Naturral Disasters in Modern Contries

When I saw the scene of the small town in Kansas, I was suprised the the nunber of the people who lost their live unfortunatly is quite small, even if the town was completely destroied.

If this tornade were at some developing countries there would be many people lost their lives.
In the United States the nutural disasters are harricanes and tornados. The science has been helping a disaster minimulize the damage.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu opened the new capital of Japan in early 17th century, Edo former name of Tokyo had less snow, less attacks of tyhoons, less Tsunamis (the entrance of Bay is narrow), and less earthquakes.

We enjoy living in Tokyo comparing to the other cities.
But next earthquake is the condition of count down.
The goverment has been spending new technology to prodict the one but it has not developed.
All the rules of constructing buildings and other infrastructures are considred about the next
earthquake. This may help some. The bullet train will stop in two seconds by sensor.

Modern countries have been spent a lot of money for the natural disasters.
But developing countries have not afforded the mesures.

It is no doubt that the Gloval Warming is one of the cause of natural disasters.

TOYOTA is not a Great Company

I do not like Toyota's cars.
There are all same, just big or small.
Their cars are not exciting. They are same as GM's and Ford's cars.
Just they make better and cheaper.

Toyota's employee work very hard as if they are afraid of the company.
Their system is very organized but I do not think it is efficient.
They are just so called "Salary Men and Women."
That mean an individual has no identity. They are same as their cars.

One of their superior points is even if it is an expensive technology they can make it reasonable and adapt all kinds of cars.
For example the ABS used be for the luxury cars but they equip any of their cars,
even cheapest one.

Toyota employees are not interesting people. No fun, no charm, no adveturerus minds and they avoid risks. There is no Toyota culture.
The company is too big so I am sure they will have the same taril as GM and Ford.

But one point that I admire Toyota is they introduced a hybrid car more than ten years ago.
Their luxury care are nothing.

The merger of Microsoft and Yahoo?

When I worked for Microsoft for me a client in Japan, I was like President Bush at Iraq.
It was an slough. I hired people, make them work hard for the client but no gain.

I lost.
Is it a joke that the company will buy Yahoo?

The internet is no end next decade.
Search Engine System is no doubt most important factor and can earn the money.
So whatever happens it is all right, but this merger is not a good idea.

I will stand by the side of Google.

"Pay per View" makes it exciting.

I ordered to see the match between Hoya and May Weather on May 5th by pay per view.
It costs $55-.
Just watching one TV programe it is not a cheap.

But those who wants to watch the match should pay $55- for the programe.
I am one of them.

If it is broadcasted by one the network of some sponsored station, it may not be exciting match.
I worked in Advertising Industry for many years. I know the system of them.
They will make a programe not a match.
So conseqently the match will last twelve rounds and less KO victory.
Otherwise they could not take money from sponsors.

I am one of the fun looking forward the Match.
If it will end in one round, I do not care if the fight is exciting one.

Withdraw form Iraq Safely?

No way.
If people think about using common sense, why did this happened four years ago.

It is a mess in Iraq now.
But if Americans leave, who will take care of it.
We need time to develop the new technology of the energy not depending on the oil from
the Middle East first of all.

I am an old man.
But I can shoot at least M-16 and Minimi. I can drive some vehicles which equipped a .50 caliber machine gun on it.
If I were allowed to do, I would like to go there instead of young American boys and girls.
I willingly die if I have a reasonable background.

It is not realistic to withdraw now.
It takes time.
The country where the half of the people are illiteracy and no infrastracture of education system. Can you imagin the condition ?

The mess at present is not so severe. It was expected but media just did not mention it.

Americans should be patient and need the coporation of European and Asian countries.
Because the other part of the world think that Amrican Middel East policy is stand on
for Israel.
What do you do American media? Your are in the dilemma.

Those who inform The Optim War to Japan

Townsent Harris was a first American Consul of Japan.
He was appointed as the consul in 1955.

He suceeded to make the trade treaty between two countries.
During his negotiation with Japanese.
He mentioned the fear of the drugs and told the story of The Optim War in 1940 at China.
Japanese knew the incident but were not serious about the fear of drugs.
So Tokugawa Bakufu made the severe rules about any kind of drugs especially heroin.

The rules took over Meiji Goverment and they made the rules more severe.
Death penalty was adapted for the sales of drugs.
It is alomost same now.
There are many foreign visitors in Japanese prisons due to illegal position of drugs cought at
airports.

Asian countries usually do not follow the Japanese rules or laws but this severe attitude for drugs is the exception.
They make more hard. Death penalties are often scaffolded in Asian countries to Western
young people who holded drugs.

But still in Japan tons of drugs are seizured every year.
Most of them are presumed to be carried from North Korea via China.
Such a bad country North Korea.

The Strating Payment is double in Japan

Japanese stylel of working at the companies are different those of the United States.
How many times an American business man changes the jobs of companies?

The Japanese style is more fixed.
Japanese Companies hire fresh men and women every April.
They have just garduated the college and no experience.
So the company teach them in a few years.
But the starting salaly is very high comperaing an American fresh men who have no experience.
It is almost double.
A Japanse fresh man has already got the first salary which is paid once a month on 20th or 25th of the month. It's gross amount is $22-23000.

They used work until their retirement age in the same company.
It is the fixed employment and the payment would increace year by year.

Unfortunatly, Japanese companies could not afford this system.
There are are early retirement system and they hire more temporay employees.
This has been better tendency of last fifteen years.

But since last year the economy has been getting well, it seems the fixed engagement would be
back.
The labor law of Japan is very old. It protect the employees right too much.
There are complecated process to fire employees.

But Japanese young business men has less thought that they will work at the same company or do the same job for their rest of their life.
Peoples philosophy is advanced than the law.

Jewish and Japanese

Japanese has honestly no prejudice against Jewish.
Japanese do not know what is Jewish. Jewish are one of the foreign people.
Japanese do not understand what Nazis did against Jewish.
Japanese do not realize what going on at Palestine.
(Please read the article about General Tojo's attitude about Jewish ref8gees.)

I have worked at NYC for ten years and most of the works I did with Jewish Americans.
I go to the Church in Japan and read the Bible.
So I know more than what is Jewish people and their positions in the world.

I could not say what is right and not right.
Just I think Jewish people seek the probabilities for everything than the average of the world.
This is close to the Chinese.

Japanese are friend of Jewish right now, but Japanese are sometime fool not to seek the probabilities but the faith.

A Japanese critics Hichihei Yamamoto wrote a long comments about "Jewish and Japanese" their comparisons about 30 years ago. He wanted to make the Japanese characters clear.
Many Japanese kids want to be a American Major Leaguers, it is very bad probability efforts
to be lawers or doctors.

Copy Right Problems in China

It take more time to solve the problem.
I have worked in China for some Japanese clients.
So far I understand they have little sence for copy rights.
To make an imitation is not a sin for them.

The present leaders of China seems very normal and reasonable guys.
But the society is different as those of Europeans, Americans and Japanese.
For most of them the first priority is to earn the money, how is next.

There are almost all the Chinese Brands exactly like Japanese Brands exsisted.
Yamaha had a trouble with their former Chinese partner, because the former partner produce the old type Yamaha products as the brand name of "Nihon Yamaha" after they broke up.
Most of the logo not only the name are very resemble with original Japanese both name and color.

When Japanese authority went to Chinese govement to complain the problem, the Japanese
was told that Japanese has been used Chinese characters for many centurires so
it was a small problem between two countries.

The Hypocrisy of the History

I have not learned the American history in a school in the United States.
I learned it among the world history in Japan.

In the United State, Abraham Lincoln was one of the great president of the country.
But I do not get the idea.
Is it true that he was a great leader?"
He was called "Honest Abe", " The Rail Spliter" or " The Great Emancipator".

He sits on the Lincoln Memorial in Washigton DC. Why? Do you accept this?
The reasons this is an irony of the history are as follows.
He killed many Native Americans in Illinois.
"The goverment of the people , by the people , for the people." was not his original words.
He just copied.

Is it true that the Civil War was for giving the freedom of slaves?
I do not think so. The slavery would not last long if the plantators seek more efficient productiont of their products.

600,000 people died at the Civil War, even do you call him a great leader of America?
There were many ways that he could solve the problems without going into the war.

I dare say that he dis not worth even a penny.
Ask Mr. Tom Hanks.
I admire Abraham as a street fighter for his courage and his body.

Future of Agriculture Business

I came from Japan where we have completly different customs of meals.
Of course most of the people eat three times a day.
It is same and also same to enjoy eating with their families.

Japan can produce only 40% of her demands.
Most of the supplies she needs have been coming from the U.S. and Australia.
Japanese eat more variety of materials and create big choices of food.
Eating many small portions of big variety of foods is no doubt good for human body.

When we eat Western style lunch, I e-mail to my wife so. She prepares Japanese style
dinner. One day we have fish, next day we will have meat.

The volume of imported bottoles of wine shows that Japanes eat more western style meals.

Actually, the aguriculture of Japan is getting not worth as business.
The scale is too small. This resposibility was by GHQ, when they occupied Japan taking lands from land owners and divided to individual units.
So farmers must develope high value produces.
Last a few years her agricuture turns to export some high value produces to Aisian countrie.

It is different but both countries should need to change their customs.
Not many countries wast such a lot of leftover food in garbage cans.

What do you do your metric systems?

