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     a-bombsurvivor.com
         
YUUKI YOSHIDA ; A-bomb Survivor Testimony Speaker-Writer & Healthy-Sound Life Adviser

Yuuki Yoshida, writer-editor, a-bombsurvivor.com

           
   
 
"Grateful to be alive and active!"

 

                     Since 6th, March 2001
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                               "In Japanese"   

  Greeting to the English language visitors                 
I am a 81-year old Japanese man, living in the Philippines ever since February 2009. After more than half a century of my first, second and third stage of life as a top management, I retired from the active management service and shifted the rest of my life to the activities as "a-bomb survivor testimony speaker and writer". 

My new life start line as "the fourth life" was made on December 28 2009, my 78th birthday, when I disclosed my letter in public the "(Open letter) Dear Mr. President Obama" and "A-bomb survivor testimony based on the three viewpoints" in this website, which is edited by myself.

                               Dates of renewals  
 
Top page (Main contents) : May 21, 2013 (At any time)
                 Contents : May 21, 2013 (At any time)

  The JAPAN Times featured my article! 

  Atomic bomb survivor credits desire to learn for living 'four lives'
     By KRIS KOSAKA

HTML: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20120804a1.html
PDF:http://www.a-bombsurvivor.com/PDF/thejapantimes.yuuki.yoshida.aug.4.2012.pdf
Japanese edition(By the interviewee):
http://www.a-bombsurvivor.com/PDF/KrisKosakaArticles/japantimesarticle.jpn.pdf

(August 18, 2012)


My article featured in The Japan Times on August 4, 2012, has turned to be one of the old series written by Kris Kosaka. When you click the below, you could see a series of articles in those days with a photo of charming writer Kris! (January 26, 2013)
http://www.a-bombsurvivor.com/PDF/others/Japan%20Times%20old%20editions.pdf

Calabarzon Breaking News featured my article 

My favorite internet information with my comments   
(This column was newly posted on March 9, 2012, with 1727 items as of this day with my comments, though only in Japanese.)
Special note:Take a look at No.1195, which features the article & photo with Philipina nurse, Ms. Menchu Sanchez, with President's honorable praising words, standing beside the First Lady Michel. 

The column is unique, I would say with confidence, in that I take up information from the internet newspapers and magazines which I find meaningful and significant to myself and my readers, so that I copy them in my own re-editing files with my own comment on the issue. My comments are the very thing that I take pride in expressing what I think on the issue, sometimes in a humorous way or sarcastic of even negative to the article writer. My readers would get double-information on the issue, so to speak.

Therefore, I decided to concentrate my writing motivation to this column by closing the long-continued columns of "Hitorigoto(Monologue) & Tokudane(Exclusive)" by making them in a form of the past records.

An interesting thing about this change of my writing pattern is that I hit upon an idea that what I wanted to write for the two columns would better be moved to the "Weekly Message" which I write every Monday both in English and Japanese. The English readers would find the column mu more interesting from now, I trust. I sincerely hope you visit it. Thank you!

The followings are the columns for my regular writing;

1.
Message of the week(August28,2008-December 24,2012) (Both in English and Japanese)

2. Hitorigoto(Monologue)(No.1-No.172)  (English editions are limited)

3. Tokudane(Exclusive)(No.1-No.82)     (English editions are limited)
                        
4. Philippines Information(No.1-No.44)  (English editions are limited)
 

5. Others;

No.5 
Learning English composition by myself  Think in English and write and speak it 
No.3 
Suicide Problem--Yoshida's posting article to the responce of the article by Akio Matsumura in NY--(11/14)
No.2
English language and I --My 80-year life story with English language learning--
(2010/10/28~12/12) 
No.1 Newsletter by BCC to the English language readers  (2009/10/30) 
              

My writing activity as a a-bomb survivor testimony

It was February 1st, 2009 that I moved to this country, the Republic of the Philippinesi, as my permanent residence. What I first tried to do was to write testimony articles as a a-bomb survivor, Hibakusha through this website, which I play as the only writer and the editor. The concrete plan was to write the testimony both in English and Japanese so that I could make myself understood by English speaking people, especially to the American people in the relationship to the atomic bomb.

When you click any button on the top line which are written in English, you will come to each site where you could read English for the introduction ahead of the Japanese, so that you could see what sort of the content it is. Thank you for your patience. (June 24, 2011)                                      

The title was "Testimony of an A-bomb Survivor after 65 Years of Silence-Based on the Three Viewpoints".  At the same time, I wrote "my open letter to the President" These two articles were posted in this website on October 28, 2008, my 77th birthday.

As for my testimony as an a-bomb survivor, Hibakusha, I wrote from a different viewpoint from others, better say, from an angle never spoken by any Hibakushas before, from the three viewpoints. In regards to my open letter to President Obama, I appealed him to visit the a-bombed cities on the "65th-2010 Anniversary" simply for the reason that the year is annually periodic with the number of 65-10. 

