2021年11月28日
今週の所感
村田光平（元駐スイス大使）
11月25日 ➁The UN Ethics Summit
皆様
２３日発出のＢＣＣ英文発信をお届けいたします。
東京五輪がコロナ感染第５波を生み、医療崩壊をもたらし、その結果入院できずに３００余名が自宅で死亡したという報じられない事実に言及しました。
拙著「原子力と日本病」で福島事故の９年前に鳴らした警鐘は無視されたが、地球を救うための「国連倫理サミット」開催の訴えが今回は無視されないことを祈っている旨指摘しました。
五輪女子テニスダブルス金メダリストの行方不明事件は北京五輪さらには五輪そのものに重大な影響を与えるものと思われます。
Dear Friends,
Civil society foresaw and warned for years against a nuclear accident due to a natural disaster.
It was neglected and the Fukushima accident actually happened.
The current serious crisis of global warming is directly linked with the universal lack of ethics.
The lesson of Fukushima requires the shift of top priority from economy to human life, but it remains neglected.
The Tokyo Olympic Games ignored the radioactive dangers emanating from the Fukushima nuclear accident.
It brought about the collapse of the medical system in Japan, giving rise to the 5th wave of the Covid-19 infections that prevented Corona patients from being hospitalized, obliging them to stay at home. More than 300 died.
Under present circumstances, the holding of a UN Ethics Summit could greatly contribute to saving the globe
seriously menaced by the crisis of the environment.
Civil society is hoping to be listened to as widely as possible this time.
Mitsuhei Murata
Former Japanese Ambassador to Switzerland
P.S. I published a book entitled “Nuclear Energy and the sickness of Japan” in 2002.The book makes readers believe that it was written after the Fukushima accident that happened 9 years later.
11月25日 The UN Ethics Summit
皆様
お届けした国連倫理サミットの基本的考えに関するＢCC英文発信にたいして海外から寄せられた声援のメッセージを紹介するＢCC英文発信をお届けいたします。
人類にとり緊急課題となった地球環境の保護にあたっての倫理・道徳の重要性が強調されており、この上ない激励として意を強くしております。
今後とも皆様の御支援をお願い申し上げます。
Dear Friend,
One of my close supporters has received the following encouraging message from his friend living abroad.
＜I am very grateful for sharing Ambassador Mitsuhei Murata’s paper on ““UN Ethics Position”(2011,1,21)”.
It is hoped that the UN Ethics Summit will help eliminate or reduce various sources of catastrophe in Japan and around the world. It is time for representatives of the International Community to stress the importance of addressing the ethical and moral issues that surround global environment and its impact on the world’s peoples.
The search for solutions to climate change and the protection of the environment has revealed the limits of traditional technological and policy approaches and has raised difficult questions about justice, equity, responsibility and obligation. As communities and policy-makers worldwide have wrestled with these questions they have brought us all to the threshold of a tremendous opportunity . It is the opportunity to take the next step in the transition from a state-centered mode of interacting on the world stage to one rooted in the unity which connects us, inhabitants of one biosphere, citizens of one world and members of one human civilization. Increasingly the protection of the environment will become a central issue in the governance of the global village we inhabit and call on everyone to summon great courage in our effort to use moral and ethical standards when it comes to protecting the environment .＞
We can thus foresee the increasing importance of the UN Ethics Summit that could internationalize the endeavor to eliminate the
actual and proven sources of catastrophe, namely remaining more than 430 nuclear reactors in more than 30 countries.
The UN Ethics Summit will certainly help to save the increasingly menaced globe.
11月21日 The UN Ethics Summit
皆様
国連倫理サミットの基本的考えに関するＢCC英文発信をお届けいたします。
同サミットに関する国際社会に対するこれまでの広範な働き掛けに関する資料を添付いたします。
不道徳、無責任な原子力、これが支える人命を軽視する経済重視、
そして、これがもたらした深刻な環境危機を前にして
地球を救えるのは国連倫理サミットであると確信いたします。
天災の激甚化、狂暴化を前にして対応が急がれます。
最近の地震の頻発、放射能汚染水の海洋流出の実害を可視化する
軽石災害などは深刻な警鐘です。
地球の危機の深刻化を前にして内外の市民社会の声援の盛り上がりが期待されます。
皆様のご理解とご支援をお願い申し上げます。
The background thinking of the project of UN Ethics Summit
January 19, 2011
Mitsuhei Murata
The present crisis confronting humanity is that of civilization and requires the mobilization of human wisdom on the widest possible scale to avert the ultimate catastrophe. If we consider it as a monetary crisis or an economic crisis, only a limited number of experts and roughly the same people are mobilized to cope with it each time and so the crisis cannot be prevented from happening again.
The lack of ethics
The so-called GDP economics ignores all the important values that cannot be quantified and converted into monetary values, such as culture, tradition, family and social justice. And it makes a major mistake of regarding natural resources as “income”, and not as “capital” which requires preservation. Because of this mistake, economic growth is seriously damaging the environment.
The prevailing supremacy of economy has eroded the ethics of the present generation, which out of self-interest is building prosperity at the expense of future generations, abusing natural resources. Pretending not noticing serious risks, “After me, deluge” attitude is predominant among us.