Globel satandards of mesurements are the metric system.
When I go to shopping and ask something about what I want to buy, if the people working there
from abroad, it is easier to discuss about the size, weight and so on.
Because they know the metric also.

One of the reasons that American Auto Industry is losing their share in the world is that they do not use the metric system.
Except American and British, rest of the world mesures by the metric systems.
No yard, inch and pound.

I know my weight by pounds because I do boxing. 138pounds is my weight.
But when I am asked how many inchs your height, it is confused.
I always answer differently.

Ironically, the calibers of the guns is the first thing that Americans is adapting the metrics.
9mm, 5.62mm and 11mm are European metric caliber which Americans have all.

If Americans and British are using yard and pound system, they will reach to some ceilling
someday.

The metric system is one of the rare victories of French.

Superior Sports Lessons in America

During my saty in the United States and after I returned to Japan I had took some sports lessons from Americans.

They are Golfing, Swimming, Shooting, Flying and Boxing.
I paid them, of couse. They are lesson professinals.
The lesson systems in America is very effective and I think the cost are reasonable so far.
There are many professional people who live teaching their skill to others in America.

The swimming, I did it in Japan.
My instructor was named Quick an African American ex Marinco.
His lesson was hard.
Before taking the lesson ,I could swim rather well but lesson told me a lot of new factors.
Usually I swim 1000m(1100 yards) by free style every morning, during April to November.
My rap time was twenty minutes.
Before the lesson I could not swim 1000m by free style and I got a new way of turning.
It really worthed it . He was a good coach.

When I left the company, there are two lessons for employee left, a boxing and a strech class.

The causes of the VT masssacre will finish fuzzy.

People has became emotional.
They do not think logical about the incident.

Who is the resposible person about the massacre?
Do not finish it finding in obscurity.

It is easy to conclude the incident that the killer was a crazy man.
Even if he was crazy someone could prevent it.

The school gathers symapathy doing some ceremonies for the students who were killed.
It is a dangerous phenomenon.

The case is going to as same as 911's.
They are going to the different directions not realistic directions.

After 911 the goverment went wrong directions and the final disition was Iraq.
They could prevent the tragedy by different and samller, simpler ways.
Airlines, airports and seculity agencies should have resposible. The causes are always simple.

What happened the school security, it was the basic.
The school is too big for my standard. No one can watch 26000 students.

The Golden Age of Black Actors

Those who produce films have no trouble to cast any blacke male actors nowadays.
There are many good actors who have quite good carriers.

I saw Forest Whitaker in 1993 at NYC's hotel lobby.
He was a good actor and soon later he directed " Waiting to Echale."
Finally he got an Oscar this year.

Spike Lee is famous for a director of the films. He acted very well in many films.
"Do the Right Thing" is one of my favourite. He did the right thing.

From senior to young, there are a lot of choices for casting.

Seniors are such as Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Glover and so on.
Younger ones are, Ice Cube, Jammie Foxx. Eddie Murphy, Will Smith,Wesley Snipes and so on.
Do not forget about Denzel Washington.
I have not seen Chris Tuker and Chris Rock recently.

I like the comedies "House Party" "Barbar Shop" and so on.

One very important factor for black actors and it is a great pity is that if those black actors act same role as white men they should be almost same characters as they are white actors.

Of course some of them have strong black characters.
It started in 1967' Sidney Poitier in "The Guest coming to Dinner."

Real Luxury

I drove so called a luxury car "Lexus" for nine years, three models.
But I never feel them as lucury cars.
It has high performance, beautiful and expensive but I had no satisfaction.
They lack something for me.
The concept of luxury is not only as the subject of cars?

Most important factors for human life are in a good health and having some extra time.
Of course one needs money to do something.
Luxury should make feel the people about something.

"Health", when I was young I think about it little.
The other day my wife had some doubts for her exsamination, finally they found it nothing.
It was a good exsample. We felt it luxury.

And extra time, this is also an important factor. Those who can afford it have the sense of luxury.
While I drove a Lexus, I had no extra time.

A "Lexus", while driving it I never afford both of them.
So ther were not a luxury car.

The Gunman at VT is not a Crazy Man

When I saw TV news at the early stage, there was a scene that a cop was catching an Asian student. So I prodicted that the gunman was an Asian.
I am an Aisan so I might be sneseive but it was right. The gunman was an Asian.
I belive this is the first big crime that an Asian involved in this country.
The gunman died so no one could know what was the truth.

Korean society when they started their carrier after Vitnam War in the United States, they have been a good model of the American immigrant. They have worked hard with the strong tie of their families. Their second or third generations tried to have higher educations.
They have never involved the big crime secne. They has no "Mafia."

Japanese Americans have been mixed up with American society completely. Their third and fouth generations are not Japanese but American.

Seeing the scenes from VT, I found there were few African American students been there.

The gunman Cho had a great expectations from their family and at the school no one might
care about him.

As my mother she is in the generation of Japanese had some dicriminations feeling against Koreans knows about Cho's positions at the VT most.
It was sad for everybody.

I myself could not give up my suspicions about North Korean's involvement about this crime.
They ceate eccentrical ways.

The Reallity of the Gunman

It was such a shocking news.
There is not many people who shot almost 50 people and killed 32 by handguns.
He must be trained and he is not crazy. There must be some background.

I should think about " No guns kill any people but people kill people" again.

My mother sent me an e-mail from Japan saying she would like to tell the president of the college that he is an easy going man. He should feel more responsible those who were killed and
their parents.
Because she thinks this shooting should be predictalbe.

The high pressure to Korean kids by their parents is abnormality big.
It used be same in Japan, but many of Japanese parents have gave up that kind of expectations.

So what we should learn from this tragedy is reality is more complicated.
The president of the Viginia Tec may be easy going guy.

Those parents who lost their kids are almost same age as us.
Thinking about if I were, I would have no words.

A Mind Control

The tragedy at Virginia Tec has several mysteries.
One of them is why the gunman was so efficient.
He shot less than 100 rounds and killed thirtytwo people and wounded fifteeen.

He should be trained as a killer.
Otherwise no good shooter could do that even attaking unarmed students.
Most of the wounded people were by his .22 caliber pistotols. A 22 caliber pistol is usually used for a target shooting. It is 5.5mm and a full metal jucket bullet could penetrate a human body with less damage.
A 9mm pisotol is a lethal weapon.

Obiously the sounds which someone took by a celler phone included two kinds of sounds of two different pistols.

Was he trained shooting or killing people at somewhere for some purpose ?
Did hear some voice ordering to kill the people around which controled his mind?

" A gun does not kill a man, A man kills a man" is a famous words that I have believed.

But this incident made me changing my theory about guns.
(This will continue.)

"YAMATO" the soul of Japan

"YAMATO" is an old name of country of Japan.
(There is also the name of some district near Tokyo.)
It is not used as officially in Japan.

When they named the world biggest battleship as Yamato in 1940.
They never thought about the ship would be destructed.
When they completed the ship, Japanse Navy proved the airforces were suprior than battle ships. Not only the Pearl Harbor attack, the next day their air forces destroyed British two
battle ships, Price of Wales and Repalus.

During WWII, YAMATO and her sisiter ship MUSASHI were not active because they consumed a lot of fuel.
MUSASHI was sink in Phillipines.

YAMATO went one way Kamikaze attack in May of 1944.
She was attacked hundreds of American dive bombers and topedo attackers and sink nearKyushu Island.
Nobody thought about she could reach to Okinawa.
They just wanted the place she die.

White Cars

In Japan a TV commercial by a house makere that is a parody of the state in the White House is
popular. President "Bush" concluded " I will make a statement in front of Daiwa House tomorrow."

When I drove to a shopping center in New England yesterday, I found the propotion of white cars is not big, about 10%.
In Japan somehow their cars should be in White Color and the propotion is more than 50%.
I heard some one from the car industry, painting process to white is cheapest.
NYPD did all their police cars in white was from the same reason.

In Europe there are vareities of colors of the cars. It is enjoyable.

Why are the cars in Japan in white?

I do not know the real reason. It should be their taste.
The other day I attended a funeral at a country side. People gathered by black, white and other quite color's cars. I found one of the reasons.
I drove my red car. It was an only red car among more than fifity cars.

Once my younger brother tried to buy a car at Hokkaido. My mother asked him the color.
It was white. My mother persuaded him to change it in yellow.
Her reason is in norther country white cars were not distinctive.

One of the reason I like red cars, I have one in Japan and the other is in the U.S. the color red is distinctive.
Of couse I have disliked communists for many years.

Sushi is a wonderful food

Before I leave Tokyo, we went to the Sushi place near our house.
We have been there almost 25 yrears.
The rules and the manner to have Sushi are a little bit different thoes of the U.S.

First, of course there aer conversation between us and chef. We know him for many years so he
understands our taste and catchs our mood instantly. He never speaks too much and same subjects.
In first clasa Sushi place at Tokyo, a customer never offere drink to a chef.
They never drink during working. They are real busy to cut a fish and arrenge it a Sushi.
They never use already prepared, cut materials.

And, speed is different. A shef should be fast to find the process of serving.
A chef at Tokyo works double thoes of in the U.S.
Chefs who returned from the U.S. to Japan could not find the job in Tokyo, he may go to some local area.

On the day I return to Tokyo, we gather the place and he will say just "Welcom back." and give
me a real smile.

You do not need to order a set of two same Sushi.
We ususally eat one each and more varieties.
Sushi is a strange food that we could not over eat.

