Ernst Faber - 1839 - 1899
Herr WU in Hongkong hat uns zum 26.9.2016 den folgenden Aufsatz zur Verfügung gestellt. Faber starb vor 117 Jahren -  viel zu früh. 

Ernst Faber – His unexpected Encounter with Japan

von: WU, Kin Pan
Doktorand der Philosophie an der Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn,
and Pastor of Chinese Rhenish Church, Hong Kong Synod

26th September, 2016 is the 117th annual commemoration day of the missionary Rev. Dr. Ernst Friedrich Ludwig Faber’s (花之安/ pronounces as Fa Ji-On in Cantonese/ Hua Zhi’an in Mandarin, 1839-1899) death, who served in China as a well-known sinologist. However, his ideas were somehow widely spread in the East Asian society, especially in Japan and Korea, because of the rooted Confucian culture in both cultures. In this short passage, I will describe about how Ernst Faber connected to Japan, in the sense of his own impression of Japan and the influence of his literatures on Japan.

A. Faber’s own impression on Japan

Although there were only few direct indications that Faber was deeply interested in Japanese matters, his impression of this country was rather positive. Generally, Faber appreciated Japan’s development after the Meiji Reformation. He thought that Japan was raising her influence “into the position of the Britain of the East”.

"Trostfrauen" - "Comfort Women"
Source: The Hankyoreh, September 5, 2016

Comfort woman statue to be erected in Europe for first time

(by Kim bong-gyu, staff photographer)

A comfort woman statue will be erected for the first time in Europe in Freiburg, Germany, the sister city of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Suwon Mayor Yeon Tae-yeong said at the monthly morning meeting at the auditorium of Suwon City Hall, on Sept. 5, that “A final decision has been reached with the mayor of Freiburg to erect the ‘Statue of Peace’ in the center of Freiburg, Germany.” He added, “An event to mark the unveiling of the statue is planned to coincide with the 68th anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10.”

During a phone conversation between Mayor Yeon and Freiburg Mayor Dieter Salomon on Aug. 31, they agreed on the place and time of the unveiling of the “Statue of Peace.”

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In Memoriam PARK Hyung-Kyu

PARK Hyung-Kyu

by Jooseop Keum, WCC, Genf, Schweiz
Rev. Hyung Kyu Park (1923-2016), former moderator of PROK and an icon of Korean democratization movement passed away on 18th of August.

Rev. Park incarcerated 6 times during the democratic struggle. He was arrested for “conspiracy of rebellion” when he handed out flyers opposing the Yushin dictatorship during Easter service in 1973, and thereafter he led the anti-dictatorship struggle of the ecumenical movement.
He also led mission work with the poor by establishing the Urban Industrial Mission (UIM) in Korea.
Rev. Park served as the Human Rights Committee Chairman of the National Council of Churches in Korea (1982) and the first president of Korea Democracy Foundation (2002~2004).

Die Verfassung Japans.  Artikel 9 der Friedensverfassung
Source:  Ein Artikel aus der digitalen Ausgabe der Süddeutschen Zeitung vom 11.07.2016
http://sz.de/1.3071645

Abe gewinnt deutlich

Von Christoph Neidhart

Japans Premier Shinzo Abe hat die Oberhauswahlen vom Sonntag deutlich gewonnen. Erstmals seit 1989 wird seine Liberaldemokratische Partei (LDP) in der Kleinen Kammer des Parlaments über die alleinige Mehrheit verfügen. Die Zweidrittelmehrheit, die für eine Änderung der Verfassung erforderlich ist, wird er allerdings auch zusammen mit der buddhistischen Komeito, seinem Koalitionspartner, nicht erreichen.

