Vision of Inter-religious Council Spread among Diplomats in Tokyo

Hideo Oyamada
December 2, 2010
UPF -- Japan

Tokyo, Japan -- The tenth Peace Diplomats Forum was held on December 2, 2010, in Tokyo with the participation of 19 senior diplomats from 16 embassies, several politicians, and leaders of various fields. The Forum was also part of the "Abel UN" Peace Campaign to promote an inter-religious council at the United Nations.

The congratulatory remarks were given by Hon. Yoshinori Oho, Former Minister of State for Defense and a current member of the House of Representatives. He explained a teaching of a Japanese high Buddhist Priest, "Jiri-Rita" which could be interpreted as "benefit others and you will benefit from others." Stressing the importance of religious role for peace, he said, "Jiri-Rita is the best method to keep peace without fighting."

Rev. Hideo Oyamada, Chairman of UPF-Japan, announced launching the "Abel UN" Peace Campaign in his Welcoming Remarks and explained about the "Abel UN" and the proposal for an inter-religious council at the UN. He also reported that UPF-Japan hosted study tours by Ambassadors for Peace from Europe, Nigeria, and Korea in 2010 and that the international activities of UPF were developed with the support of the embassies and the diplomats who are Ambassadors for Peace.

Amb. Akira Matsui, a keynote speaker at the forum, gave a speech on the theme of "Multilateral Security and Japan's Role in the Global Age." "Though national boundary lines are drawn on a terrestrial globe, we cannot see any such lines on the earth if we watch the globe from the space," he said, quoting a speech by a Russian physicist and mentioned the necessity of removing boundaries for world peace. He also provided a perspective of importance of forming an "Asia Pacific Community" for peace and prosperity of the world.

Over refreshments, all the participants enjoyed conversations that transcended boundaries, and a atmosphere of "One Family under God" was created.

The Peace Diplomats Forum is one of the projects of UPF-Japan to promote a vision for peace and exchange information among diplomats and leaders interested in international relations.