Coincidentally, my intention of making a renewal of this main page is to shift from my appeal to President Obama to visit the a-bombed cities to something different goal. It is "The Spirit of Reconciliation", which would be my renewed testimony in this new top page. Please click the below site.
The mission for Hibakushas --Needs for building consensus for the Reconciliation between the a-bomb dropper and the sufferers
 

    No Need to Apologize, Hiroshima Leader Tells Obama
      (Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2011. ) 

The governor of Hiroshima prefecture, Hidehiko Yuzaki, said that he would like President Obama to visit Hiroshima, and that an apology for the US atomic bombing of the city in 1945 would not be necessary. He said that all world leaders should visit the city "to see the actual reality of what happens if [nuclear weapons] are really used."

Mr. Yuzaki explained that he does not seek an apology from Mr. Obama for the United States' actions on August 6, 1945, which killed at least 140,000 people, because he "would like to talk about the future" instead of focusing on the past. For the detail, click;
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/11/11/no-need-to-apologize-hiroshima-leader-tells-obama/

I found in VOA News letter something about the hidden personality of President Obama about what he thinks of the 9.11. Only VOA reported. Click the below;
President Obama's speech at 8th anniversary of 9.11. 

http://www.a-bombsurvivor.com/internetinformation/President%20Obama%27s%20speech%20on%209.11.%20anniversary.pdf

    My second mission;
  To introduce the Philippines and its people to my fellow country people


I call the present life in the Philippines "the fourth stage of my life". Let me tell the readers and visitors of this website something about the episode of my choosing this country as the last stage of my life. For some reasons, I long had a dream of living abroad after the retirement.

In the first stage of my plan of living abroad, Malaysia was the place in my mind by my nephew's recommendation who used to work there as the branch chief officer of the biggest trading company in Japan. He strongly advised me to select it if I really wish to live in a foreign country as a pensioner because he and his family all enjoyed the five-year life there in comfort. He even promised me that he would be ready to prepare everything for me.

However, thing happened for me to shift the plan to this country, the Philippines. In June 2006 in Hiroshima, I had an opportunity of attending a businesspersons' lecture meeting where we had a Filipina speaker, who spoke about Philippines. She spoke mainly about her country with the big map in a mixed language of Japanese and English. I was one of the listeners who could understood her more than any other attendants.

I remember nothing happened ever since until two years after when we happened to meet again, I do not remember how and when exactly, though. I talked to her about my plan of life abroad in Malaysia, who opened her mouth to encourage me to choose her country as my permanent residence for two reasons. She emphasized two points strongly; one is the Philippines has English as its second national language and the other was they offer good caring services with special education for the caregivers and nurses. It was not long before I changed my mind to shift from Malaysia to the Philippines.

In parallel with the changing of my plan to this country, I came to realize the fact that during the World War II, Japanese soldiers killed more than a million Philippine citizens, to say nothing of so many of Filipino, Japanese and American soldiers with many of them left in the soil even now.

Those factors drove me to determine to live in the rest of my life here with prayers and consolation to the deceased. I even came to feel that it is my obligation to introduce this country and its people to my fellow country men and women through the website edited by myself. "Special standing corner for introduction of the Philippines and its people" that follows here shows what it is.

An interesting historical story about Japanese and Filipinos is seen in a series of articles published in "The Daily Manila Shimbun (News paper)". It is written in Japanese, though. It begins with a phrase of "In the beginning of 20-century, the Philippines was a country for Japanese to find job. Some 5000 Japanese workers came to the Philippines to work for the construction of roads and farming. They settled down in Baguio and Davao....". As well known, Japan is now the country where many Filipinos try to work, but it was opposite only a hundreds years ago. Click to see what it is like, though in Japanese. You could see some pictures.(March 26, 2012)
http://www.a-bombsurvivor.com/PDF/others/maniladailynewspaper.rticle.pdf

      "A-bomb and Me"

This is my autobiography written in English. It tells about my life story which I call "The first, second, third and the fourth stage of life". If you click, you could read the contents, which have more than a hundred items on each of them attached are the manuscript of the English documents, still under construction to be corrected and be continued.  (December 20, 2010)      
                                

 Special standing corner for introduction of the Philippines and its people

1. I would like to introduce Mr. Masafumi Kasai, who is known as the best man to introduce the Philippines.

He lived in the US for five years, the Philippines for ten years. He came to know that Japanese have  misunderstanding of this country and its people, so that he published the book and the article below;
(I) "The Philippines Misunderstood"  By Masafumi Kasai  (Pen name, Miro Kasai) 196-page
(2) "Japanese People Should Learn from Filipinos"  3
     JAPAN SPOTLIGHT (March, April 2009)   JEF:Japan Economic Foundation


2. Friendship Association of Hiroshima and Luzon
A few months before leaving Japan, I happened to read an article with a picture in the Chuugoku Newspaper, which wrote about the association and its activities with the people in Luzon. The association tries to gather used cloths and shoos and bring them to this country for the poor children.

