Fossils of a large mammal "Amynodon" found in Kobe
Fossils of a large mammal "Amynodon," which has been extinct for about 20 million years, were found in an experimental excavation at the Yokawa Formation in Kita Ward of Kobe City. The excavation of the formation of the Kobe Group, which is approximately 37 million years old, was conducted by the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo, which is based in Sanda City, Hyogo Prefecture. The Museum says that this discovery is extremely important in learning about the impact of the changing environment of the Earth on the evolution of animals at that time."Amynodon" was a leaf-eating mammal that existed from the middle of Eocene to early Miocene of the Cenozoic Era (from 46 million to 20 million years ago) and was a member of the rhinoceros family. It is thought the "Amynodon" group ranged from relatively small ones to large semi aquatic forms that are thought to have looked like hippopotamus.
The present excavation has unearthed an incisor, four molar teeth, four vertebrae, six broken pieces of ribs, and a piece of the left shoulder blade. They are thought to be parts of a "Zaisan-amynodon," a large variation of the "Amynodon"(with a body length as long as 5 meters and weighing approximately 3 tons).
The formation of the Kobe Group contains many strata of volcanic ash which can be used in estimating the accurate age of the fossils and which has also yielded plant fossils. The formation also includes marine strata, which contain fossils of marine flora and fauna. It will be possible to know what kind of vegetation supported what kind of animals. The excavation is slated to begin in earnest in the middle of next February.
For inquiries, please contact the Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo (E-mail root@nat-museum.sanda.hyogo.jp URL http://www.nat-museum.sanda.hyogo.jp/)
Kansai Keizai Doyukai to hold Boston Symposium
The Kansai Association of Corporate Executives (Kansai Keizai Doyukai) will hold a "Boston Symposium" at the A. Alfred Taubman Center at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government on December 3. Its major theme will be "Stability in the Asia-Pacific Region: Roles of the United States and Japan."Members of the Japanese delegation to the United States will participate in the symposium along with the American participants, who will include faculty members from Harvard and business executives.
The keynote speech will be followed by three sessions -- "Security in East Asia," "U.S.-Japan Role in the Economic Stabilization of Asia Including China," and "Corporate Challenges in a Changing Global Economy." Issues will be raised and discussions will be held under each of these themes.
The Japanese delegation arrived in Canada on November 28.
Its schedule through December 2 includes a visit to the government of Ontario Province, meetings with the local economic associations, visits with businesses in the Boston area as well as discussions on regional redevelopment. The members of the delegation will then take part in the symposium on Friday.
"Wa no Kuni" International Symposium in Nara
"Wa no Kuni" International Symposium, the fifth in a series of six annual symposiums that started in 1995, will be held at Naraken New Public Hall from December 9 to 11. The series, which will end in 2000, is designed to create messages and visions to be passed on to the next generation.This year, the symposium's theme will be "Metals and Civilizations," and participants from other countries will include Son Myeongjo, Chief Curator, Kimhae National Museum, Korea, and Ma Chengyuan, Curator/Advisor, Shanghai Museum, China.
The program for December 9 and 10 consists of three sessions -- 1) "Metal Culture in Japan," which will contemplate such technical aspects as the development of metal culture in ancient times as well as the spiritual aspects of what Man sought in metals, 2) "Metal Cultures of the World," which will examine the roles of metals in the development of civilizations in various regions of the world and their mutual relationship, and 3) "General Discussions," which will make recommendations for new visions for the relationship between metals and civilizations.
On December 11, lectures and symposiums will be open to the public.
JR West accepts trainees from Vietnamese Railway
West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) is training a planning expert and two technicians from Vietnam's Bacgiang Railway Telecom and Signaling Enterprise through March 15, 2000. The Vietnamese are here to learn the skill and leadership of inspection and maintenance of modern railway signaling and communication facilities. Under this program, the Vietnamese railway men are scheduled to train at the Osaka Signaling and Communication Depot, Gakken Line Electric Engineering Depot, Osaka Signaling Construction Depot, and Kobe Shinkansen Electric Engineering Depot.JR West signed a memorandum with the Vietnamese Railway in December 1994 to promote exchanges between the two companies. Based on this memorandum, it has been accepting trainees from the Vietnamese Railway every year since fiscal 1995. The focus of the program was signaling and communications in fiscal 1995, rolling stock and related matters in fiscal years 1996 and 97, and track maintenance in fiscal 1998.
