Water melon

 I have planted a few young plants of water melon in a corner of our garden this spring. Some were connected with another kind of plant at the roots. Before I knew that, the latter, but not water melon, has grown bearing some fruits, which disappointed me so much when I knew it had not been water melon. And the water melon has grown much ivy all around on the ground while I did not care for them so much. It was like a jungle. But so happy to have found a few water melon growing this summer. Fortunately, crows haven't found these jewel fruits yet.

This is a harvested one. So rich with fresh and sweet juice. We, both me and my wife, have had much every evening. Nothing more luxurious for a dessert. I will do better with it next summer. Experience may make me a better farmer. 



Latest news on our old friends

Three friends' latest news.

Gary W0CGR;
I  heard from Red K5ALU when staying Seattle that Gary went through the chmeo for his esophageal cancer. The side effect occurred on his hands. He could not use the paddle. He may get in touch with the others through email. I have sent his a post mail. But no reply so far.

Peggy K5DQ;
Even since she lost her husband Don K5CA recently, she has been doing well, as Tom K5AX told me. Tom has put up a multiband dipole for her. We might expect hearing her fist again soon.

Tim VK3IM;
A source told me he was getting back on the air only on 30m. He is still in difficulty. Let's look for this great CW operator on that band.

As time goes on, there are many things happening to us. Let's keep in touch anyway.

Why our leaders could not cease the WWII earlier

On Aug 15, the day of defeat in our country in WWII, NHK TV has made a program regarding the reason why our country had not been able to decide ceasing war earlier before the devastation occured in Okinawa or in Hiroshima etc.

Recently, they say, a number of telegrams sent to the mother ministries those days by a few military officers at the embassies in UK or Switzerland have been found. Those telegrams have informed them that Soviet Union would join the war against Japan. They were dated from early 1945. It means, at least, the ministry of army or of navy used to know what Soviet Union intended to by that time on the contrary to the present historical view that the leaders had not known of Soviet Union's attack plan until they attacked the northern part of China. The ministry of foreign affairs etc went on planning to ask Soviet Union to mediate with the allied countries for peace negotiations until very end of the war. The minister of army went on expressing aggressive attitude toward the enemies while there were movements toward to the peace negotiations in the ministry of navy etc. The former has had louder voice in the conference where a variety organization leaders discussed on the perspective and strategy of the war. It was based on the fanatic young officers in the ministry of army those days. The latter was crossed out by the higher personel who won't do anything without same kind of precedent events.

The army and the navy were the ultimate form of bureaucracy. The bureaucracy could not realize what went on in the reality nor could do with what happened to even in the crisis. The sectionalism, the self centered idea  and the rigid way of thinking to rule out anything precedent events had not covered. These characteristics of bureaucracy have ruined our country in that way in 1945.

In my opinion, this rigid system has been projected onto the present bureaucracy in our country. In reality, under GHQ governing our country after WWII, the bureaucracy system was taken over and was utilized for governing by GHQ. At present, the bureaucracy won't do anything even facing to the issue of the nuclear power plant generation, the deflation in the economy, the big earth quake and tsunami events and so forth. They seem to be eager only to preserve own system.

Again, I believe, thorough as well as fundamental reformation for the bureaucracy is unavoidable to go through this serious situation. We should clarify what and who was responsible for the WWII as well in relation with this issue. The process our country went on in the end of the war, despite of the devastating damages, has become the foundation of our country later on. But it won't recur for the present crisis.

Reformation is necessary but how?

Tens of billions USD in the budget for reconstruction of our country after the big earth quake was channeled into a variety juridical persons in Japan. These juridical persons are not involved in reconstruction at all. Quite a number of high officials have gone into those organizations after their retirement from governmental agencies. They have been supposed to get much money for a few years of work there. Those juridical persons were determined to be downsized by the present government a year or two ago. But they are stealing budget taking advantage of this devastating disaster. What a shame! What corruption!

Even though the damaged areas still need much financial support, the budget for reconstruction was not fully spent yet for them. Our prime minister used to compare those high officials, who get extraordinary amount of money from the juridical persons, to termites. The prime minister promised to get rid of those termites from our country. But, in reality, they are giving much honey to them in stead of insecticide. There should be a kind of underground mutualism between the politicians and the bureaucrats.

