I attended yesterday's (2 May 2010) anti-nuke demonstration in Manhattan, at which the Japanese contingent out-numbered all others by three or four to one. Some of the Japanese were handing out small packets of facial tissue, like this:
I can't read Japanese, but I recognize the number 9 when I see it. In this context that means Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, the constitution imposed on them after WWII. Article 9 prohibits the state from waging war. Perhaps the Japanese are telling us that the U.S. Constitution needs a similar article? Here's the other side of the pack of tissue:
. . . where you found this insert:
The Hibakusha are the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
3 comments:
The Full Metal Archivist knows the NGO that is being promoted by those tissue packets. They were operating on the 3rd floor of her grandmother's apartment in Chiba--1 office was the peace branch, the other was the labor branch (minimum wage, $10/hr.!). She knew they were related b/c there was a door that connected both offices.
The front one says something like Article 9 is a treasure of the world. If you can send us a bigger photo, she can translate the rest....
I just sent you an email with a higher-res scan. And a decal.
Don't you just love the interwebtubes and how they connect us all?
Does the Full Metal Archivist know how the Japanese came to use tissue packets as a promotional give-away? NB: There's an incident in Azumanga Daioh about it.
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