Such a lack of ethical values is rampant at the global scale. Combined with the absence of the senses of responsibility and justice, this has become a major cause for apprehension about the future of mankind and the globe.
“The maximum happiness for the greatest number of people,” which should be the essential objective of democracy, has been forgotten. Today’s materialism is based on greed, which is now threatening the future of mankind and the globe. The current financial meltdown is one clear example. The deterioration of the environment is another.
Based on this understanding, I am appealing for the creation of a new civilization, based on ethics and solidarity, respectful of the environment and the interests of future generations. This new civilization must seek the transition from the present material-centered one to a spiritual-centered one. André Malraux said、 “The 21st century will be cultural and spiritual, otherwise it will cease to be.”
It is essential to recognize that the establishment of global ethics is most badly needed . The first step should be the creation of an international day of global ethics and the holding of a UN Ethics Summit to declare it.
A maternal civilization and the solution of conflicts
As stated above, the world is confronted with a crisis of civilization, not simply with economic or monetary crises. We should proceed toward creating a new civilization that requires three transitions: from materialism to spiritualism, from greed to contentment, and from selfishness to solidarity.
My three years long appeal for the creation of a civilization of harmony based on maternal culture to replace the actual civilization
of power based on paternal culture has received encouraging support from various quarters. This is in line with the new global current of maternal culture based on compassion for the weak and solidarity. President Obama undoubtedly is in the vanguard of such a current.
This appeal has received no opposition because all religions and civilizations have elements of maternal culture. Mrs. Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Ceylon as the only woman among the leaders of the Nonaligned Movement at Belgrade in 1961, is reported to have said: “If nations could only be led by young mothers the world will be a better place.” The universality of maternal culture is shown in such words as Mother Nature and Mother Earth. In this connection, we are reminded that the final cry of dying soldiers is without exception “mother!”
In view of the principle of respecting the diversity of cultures and civilizations, the shift should be so conceived as to concern only the way of thinking. The possibility of such shift has been eloquently proven by the case of the U.S. Former President Bush symbolized paternal culture, whereas President Obama can be said to symbolize maternal culture.
In the world of today, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, and paternal culture seems to be predominant. There is a need to strike a balance between the two cultures. The need for balancing and harmonizing the two cultures is being increasingly recognized, as is evidenced by the growing pressure within Islamic societies to promote female values.
In this respect, I was deeply impressed to see the Chinese character meaning “harmony” depicted by Chinese dancers at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Aug. 8.2008. It was a reminder that maternal culture is widely shared in Asia.
I have reached the conclusion that various conflicts menacing the world can not be solved without the spirit of maternal culture. The International Community should start calling on all conflicting parties to realize this.
The transition from paternal thinking to maternal thinking has been proven possible without changing cultures themselves.
World Peace and the Summit
The realization of « a World without Nuclear Weapons » is indispensable to world peace. The UN Ethics Summit will offer the occasion to declare, on a global scale, the determination to attain the goal. It will also constitute the first concrete step toward a maternal civilization which is a prerequisite to achieving the vision of denuclearization This Summit is thus deeply related to world peace.
Mr.Tadatoshi Akiba, the Mayor of Hiroshima and President of “the Association of Mayors for Peace” shares the same view and has addressed me a number of letters of encouragement. The Mayor has increased the number of mayors for peace from 1000 to 4000. The IPPNW recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize for the last year.
How it came to be conceived
Towards the end of August, I attended, as a member of “the Patronage Committee”, the World Congress of the “International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear Wars” (IPPNW), recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.
I made a speech on August 29. The positive reaction to it surpassed my expectations and encouraged me to start an initiative by sending the attached letter to the President of the UN General Assembly, Mr.Joseph Deiss, Former Swiss President. Former President Joseph Deiss of Switzerland had just sent me, on August 14, the following message appreciating my ideas about maternal culture.
“ In facilitating and presiding over the work of the General Assembly throughout the 65th session, ethics and solidarity, openness, dialogue as well as equality among all member states of the UN will definitely be values that will inspire my leadership.”
I am attaching the letter of endorsement of IPPNW Switzerland addressed to President Deiss. It is very encouraging to be endorsed so strongly by IPPNW whose members surpass two hundred thousand in 80 countries.
It was on at the luncheon offered by Ambassador Bucher
in his residence on October 29, last year that President Deiss promised me his moral support for the relevant project. He told me that a general assembly resolution will be necessary to realize the project and that member states must take the initiative. It is thus that I have prepared the draft resolution with the cooperation of the IPPNW Switzerland.
I asked the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take the initiative, if possible with the cooperation of Switzerland in view of her substantial involvement. On January 7, Director general of Policy Planning Bureau, Mr. Koji Tsuruoka received me for 45 minutes and briefed me on his point of view on the relevant project. It is encouraging to have confirmed that the
Japanese Permanent Mission at the UN is being consulted.
I am sending out messages to political leaders and opinion leaders that, in view of the lofty vision of the project, the circle of support will continue to expand, as it has been the case, and that the International Community will appreciate this initiative which aims at enhancing awareness of the importance of ethics on a global scale.