Our bureaucracy system has been preserved from the regime before WWII. It used to work out well when our economy was growing more year by year. But, since the era of "Japan as number one" was over, it has acted up for now. Even though, as Max Weber pointed out, bureaucracy is necessary to realize democracy, our system needs to be reformed. Of course, we need to get through more tax and less public services to lessen the national debt up to 260% of GDP. Public opinion says we are ready. But, unfortunately, it is not possible for us to believe in this system of bureaucracy. It is frustrating to us that we don't know how to do this reformation. The politicians should have done that. But every change in politics has disappointed us. the present government of DP Japan is quite guilty to have deceived us as for this reformation. It seems the people wait for a man of charisma. Is it possible for such a politician to do that? There are some politicians rumored for such a charisma. For example, Mayor of Osaka, a young attorney, is deemed to go into the stage of national politics. So far as I know, he is only a populist. He is essentially very conservative and changes his view according to the situation. I can hardly believe that he could do this reformation.

How could this frustration be dealt with?

Obon

The season "Obon" has been over. It is the few days in the mid of August. We accept the souls of our ancestors in this season. It is based on Bhuddism but has been influenced by the local native religion and manipulated by the government in the era of Edo. "Obon" means a dish to serve foods to the souls of the ancestors.

It is actually the time of summer vacation for the people. A large number of people move from the big cities to their home town in the countryside. There have been long rows of cars on the high ways leading to countrysides. There have been so many passengers in trains bound for countrysides as well. It is a time for family reunion. They visit to the temples or the graveyard. They worship their ancestor's grave there. It is a kind of ceremony to identify ourselves belonging to certain local area and people. It is a religious as well as a self identifying event for us.

I am in a countryside where my mother's ancestors used to be. No need to go down to hometown in this season. It is when I do shopping at the supermarket nearby that it is the time of "Obon" arriving. There are more number of people purchasing many foods and some flowers. The latte is for the grave they visit. They might have pleasant family reunion in the evening.

And it is the time they head back to their homes in the cities now. They start normal routine tomorrow or the day after.

As for our family, our daughter came back to the apartment near her university. No other kids at home. I would prepare evening meal for my wife and myself. A quiet and peaceful life starts again.

It is not so far from fall for now.

Hatred exploited by politicians

Here we have a problem with a neighbor country going on. The president of Korea has landed on an island which each claims to own. He is reported to require our Emperor to beg forgiveness if the latter wants to come to his country. It seems an abnormal attitude as a president to me. A soccer player has shown a card telling that the island in territory issue belongs to his country.

In Japan, it seems so many people are getting mad at their behaviour and saying. Hatred to each other is burning up. Is it a good thing for each of us? I scarcely belive so. Our emotion is often exploited by someone who benefits from those battles against neighbor people. The modern history indicates it repeatedly. We should be calmed down. We should not leave it to the politicians.

A new friend in Russia

It was so hot early in the morning today, as we won't run the air conditioner at night, that I got up. It was still dark outdoor. The only thing I could do was to go into the shack and to turn on the radio. 20m was pretty well open to Eu, even though not so loud as for the past few days.

I ran into an interesting russian guy. It is Victor RN3ZB. He told me he could read me with his PC. At first, I thought he had been a trendy guy operating radio with only a code reader. It was not such a case. He used it as a helper in reading. I ran about 35WPM in QSO with him.

He started introducing himself. He is a retired police officer aged 62. Being asked by me how about his pension, he answered it was big enough. His story was surprising. He was sent to Chernobyl one year after  the accident for police job. That was why he had been paid well for pension. Though the radiation level was told to have dropped, he developed some health problem. I could not ask him about that in detail. He won't answer to me about the character of the work, compulsory or volunteer. Or was he informed that it had been contaminated with radiation etc? I don't know if he was not allowed to answer it or not. Or it was just because he could not understand my inquiries.

I told him that I lived about 120km south west of the accident site in Fukushima while our 2nd son still studied medicine about 80km west. So we were much concerned about Chernobyl as well. He was interested in this story. He gave us best wishes for our future. I felt we had been a kind of united as for this problem. 

He told me he always enjoyed chatting on CW. He complained there had been very few in JA to ragchew with. He seemed to be delighted to talk to me. Of course, so was I. The world might be changing if there were more numbers of hams across the borders of countries enjoying this type of QSO and understanding each other in the world. The war is always a complicated phenomenon involved in economy, religion or other social problems. But a people's enthusiasm based on hatred pushes the politicians into decision for war. The hatred is often closely related with misunderstanding or ignorance for the other people.