At a small town in New England

I flew to JFK airport from Narita the day before yesterday.
It took almost tweleve hours plus going to Narita and coming here from JFK.

It is a long, long trip.
One of my neighourhood people came to JFK to pick me up driving my Jeep.

The weather did not welcome me, yesterday it rained all day long.
But the town and people are friendly to me at the post office , the bank and some shopping places.
I spent last year twice, ten weeks before Summer and six week in Autum.
I and my wife who joined before Summer enjoyed a lot,life of the New England.
We did not go far last year. Last sevral years whenever we spent in this town we drove to somewhere in New England with our own golf bags.

The house has been intact. I found just mainor trouble but the next door guy fix it.
The gardener did good job.

The picnic tabel in the cold rain looked it takes more time until we enjoy lunch after gofing but the season stepes very quickly.
Same in Japan those who has four seasons are happy.
I know the people who has only two different seasons , a dry and a wet.

I found the bill from the tax collector of the town. It has raised 90% in ten years.

Why are Eggs at Easter?

We went to the church near by for the Easter Service.
Kids had Eggs.

The service was great.
To believe or not believe Jesus was back three days after is not important.
This is just a faith.
We may believe it.

We had a dinner with our freind together at Tokyo American Clug.
Someone asked why they serve eggs on Easter.
Nobody could answer it.
I asked the next table people from Australia, he said "That is just a Americans custom."

Who and When did make this custom in the United States ?
It may be same as to have turkies at Thanksgiving and Christman.

Masters' Tournament in Japan

I have got up early in the morning yesterday and today will get up tomorrow and after tomorrow to see the Tournament on live TV.

There are many stories. I like Masters from Augusta, Georgia most.
It starts first among the four majors.
I like to see the faces of the people both playing the game and watching the game.
The visitors may be "within 20%" highend ones. They seems to believe what they actually see.
They may not believe what someone say or mass media.
They search the real one by themselves.

If Els would not be in the final rounds Japanese would be disappointed. ( Stupidly the TV live
has cut before the results would come out.)
They like Tiger, Els and Mickelson would be seen tomorrow.

I used worked for "World Match Play" in England sponsored by a Japanese Automobile Company. I have seen Faldom, Siingh, Coupless and so on.
It recollects me the time.

Japanese Crimes and Trial System

Japan used be a very low rate crime country.
Recently it is not like used be. I have an alarm system in my house.

The crimes have been increased 50% in last seven years.
Last few years the rate of arrest also increased, it is a good news.
But the ability of the Japanese police forces reached their limit.

Right now the rate of murder cases is 90%. But there are many complecated cases and crimes by the people from other countries make them difficult to arrest.
Some cases the susupects had run away next morning they killed someone to Brazil.
There is no treatment between two countries to deliver the suspects from Brazil to Japan.
The prisons are full, because there are too many Chinese in.

For the usual crimes , such as larceny, rape and fraud, the arrest rate is 30%, I guess.

Also the crime of false investments for senior people have been increasing.

The police precinct which manages my area was built when I was a college student, but still the same and size.
This area has been developed and increased the population especially in day time.
So I have never seen cops patrol near my house with their low charged handguns.

In diet, the new trial law passed and finally Japan will have a jury system.

Who knows Willie Nelson in Japan?

The first album I bought when I got to the United State was Willie's "Red Headed Stranger."
I like this album which was a LP and bought a CD later.
It is a story of an outlaw consisted several songs. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" was famous.

Actually, I believe most of music fans do not know him in Japan.
He came to Japan once in early 80's and had only one concert.
I and my wife went there and found that one third of the audiences were Americans.
He was great and his sister Bobby did the roll of a piano.
When I listen to his albums, Bobby did not sound elder than he. Her play was strong.
I am sorry tha she has not appear resently.

I also bought his movie "Honeysuckle Rose" tape which was based on his own life.

Country music is not popular in Japan.
Most of the albums are sold only 2000 at most.
Why? There are many great songs and a singers.
My wife told me when I watch his DVD, she never know him if she had been with me.

"Dixie Chichs" is the same here. I bought their first album.

Once there were two goverments in Japan

The Paris Expo in 1867, from Japan Shougun's Bakufu, Saga and Sagtsuma were participated.
The Expo rules is one exhibition from one counrty.
In this year Satsuma announced to represent Japan.
The items they exhibit were mostly crafts such as a huge flower vase.

Satsuma used has a catchwords of the policy "Anti Foreign Power and Respect the Emperor"
In 1868 Satsuma was no doubt to contribure the Meiji Restoration.
But, before 1863 this load and Sumurais were radical and there sent some terrorists to Kyoto and Edo(Tokyo). Terrorists killed some foreign people who visited Japan.

The famous "Namamugi Incidenst" occured in 1862.
Satsuma's Samurais killed two English businessmen who tried to cross in front of the load marching.
British sent their strong fleets to Satsuma Bay with 100 cannons.
Between them there was a two days fight.
This was a battle of artillery. British lost the captain of the flag ship their total toll was 63 men. Satsuma lost all the cannons on the ground.

This was the first battle that British could not win in Asia.
For Satsuma it was not realistic to act as anti foreign power.

This was a small war but it was the start of Japanse realistic policy.

My first English teacher

Japanese English teaching for kids starts at the age of twelve.
And other foreign languages education starts at the age of eighteen.
For Japanese, foreign languages are poorest ability.

My first English teacher was an American.
I went in junior high school in 1955 which was a special kind of school attached of the educational
department of the college.
I do not know how she came and what was the system.

She was Ms Yabrou( the spelling might be incorrect and I do not know her first name).
She was a tall woman from New England. I had no idea how old she was.
Looking back the picture we were togther she was not so old I thought.
She might be 30's.

She tought our class only in six month.
One of my class mate met her at a nursing home in 1990's near New Port.
She said she had smiled.
During she tought us English, we had an impression she never smiled.
There are many students from the class who studied with her, worked using English job later.
Many of us worked trading companies, teachers, and worked abroad.

I only remember her beautifle printed shirts.

There is no fareness for a joint ventur business

I wrote that I have worked for almost ten years for joint ventur companies.
One in the Untited States for Japanese company with American, in Japan for US's company with Japanese.
Both I was on the top of the companies even they are not big companies.

The most important factor I had in my mind was to make fare both sides, employees, shareholders and customers.
Consequently I found there is no fairness about the joint ventur business.

I tryed to be fare for the emplyoees but for the Japanese majority's a Japanese is a top.
( The company I started in the U.S. my sucessor is an American. It is not common.)

Also there is no trusts between two parties.
Japanese do not turst foreign partners not only Americans but any, British, Scotish, Jewish and
Asians.
Foreign partners do not trust Japanese.
It is most unhappy factor for the people working together.

Foreign company's objectives usually set in very short term, used be in half a year , one qauter
of a year and now a month.
Japanese set longer. So there is a complict always about making a plan.

As a member of Tokyo American Club, I heard many comversations of the people who come form many other countries who work joint companies in Japan. They complain are common
that I used to have.

Joint venture business seems no meanings.
The business leaders should choose the better way to make maximize both cultures work for
their business.
Otherwise nobody will be happy. Even today it is difficult to understand each other completely.
So 100years or 70years ago it is not doubt there were many misunderstandings between countries.
venture companies

April 1st is the beginnig of terms in Japan

School's new year start in April and most of the company's fisical year starts on April 1st.
Those who go to the oversea schools for studying abroard may lose one year behind because of the difference of terms.

I worked for a Japanse Agency in the United States for eleven years among seven years for the
joint venture company with Japanese and American.
After back to Japan I worked a dfferent joint venture company for four years in Japan.
At both of the companys, Japanese had majority, so I was in the position to have resposibilities
for both sides.

One of the paper work difficulties of the joint venture companies is this different start of the terms.
Shareholders meetings and various reports should be adjusted for both sides.

Starting on April 1st used be British rules I heard, but they do not use anymore.
Japanese succeeded the British ones but when they will change to global standard.

"KANTEI" is a strange hobby

"KANTEI" of blades is one of the refined hobbies that Japanese has loved for many centuries.
This is to watch just a blade and judge the make of the age, place and name of the simth.
People gather to see several blades and write own judgement on a paper.
It is a kind of competition.

Regular Japanese sword' length is two feet without tang. On a tang there are some information of the simth name, place sometime the year carved.
When they do "KANTEI", they wrap the tang.

People who participate, sit on a line and watch blades one by one and write own judgements.
When they watch blades, they have a roll of paper on the mouth preventing to blow the breath on the blades. Moisture is not good for the blades. Of course never touch the blade by fingers.

The points they watch are the shape, thickness, curve, skin and patterns ot the hard portions.

Japanese has a history of swords for 2000 years and this game started in the 15th century.
Not only Samurai's class but also rich merchant and farmer's class people loved this game.

John Harris who used be one of my freinds is the American expert of Japanese swords.

Lawrence Block is not popular.

I llike mystery books.
I like American mysteries, even if it takes time to read I read in original English.
Because the one I like is not popular in Japan and many his works do not translated in Japnaese.

He has three characters for his series of works.
Matthew Scudder an ex NYPD cop, a non licenced ditective. Those are crime stroies. He was adicted alcohole but he is sobber now.
Bernie Phodenbarr is a Burglar who owns a used book store.
Keller is a hitman who looks regular guy but he is good as a hit man.

