Date/time: Sunday, December 12, 2010 2:00pm to 4:00pmVenue: Civic Plaza Hall
Audience: 95 people
Lecturer: Mr. Mitsuhiro Tanabe
Emcee: Ms. Miwa Aburakawa (AIRA member)
* Mr.Tanabe's brief personal history: Born in 1939. Former NHK chief announcer,and former JICA senior overseas volunteer.
Now Executive Director of JICA Senior Overseas Volunteers Association
Prior to the speech, several Mexican people performed a folkloric dance. They were comprised of a man and five women wearing extremely brilliant dresses and performed solemnly ceremonial dance expressing sincere thanks to the Creator.
The speaker, Mr. Tanabe made 2 hour long speech showing pictures and illustrations on the screen. Followings are excerpts of the lecture on Mexico, past and now.
Mexico, pronounced "Mehiko" in Spanish, was named after a god of war of Mexica tribe, the founder of Aztecan Empire.
The area is approximately 5 times larger than that of Japan, and its population has reached 110 million to date.
The capital city Mexico City is situated at about 2000 meters above the sea level with one quarter of the atomospheric pressure. The shape of the land presumably resembles in a elephant's trunk.
A historical happening made a trigger for 400 years friendly communication between the two nations. In early Edo period, hundreds of Mexican crews were rescued from a wrecked ship by fishermen at Onjuku, Chiba Prefecture. Despite the geographical distance of about 10,000 km apart, the chemistry of the both nations is right in a sense.
Mr. Tanabe pointed out ten significant items relating with the both countries in 400 years as follows.
1. In 1609, Japanese fishermen saved 316 Mexican shipwrecked crews and returned them to their home country in 1610.
2. In 1613, Sendai's Daimyo Masamune Date dispatched a mission of 140 persons headed by Tsunenega Hasekura Tsunenaga, who landed in Mexico then sailed to Europe and finally arrived at Vatican for an official meeting with the Pope.
3. The famed Mexican President Porfirio Petrano Mori Diaz reigned between 1876 and 1911, who is known as a pro-Japan president.
4. In 1919, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi settled in Mexico and engaged in yellow fever research. Later he moved to Africa for further study but several months later he passed away there.
5. Mexican government kept providing crude oil till 1941 to the then isolated Japan on the verge of the outbreak of the Pacific War.
6. In 1952 Mexican government took the initiative in carrying out ratification of the San Francisco Peace Treaty closed in 1951.
7. Japan closed a bilateral free trade agreement for the first time in 2004 with Mexico.
8. Mexico is now badly suffered from serious pollution problem especially in the major cities.
9. Believe it or not, vanilla being used in ice cream, etc., is made from orchid flowers originated in Mexico.
10. Japan ranks first at 34%, USA 29%, Spain 9% and so on, according to a popularity by nation poll by Mexican people.
Right after the talk, the Mexican dancers performed 2 more dances, asking audiences to join the circle where people enjoyed Mexican dance managing new steps as they were taught.
Photos: Open AIRA's front page and click the "Photo Allbum" in the Main Menu at the left. （vol.134）
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