One of the differences between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine is that TCM puts more emphasis on prevention of diseases and identifying early symptoms of abnormalities that if untreated will lead to illnesses. A major technique, and probably the most important technique, is pulse analysis, where a TCM doctor puts his/her fingers on the wrist(s) of the patient and listen to subtle signals from the patient’s pulse. From pulse analysis, an experienced TCM doctor can determine not only whether the patient is well or ill, but also determine the patient’s relative health situation on the perfectly-good-health to critically-ill-health spectrum, as well as the part(s) of the body and the bodily organ(s) that may be experiencing abnormalities. This is the reason that the first thing that a TCM doctor does in examining a patient is to perform a pulse analysis. This article provides a layman’s introductory discussion of pulse analysis in TCM.
Why Tokyo Should Not Be Selected to Host the 2020 Summer Olympic
Olympic Charter
According to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter of the International Olympic Committee, Olympism seeks “to create a way of life based on … social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles [1].” Japan is a country that still has not acknowledged and apologized for the massive and inhumane atrocities that the Japanese Imperial Army inflicted all over Asia during World War II (WWII). These atrocities included (1) forcing over 200,000 women and girls into sexual slavery (euphemistically called “comfort women” by the Japanese government), (2) slaughtering of 300,000 Chinese (many were women and children) in the Nanking Massacre over the six-week period from late 1937 to early 1938, (3) massive use of biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction in over a dozen provinces in China killing over a million Chinese, and (4) torturing and murdering of prisoners of war (POWs) and using POWs as slave labor.
These frequent and massive atrocities were clearly part of the Japanese government’s strategy to attack and conquer other countries of the world. Sixty seven years have elapsed since the end of WWII, yet the Japanese government leaders are still denying the existence of these atrocities. Such behavior by the Japanese government shows a complete disregard for social responsibility and ethical principles, and is in complete violation of the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter. Therefore, the International Olympic Committee should not select Tokyo to be the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympic. [2]
What Can Be Done So Japan Will Acknowledge History?
More than 67 years have elapsed since the end of World War II (WWII). Yet the Japanese government still has not acknowledged or apologized for the massive, inhumane atrocities that the Japanese Imperial Army inflicted all over Asia during WWII. Soon there won’t be any more living sex slave (euphemistically called Comfort Woman by the Japanese government). Soon there won’t be any more living Nanking Massacre survivor. Soon there won’t be any more survivor of Japanese’ germ warfare attacks. Soon there won’t be any more survivor of the Bataan Death March. Soon there won’t be any more survivor of the prisoner of war (POW) slave laborers, and soon there won’t be any more living former Japanese soldier who participated in these atrocities.
Yes, that time will come soon, very soon. The Japanese government may think that by that time no one will remember about these atrocities. However, she will be completely wrong, because there are just too many reliable records of what happened during WWII in Asia, including diaries and other written records by victims, eyewitnesses, as well as Japanese soldiers, photos and movies, real-time reports by media personnel and diplomats, official government and military reports and records of the Japanese military, and oral and video interviews of victims and former Japanese soldiers.
The Japanese government still adopts the attitude that most of these atrocities did not occur, and claims that they were greatly exaggerated or invented by the victims. For example, just last month Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka and the co-leader of the Japan Restoration Party, said that “the comfort women system was necessary.” Shinzo Abe, Japan’s current prime minister and her prime minister during 2006-2007 has repeatedly said that “there was no coercion of women into sexual slavery during WWII, and there is no testimony from anyone in Japan.” He also recently said that Japan’s wartime actions should not be called “aggression.” Takashi Kawamura, mayor of Nagoya, said in 2012 that “there was no Nanking Massacre, only the results of conventional acts of combat.” Several government bodies, including the U.S., Canada, Netherlands, and the European Union, already passed resolutions in 2007 condemning the Japanese government for their position on comfort women [1]. Apparently words alone are not sufficient, and more serious actions are needed by the world community so that Japan will acknowledge its history.
This article identifies several actions that citizens of the world can take to exert pressure on the Japanese government so that it becomes obvious to them that it is also to their best interest if they recognize history. We emphasize that any single action is unlikely to be sufficient, but the set of actions as a whole may reach a critical threshold to result in positive results.
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