Concern over the future has been engulfing the country. Amid record unemployment, a high suicide rate, and widening gaps between the rich and poor… Attention is focused on the word hope. More and more books have been dedicated to hope underlying people’s apparent thirst for it.
Almost 10 years have passed since the start of the new century, however, people now feel the word hope has been gradually losing its power. In July 2009, Japan’s unemployment rate rose to a record 5.7%. Over the first six months of this year more than 17,000 people in this country committed suicide, this is also a record figure.
A group of Japanese researchers has begun a study of hope, a new field of study to analyze how people will be able to regain their hopes. It aims to uncover links between hope and society, and also includes the impact of social conditions on the level of individual’s hopes. These conditions include factors such as delayed government action to stop the declining birthrate, the aging of Japan’s population, and Japan’s falling economic power.
A key member of the group is Professor Yuji Genda of The University of Tokyo. For 4 years a research team led by Yuji Genda has been analyzing various kinds of data and interviewing many people. As a result, they have found 1 out of 3 people do not have hope or otherwise feel their hopes are not realistic. Genda launched the study of hope after meeting young people out of work and not in school who said they had no hope for the future. Many others criticized these young people saying they had no intention to work or that they were not making sufficient efforts. But Genda says he began to feel the social situation deprives young people of their hopes.
Today’s Closeup will feature this new study at a time when hope is said to have been lost.
“This country has everything, but the only thing it does not have is hope.”
from Ryu Murakami’s ~Exodus to the Nation of Hope~
“Hopes should be something that each person finds through his or her own actions. After this, circulates among people it becomes hope in society for the first time. This is not a time when people should be looking to be given hope on a platter. I feel it is important for each person to find their own hope, and as a result this will lead to society’s hope.”
Professor Yuji Genda, the University of Tokyo
“Studying ‘HOPE’ as a Science” will be presented in Television around the greater New York Metropolitan area, for both American and Japanese in English voice over, by USN (US-Nippon Communications Network, a division of IRM U.S.A. Inc.) on Saturday, January 2, 2010 from 5 PM on WNYE (NYC-TV) Ch. 25. The program was produced by NHK, Japan’s Public Broadcasting. It can be seen in digital ground air wave as well as on various cables and satellite networks.
This documentary is one in a series entitled “Today’s Close-Up” produced by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). It had its premier broadcast in Japan, September 14, 2009.
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USN broadcasts to the greater NY Metropolitan Area every Saturday via NYC-TV Ch. 25 (5:00 – 6:00 p.m.) The program includes “Visit to My Homeland” – a sightseeing tour of Japan’s countryside; “Japan Video Topics” – what’s on Japan, culture, cuisine, Matsuri (Festival) and other curious scenes from Japan. “USN Report” – community news of U.S. -Japan events in New York area; and “Wuta” – featuring clips from Japan’s pop music scene. Further details can be found online on our website http://www.irmnet.com/usn/index.html