I read most of his works.
Even if I could not understand some points but I get his sence of humor and of course the plots.
I have never seen his works to be a movie. HBO might did one or two of his works. I do not know.
One of the reasons I like his mysteries, all of his story take place in New York City where I have spent ten years and he has New Yorker sence of humor.

I also read many other writers' such as Dean Koontz.
Most popular American writer in Japan is Steven King.
My most scared story of all the mystery books I read is his "Pet Cemeterry" , when I read the story, I have same composition of the family and moved to a new place.
Especially, my son was two years old.

When I go to American book stores, I ask the guy there "Where are "Rorense Brock"?"
They seems confused.

Came to my mountain housse

I left Tokyo at 6:30 am and came to my mountain house at Fukushima prefecture which is north of Tokyo about 170 miles.
It took usually three hours.
The weathere is perfect today, not cold not warm, dry to open the house and clean.

I have a small Jeep with a 660cc engine, four wheals drive at the house.
It will be cold at night so I should prepare the fire woods for the stove.

This house used be a farm house but they stopped to do farming.
My father bought it 25 years ago.
My wife and daughters do not like here because the toilet is primitive.

I do hunting in Autum and fishing in Spring.
The fly fishing is not popular. The fish we catch is calle "IWANA" which is very wild.

Driving is not a problem but it cost $60- for the one way toll plus the fuel which is almost double ofthe Untited States.

After Japanese "Bubbble" had bursted.

I play golf twice a month wiht my wife. It costs $100 in week days for each including some meals.
We go to the course not far from the center of the city. It takes about one hour by driving and we pay the toll total about $40- which is not bad here.
The golf club is not a private nor public. It has a new kind of operartion. but it used be a very expensive private course.

Until 1990, about several years Japanese economy was "Bubble" period.
The prices of real estates, stock market average and all things were getting high every day.
For example to be a member of the golf club we go, we should pay the member fee about
US $300,000- (this was a life time fee and transferable) and for the one round play the guest who was with the member should pay $300- . Even a member should pay $100- for each play. A lunch was $30-.

It was ridiculous. After all in 1990 every thing bursted.
The golf course was bankrupted.
This was same not only golf courses but real estates, then ten years past.
In early 2000, the investers came from other countries mostly Americans and they started to buy everything at the bottom prices.

The golf course is now operated by an American company.
They did not invest much money, so they can manage it with very reasonable costs.

But behind this fact, someone lost a lot of money. Who are they?
I could not see their real faces.

Allied Prisoners of the War by Japanese.

During the WWII, in early 1942 at Pacific, there were about 300,000 Weatern prisoners of war
by Japnese.
Several years ago I have searched the document or some sources at Japanese side written about
the truth of the prisoners.
But I could find very little left in Japan, how many prisoners, where and what was the condition.
I asked some historian about the fact. She answered that Japanese officisales had distroried the
records intentionaly just after their surrender, on 15th and 16th of August in 1945.
There were many Japanese War Criminals ecesuted about the cruelty to the prisoners.

How many Allied prisoners were there?
Roughly, at the fall of Singapore, United Kingdom, British, Australian were surrendered, their
numbes were about 130,000. (Australian was 22,000 and one third of them died before the end of the war. )
At Pillipines, about 100,000 Americans had been as prisoners. And more at Hong Kong, Indonasia (Dutch), and Malay Peninsula.
So, I figured about 300,000 western prisoners were.

From many writings both sides, about 100,000 had been sent to mainland Japan.
About 100,000 were cought at the camps in Asia.
About 100,ooo died including 30,000 by the sanks of the boats which were topedos of the United States.
Those are the figures I have right now.
But I will try to find out the actual truth by any kind of this subject.

Afterall one million Pillpinos died during the war and half million Japnaese died in Phillipine.
The facts were vague.
source.

Tattoos are not allowed in public baths

Since many many years ago, tattoos on the body had been popular for the people who had special business in Japan.
The tattoos in Japan usually covers many portions of a body and it took several month to finish and cost a lot.
Of course the graphic arts and skills were important. They shoud ask to expensive tattooers.
There are several patterns of designs, combinations of flowers and animals.
For female there were more fancy designs.

GIs liked to have tattoos on their bodies during Korean and Veitnam wars at ports in Japan and China or other Aisian coutries. But most of them they took were spot kind of tatoos on .

In Japan at hot springs or golf courses there are public style baths.
In the movie "The Bridges at Tokori"1954, Lt Brubaker and his wife (Grace Kelly) were embarassed that while they were bathing, some othere family with girls got in the same place.

In a golf course's bath and shower room, there is a sign " No People with Tattoos please"
So recently the people who had tatoos go home after palying golf without having shower.

The special kind of business who have tatoo all over their back used be gamblers.
But many workers used have tattoos not any more.

450 B-29s were down over Japan in 1944-45

The number of the B-29s which were lost during the bombing against Japan had been unknown.
Not many people were interested in it after the war.
The damage was great and the recovery was first priority in Japan. In the United State there would be new problems by communists one by one.

I tryed to figure out them at the Japanese Defence Agency Museum, counting the figures from the day by day records of the combats. They could not over count the results because many people watched the combats from the ground.

In late 1944, the Untied States Airforce operated the bombing to North Kyushu Industrial Area from the deep China.
Japanese Forces in China could inform to Ozuki Army Ariforce Base in Yamaguchi prefecture which defended western area of Japan. From Ozuki, twin engins "Toryu" night fighter which had a 37mm canon , semi automatic with only 15rounds , were waiting B-29 over northern Kyushu.
From the ground the searchlights were catching the American bombers.
This defence system was effective and the U.S. lost many plains during this period.
Recently I found the book by one of the Toryu pilots.
He is the one on Toryu downed 70 B-29s from Ozuki.
After the war he was back as a farmer and never told his stroy until recent.

The U.S. took pasific islands as bases of B-29 in 1945 and operated the flights from there against Japanese Metoropolitan industrial areas.
In daytime bobming the U.S. did not take high altitude to seek the accuracy.
Japanese single engine fighters could not clime to 30000feet but at low alltitude they fought
to crash themselves against B-29s.
Consequencely until the end of the war the U.S. AIR Forces had lost total 450 B-29s over the Japanese soil excluding which returned to the bases but be destroyed by crach landing.

It is a huger figure than I thought.
What did happend the crews? The U.S. should lost about 5000 crews.
I saw recently an American photographer's pictures of graves of the American crews who died
over Japan.
They were simple with a pole on it written " An American Flyer Sleeps Here".

see, http://www.japaneseweapons.com

China or India for Japan

Next several decades the relations between the United States and Japan will not change dramatically.
The United States, the Untited Kingdom and Japan will have same kind of political philosophies and will be no big change.

For Japan, the changes of two big countries in Asia that are China and India are her geart interests.

China has one hundred thirty million and India has one hudred million people.
The total populations of those two contries is one third of the world.
Both countries are growing with high speed and changing dramatically even they have some difficulties and problems inside the countries and with surrounding nations.

China is very close to Japan and Japanese invest a lot of money to China, that seems too much now.
About 15% of foreign investment to China is from Japan.
To India, Japan invests only one thirtyth of that of China. It is very small.

We have many people from India recently same as in the U.S. They are mostly Hi-Tec industry businessmen and women.
In Tokyo there is an " Indian Town" at the eastside of the town.
So the distance between two contries has been getting closer rapidly.

India had sent two elephants to Japan in 1946 or7.
I remember the ceremony as we went to see them for a school activities.
In Japanese zoos at that time there were no animals, because during the war they poisoned the
animals to prevent them escaping from the zoos by bombardments.

That was my first time to go to a zoo and see elephants.
One of the elephants, named "Indira"lived very long.

Guns Controls in Japan

I do hunting and have three shot guns and an air rifle. I do not have any rifle.

To hold guns, it is not permitted to just collect them. There are no collectors' license.
An antique gun, there is a paper each inspected and issued by the Cultual Agency.
The paper with a gun, showing its size, caliver and some charactaristics with gunsmith name.
When I want to sell it, it will go with the paper.

For regular guns, The National Safty Comittee, which operated by the police would issue the
license to an individual, investigateing one's background, criminal record, debt, family, drag
and paysho. Then they will do paper test ,practical test and shooting test needing doctors
diagnosis.
It is almost impossible for a new comer to get a Gun holder's license in Japan.
Handguns are not allowed anycase except military or police personels.

But Chinese boats came near to Japan and tranfered hundreds of surplus handguns to Japanese
smuggling boats several times.
Actually between Yakuza's (gang groups) conflict handguns are their weapons mostly.

If someone is prosecuted for an illegal possession of a gun, the penalty would be several years in prison this is almost same as a murder case.

My Italian Car and the Japanes Army Airforce in 1930's

I drive an Itarian car in Japan.
It is a small and sporty car with beautiful shape, color and interior.
Especially I like thick leathe seat. It is maual shift drive and there are two kinds of shifting systems.
One is a stick on the floor and the other is "plus and minus" buttons on the backside of a steering
handle. It runs well with an exiting motor roaring.
There is no dealership of this manifucture in the U.S. so you see only old models which were imported more than 15 years ago.

The other day the dealer in Japna send me a letter saying "Your car is better to change the timing belt of the engine. It costs about US$1200-." The mileage meter shows only 25000 miles (that is 40000km)
What? Regular cheap Japanese cars' timing belt last at least 100000km and it costs one third of
that Itarians'.

