beautiful photos of Kyoto in the morning snow: Deep Kyoto)

Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine: "Former Defense Minister Morimoto once said there is no military reason for the bases to be in Okinawa. It's just more politically expedient & easier to have them in Okinawa...It is the people of Okinawa who have bore the burden for 68 years."

Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine detailing the rich biodiversity of Henoko and Oura Bay at the FCCJ

(Photo: AFP via Channelnewsasia.com)

More in-depth than TEDx, and the closest thing to C-SPAN re Japanese news, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (FCCJ) videos of press events are terrific windows into Japanese (and now Okinawan) society, economics, and politics.

In his Feb. 13 talk at the FCCJ, Susumu Inamine, mayor of Nago, Okinawa, explains how the Henoko plan would increase the military base burden on Okinawa. Partial transcript:

It is not simply a transfer...New facilities and new functions would be added that are not present in Futenma today...First of all there would be a V-shaped (actually 2) runways. In Futenma today, they only have one...They would be building up embankments so that very large ships would be able to load or berth...What is being built here is a military port...

If you look beyond Henoko, you will see very large, ecologically diverse Oura Bay...We have many different kinds of coral reefs in this area. It is an area frequented by sea turtles and dugongs...There are many sea grass beds which serve as a place where the dugong feed...This area has been designated as an area that should be protected for its rich, biodiverse marine life. If the Henoko base were built as planned, it would be be damaging this irreplaceable natural environment....

The fact that I was chosen as mayor is a clear reflection of the people's will on this issue...As such, since we do live in a democratic nation, I think the expression of the will of the people should be given the utmost respect...What is the future of democracy in our nation?

Q: It is not the US military forces that want this sea-based military port, but actually Japanese involved in domestic politics who want this base.

A: I very much agree with what you're saying...There's no specific indication that a new facility has to be built in Okinawa; it just has to be built in Japan...However no other place wanted this base, so they decided to build it in Henoko...

Q: Why has the Japanese government taken such an inflexible position on this issue?

A:...The Japanese government...has been using the security alliance as a shield  to justify all of their requests:..."They serve as a deterrent...Okinawa is the geographically advantageously placed for these bases..."However, former Defense Minister Morimoto once said there is no military reason for the bases to be in Okinawa. It's just more politically expedient and easier to have them in Okinawa...

All of these justifications no longer work. It is simply a political decision....No one else, no other region in Japan wants these facilities....

Okinawa only has 0.6% of the land mass of Japan...It only represents 1% of the population. We have little power and influence....What I believe the Japanese government most fears...is for the voices of the Okinawan people and knowledge about the Okinawan situation to reach all the Japanese people, for these ideas to spread in Japan.

A: Would you speak to the issue of the US government forcing the base issue, both in Okinawa and to the Japanese government?

...I will go back to the end of WWII...when the US-Japan Security Pact was signed...It was called an administrative agreement which eventually led to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). As a result of all these agreements, it was decided the area south of Amami-Oshima (an island south of Japan) would be used by the US Forces. In other words, the US Forces occupied this area for basically 27 years.

During this time, the US had free rein to do as they wished. If they wanted to take private land, the owners were forced to lease out this land to the US Forces, so the US was allowed to build all the bases they wished. Because of the Security Pact, the Japanese government allowed all these things to occur without trying to step in...For many, many years, after the end of WWII, if the US wanted a piece of land...they had freedom to do as they wished. This was the time that the suffering of the Okinawan people began.

The High Commissioner had great powers, even over Japanese administrative officials...Depending on the whim of the High Commissioner, all of their decisions could be overturned...One High Commissioner said the idea of autonomous self-rule in Okinawa is a myth. This continued for 27 years.  During that time, the people of Okinawa lived inside a giant US base. They were deprived of their freedom to live as they wished. The situation has basically continued during the entire 68 years after the end of WWII. The Japanese government has allowed this situation to occur.

In fact, to give an example of some terrible words spoken by Japanese officials, when it was decided that the Osprey aircraft would be deployed to Okinawa, Prime Minister Noda said at the time, if these are activities that occur within a US military base, then these are activities that can only be controlled by the US military; we (the Japanese government) have no position to say anything about that. The idea that a prime minister would say that about territory belonging to that nation is a reflection of the fact that the government of Japan has treated Okinawa in a very discriminatory way.

