Latest news with #descendants
Japan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Ex-residents of Russian-controlled islands off Hokkaido want grave-site visits resumed
Former residents of four islands off the east coast of Hokkaido who were driven off by an invasion by the Soviet Union during the last days of World War II are stepping up pressure on the government to convince Russia to allow them to visit their ancestral grave sites on the islands. Such visits, which were allowed previously, were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and later by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. With an increasing sense of urgency due to their advanced years, the former residents, whose average age is 89, have taken their case directly to the prime minister. As of June 30, only 4,907 of the original 17,291 residents of the islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and Habomai — known as the Northern Territories in Japan — are still alive. In the absence of signs indicating that such visits would resume anytime soon, the former islanders and their descendants are conducting shipboard ceremonies to honor their ancestors for a fourth year in a row. Seven trips will be made from the port of Nemuro in Hokkaido to the waters near the islands for such ceremonies over the next month. The dispute over the Northern Territories dates back to the final days of World War II in August 1945 when the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, breaking the Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact. Following Japan's surrender in World War II, the Soviet Union began occupying the islands on Aug. 28, incorporating them into its territory. In 1951, Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty, in which it renounced its claims to the Kuril Islands. But, pointing to prewar legal precedents, Japan insists the Northern Territories are an inherent territory, and that they are not part of the Kuril Islands. Furthermore, the Soviet Union refused to sign the treaty. A 1956 joint declaration between Japan and the Soviet Union ended hostilities between both countries. The declaration included a promise by the Soviet Union to return the Shikotan and Habomai islands to Japan after the signing of a formal peace treaty between them. However, none was ever concluded, and also no agreement was reached regarding the status of Kunashiri and Etorofu. Subsequent agreements, including the 1993 Tokyo Declaration, acknowledged the territorial dispute and pledged continued negotiations. While no progress has been made on a peace treaty, from 1964 until 2019, former residents were allowed limited access to the islands for them to visit their ancestral grave sites. A total of 4,851 people have participated in the grave-site visits, with the last one having taken place in 2019. There are a total of 52 grave sites on the four islands. As the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II approaches next month, a diplomatic solution to the Northern Territories issue remains out of sight. Yuzo Matsumoto, a former resident of Etorofu and director of the League of Residents of Chishima and Habomai Islands, the main group representing former residents of the islands, told the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on July 7 that the group is appealing to the government to reopen peace treaty negotiations with Russia as soon as possible, to set a path forward for the return of the islands while their former residents are still alive. 'The average age of the former residents is now 89. Our wish is to visit and pay our respects at the graves of our grandparents and to set foot on the land where they were born and raised,' Matsumoto said. On May 13, Matsumoto's group, along with Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki and Hokkaido Legislative Assembly Speaker Akira Tomihara, met with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, during which they called upon him to continue diplomatic negotiations under the government's basic policy of resolving the Northern Territories issue and concluding a peace treaty with Russia to secure the early return of the Northern Territories. They also called on the prime minister to take concrete measures to establish bilateral consultations between Japan and Russia to move toward the prompt resumption of exchanges with the four islands, and the grave-site visits in particular. 'The government is acutely aware that time is running out. We will respond to the issue of grave visits with a clear understanding that it is a humanitarian issue, and it is important that the Russian side accurately and correctly understands this stance,' Ishiba said in reply. Until Aug. 21, seven excursions by ship are scheduled to be made to the waters off eastern Hokkaido for onboard memorial ceremonies by the former islanders and their relatives. The Chishima and Habomai group lists nearly 30,000 second-, third- and fourth-generation descendants of the former islanders. During a July 9 campaign stop in Nagasaki ahead of the July 20 Upper House election, Ishiba sparked concern among former islanders when he remarked that while Nagasaki Prefecture's coastline was the second-longest in Japan after Hokkaido's, the southwestern prefecture would have the longest coastline if the Northern Territories were excluded from the equation. The remarks led many to worry about whether the prime minister considered the four islands as being part of Japan. Matsumoto said his group's top priority for the foreseeable future is pressuring the government into negotiating direct grave-site visits for former island residents. Asked to envision a future in which Russia returned all four islands to Japan and what he would want for them, Matsumoto replied that he would like to see the Japanese government develop the entire area into a national park. 'Just as the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido is a World Heritage Site, the four islands of the Northern Territories should be turned into a national park. The ecology there, the ecosystem there, should not be lost,' he said.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Crafting A Family Legacy: A Financial Plan That Protects What Matters