In 1935, Japanese Army Air Force imported 85 Fiat BR20 twin engines bombers from Italia.
The engine of the plane was A-80RC 14 cylinders,1000hp.
It looked very high performance plane.
Japanese Army Airforce used them during the conflict between USSR in 1941.
In 1937 ,Japanese Army developed their own twin engines bomber by Mitsubishi. After 1937,
85 Italian bombers were not used because theywere needed frequent parts changes and the war in Europe getting busy and there was less supply of the parts from Italy.

This is the same king of phenomenon except they have good supply of parts.
Now I understand why they do not sell their cars in the U.S. market. American consumeres
are more strit than European and Japanese.

see, http://www.japaneseweapons.com

Marilyn Monroe and Joe Demajio in Japan

In winter of 1954, when I came back from the school, my mother said "We will go to see Marilyn
Monroe. Get ready!".
I changed the clothing and we took a streetcar to Hibiya where at Imperial Hotel, Marilyn and Joe Demajio stayed for their honeymoon.

We waited with crowd. I donot remember how long we were there.
Then people around began huming.
We were aclose the street, the doors of the terrace opened a woman and a man appeared.
They were Mrilyn and Joe Demajio.
People were very happy to see them waveing hands.

I read later they stayed for a while in Japan and Marilyn went to Korea visiting the U.S. military
people there fighting with mostly Chinese at that time.

When I was president of an agency, Imperial Hotel was one of our clients.
I told the story to Mr. Kobayashi who is president of the hotel, then he went to the back office
and returned with an album. There were some pictures of Marilyn and Joe Demajio and among
them I found the one they waved hands from the terrace of the room.

There were a crowd outside but I could not identify where we were.

During their stay in Japan, Joe was busy for his appointments with Japanese baseball teams.

Pre-War Baseball in Japan

The Baseball Game is one of the most popular sports in both countries, America and Japan.

Until 1934, Japanese had no professional baseball even at schools it was very popular
from the begining of the century.
Matutaro Shoriki who was the owner of one of three majour newspapers, made a team
"All Japan" and he invited the majour league selected members as "All Americans"
including Babe Ruth.
Babe Ruth was of course very popular player in Japan.

In 1934, they played several games all around the contry.
This is the start of Japanse professinal baseball. Shoriki named his team "Kyojin" that means Giants in Japanese.

In 1935, "Kyojin" went to the United States and played some exhibition games with major league teams.
Sawamura was one of the pitchers and it is said that an American scout approached him during his stay in the U.S.
Sawamura took Babe Ruth a strikeout in Japan.
He died in 1944 during the war. He boat was sunk by a U.S. submarine.

When the war started many professional players were mustered.
Sugiura was also a pitcher. He spent in China during the war.
After the war he said, even he had a long blank of playing, he was suprised himself that he could throw effective balls.
He tought about the background and found that he was selected for the company's hand grenade thrower and be trained. But he never joined the actual battle.
Many players did not come back.

After the war the baseball became most popular sports and an entertainment in Japan.
There have been many managers and players from the U.S. and Latin America came to Japan.
And about ten Japanese major league players are there.

Who is the first player from Japan be in "National Baseball of Hall of Fame"?

see, http://www.japaneseweapons.com

The day Douglas MacArhtur left Japan

It was spring of 1951.
My father was burning some twigs and trush to clearn our garden.
When I and my brother were around the fire, formations of U.S. milirary aircrafts passing over us with big roars of engines. It might be on Sunday because my father was at home.

The formations lasted at least half an hour, I believe.
I have never seen such many airplanes at the sky since then.
Some of them, smaller sigle engine planes were at low altitude. Bigger multi-engines planes were flying higher than them.
The roars of engines were tremled the glasses of the house.

A few minutes later, my father said " Oh, Douglas MacArthur is leaving from Japan."
The formations of planes were the parade for his farewell.

President Truman relieved MacArthur's command for the conflict of opinions about the Korean War policy, I knew latter.

There are two different evaluations what he did for the occupied Japan.
It is natural for historians. The new constitution had made Japan weak, non international contry, this is one.
But without his very strong leadership, the confusion after the war last longer and communists
influence effected us more.

He said "I shall returen." at the defeat of Phillipins but he never returned to Japan since then.

"Luxyry Items" in 1950's in Japan

When I walk some Flea Markets in U.S. I find many interestings things which we did not have in some era.
Such as Toys, to have toys in 1950's in Japan was luxyry. The ones we have mostly very simple and cheap stuff.
Fifty toy pistols in a box which my carpenter found behind the ceiling of my house in 1980's were hidden by my mother when I was ten years old. They are mostly made of tins.
(I keep them because some people want those stuff.)

In Japan, during the period from late 1930's to 1950's , there was a blnak of luxyry items.
They had no leeway to spend both an individual and the nation.

Golf clubs, watchs, electric model trains, cameras especially movie cameras and other sporting gears were mostly lack from Japanese history of culture.
American 50' were very rich they had everything.

But I found some of them marked "made in Japan" or "made in occupied Japan" even they have
some Amrican brand names. In Japan we did not have them.

To decorateing those lauxyry items which I brought back from flea markets , I feel I came back
to 50's and recover the "Luxyry".
My favourite item is a set of kid's cowboy gear, two heavy metal pistols with a leather belt and holsters,a deer skin vest and a silver star.

See, http://www/japaneseweapons.com

Resources and Technology

In Japan, there are very little resources available. As I wrote before the major resource on the islands is WATER .
Enegy is the first topic to consider when beginning any project.
To build a house, to buy a car or any home product, enegy consumption is the first priority.

Energy is also the first considaration for any manufacurer.
The automobile industry has been facing this vwey problem for at least last thirty years.
I bought the first model of Toyota Prius a hybrid car that operate on gasoline and electricity. This car wsa for the use in Japan during I was there.
( I stationed in U.S. but I needed a small car when I was back to Japan.)
The first model was adequate.
The performance was not very good on the highway; however the vehicle suprisingly consumed very litttle fuel.
My mother has a newer(second) model.
She bought it when she was 80 years old and she had the license plate (080 OLD)!
The newer Prius performs much better.

The war between the U.S. and Japan started in 1941. The Japanese's Goverment made the decision to go to the war because of the the United States Goverment's decision to shut down the oil supply to Japan.

Douglas MacArthur said to the U.S. Congress"Japan feared that of thoes supplies were cut off, there would go to 12 million people unoccupied in Japan. Their purpose therefore is going to war way laregely dictated by security" after he returned to U.S.

There is an old saying for Samurais' " Do not wait to die while you are setting there!"

The "New Samurais" of today who develope new technology are the same but rather than going to war when oil suppliers raise the price, they just find innovative ways of not using as much oil for the enegy, as seen in the classic case of the Toyota Prius.

(Thank you Craig!)

see, http://www.japaneseweapons.com
http://www.blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons

Twelve O'clock High

Where I currently live, there were several important U.S. facilities, there were in operation during the occupation of Japan by the United States after WWII. There was the Army Headqurter buliding at Roppongi ,the"Stars and Strips"building and printing factory , and the U.S. Embassy building. This brought a lot of American workers and visitors.

Small movie theaters were around and soon after the Korean Wars started the district saw many American service men.
At one of these theaters, I saw "Twelve O'clock High ", staring Gregory Peck with my mother and brother.
The theater was a small pre-war building, and seats were very small and space between the seats was narrow.
Even if there were empty seats, I saw some Americans watching the films standing up, leanning on the walls or bending on the back low of the seats.

The film was exciting for even a boy like me.
.
My mother was always a great American Film Fan and even today she orders rental U.S.movies DVD' by internet.
She took us to see the film during the daytime and most of the people watching it were U.S. servicemen who were shift workers.
We are the only ones in the audience sitting in the seats, every one else was standing.
To me that was very interesting memory.

I knew the B-17 bomber was very high off the ground and the crews boarded from a down hatch underneath the belly of the plane ,being forward upward circling.
General Savage could not board this way, due to his high stress level.

To this day whenever I watch this film on Classic Channel, I can still remember the first time I saw this film and all the Americans watching it in that little theater leaning on the walls.

(C)
see, http://www.japaneseweapons.com and http://www.blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons

The Life Time Expectancy in Japan

In 1944 and 1945, the census in Japan showed a decrease in population due to the war.
After the war a baby boom occurred and in 1965-70's, there was a dramtic increase in the population by those who were born just after the war.
Last few years, however, has shown a lowere birth rate with the population remaining about the same level.

The life time expectancy of Japan is highest in the world, for femail is 85 and for mail is 80 years old. For anyone over the age of 50, one can expect to live another 30-35 years longer.

Every goverment policy and system such as the tax, wealfare, pension and other social infrastructures agencies much think about this factor.

Why do Japanese live so long?

I believe the key to this is a result of food conditions during the period between 1935-1950.
Their priority during this time was the industry not food productions.
In fact, after the the war in 1945 , there would have been more death if it was not ro the U.S. food program.

When I read about the food conditions of before the war(for Japan China Conflict in 1937)
during the war, and after the war(it was worse than before), Japanese citizens had very little to eat.
Most theie diets consisted of rice, millet, fish and vegetables. There was very little meat and dairy products.
The food style was very different from the American diet.

The Japanese elders , now in their 80's and 90's grew up during this period of time .
That may have kept them healthy. In Japan the top cause of the death is cancer, not heart desease.

During my time growing up, we are accustomed to the American diet and style of eating including " junk foods" and soft drinks which may have an effect on our bodies' health.

