3.4 Peace Boat

It was the beginning of Peace Boat that a group of Japanese university students set out on a voyage to uncover their country’s military past 25 years ago. Each year, Peace Boat sets off on three global trips and visits 15-20 ports over a three-month period. Through the voyages, Peace Boat members have some projects which they take advantage of the ships. For example, they cooperate a mangrove planting project in Eritrea, and donate soccer balls to the children and wheelchairs to those who need them. Away from the ships, the Peace Boat team is busy with a number of related issues and activities to improve relationships in East Asia. The NPO’s staff is also trying hard to develop a common Asian textbook that is set the record straight by describing each country’s experience during World War II.

I didn’t know about Peace Boat so far. I felt interest in this organization. I think that these activities that they perform would be more helpful for people who have troubles all over the world by continuing to carry out the activity.

2.4 Peace Boat

25 years ago, Japanese university students start finding out their historical problems. They hope to become friendly each other. The Peace Boat go around 15-20 ports over a three-month. The member are from Asian and many countries. These meeting by the Peace Boat they plan to relate between Peace Boat participant and local people. Many foreign volunteers are supportingas a volunteer to teach English and Spanish. Another members are working hard at solving international social problems. They are working also originally job, NPO's staff.

I think young people need to understnad foreign history and culture which tie in their homeland in the international society. I got the deep impression that Japanese university students are interested in their country's military past. It is difficult to point out a historical problem of their homeland and to initiate understanding and reconciliation. Furthermore, they make citizen participate in Peace Boat. It means they show a lot of people their message to set the foreign country straight by various volunteer activities. Today, many countries have a diplomatic issue(territory, religion, trade friction), because they don't understand situation of the other country. I hope they have a fine relatonship with participants through the Peace Boat.

1.6 Low Life Satisfaction

According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development's "Your Better Life Index", only 40 percent of the Japanese are satisfied with their lives. 40 percent of Japanese thinks that their lives will be satisfactory five years later. In the area of health, only 33 percent of the Japanese said that they see themselves as healthy. However, the Japanese have good readings on the topics of safety and education. Only 2 percent said they were subjected to violence, and 87 percent of adults had graduated from high school or the equivalent. The Japanese feel unhappy with their lives more than those by the people of 33 OECD member countries.

I doubt why only 40 percent of the Japanese are satisfied their lives. I think that there are too many hidden issues in the area of life and health (insurance, medical treatment, and others). In the area of health, medical expenses have been rising for a long time, because the mental treatments are improved and improved medical equipments cost high. It make people difficult to see doctors. In the area of life, the observations on the affiliation of some people for the pensions, a part of social insurance, are still missing because of the problem in integration of the pension numbers on the basic pensions and the welfare pensions. That causes that they can less pension. The Japanese government must improve our satisfaction by doing what it can do.

6. Low Life Satisfaction

Please visit the following Website and read the article about ...

"Japanese have relatively low life satisfaction." (Click Here)

or at:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9NDQCSG0&show_article=1

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1.5 Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California, announced that he had got divorced with Maria Shriver because of having had affair with other woman.

When he was elected as the governor, Mr. Schwarzenegger fathered a 14-year-old child with a member of household staff, Mildred Patricia Baena, a few years before running for office, and he kept it a secret. Ms. Baena kept working in Mr. Schwarzenegger and Ms. Shriver's home in Mr. Schwarzenegger's 8-year career as the governor of California. The couple's children are also upset to know Mr. Schwarzenegger's love affair appeared on social networks.

I do not think that Mr. Schwarzenegger worked as a husband and a father in his life. In many case a man has to apologize to his partner or break up or get divorced with his partner if he knows that he has an affair with other woman. In this case, however, Mr. Schwarzenegger had not apologized to his wife about his fathered child with housekeepers during his career as the governor of California. I doubt why he kept it a secret because I think that this news damaged his image.

5. Arnold Schwarzenegger

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The Fornicator - daddy of all roles he managed to keep secret

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1.4 Peace Boat

It has been nearly 25 years since a group of curious Japanese university students started the Peace Boat. Each year, the boat sets off on three global trips and visits 15-20 ports over a three-month period. Many foreigners choose to get interested in the Peace Boat as volunteers rather than participants, and sign up to teach or translate on the Global English/Espanol Training program. They want to foster the Peace Boat participants' language abilities and to look at how language can be used as a tool for building peace.

Away from the ship, the Peace Boat team is busy with a number of related activities and issues to keep peace.


The Peace Boat team is one of the NGOs (non-government organization) working hard to foster peace in Asia and around the world. I think that it can work more and more for peace by giving people a chance to go around the world and see people in other countries.

2.3 Hague Convention

Japan will announce it's plan to join Hague convention, an international treaty that deals with cross-border child custody disputes. The Hague Convention sets out procedures for resolving child custody cases in failed international marriages. Japan has yet to join it. Whether or not to join the convention has triggered a heated debate in japan, where it is customary for mothers to take sole care of children after divorce. The gavernment plans to dispatch officials to a special committee meeting of The Hague Conference on Private International Law in June and have them investigate how child custody is treated in member countries of the pact.


I think Japan should join the Hague convention as soon as possible, because children have a right to see their fathers. Even though parents get divorced, they have a duty to raise their children. I think each of the parents has a role for children. International marriage is also no exception in this case. I have been heard children who don't have a father tend to be narcissistic, because children feel sure they are number one in their house. It is important for children to know the existence of their father. For their children, Japan should sign the child custody treaty.

4. Peace Boat

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Peace Boat encourages grassroots interaction (click here)
http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/peave-boat-encourages-grassroots-interaction

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