They have basically cut off Okinawa from the rest of the nation. We see it's been the government of the US pursuing its own national interests. It's been the government of Japan pursuing its own national interests. And as a result, it is the people of Okinawa who have bore the burden for 68 years.

View Mayor Inamine's entire press talk at the FCCJ here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvuaFHQ1Nfc.

The Okinawa Times: Save the Dugong Too! ジュゴンも守って！

Via The Okinawa Times:

Save the Dugong, too!
2014年2月11日

The dugong, which has been designated a “National Monument” by Japan, lives in the ocean surrounding Okinawa prefecture. It is a large water mammal that is in the Sirenia order with the manatee. The main island of Okinawa is at the northern end of the dugong’s habitat range. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment considered the dugong as being at extreme risk of extinction and placed it in the “Endangered Species IA Class”. Global interest in the dugong’s survival is very high as shown by three resolutions adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for the protection of the Okinawan dugong.

In 2001, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment announced that a three-year survey confirmed a total of 12 Okinawan dugongs. At the time of revisions to the Red List (of Japanese endangered species) in 2007, it was estimated that 50 or fewer Okinawan dugongs were alive. Experts, however, have pointed out that the “possible population [for Okinawan dugongs] is ten or fewer”.

Dugongs have frequently been sighted at Henoko, the land area chosen to be the site for relocation of Futenma Air Station. An environmental impact assessment conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Defense for the proposed station relocation confirmed the presence of three dugongs. The Ministry claims it will “be able to preserve [the dugong] through environment protection measures” even after going ahead with the landfill project for the station.

However, dugongs clearly feed in the ocean off Henoko and in adjacent Oura Bay. Japanese environmental groups are strongly opposed to the offshore landfill project at Henoko because it will decimate sea grass beds which substance for dugongs. Also the sea routes for transporting landfill material will encroach on their migratory path.

Environmental groups in both the U.S. and Japan brought the “Okinawan Dugong” case to the U.S. Federal Court in San Francisco under the National Historical Preservation Act (NHPA) in 2008. The court ruled that the dugong must be protected by the NHPA and that the base construction clearly violated that law. It also ordered the Department of Defense, as a responsible party, to address the protection of dugongs.

From another perspective, it appears the Okinawans are the dugongs of Japan and need immediate help to survive.

ジュゴンも守って！

　沖縄近海には国の天然記念物ジュゴンが生息している。マナティと同じ海牛目の海生哺乳動物で、沖縄本島が生息域の北限とされる。環境省は絶滅の危険性が極めて高い「絶滅危惧種ＩＡ類」に指定。国際自然保護連合（ＩＵＣＮ）が沖縄のジュゴン保護を求める勧告・決議を３度採択するなど国際的に関心が高い。

　環境省は２００１年から３年間の調査で、延べ１２頭を確認したと発表。０７年のレッドリスト改訂の際には、成体の個体数を５０頭未満と推定した。専門家の間では「生息可能性は１０頭以下」と指摘されている。

　米軍普天間飛行場の移設先とされる名護市辺野古の周辺でも、たびたびジュゴンが目撃されている。移設に伴う防衛省の環境影響評価では３頭を確認。埋め立てを実施した場合でも、「環境保全措置で保全できる」としている。

　一方で、辺野古沿岸や隣接する大浦湾ではジュゴンが餌を食べた跡が多数見つかっている。日本の環境団体などは埋め立てで、ジュゴンの餌となる海草藻場が減少することや土砂を運ぶ船のルートがジュゴンの回遊経路と重なることなどから、ジュゴンの生息に大きな影響が出ると埋め立てに反対している。

　日米の環境保護団体などが米国国家歴史保存法（ＮＨＰＡ）に基づき、米国で起こした「沖縄ジュゴン訴訟」でサンフランシスコ連邦地裁は２００８年、「ジュゴンは同法で保護されるべきで、基地建設は同法違反」と判断。米国防総省に対し、当事者としてジュゴン保護に取り組むよう命じた。

　見方を変えれば、沖縄が“日本のジュゴン”のようであり、緊急の保護を必要としている。（福元大輔）

Severn Cullis-Suzuki "Love is the Movement" Japan Tour • Simultaneous screenings of Velcrow Ripper's Occupy Love

"If you can’t fix the environment, please stop breaking it!” Severn said to the world leaders at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. She was only twelve years old. A video of her speech presenting environmental issues from a youth perspective went viral, and Severn Cullis-Suzuki became known around the world as “The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes." 