3. The Philippines Democracy comes from "BARANGAY(The smallest administrative organization)"
On October 1, 2010, I drove alone for the first time to the Metro Manila to visit Japan Embassy for the required paper by the Japan Pension Services. It was at that time that I came to know of the "BARANGAY". The Japan embassy man told me of the need of getting the Residence Certificate authorized by the BARANGAY.

BARAGAY is the smallest unit of local administration in the Philippines, which I believe has a deeply rooted historical background and yet is modern acting system, the root of democracy.

BARANGAY is the term meaning "Sailing boat". Before Spain came to rule this country, Malaysian people first came to these islands and settled in various places. The group has been called "Barangay" ever since. There are some 41,935 Barangays now throughout the country. It consists of nine counselors(seven elected).

The smallest unit of administrative organization of Barangay is sure to have been elevated the Filipinos mind of self-administration. While in Japan, ever since the so called "the age of local governance" has been installed, more importance is placed in "the people's participation in the administration" and "the cooperation between the locals". It seems that there could be found in this smallest administrative system a hint of how to achieve the grass-rooted participation to the local administration in Japan.

I often point out the fact that the democracy of the Philippines is deeper and more advanced in the historical aspect than that of Japan. In the Barangay system, I could make that notion of mine is more real and surer. Click the sites for more information, though in Japanese only. 
(1)Philippines local administration "Barangay"
    http://www.clair.or.jp/j/forum/forum/jimusyo/125SING/INDEX.HTM
(2)The Philippine people's self administrative organization; Mechanism of Barangay and the local society   http://www.gsid.nagoya-u.ac.jp/bpub/research/public/forum/25/04.pdf


4. One of the three Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry, An American,
      Mr. Rechard Heck lives in RP with his Filipino wife

Together with professor Akira Suzuki and Eiichi Negishi, an American Rechard Heck won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He lives in RP with his Filipino wife in Metro Manila, Quezon city, as a pensioner with his Filipino wife. He is as old as I am. After retirement from the University of Delaware in 1989, in several years after, he  has been living in RP with his Filipino wife in Quezon. As for the prize money, he says, "It's not enough to really fund much. I think that I'll keep it for rainy days." 

5. Filipinos are rich in the heart with bright national character even though poor in economy.
What I have been deeply impressed and watched ever since I came to this country is that the poverty in this country reminds me of the days in Japan right after the War. We Japanese worked real hard and succeeded in developing the nation economically and physically all right. However, there came after the rapid economic advancement a serious discouragement among the people. One example is the high ratio of the Japanese committing suicide. See "The International ratio of the suicide"

While on the contrary, the Filipinos suicide ratio ranks the 87th among the listed 103 countries. what do these statistics tell? I give the answers in my article; "Filipinos are rich in the heart even in poverty. Why!?". Please click and find what and why.

6. 
Philippines has Santo Tomas University, the oldest existing university in Asia with 400-year history
STU is the oldest university existing in Asia with 400-year history. Click the photo and the history of the university. More information is seen in my article of "Philippines information No. 18 ; The University of Santo Tomas, the oldest in Asia with 400-year history—the pride of the Filipinos—"(Japanese only, though). We could see why the Filipinos look brighter and much modernized than Japanese in the aspect of its historical and educational background.

7. Republic of the Philippines and its people are western-like nation with bright atmosphere 
The Philippines was under the colonization by Spain from 1565 for 333-year, and then by the United States for another 48-year, total year of 381 colonized. The Catholic churches built hundreds years ago are still active in number, where Filipinos are attending from their ancestors to this generation. They have brought in the western culture and make it alive so that they look very much westernized. The people look very bright and westernized to make it their own culture.

The Filipinas look very western style and pretty like the classic  coca Cola bottle. The photo below is the one for "Miss Earth Philippines Candidates". I have this photo in the wall paper on my new second computer, which amuses me always. I hope the visitors to this website would enjoy it, too.Another one its below is the 2013 Queens. 
    

                      
       
8.100-year ago Japanese immigrated to the Philippines to find job! Entirely opposite now.  
The Daily Manila Newspaper, Japanese edition, posts a series of article entitled "Japanese Immigration to Philippines a Century ago", which tells about the unknown history of Philippines and Japan a Century ago, although all in Japanese. You could see what it is like by clicking.(October 9, 2012)

As for the Daily Manila Newspaper, I have a good memory and experience with my effort of trying to ask the company to post an error article in success concerning their mistaken report about something which is not honorable to the Philippines people. They reported with the title of "Is the Philippines a country of desperation? The trend of young people's suicide" I asked the editor-in-chief of the Manila Daily Shimbun to post the correction article in success later days. You could see what the story was like by clicking this:"An episode about miss-written article, Daily Manila Shimbun, 'Is the Philippines a country of desperation? The trend of young people's suicide.'" My pride is I did protect the dignity and honor of the Philippines people.                

                                    May 21, 2013
                            "Grateful to be alive and active!" 

                                                YUUKI YOSHIDA
 A-bomb Survivor Testimony Speaker and Writer & Health-Sound Life Adviser 
                  Website : http://www.a-bombsurvivor.com
                  (Copyright Yuuki Yoshida All Rights Reserved)