Pacific Friend, April 2003, Volume 30, Number 12 (Last Issue)
 

SPECIAL REPORT Everyday Ecological People FOCUS JAPAN Heaven on the Streets On the Home Front Dogs on Active Service Editor's Note SPECIAL REPORT Everyday Ecological People (P18~27) Global environmental issues such as increased carbon dioxide emissions and destruction of the ozone layer are becoming more obvious. In the face of such issues, the Japanese government is actively exploring new approaches toward achieving a sustainable society. The increased attention paid to environmental concerns has also brought to light the efforts made by people in various fields to preserve the environment. These people come from many different walks of life-they include corporate leaders, civil servants, NPO workers, and ordinary citizens. FOCUS JAPAN Heaven on the Streets (P9~13) In a system launched last year, public spaces such as parks and subways have been opened up to licensed street performers. These performers, who are called "Heaven Artists," are bringing a much-needed dose of liveliness to the streets of Tokyo. On the Home Front Dogs on Active Service (P2~7) Last year marked the end of the Asia-Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, in which measures to improve the living conditions of the disabled were highlighted internationally. During that year, a new law came into effect in Japan to promote the acceptance into society of service dogs. This law recognises the position of dogs in helping with the daily lives of disabled people, whether they are guide dogs, support dogs, or hearing dogs. Service dogs are already recognised in European and American society, and are active in helping the disabled and the elderly. The new law shows that Japan is also aiming to increase the role of these dogs. Editor's Note Editor's Note This is the final issue of Pacific Friend, and so this is the last Editor's Note I shall write for this magazine. PF has been published every month for 30 years, which is a record to be proud of. And the fact that we have been able to continue for 30 years is thanks to you, the readers. I really am truly grateful. As with any magazine, we have a varied readership. We have many faithful readers who read every issue, and there are probably also some people who are reading PF now for the first time. There are people with a deep knowledge of Japan, and others who know very little about this country. Every month, when we put together a new issue of PF I wonder whether we have succeeded in showing our readers what contemporary Japan is really like. We have come this far largely by a process of trial and error. Magazines come and go, and every year more and more new ones are published-it sometimes feel rather surprising that PF has kept going so long. As the last of several editors, I think that over its 30-year existence PF has, at least to some extent, succeeded in its aim of deepening the understanding of Japan and promoting friendship between Japan and other countries. Even though we may have had some degree of success in what we set out to do, the idea of bringing PF to an end still seems a shame. Rather than thinking in terms of finishing, let's just say we are "suspending publication." It sounds somehow better that way. Of course, the reality is that I don't want to accept that it has finished. It is hard to come to terms with the fact that it will completely cease to exist, and I must admit I find it hard to explain exactly how I feel. "Good-bye" is a very hard word to say. Instead, I would like to borrow a phrase used by performers of rakugo, a traditional style of comic story-telling. Rakugo performers invariably finish with the words, Sore de wa, o-ato ga yoroshii yo de . . . This literally means, "Well, the next act seems to be ready, so . . ." When the audience hears these words, they clap to show their appreciation, and the performer leaves the stage. I like this way of parting a lot. The performer is basically taking leave of the audience, but there is a nuance that even though this particular performer has finished, the show as a whole has not. There is still more to come, and the audience can look forward to the next acts. The performer himself may be leaving, but he does not directly say good-bye-he is, in effect, asking the audience to stick around. This may be the sort of vague way of speaking that Japanese people love, but I think it is suitable to this occasion. So I will end with these words to our readers: Sore de wa, o-ato ga yoroshii yo de . . .