Severn, daughter of Japanese Canadian scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki, is now 34-years-old and an environmental activist, speaker, television host and author. She has spoken around the world about environmental issues, urging listeners to define their values, act with the future in mind, and take individual responsibility. 

For the first time in six years, Severn returns to Japan for “Love is the Movement” – a series of talks about the future of the human race in the face of global environmental crisis. Issues covered include the localization movement, the fair trade movement, and other movements that focus on quality of life for our children and future generations. 

Severn Suzuki will be at Kyoto's Ryukoku University on February 21st.

Details (in Japanese) here: http://kokucheese.com/event/index/141937/

Other stops include Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Fukuoka, and Shiga. 

Simultaneous screening of Canadian filmmaker Velcrow Ripper's Occupy Love, the third film in the inspirational "Fierce Love" trilogy about global grassroots nonviolent environmental and democratic movements. 

Schedule (Japanese):  http://unitedpeople.jp/occupy/jouei. 

Details on the "Love is the Movement" Tour (in Japanese) here: http://www.sloth.gr.jp/events/sev2014/

All about Severn Suzuki here: http://severncullissuzuki.com/bio

"Love is the Movement" on Facebook (in Japanese): https://www.facebook.com/sev2014. 

Snowy Weekend in Tokyo

"Snowy Weekend in Tokyo" (Photo: Kimberly Hughes) 

Shingetsu News (Video Report): "A Democratic Victory in Nago, Okinawa"

Via Shingetsu News, Michael Penn's sensitive and deeply informed video report on the Nago mayoral election captures the excitement of participatory democracy in Okinawa:

The exit polls showed that the people of Nago opposed the construction of Henoko air base by the overwhelming margin of 68% to 27%.

At 4:57, the camera captures Upper House Member of Parliament Keiko Itokazu in in her iconic vermillion suit flanked by Lower House MP Denny Tamaki (half Okinawan, half American, but only speaks Japanese) on the left and Lower House MP Kantoku Teruya on the right, in the background, cheering Mayor Inamine.  

At 5:42, the report includes Mayor Inamine's speech; and at 6:40, concludes with Penn's observations about the resilience and intensity of the struggle for democracy in Okinawa. 

Kurashi: No "cheap" nuclear power for Tokyo, regardless of who wins governorship

Via Martin Frid at Kurashi, who explains why Tokyo won't be supplied with s "cheap" nuclear power, regardless of who wins the Tokyo governorship:

But the reality is that for Tokyo citizens, there is very little possibility of nuclear power plants to provide energy for the city's bright lights. Consumers, who vote, should know that only a handful of nuclear power plants that may provide energy to the metropolis are even candidates for restarts.

A reminder: Currently, none of Japan's 48 nuclear power plants are online. Japan has completely gone off the nuclear "heroin" drug.

But 16 are applying for restarts as of February 1, 2014.

Of those, only two would be in any position to provide Tokyo with electricity. Those are reactors 6 and 7 in Kashiwasaki Kariwa in far away Niigata prefecture. Both were severely shaken by the earthquake back in 2007, so we know they are not yet confirmed to be safe as such. No other reactors that may provide Tokyo voters with energy are about to be restarted.

I went on a tour back in 2008 at the world's largest nuclear plant in Kashiwazaki Kariwa in Niigata prefecture, western Japan. It has seven nuclear reactors that are currently all undergoing repairs after the massive earthquake in July, 2007. The PR from Tepco, the electricity company that runs the plant, was confusing at first, (BBC) and it is clear that damage was more severe than initially reported...

As for the rest, such as the controversial Hamaoka reactor southwest of Tokyo, they have recently built a huge 22 meter high wall hoping that will stop a potential tsunami. And that would not be providing Tokyo residents with juice for their heated toilets, air conditioners, rechargeable gadgets, or else. And I know there are any number of factory owners and businesses that hope for cheap electricity, but it just is not going to happen.

The Tokyo election on February 9 is not about nuclear power, because the capital of Japan no longer has any number of nuclear plants to provide it with "cheap" electricity.