Concerning the very first real Hato Cafe

[Original post can be found here]

As I informed you on January 1st when I started this blog, I invited associated guests to the actual Kantei teahouse “Hato Cafe”, and we are finally holding the event. Thinking that having an “actual place” was important, I have been wishing to hear firsthand stories from all you different kinds of citizens. This “Hato Cafe”, making that link, I feel from now on will be treated as a valuable resource.

In this first round, for “Parenting Cafe”, we’ll be listening to opinions on the child-raising environment for Japan’s children, who will carry our future burdens. I’d like to hear the views of mothers and fathers who are currently raising children.
We are preparing childcare services in the Kantei, so please go ahead and bring your children to participate.

Hato Cafe, going in this vein, will devise cafes such as “Nursing Cafe”, “Student Cafe” and “Workman Cafe”, on various themes and for people of various age groups to talk. We’re taking applications for ideas called “I’d like to open up a cafe like this…”.

Also, this is not only in Tokyo– I wish to visit various places in Japan on an official tour of “Hato Cafe”. Everyone, I certainly ask that you consider participating.

(From the civilian working group to close the gap between citizens and the government)
In this “Hato Cafe”, an until-now-unusual assembly dialogue and town meeting, dialogue amongst fellow participants on the topics concerned is promoted; the prime minister will also participate in this roundtable format.

Accordingly, we thought of a few rules to oversee the administration of “Hato Cafe”.

It is not compulsory to give an opinion or draw a conclusion. However, we feel that, by accumulating dialogues, it would be nice to have Japan be a country where people can gather and vent.

Let’s not speak using terms like “in general…” or “ordinarily…”, but instead please use your own views and personal experiences to express, “This is how I feel”.

The Prime Minister will also be a participatory member of “Hato Cafe”. Everyone probably has a lot of questions for the Prime Minister, but please be careful not to concentrate on him.

Please keep your speech concise and easy to understand. Please listen to other people to the end, without interruption.

Coffee, black tea, Japanese tea and pastries have been prepared. Everyone, the Prime Minister included, can kindly help themselves.

(Concerning the applications)

The first Real “Hato Cafe” implementation outline will go as follows. For people wishing to participate, please enter by e-mail, filling in the blank spaces of the necessary items on the application with clear answers.

For us to consider a reply, participation will be decided by age group in this situation to keep in mind the balance of children’s ages.
Also, please acknowledge the traveling and personal expenses of individual participants.
Applications will close on February 1st at noon.
The participating parties will be notified via a personal e-mail or telephone call by February 10th (we will follow up by sending a participation certificate). You will receive changes in the announcements carrying correspondence from us, so please acknowledge this beforehand.

Agenda / Place

February 14th (Sun) 2pm-4pm
Prime Minister’s Official Residence/Kantei (Chiyoda-ku, Nagata-cho)

Attendance

Prime Minister Hatoyama and other members of the Kantei staff

Participant Requirements / Number of Participants

Fathers and mothers (one of a couple) currently raising children from age zero to junior high third-years, on the order of 10 people

Notes

Childcare personnel are making preparations, so it is possible to bring your children. Also, we are preparing a waiting room, so it is possible for the spouses of the people who will be attending to wait with their children.

How to apply

After filling out the application below in an e-mail, please send it to cafe-entry@cao.go.jp.

Postal code, Address
Full name (Pronunciation [Furigana])
Gender
Age / Birthdate
Telephone number (Cell phone number)
E-mail address
Place of employment (School)
Number of children, Ages, Genders
If you are bringing your spouse and/or child, Their name (Furigana), Gender, Age, Birthdate, Place of employment (School), Address (if different from the applicant’s)

Other question items to answer (within 140 characters each, respectively)

I. Now that you are raising children, what do you feel brings happiness?

II. What is the number one subject you think about in everyday life?

III. What in the news concerns you most?

IV. What kind of country do you think it would be good for Japan to become?

V. Do you have anything to tell Prime MInister Hatoyama?

VI. Why would you like to participate in “Hato Cafe”?

* In the case of those wishing for wheelchair access or sign language interpreters, please let us know.

Application period: January 29th (Friday) to February 1st (Monday) at noon

Selection process: In the event of a large number of applicants, age; will be determined by considering the content of the answers to the questions above

Announcement of results: No later than February 10th (Wed), we will get in touch with only the chosen participants.

Warnings for successful applicants:

The Kantei is arranging to do an Internet video broadcast of the designated day on the Kantei homepage. Please make a note beforehand that there is a possibility that participants’ pictures and images will be distributed and reported on.

Upon the participants’ admittance, the participation certificate and the individual’s insurance card (in the case that you brought your spouse and/or children, theirs as well) are necessary. Those without their participation certificate and those who cannot confirm their identity cannot participate.

As a general rule, please utilize public transportation to get to the location.

We will not accept participants who did not properly fill out their personal information.

(For future inquiries on this matter)
Chamber of the Cabinet Office in Charge of Citizen Dialogue
Telephone: 03-5253-2111 (ext. 84308)
Email: cafe-entry@cao.go.jp

Concerning Haiti relief

[Original post can be found here]

In Haiti, the death toll has already exceeded 150,000 people, and 300,000 people have lost their homes.