Das Mandat im japanischen Oberhaus beträgt sechs Jahre. Alle drei Jahre wird die Hälfte der Mandate erneuert. Abes LDP hatte bereits aus den Wahlen 2013 ein sattes Polster. Im Wahlkampf hatte Abe alle kontroversen Themen vermieden. Er gab lieber den Staatsmann, den Gastgeber des G-7-Gipfels in Ise-Shima, der US-Präsident Barack Obama nach Hiroshima holte. Außerdem versprach er den Wählern, "Abenomics", das nach Meinung der meisten Experten gescheiterte Programm zur Sanierung der japanischen Wirtschaft, "einen Gang höher zu schalten." Ein Geschenk hat er den Japanern im Wahlkampf außerdem gemacht - Abe verschob die Erhöhung der Mehrwertsteuer

Die Verfassung Japans.  Artikel 9 der Friedensverfassung
Source: Asia Pacific Journal / Japan Focus, Volume 14 | Issue 13 | Number 4 | July 1, 2016
Mit freundlicher Erlaubnis von Japan Focus

             10. Juli 2016 > Parlamentswahl in Japan (Oberhaus/Sangiin)

Retaking Japan:
The Abe Administration’s Campaign to Overturn the Postwar Constitution

Muto Ichiyo
Translated by John Junkerman

Translator’s note:
This is a translation of a keynote speech delivered by Muto Ichiyo at a peace conference held in Hiroshima Aug. 4-5, 2015, marking the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the war. The conference, attended by 300 local and national activists, sought to shed new light on the war responsibility of imperial Japan and US responsibility for the atomic bombings. The text has been revised and updated for the Asia-Pacific Journal.
The speech was made during a summer of intense public protests over security legislation then being debated in the Japanese Diet. Despite opinion polls that showed the legislation to be exceedingly unpopular, the laws were rammed through the Diet on September 19, 2015. These contentious issues have now entered a new stage, with the drive to revise Japan’s peace constitution at the center of the Upper House election scheduled for July 10. Muto’s speech analyzes the issues that lie behind the present contest in light of the complex dynamics of Japan’s postwar politics. JJ

                                               *   *   *   *   *

The struggle over reshaping postwar Japan entered a new phase on March 2, 2016, when Prime Minister Abe Shinzo declared at an Upper House Budget Committee hearing that he was committed to revising the constitution within his term of office, that is, by September 2018. Changing the postwar regime by fundamentally revising the present pacifist constitution has been Abe’s goal since he returned to power in 2012, but for some time he had avoided clearly stating his plan, knowing that the majority of voters oppose constitutional revision.

In the three elections that have taken place during his administration (including the one that returned him to power in 2012), Abe has trumpeted “Abenomics,” ultra-lax monetary and fiscal policies aimed at extracting the economy from deflation by stimulating consumer spending, as his main political program. However, while campaigning on its economic policies, since the elections the Abe administration has pressed forward with changes in laws, systems, and institutions to heighten Japan’s defense posture and undermine the constraints on Japan’s armed forces imposed by Japan’s constitution.

Please, continue reading the pdf-File here

Lesen Sie bitte auch
1. "We demand politics which respects Constitutionalizm"
2. The Final Statement

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Friedensvertrag N-Korea, S-Korea, USA, China
Siehe auch 2016: Int. Korea-Konferenz in Hongkong

Towards Sustainable Peace in the Korean Peninsula: 
A Korea Peace Treaty

The National Council of Churches in Korea hat im Mai 2016 ein Papier zu einem friedlichen Zusammenleben auf der koreanischen Halbinsel vorgelegt. Es geht dabei um die Voraussetzung für eine Vereinigung beider Staaten in einer späteren Zukunft. Vorausstezung dafür aber ist der rasche Abschluss eines Friedensvertrages zwischen den betroffenen Mächten: USA, China, Nordkorea, und diesmal auch dabei: Südkorea.

Der Höhepunkt des Papiers ist der Entwurf eines Friedensvertrags mit 7 Paragraphen:

1. Ending the War and Follwing Measures
2. Boundaries and Eco-Peace Zone
3. Non-aggression and Normalization of Diplomatic Relations
4. Arms Control and Nuclear Free Zone
5. Peace-Building Organization
6. Regarding Other Treaties and Laws
7. Entry into Force


Bitte, lesen Sie das kurze Papier/Vertragstext hier (pdf)

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Kwangju Uprising - 18. - 28. Mai 1980  -  18. Mai 2016

Zum Gedenken an das Massaker des
südkoreanischen Militärs an der Bevölkerung der
südkoreanischen Stadt Kwangju im Mai 1980.

Auf dem ursprünglichen Friedhof von Kwangju - auf der Suche nach Identitäten.
Die Schmerzen, das Sterben, das Massaker, die Trauer - auch nach so vielen Jahren
nicht vergessen. Fotos vom Oktober 2001: ps.