(C)
see, http://japaneseweapons.com
in English

Mr. Yonezawa's story

Every city where had been drawm into the vortex of war seems to be same.
Tokyo is no different.
During the period of 1945-1950, the goverments' activitiy was slow to respond to the citizens.
Many kids a little bit older than me lived at stations, tunnels and other areas wherever they could refuge.
They had lost their families.

Mr. Yonezawa was one of them. He was about televe years old when he be an orphan.
He lost his entire family on March 10th during a bombardment at Tokyo.
He was in a contryside temple with most of his classmates when the bombing took place.

After the war, Yonezawa had no place to live and scraped a few yen as a shoeshine boy at Ginza.
I saw many GIs let thoes kids to shine their boots. GIs gave the boys sweets as a tip. The attitude of GIs were favorable to them.

One of Yonezawa's customers was Mr.Yoshida, the president of the agency I worked.
He offered Yonezawa a job as a tea service boy in the office.
Yoshida gave him a set of school uniform and payed him going to the night school. He slept in the office at night for a while.
He was intellligent men enought to do regular jobs later.

When I joined the agency in 1967, he was a grey haired, handsome gentlemen alway smiling with a nice family. He had already completed the night course and graduated some years before
I arrived.
He loved working and golfing and from his outlook, no one could have imagined his sad past.

Yonezawa retired some years ago still loves golfing with his wonderful wife.

see, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons
if you are interested in the history of Japanese weapons

In The Morning Korean War Started

On the morning of June 25th, 1950, my family ; my fathere , mother , younger brother and I , were having our simple Japanese style breakfast.

As my dad opened the holded newspaper, he shouted "Another War Started, Communisit crossed the border to South Korea."

Mom was optimistic saying " There are American Forces in South Korea, they beat Japanese
so, even the communists are not their enemy."
My dad thought differently and said "Communists are different, they have already organized sympathizers in South Korea and Japan. He knew that at his working place there were unions involving many people.
My mother was also worried about her sisters' husband who was taken to Siberia by USSR .
His return was very late and almost the last person released.

As kids, we were awared that Japan became active soon after the start of the war.
Near my friends' house they made U.S. canteens. Near my house they built a play ground.

One of my fathers best friends at the medical school in pre-war Japan who was from Korea was missed during the war with his family and they never been found since then.
My father and his friends wrote letters to the officials after the war but to date , have never heard what happened.

Whenever I saw Robert Altman's "M☆A☆S☆H☆”, we are a little bit more serious.

See, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons
There are some English and Photos for the various items.

Helen Adams Keller visited Japan three times

Whenever I visit to Northwest Alabama to see my friends, I think about Helen Adams Keller who was from that part of the United States.

Ms. Keller visited Japan in 1932, in 1948 and again in 1952.
Helen was born in 1880.
In 1932 when she was 52 years old, she visited Japan for the first time.

In1932, Imperil Japanese was like a sunrise.
At the that time , Japan kept a rather well relationship with China, but Japan was also in the process of expanding their power to the Northeast of China.

When Ms. Keller visited Japan for the second time in 1948.
The country was like she used be herself.
There was no way of communication and people did not know anything about the future.
What did she fell about that?
In the seventeen years, everything had changed.

There is a story.
Helen Keller stayed at two different hotels, Hakone and Nikko.
Two different hotels were built by same carpenter, with same material.
No one noticed.
However, Ms. Keller noticed and she asked "They smell the same. Is there any coincidence?"

The Japanese educational system for the kids like her has advanced greatly over the years.
It owed much her speechs she did pre-war and after war, what was her miracle.
Japanese feel her very close.

see, http://japaneseweapons.com

Tojo helped Jews

Hideki Tojo used be a general of the Japanse Army and as prime minister, led the country into war.
Leading the country into the war was a major mistake and consequently betrayed the Emperor and the people of Japan.

He was born in 1884 in Tokyo. His family was from Iwate where the load was against the Emperor's Meiji reartoration at the end. Those people experienced discrimination.

He garaduated the Imperial Army Academy (Japanese West Point).
He was ranked 42nd among 50 graduates.
He stayed at Swiss for a while as a military attache. That was before German's raise.

Referring to Hitler, Tojo was quoted as saying "Hitler was just a soldier, I used be a general. Do not treat me the same as him"
Tojo seemed that he did not understand what Hitler was doing completely.

The Nazis wanted to be Japanese to be very harsh against the Jews who escaped from Eastern Europe and Russia to Manchuria. As Commander of the Japanese Manchuria Froces "Kanto-gun" from 1937 to 1941, Tojo's policy towards the Jews was generous despite complaints from the Nazis.
He allows the Jews to cross the border from USSR to Manchuria and permited them to hold the political meetings about the conditions' of Jewish people living in Europe. (Rabi Marvin Tokeyer worte about the fact.)

After the war, however, Tojo was executied in 1948 as a war criminal.

His last words to Americans were "Let the Japanese to keep trusting Americans as the same as when they were defeated,
and be careful against Communist, in next several decades it would be a problem for Japanese(American).

Reading what has been written about Hideki Tojo, people would have some confusion. But everybody had two faces.

see, http://japaneseweapons.com

The morning when I reached to Tokyo

It was in early morning of December, 1948 when our family arriveed atTokyo Station.
It was dark and very isolated. But I did not feel coldness.
My uncle was there waiting for us.
After my uncle retured from Leite, he had already got a job teaching at a school,veterinary. (My father was for human and he was for animal.)

While we were standing to wait a streetcar coming, there was an tall American soldier or officer standing at the same place.
He asked if it was a right line that he wanted to go. My uncle learned a little English while
he was in a camp at Phillipins and his wife was a JapneseAmerican. He might say it was Ok.

They exchange some conversations and the American took a pack of tabacco from his pocket offering them and lighting them. The light of his lighter(must be a Zippo) was showed us his face and blue eyes.
When they were finishing somking, a streetcar came.
He helped us to carry our heaviest bag into the car.

I remember it very clearly even I was five years old and that he might be a guy they fought with.
It was only three years passed when they stopped the fighting and changed many people's directions of the lives in Japan.

see, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japanseweapons some photos and English

What happened on March 10th in 1945 at Tokyo

On the night of March 10th in 1945, it was very windy and dry in Tokyo.

U.S. Airforce 300 B-29s attacked downtown area of Tokyo on that night at low altitude with napalm bombs.
There were mostly wooden small houses and it was not a rich peoples' area.
Consequencely, about one hundred thousands of civilians mostly children and women died.
It was said that many piles of bodies around and floating in rivers. It took several years to
buried them correctly.
There was no military damage by that bombing operation.

After the war my father who was a medical doctor returned from the war and he decided to work at Tokyo.
When I came to Tokyo for the first time in 1948 most of the city was left as burned down.
I remember clearly to go to the school straihtly on the burned area. There were no houses.
We lived in upper town and it was bombed in May of 1945.

Before that bombing ,U.S. Airforce had lost many B29s at in day time, high altitude operations so it was said that they wanted to do something easier.
Commandor Henkel did not agree the kind of bombing but his successor did.
Some years ago a Japnese reseacher asked me if General Henkel was OK after his objected the order and fired his position.

The official document said that he finished his career without any problem.

please visit, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons there are some photos and English

Why so little Christians in Japan?

Only one percent of the Japanese population is Christians.
We have 450 years' history of Christianity.
Missionaries came to Japan in mid 16th century.

Late 16th century was the period they made success having Christians in Japan
It is said that Spanish missionaries went teaching to upper class of the people including several loads.
Loads sent boys' mission to Rome.
They built a large scale church.

We go to services twice or three times a month near by Methodist church which has a history of
90 years. There are 3-40 people gathered. Mostly senior people.
Chistianity is understandable for me than Buddhism which most of Japanese are.

From the beginning of 17th to mid 19th century for almost 250 years Japan closed the country and Chistianity was prohibited.
But there were so called Hidden Christians in mostly western part of Japan even during the period.

After Meiji restoration in 1868, there were many Christian schools established.
Many people learnd there.

But why so little Christians?
I believe "Shinto" is a different existance and Shinto is not the reason of this phenomenon.

see, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons some photos and English

Is America friendly?

After 911, Americans have been changing.
You may not aware of the phenomenon and of course general public have been same as before.
But the goverment, mass media.

Iraq war remind me when America was in Veitnam.
This time it seems worse because the fight caused by terrorizm and you cannot see the real
enemy.
U.S. Goverment changed many rules and adapts aggressive policies to even friendly people.

It seems they miss something real important and does irrelevant.
I am afraid that they are losing their friends, French, German and South Americans.
Even British and Japanese may keep the distance to America.

The other day I visited American Embassy at Tokyo, there was a long line in rain.
The employee should be busy but they are not tought to treat the visitors as guests.

If you lost the friends in the world, inside the country there may go something wrong.
This is a history.

see, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jo/japaneseweapons

Water resources are Japanese Weapons

Japanese Islands have no lack of water.
Rain and Snow fall all year around. Especially in June and early July it is a rainy season except
Hokkaido, northern island which has same latitude as in New England states U.S.
Of course Southern Islands like Okinawa are attacked by many typhoon.
They leave disaster and plenty of water in mountains.