Yesterday, we received a report from the members of the Democratic party investigation commission who spearheaded the visit to Haiti, Yukihisa Fujita and Nobuhiko Satou:

There are continued frantic rescue efforts to rescue Haitians buried in the mountain of rubble; the recovery of living is beginning to look bleak

For the Japanese government’s pledge of aid (US $5 million of immediate assistance, 30 million yen in provision of relief supplies, dispatch of the international disaster relief team and so forth), President Preval gives us his profound gratitude

Japan’s international disaster relief team’s medical team was devoted to treating disaster victims at the time of the correspondence

Japan’s medical relief team, which was taken over by the JSDF‘s medical unit (of 100 people) on the 23rd, is leaving to return to Japan. I would also like to give them my profound thanks.

However, the people of Haiti are still facing extreme difficulty. As for Japan, a successful relief effort cannot be done without thorough consideration and execution.

On the 25th, there was a meeting of ranking cabinet ministers in Montreal for Haiti relief. Mr. Takemasa, vice minister of foreign affairs, pledged US $70 million of aid (more than US $25 million for immediate relief, about US $45 million in aid for impending reconstruction). Haitian Prime Minister Bellerive received the assessment of each nation’s international organization, including Japan’s contribution.

Meanwhile, on the 19th, the United Nations Security Council unanimously decided to increase the number of personnel in Haiti’s PKO (peacekeeping operation) mission. Japan, accepting the request from the international community, is proactively contributing by preparing to dispatch personnel.

Japan is also a country of numerous disasters. On the 17th, I participated in the 15-year memorial ceremony for the Great Hanshin Earthquake. I am very grateful that each nation extended a hand of friendship during that time of disaster. I pray for the revival of Haiti from the bottom of my heart and would like to continue to do my part.

Ordinary session of the Diet

[Original post can be found here]

The National Diet, taken in front of the Kantei.

On January 18th, the ordinary session of the Diet began.

The ordinary Diet legislative session lasts 150 days. In about a five-month span, we debate bills on policy measures and the draft budget for the sake of the political implementation of policies that put everyone’s livelihoods first.

In the legislature session, we go to meetings from early in the morning. There are times I leave the Kantei in the dark, past 6 p.m. Those times, we hold business meetings while eating my wife’s onigiri.

When the meeting is over, I go to the National Diet Building. From there I think you can probably see everything on television. There is continued tension, so there are many times I realize I’ve been at it all night.

It’s a long stretch, so I carefully manage my health. I get as much sleep as I can. I get into my futon and am asleep in the blink of an eye.

Everyone, I am now on Twitter, so please send your comments to @hatoyamayukio or to the Kantei opinions page (http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/iken.html). I’d certainly like to hear your voices.

15 year memorial service for the Great Hanshin Earthquake

[Original post can be found here]

The minister’s secretary took this picture.

Today, I attended the fifteen-year memorial service for the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Praying for the people who were lost in the disaster to have happiness in the next life, the government’s determination to firmly push forward disaster prevention measures has been made anew.

Again, the power of revival relied entirely on help from all the citizens and volunteers and aid from abroad. I felt renewed respect and gratitude for all of them.

In this disaster, dear relatives and very close neighbors whom I wrote to each year were also victims.

Certainly, the scale of the serious damages’ after-effects were keenly sensed.

On the other hand, even in the middle of all that damage– all those citizens and volunteers working hard as a whole to reconstruct, without any chaos or acts to disturb order, I feel is something to be proud of.

For us who live in Japan, an island chain of disasters, things like disaster prevention and “disaster reduction” are big issues.

Through “hard measures” like earthquake-proof guarantees, and “soft measures” for making a mark between people like strengthening community-based training to together support each other– by pressing forward these various points of view into counter-measures, the lives of the citizens can be protected against.

Even now, when a major earthquake just shook Haiti, Japan’s international disaster relief team plans to be in action on-site starting tomorrow. As our sympathy goes out to the people who were made victims, Japan’s disaster-prevention measures, which we put great effort into cultivating from the opportunity of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, may prove useful even in the international community.

Also, the arrest of an incumbent Democratic Party Lower House member is unfortunate. Let’s keep an eye on changes in the search investigation.

Videoconference with Mr. Soichi Noguchi

[Original post can be found here]

Conference with Astronaut Soichi Noguchi – Video
(Ministry PR Office note: There is sound. It cannot be processed by cell phones.)

Yesterday evening, there was a videoconference with astronaut Mr. Soichi Noguchi. Mr. Noguchi, joining forces with astronauts from many other countries, is undergoing the challenge of a five-month long-term stay on the International Space Station.

By all means there were many things we wanted to inquire of space-dweller Mr. Noguchi. For example, supposing the world’s people were to board such a small space station, perhaps the rising conflicts in the world today would stop, etc.

Mr. Noguchi said, “Inside the International Space Station, mutual understanding is the most important thing.” It was very impressive.
His fellow astronauts, after that, were treated to Japan’s seven-herb porridge, and while eating it prayed for world peace.

Mr. Noguchi also attempted writing his kakizome in the International Space Station. Because of the weightlessness, when he tried to write calligraphy, his body would get separated from the piece of paper, the tip of the brush wouldn’t properly get enough ink, et cetera… the unpredictability made it difficult. This phenomenon was, for me, a new discovery.

To be able to have the experience of being close to outer space, from this kind of story by Mr. Noguchi, was very inspiring.

Again, thank you to everyone from Chigasaki Municipal Hamasuga Elementary School for participating in this videoconference together. Like our mentor Mr. Noguchi, let’s go on carrying big dreams.