Report of Regular Meeting September 2004
Yasuhiro Kuroiwa, Secretary
The "EMC night", regular meeting of September, was opened in the appointed time.We had five guests, 12 visitors. After reading of Bible, prayer and introduction of guests, Mr. Hayashi, member of the Tokyo Cosmos Club and chairman of the execution committee of the convention of the Toshin District, appealed for the convention. Mr. Kudo, member of the Kawagoe Club, appealed for "Beni-aka", sweet potato cultivated in Kawagoe on the melody of Jinku(a kind of Japanese folksong). After report of each business committee and Tokyo Y's Men's Club Business Fund, we heard the report: we will have a joint-meeting of the Japan-East Region and the Japan-West Region in the Tozanso February 19-20th 2005. The YMCA reported the receipt of the expenses for the participation to the charity-run. Next, Mr. Kawanura, past vice-treasurer, reported the settlement of accounts 2003-04. We approved it.
After dinner and talk, we passed \39,777 which was gathered by the Bangladesh Fund to the representative of the Mandi Project. Following Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary, Mr. Eijiro Noda, former India ambassador, made the speech entitled "Japan and India, the culture and the national character of India, the comparison with Japan".
Mr. Noda said: "I worked in India for 3 years 1987-90. I felt that India was an extremely wonderful country. A lot of Japanese have a sense of incongruity to India. However, the European and Chinese peoples don't have such a sense of incongruity. Various cultures flowed in Japan from India: 12 gods whose name includes the word "heaven", etc. for example. The country of India is as wide as Japan by 10 times. The population, too, is as much as Japan by 10 times. The climates are various. 14 official languages are written on the bill. Actually, there are very many used languages. The common language is only English substantively. As religions, 80 % of Hindus, 12 % of muslims and Christians coexist peacefully. The life-style has a common clause. India inherited the tradition of the congress system democracy from the United Kingdom. Since foundation, the military coup never occurs. They have an excellent bureaucrat system. They have free speech. There are many numbers of the intellectual classes. They admit the difference of their opinions each other. They respect a small number opinion. In the world, India is ordinary and Japan is an exception. There is a ripened democratic society in India. They insist on their idea openly and squarely to the U.S.A. For the way to associate with the international community, we should learn much from India. It is proper and evaluated to describe a frank opinion in India. It is the national character of India. I am not an expert of India but please consult my story because India becomes a near country." After that, he answered our question: "It is difficult to abolish the caste system easily, but there is an example that the person of the low caste became the president. I see a sign of change in it. It is evaluative that the United Kingdom governed its colony. The respect for the United Kingdom is left."
After that, we sang "I have found a small autumn". We enjoyed an auction presided by the auctioneer, Mr. Kazuo Sato. We closed the meeting with the chime of the President.