For inquiries, please contact Management Planning Dept., JR West (E-mail wjr01150 @westjr.co.jp URL http://www.westjr.co.jp)
"Medical Passport" issued for foreigners
The Osaka Prefectural Government and the Osaka Foundation of International Exchange (OFIX) have issued a revised edition of the "Medical Passport," a medical guidebook containing information on medical care for foreigners in cooperation with the Osaka Medical Association and the Osaka Dental Association.It lists in eight languages the names of 996 medical institutions--198 hospitals, 443 clinics and 355 dental clinics--where foreigners can receive treatment in foreign languages. It also carries precautions for foreigners in receiving medical services, an explanation of the Japanese medical insurance system and a list of clinics open on holidays for emergency cases and a list of public health centers. The languages include Japanese, English, Hangul (Korean), Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai and Filipino.
(Public Health Dept., Osaka Prefectural Govt
URL http://www.pref.osaka.jp/osaka-pref/iryo/medicalinfo/index.htm )
(OFIX URL http://www.mydome.or.jp/ofix/)
Winter scenery "Kobe Luminarie" under the pure light
Kobe Luminarie, an annual festival staged in Kobe to wish for the repose of the souls of the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake and express hopes for the city's restoration and renaissance, will be held for two weeks from December 13 to 26 this year. The theme of this year's event, the fifth in the series, will be "Under the Pure Light." The "Monument of Stars" which symbolizes the dreams and hopes of the people will be installed in the Higashi (East) Park in Kobe City's Chuo Ward. The festival of "Sculptures of Light" will also be held at the Old Foreign Settlement and the square in front of JR Shin Kobe station.Kobe Luminarie has become a fixture of Kobe's winter scenery. Staged under the theme of "Dei Sognie della Luce" (dreams and light) in December 1995, the first event featured a work which was built with some 150,000 electric bulbs and stretched a total of 790 meters within the Old Foreign Settlement, and drew 2.54 million visitors during the 11-day festival.
Last year, when the theme was "Firmamento di Luce" (the firmament of light), a record 5.16 million people came to see the festival during its 15-day period. This year, it is expected to attract 4.5 million people. The total cost of the festival is 600 million yen.
Kansai in Focus: FM radio station supported by foreigners with volunteer spirit
It must be miserable for some foreign residents of Japan. They do not understand Japanese very well, cannot get used to Japanese customs, and live alone far away from home. They miss home and want to hear their mother tongue. For such foreigners, an Osaka-based FM radio station "FM COCOLO" offers a wide range of information in a variety of languages as well as in Japanese to help deepen international exchanges.In October 1995, FM COCOLO opened on the third floor of the Osaka World Trade Center Building in Nanko-Kita, Suminoe Ward, Osaka City, to become the first FM radio station in Japan to offer information and entertainment to people from a wide variety of countries and cultures in their mother tongues. During the four years since then, the number of listeners has increased annually as the radio station has ridden the wave of internationalization.
I visited Mr. Jaime Lopez, 36, a popular newscaster at the station, who is a Chilean national. Mr. Lopez is in charge of "Salud Chile (Salute Chile)," a program in Spanish and Japanese broadcast every Thursday for two hours from 1:00p.m. "Along with the latest news from Chile and news from Japan and the rest of the world, I include in my program interviews with craftsmen who carry on Japan's traditional culture," Mr. Lopez said.
A young man with the looks of a Spanish aristocrat, Mr. Lopez has visited various countries in South America, studying folklore, attended a college in Australia, and came to Japan six years ago. At present, he is a student in the Department of Cultural Studies at Kinki University's School of Literature, Arts and Cultural Studies. The theme of his study is unique -- the folklore of oxen. Mr. Lopez asks, "What was the role of labor provided by the black ox in Japanese agriculture? We cannot discuss the history of rice cultivation without referring to the roles played by oxen."
Of course, he is fluent in Japanese and has a rich vocabulary. What surprised me more was that, in addition to Spanish and English, he speaks French and Chinese. He is truly cosmopolitan.
FM COCOLO stands for communication, cooperation and love. The station broadcasts in 14 languages, mostly from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as regular broadcasts in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese.
When I looked at the programming for 10:00a.m. to noon, I found Mondays were devoted to Mexico (Spanish), Tuesdays to Korea (Korean), Wednesdays to Thailand (Thai), Thursdays to China (Chinese), and Fridays to New Zealand (English). All of the radio hosts are foreign residents living in the Kansai region, and they perform most of the work involved in their programs, including planning, the selection of guests and script writing. The 50-member staff has a myriad of things to do and is naturally very busy. It is something they could never accomplish without a strong volunteer spirit to guide them.
The radio station broadcasts at 76.5 MHz at 10 Kw and covers all of Osaka Prefecture and other major cities in the Kansai region (approximately 20 million people). It is run by Kansai Intermedia Corporation, which was created with funding from the business communities as well as local governments in the Kansai region.
I asked Mr. Lopez what he plans to do in the future. He answered, "If possible, I would like to continue my studies at graduate school." "How about marriage?" "It's a dream." (H)