If you want a blueprint for creating a family legacy, you must take a different route. Start by asking yourself one question: Why? Two couples walk into my office. Both are wearing the same brands of clothing, and are comparably dressed. Each pairing has roughly the same age, race, and educational background; from all appearances, you could guess they were clones of each other. And yet, when they each sit down to talk to me about financial planning, their situations could be miles apart. Anyone can come up with a basic financial plan that works for a family just by following common sense. But if you want something different—a blueprint for creating a legacy—you must take a different route. Start by asking yourself one question: Why? Those couples who hypothetically walked into my office may look the same, but their financial backgrounds and experiences can also be vastly different. This means their reasons for seeing me can be just as unique. So while I can give you a financial plan that explains how your future can be what you envision, the more important question I need answered is why. When you know why you want financial planning help, you can determine how to create that blueprint. Your reasons are going to be unique to you and your family. It could be about building generational wealth for your descendants so they can have financial freedom, or for ensuring your kids have a head start on their future, but your wealth does not fully subsidize it. Asking yourself why is a huge part of the process. The other part comes down to a topic I discuss extensively in my book, Values Over Valuables. What Are Your Values? Think for a moment about what having a legacy means to you. The word itself in its noun form is defined in a few different ways, but only two apply here: With the first definition, yes, your legacy is the wealth and goods you pass on to your family, and that's something I work on regularly. As for the second, this is the key. Your legacy can be the values you pass on to the following generations. This builds into something bigger than you or any stockpile of cash ever could become, and that's special. This also requires you to do some self-examination. What are your values? How do you share them with your family? Do you follow them all the time and use them as filters when you make decisions? Finding the answers to those questions will set you down the path to truly crafting a family legacy. How to Find Your Values This is oversimplifying things a bit. While it's easy for me to say you should go out and find your values, actually doing so is a little bit more complicated. I have a worksheet in my book that can help with the process. The first step is to find ten words that resonate with you. They're words like Balance, Independence, Humility, Respect, and so on. Once you find them, you should expand on those ideas. Why are they important to you, and what makes them valuable? Write all of this down on a piece of paper. Now have your family go through the same process. See what words you all have in common, and create a family values list. You can create core values out of this as well, which are the ones that, above all else, your family will always stick to. This is an enlightening process. By discovering the values you have in common with your family, you build a framework for how you live your lives. As your children grow, they will take these values with them and repeat the process with their own families. Some of them will take root and stick. Others may fall by the wayside. The result is a system unique to your family. Standing the Test of Time You've created a legacy—one that can last for decades, if not longer. It's a bit introspective, and it can create some friction. But in the end, your legacy is more than about money; it's about ideals and values. There's nothing more valuable than that.
SBS Australia
09-06-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
Descendants of Japanese war brides honour family history
Descendants of Japanese war brides honour family history Published 9 June 2025, 7:59 am Australian servicemen were stationed in Japan after the end of World War II. It paved the way for relationships between these servicemen and Japanese women, despite an official marriage ban. Now, Australian descendants of these so-called 'war brides' are paying tribute to their family's legacy.
Reuters
01-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Tulsa mayor announces $105 million trust to address impact of 1921 massacre
June 1 (Reuters) - The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday announced more than a $100 million trust aimed at repairing and addressing the "systemic impacts" of the 1921 massacre that targeted African American homes and businesses. The announcement was made on the 104th anniversary of the massacre, which started on May 31, 1921 and ended the following day, leaving as many as 300 dead. "This is a critical step to help to unify Tulsans and heal the wounds that for so long prevented generations of our neighbors from being able to recover from the race massacre," Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said. The trust, which is named after the city's Greenwood District, where the massacre took place, will be created with the goal of securing $105 million in assets. It aims to secure those funds by the 105th anniversary of the attack on June 1, 2026. Assets could include property transferred to the Trust, philanthropic funding and public funding, according to a statement from the city. The focus areas for the trust include a $24 million housing fund to benefit residents of Greenwood and North Tulsa, and a $60 million cultural preservation fund aimed at improving buildings, among other things. Another focus will be a $21 million legacy fund for the development of trust-owned land and acquisition of land for the benefit of survivors and descendants of the massacre. The first year of operation will focus on planning, the mayor said, adding initial staff will be hired for fundraising efforts. "The Greenwood Trust is really a bridge that connects what we as a community can bring to the table and what the community needs," Nichols said in a statement. "As we seek to make this framework a reality, I am eager to work alongside my fellow Tulsans and partners across the country to create a fundamental shift in how we further establish generational wealth, housing opportunities, and repair for so many Tulsans." The Biden administration's U.S. Department of Justice in January said while there are credible reports that law enforcement was involved in the attack, it had no avenue to prosecute the crimes that occurred, citing the expiration of relevant statutes of limitations and the youngest potential defendants being more than 115 years old.
Washington Post
01-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Tulsa's new Black mayor proposes $100M trust to 'repair' impact of 1921 Race Massacre
TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa's new mayor on Sunday proposed a $100 million private trust as part of a reparations plan to give descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre scholarships and housing help in a city-backed bid to make amends for one of the worst racial attacks in U.S. history.