It depends on the landforms. In winter at Pasific side rather dry but oppsite side faceing Siberia
has a lot of snow. She does not have any desert.
I live in Tokyo. It is mild at same latitude as Atlanta or Los Angels. We have less snow and a few typhonn, no Tsunami because they opened the capital here 400 years ago considering these
conditions.

Unfortunately, she has less flat lands but mountains.
All the citis and industrial area are on flat lands.
Mountains are not polluted that is 70% of the total land.
When I walk in the mountains I do not carry a canteen. Between the locks there are little
fountains everywhere. Trees at mountains keep water.

And it is strange even we are not suffered by a lack of water, Japan makes various kinds of devices which make drinking water from used water or fresh water from sea water.
Also they make drills digging wells.
These devices are for export.

Japan, she does not have any resources like oil but water. Which will become more important?
No one see.

visit, http://japaneseweapons.com
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons

"Damn Times"

New York Times is a quality news paper, no doubt.

In mid 90's one day at New York, I found an article by Nicolas someone, a correspondent in Tokyo of the paper.
The article was about the Japanese invasion to Chaina in 1930's.
He had some his own premise. He did not had wide views such as complicated sutiations of the war loads, communists, a weak goverment and dossatisfactions of the people.

Just Japanese was bad. That was a main subject of the article and it was not new, just an article
as before.

I found some strange arrangement of a big photo that they used in the article.
That was a scene with a description of "Japanese Marching on the Long Wall."
I instantly found that they were not Japanese Army but someone made the photo from Chinese
War Lord scene. A combination Photo.

I called one of the Japanese consuls in New York.
He was very sincere person to solve the problem.
He went to New York Times office, and found many, many strange photos which were fixed in 1930's.
A kind of American propaganda tools. Those activities were done by many countries, German, Japanese but such ghosts still lived until 1990's in U.S.

It was a shock.
America is most fair country in the world and New York Times is one of the quality papers in the wolrd.
This is a true story. The cousul's name was Kawaguchi.
And I would like to add, NY Time was no "damn", they announced that they would destroy all that kind of photos.

See, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons
http://japaneseweapons.com

A Strong Allergy for Nuclear Weapons in Japan

North Korea's test of a nuclear bomb was a strong shock for Japanese.
Japanese has rockets H2A which could convert to ICBM in a few month and also they have the technology to develop nculear weapons in six month.
But if general public knows that their goverment do so they would be strongly against them, mad and rioting.

The Nuclear Allergy of Japan could not be measurable by other contries.

Of course the reason is Japanese was attacked twice by Atomic bobms.

Hiroshima, there was a reason. The city had a lot of important military functions, such as a world largest rifle factory Toyo Kogyo (nowadays it is Ford Automobile factory.) and there were
large size supply centers with piers.

But why Nagasaki, it had been a Christian City since 16th century and while Chiristian baned for two centuries they sutvived and had no military facilities. US killed mostly Japanese Christians.
There was a camp for Duth prisoners of war on a hill, and many of them were killed also.
The B 29 might mistake the target.
In both cities about 330000 were killed.

Geographcally, Japanese Island are not easy to attack, she is long from north to south and from
east to west.
Harry S Truman thought from the reality of US Forces it should be shared the islands by USSR
if without using Nuclear Weapons and made the war end early.

Instead of a strong allergy of nuck. 50% of Japanese power is generated by nuclear plants.
So according to Al Goe Japan exhausts only 3.5% of CO2 of the world. It is 10% of US's.

See, http://japaneseweapons.com
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapns
(There are some in English and Photos.)

What a peaceful contry, Japna is!

The other day I saw the TV News that the American commander chief at Yokota Base near Tokyo metropolitan area spork in fluent Japanese asking the understanding the importantce of trainning which couses some noise of course to the people near the base.
He was very sincere attitude.

In last sixty years Japanese Miliraly Forces have never shot even one and never killed any.
This is astonishing reallity and Japanese almost forget about how the world is suffering the various strifes between countries, religions, tribes,race and even in the countries.

Human being has kille enough people in the history.
Especially in 20th century in the same coutry, people killed each other such as in USSR, China, Korea, Cambodia, Middle Eastencountries and African countries.

Japanese killed other nations's people at wars and be killed about three million people.
A half million people killed by bombardments to the cities including two nuclear attacks and another half million killed in Philippine islands. I never thought to visit Philippine fro relaxzation.

But after the War Era in 15th and 16th centuries, she had killed her own people very little.
At Meiji Restoration Civil Wars, about 10000. were killed it is far small number comparing US Civil War that killed 60000o.


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the Allied Occupation of Japan in 1945

How many Allied Forces be killed after the occupation in Japan?
I believe none.
Japanese had accepted the defeat of the war and there was an order.
They destroied all their weapons and did not do any terrorist activities to the Allied Forces in Japan.

The occupied forces used the influence of the Emperor of Japan who admitted the defeat of the war and no more oppositions to his people. People had no doubt to obey it.
So, no Allied Forces were killed.

What is the difference between Iraq and sixty years ago's Japan?
Iraq peple are killing not only Allied Forces but their own people.

I have no idea about the conflicts of Islams and the antipathy agaist Jews and Christians.
The world is increasing complexity. That is a pity.

see, http://japaneseweapons.com
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Are they aristocracies?

The area I brought up and live in Tokyo is an international district.
They are many people from other countries living near my house. My next door, an three stories apartment there live three different people from overseas.
In front of my house is rented by a bussinessman works for investment company, a Scotich or
British.

I feel sometime they misunderstand their positions or their existence in this city.
Are they anistocracies?

There are not many Japanese who speak in English.
At Tokyo American Club, they talk each other about how they find good local employees in their firm loudly. When I listen to their words, I feel unpleasant.

They do not like a Japnese like me who point them what is wrong in this city.

For example one American businessmen who lived near my house drove from oppsite side of the one way every day and no one warned him that was wrong.
I did one day and it was dangerous for kids on bicycles.
He was mad.
I told him I would call the police because I had an evidence in my cellphone camera.
He shouted " Do it . Call fxxing police. They could do nothing!"
I did it and two tall policemen knocked his door. He became pale. Police asked me to interpretate.

Japanese is a genius to spoil the people from other countries.
They are too sweet to them.

But I am afraid in someday they become opposite.

see, http://japaneseweapons.com
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons

Old days' military bicycles

After I saw Al Gore's " An Incovenient Truth", I became to use my bicycle more than before and less automobile. I have an Itarian car and an Itarian bicycle.
I run by an bicycle for at least two hours a day some practical use going to Tokyo American Club, Shopping, Theaters and Boxing Gym.
My bicycle is sporty type with no basket to carry something on but it is fast in the city.

Many people have shifted to bicycles because they are many varieties of the style, sporty to practical.
Eric Plankton a gutarist came to Japan and visited a small bicycle shop in Tokyo. He purchased US$8000- one.
The cheapest one made in China is $100-.

In 1930's Japanese used bicycles for military trasportation porpose because they always suffered by the lack of fuel.
There were troops that all the soldiers moved by bicycles. (Swiss did the same thing.)
I have seen once the actual military bicycle made by Miyata. It looks like a mountain bicycle.
They begun to use a bicyclel early 19th century during Russo Japanese War for scouts.

Nowadays even European expensive bicycles have some Japanese parts such as Shimano's shift gear.
I heard that in 1950's there used be hundreds of bicycle makers in Japan.
I have no idea why so many companys made bicycles in Japan.

see, http://japaneseweapons.com
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"Letters from Iwojima" got a technology award

The film won the 79th Academy's, Sound Effect Award.

The scene a Model 99 machine gun shot and someone recording the sound of the gunshots at the shooting range, was shown in the TV program

This film is very impressive for Japanese.
We do not know what happened there truely.
Because most of the men did not returned.
So General Kuribayasi and Bron Nisih, how they died , no one knows.

Clint Eastwood thought that tiny island both Japanese and U.S. total 30000 men died is a special place.
Why Japanese fought without no escape.
There were many words sporken about this subject in the film.

The sound of Model 99 light machine guns were OK, but Model 92 heavy machine guns were those of Browing guns. A Model 92 had short intervals between shots and it sounded low.
(In the film "Thin Red Line" it was a real M-92 sounds.)

I would like to tell this fact to Clint Eastwood and the technicians.

the book "Japanese Small Arms and Equipment"

Thi is my fourth book published in 1995.
It is A3 size 210pages all color about 200 photos of Japanese Rifles, Bayonets,Pistols, Light Machineguns,Scopes, Portably Motars, Granedes, Foot Gears,Uniforms, Helmets, Communication tools, Construction tools, Gas Masks and many other Gears of Japanese Infantry until 1945.

I worte this book in New York City.
I have visited many museums and people who collected Japanes Items.
It was a large work spending many hours.
The book was in Japanese but I put English as much as I could for each photo.

I found many markings on the weapons which means the makers.
Most of them still be active in Japan and sucessful.
The production conditions in late war especially in 1944 due to lack of materials , workers and damages of bombardments of U.S. Airforces, were worst.
They had learned how to solve the problems, saving enegys, increasing efficiency, trainning younger workers such as students so on.
It made them stronger later.

In Vietnam most of the weapons came from USSR and no technology or skills did not accumulated.
see, http://japaneseweapona.com
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons

the Book "Japanese Machineguns"

This book is my latest work which published in 2003.
It is a 470 pages book describeing all my researches works of Japanese machineguns.

