The article "Tsushima islanders feel strong Korean squeeze" (Sept. 6 issue) shocked me profoundly because I had never thought South Korean lawmakers would claim Tsushima.

We learned that the island was where our Japanese ancestors inhabited and made efforts to improve the economic prosperity between them and Korean people. They built a peaceful and stable island region, developing the infrastructure. They speak Japanese, not Korean. Who in Japan could ever imagine that Tsushima belongs to Korea since our ancestors have endeavored to build good relations between the two countries?

I quite agree with Mr. Kenzo Ota, a Japanese businessman quoted in the story, who says the South Korean lawmakers are "acting as if they entered into someone else's house with their shoes on."

These days, we can always find lamentable news such as murder, terrorism and military conflicts. I wonder what will become of the world. I think that such disgusting happenings have probably stemmed from feelings of isolation and selfishness in people today.

Under such circumstances, the story "Proof of six degrees of separation" (Aug. 23 issue) has just touched me: This would lead to the viewpoints that we are all brothers and sisters, and that our only home is the planet Earth. No one will make his own garden dirty, litter his own room with scraps of paper and hurt his own family.

Each of us cannot be too sober in restoring our Earth to what it once was. We have to think and do everything under the consciousness of our being a single entity. How I wish we could overcome many difficulties standing in our way.

Ms. Mieko Okabe, in a letter in the Sept. 6 issue, might have misunderstood how daylight saving time works, based on the reasons that made her disagree on introducing the system in Japan.

My opinion on DST is based on personal experience. In Brazil, DST has been used for many years, and it works well for everyone, including businesses.

It only brings small discomfort during the first few days after the clocks are put forward one hour because the body takes a little time to get used to the new schedule. The days after DST starts are normal 24-hour days, so it won't affect overtime at work, entertainment industry working hours or sleep.

DST doesn't mean that each day there will be one hour less. It just means that the mornings will take a little longer to welcome the sun, and nights will take a little longer to welcome the moon. And, in that process, electricity can be saved and carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced.

The article about Jadriya Lake park in Baghdad (Aug. 30 issue) was extremely uplifting, especially as it topped the page with gloomy news below (about the pirates near Somalia).

Usually, bad news makes headlines, rather than good news, but I must say I find it very refreshing to read something positive here and there. I think it's the good news that makes a paper worthwhile reading.

The Japan Times Weekly: September 20, 2008
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