The Japanese adapted Hotchkiss machineguns developing thier 6.5mm common ammo of their Model30
rifles.
They were widely used at Russo-Japanese War in 1905-06.
Russians used Maxim guns.
The war was the model of WWI ten years later.

I thank you many people for the help.
This book is the only book written exculsively about Japanese machineguns.

Unfortunately the book is only in Japanese.

see, http://japaneseweapona.com
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons

Secrets of Sumurai's Garden

It is said the original design of Japanese Garden was established by Zen monks before the War　era　that was in 16th century.

Some level of Samurais had their own estate surrounded by walls.
There was their own style of garden in each house with some idea protecting the house and people using their garden.

Pebbles in the surface of the house made sounds when someone from outside approaching the house. Also stones and pebbles were used for spiting.

Bamboo, this was a good back ground of the view, but in case they made fences or spears from the thick trunks and arrow shafts from thin trunks. There were different kinds of banboo.
Once it was boild by oil it became very hard to use as weapons.

Piles of sands near an entrance. They were used to shapen the blades.

Ponds and fishs. Of course water was necessary for extinguish fiers. Fishs were exstra provisions. They had several wells for drinking water and from a spring they made streams and ponds.

When we see the traditional gardens , we do not know the meaning of the arrangement but they were made by some idea of fights.

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NYPD paniced on 911 in 2001

My son went to the gound zero before the two buildings crashed.
I was worried that he might involve the crach.
He came back home with some idea.

In my office like in the Japnese headquater, just in case we had prepared same number of the empoyees' gear for the emegency, such as helmets, leather thick gorves, lights and bottles of water.
Some young guys volaunteered to bring them to the site for workers.

My sonalso told that workers at the site needed some light at night. Our Japanese client had some products such as head lights and batteries.
I called the chairman of the company.
He was watching the taragedy from the otherside of the river. He promised us to prepare products full of two trucks .
But it took several hours, in the evening two client's trucks lead by N.J. State Police car arrived .
It was just in time the resucuer workers needed lightings.

In several month not only NYPD but other city's , state's and goverment's organaizations confused.

My pistol licence would not be renewed.
Westside Pistol club where I was a member told me
to bring the pistols to the club. But my antique guns had different significance, so I decided to
move them out of the city. They are gone now, I do not own them. It is a pity.

What happened to the security of the airport. For me the tension they had just after 911 is gone.

If you want to see the collection of Japaneseweapons

In U.S. there are some military museums to display them.
Mostly in East Coast.
There are at Springfield, West Point, Aberdeen,Quantic,Fort Benning, Smithsonian and Oregon.
At Aberdeen, Army Ordnance Museuma has a largest collection of them including three tanks.

In Japan there are not many and their collections are not complete.
The biggest one is at "Yushuukan Museum " of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
I saw many visiters from overseas visiting there. It locates at the center of the city.

There is one more in the Weapon's School of Self Defence Army at Tsuchiura. But this is not open to public. It took one hour half driving to there from the city.

For the Japanese , weapons are still taboo and teachers, parents tell kids that they are bad objects.

There are some open sky markets all over the country.
The best customers for the military good are collectors from overseas who collect wartime items.
They are mostly younger people and very keen to search their items such as gears , photos, optical weapons, maps and so on.

see, http://japaneseweapons.com
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons

TSA and my FAA licence

I have got a Japanese private pilot licence in mid '60's and FAA licence in mid 70's.
My flight log time is over 450hours and I got a multi engine rating in U.S.
That was one of my trophies.

I have not flown for many years.
Last year I wanted to challenge a rotor plane rating ( a helicopter).
To control a helicopter is completely different to fly by an airplane.

I visited a flight club in C.T. Of course C.T. is a nice state.
When the instructor heard that I was a Japanese citizen, even he wanted me as a student, but his facegot cloudy.
He was told from TSA that he must not accept a foreign student because of the terrorist's fear.

He gave me a chance to fly with him once. It was a fan.
On the final leg, a helicopter seemed too high to glide for the landing but that was the
style of the flying.

Anyway I gave up to learn the rotor plane.

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After 911 and my ATF license

I was very close to the ground Zero when the terrorists attacked it.
It was a kind of shock that I cannot describe what I felt as many people who were there.

After several month I became to fell something strange, something changing in U.S.
I had collected some Japnese weapons which had historical value and made some reseach be an author of five books.
Those activities had done because I had all leagal process keeping ATF curio and collectors license.
I had been a private pilot and kept a FAA license.
If the U.S. goverment closed over those two licenses, I should be a prospect of a terrorist.
I had became uncomfortable be in U.S.
Finally I asked the compny I worked and returned to Japan and spent lest of my businessman's
life.

The ATF license, they had never renew it. I called the office at Atlanta, she could not understand my English and I could not understand her English.
I asked my assistant who spoke only in English to call again, but she also understand what going on.

please see, http://japaneseweapons.com
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Machine guns shooting in Maine

I have a friend who knows Japanese machineguns more than anyone in the world.
He lives in State of Maine and I drove there from NYC twice a year during my stay in U.S.

He took me out for Japanese machine guns shooting every time.
It took three hours to prepare the shooting for assembleing and checking guns carefully.
We had three different places for the shootings.

One of them was his friends' estate where his friend makes bottles of drinking water as merchandise.
We went there one day and from his pot on a hill, we shoot the target by Model 96, 99 and Navy 92 .
We all were very relaxed and happy under the commfatable early summer sun with wind and smell of the gun smoke.

Then for a while a car came to the entrance. His wife came back.
She saw us and looked not friendly to us. It was a natural attitude.

I have visited many people for my research of weapons.
It was very seldom experience that wives liked to see someone visiting her house and handling
weapons.
This is common in Japan. Not many women like someone coming to see her husband weapon collections.

Machinegau shooting in Maine

I have a friend who knows Japanese machineguns more than anyone in the world.
He lives in State of Maine and I drove there from NYC twice a year during my stay in U.S.

He took me out for Japanese machine guns shooting every time.
It took three hours to prepare the shooting for assembleing and checking guns carefully.
We had three different places for the shootings.

One of them was his friends' estate where his friend makes bottles of drinking water as merchandise.
We went there one day and from his pot on a hill, we shoot the target by Model 96, 99 and Navy 92 .
We all were very relaxed and happy under the commfatable early summer sun with wind and smell of the gun smoke.

Then for a while a car came to the entrance. His wife came back.
She saw us and looked not friendly to us. It was a natural attitude.

I have visited many people for my research of weapons.
It was very seldom experience that wives liked to see someone visiting her house and handling
weapons.
This is common in Japan. Not many women like someone coming to see her husband weapon collections.

Banzai Shootout

This is an event every year at Memorial day held in Bobby Blevines estate in Alabama.
I paticipated three times, driving from New York City to Blevines palce. It took 15 hours.
Stoping overnight on the way so it needed 6nights to attend the rally.

There used be many people from all over U.S. but most of them were form Shouthen States.
Usually 2-30 members bringing their own Japanese collecitons and shot at Blevines estate.

Once I asked Bobby to prepare a junk truck, I wanted to test how light machineguns work for vehicles and also wanted to see the differences of 6.5mm bullet and 7.7mm
bullets especially armord pierce.
It was a fan and very usuful for my Japanese weapons' reseach works.

People were nice.
I have seen many interesting items from many collectors and they told me stories.

Knowing the people was my biggest fruit of the rally.
I may attend once more this year.

This is not a welcomed hobby.

See, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons
http://japaneseweapons.com

American left a boat gun in 1854

In 1853 and 54, American fleets lead by Admiral Mattew Perry's came to Edo Bay(Tokyo)
asking Japan to open the country.

Perry's fleet in 1853 was four black painted boats and in '54, it was nine boats.
They made Japanese into panic eventually she opened the country to Weatern countries not only Dutch.

It is said Perry threaten Tokugawa goverment somethig this way,
if Japan wanted to fight, he would use his cannons to down the castle and town.
It made Japanese to prepare the forts and cannons.
In a few years they progressed a lot in the field of weaponary.

But actually even if Perry's fleet wanted to open fire, the castle was out of range.
Because at that days the Edo Bay near the shore about seveal miles were shallow and American
boats which had deep draft could not reach the line.

Perry had prepared some landing vessels which had shallow draft to land the beach.
Anyway they nagociated and did not open fire.

Perry left one of the landing vessel as a gift.
Japanese tried to make the boat gun which fixed at the front of the landing boat.
They made some but did not know how to make the shells which were explosive.

After 1853 to 1868 when Meiji Restoration was done successfully, during this period we call
"Bakumatu" (end era of Bakufu, Tokugawa goverment).

see, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons
http://japaneseweapons.com

Japanese make Hispano Suiza Engines

Japanese first flight was ten years after the Wright Brothers first flight.
Captain Tokugawa who was one of the descendants of Shougun was the pilot.

I found an engine made in 1920's at Akeno JSDF army flight school.

It may be one of the engines which Mitsubishi got a licence to make Hispano Suiza company.
Mitsubishi made 200hp, 300hp and 450hp engines.
The one I saw may be 200hp from the shape of exhaust section.

I saw 450hp one at Japanese Airo Sicence Museum but a small one is not common.

After the WWII, it is said that in very short period Japanese destroied all the weapons by the order of the Allied Force Head Quater. Big ones were scraped as metel and smaller ones dumped into deep seas. Of couse some American took for their soubenirs.

So Japanese did not kill any enemy used be after the war.

see, http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/japaneseweapons
http://www.japaneseweapons.com