神戸・カナダ教育文化交流事業報告

「みんなで考える“ヒューマン・ライツ”」
“神戸事件とは？ 日本でもあった戒厳令 1948年4月24日”

Joint Communique                                        24^th, April 2009

A Report by Kobe-Canada Educational and Cultural Exchange Program　Executive Committee of “Human Rights -Think about it by Everybody” Supporters: Hyogo Prefecture, The Board of Education of Hyogo Prefecture,　Kobe City, The Board of Education of Kobe City

Introduction

The world is rapidly changing into a family-like form thanks to the development of modern technology including transportation, mass media and Information Technology. In the mean time, there still are a number of issues which cannot be overlooked such as conflicts, starvation, poverty, diseases, economic disparities between nations in the world.

In this trend, Japan is now facing an era in which it must rely on immigrants from other countries in order to back up estimated 4 million working population after the retirement of those who were born in the late 1940s, so called “Dankai generation (The Baby-boom generation”. It is now common that so-called “New-Comer foreigners” who are different from those Koreans and Chinese in Japan who had come to Japan before and during the war live in every parts of Japan. There is no doubt that Japan is under the process of changing into “multi-ethnic and multi-cultural” society. As the scale of globalization is getting wider and wider, we must realize that the traditional national sentiment of Japanese – Japan is a “mono-race nation” – can be a misconception that can lead to discrimination and antagonism. There is concern that the history of Japan may go back to its unfortunate isolated one of the past if we cannot acquire consciousness that we are not the citizens of a “nation” but the members of a “community” from our childhood.

It is true that Japan has ratified “ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, “International Convention on All Form of Racial Discrimination”, “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, and “International Covenants on Human Rights (Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Civil and Political Rights)”. To quote some contents of those mentioned above, for example, in the Article 2 of Chapter 2 of “International Convention on All form of Racial Discrimination”, it goes as follows; “States Parties shall, when the circumstances so warrant, take, in the social, economic, cultural and other fields, special and concrete measures to ensure the adequate development and protection of certain racial groups or individuals belonging to them, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Also, in the Article 30 of  “Convention on the Rights of the Child”, it is clarified as follows; “In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practice his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language.” Thus, the language and culture of those ethnic minorities must be secured and protected. As Japan has ratified the above treaties and conventions, it must place priority on the regulations of international treaties and conventions before the domestic laws of Japan. We must alter laws of Japan which cannot be compatible to the treaties and conventions Japan has ratified. Only then, Japan can prove that it has become a proud member of nations of the world.

We must not neglect the human rights of those ethnic minorities living in Japan. We must take a full responsibility of having been a member of The UN Commission on Human Rights since 2006.

Today, on this occasion, we would like to make a proposal to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (ECSST) imprinting our unanimous views and opinions. We have come to this action after having interacted with a number of Japanese school teachers who have been active in the front lines of Japanese schools with children, and having found out that there are indeed considerable points which are different from the spirit of the treaties and conventions mentioned above.

(1) Denial of History = Denial of Justice

a. Those who are involved in school education in Canada have conducted “A Study-Tour for Peace and Reconciliation” since 2004. The members of this program have visited China and South Korea and listened to as many testimonies as possible from various scholars, historians, and particularly from those survivors from the war period. We also conducted our study of some of the historic sites and examined the authentity of them. Up to now, 120 Canadian school teachers have conducted hearing investigation on the cruel acts committed by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War. As for the Nanjing Massacre, there are several famous politicians who claim that it is contradictory to the fact. We still remember that the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe once proclaimed that there was no such a fact as “comfort women”. It is quite surprising that not an ordinary citizen of Japan, but a person who represents a country groundlessly denies the case without any convincing proof.

b. Ever since the US government has passed a resolution urging Japanese government to issue an official apology and compensate those victims of comfort women, UN Human Rights Committee has issued recommendation on this issue.

July 30, 2007   The United States House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Japan to “officially acknowledge” and “apologize” for its “military’s sexual enslavement of women” in Asia in the 2^nd World War.

Sep 20, 2007  The Senate of the Parliament of Australia adopted the similar resolution.

Nov  8, 2007  House of Representatives of the Netherlands adopted a resolution demanding apology of Japan for the issue of sexual slaves.

Nov 28, 2007  The Lower House of the Parliament of Canada adopted the similar resolution.

Dec 13, 2007   The European Parliament adopted the similar resolution.

Oct 30, 2008   UN Human Rights Committee issued a recommendation calling for apology and compensation for sexual slavery to the government of Japan.

Nov 13, 2008   The Legislative Yuan of Taiwan adopted a resolution demanding apology and compensation over comfort women issue to Japan.

c. Not only nations abroad but also many municipal governments of Japan have adopted resolutions calling on the government of Japan to “officially acknowledge” and “apologize” for its “military’s sexual enslavement of women” in Asia in the 2^nd World War.

Mar 28, 2008  City Council of Takarazuka adopted a resolution.

Jun 25, 2008  City Council of Kiyose, Tokyo, adopted a resolution.

Nov  7,2008  City Council of Sapporo adopted a resolution.

Mar 25, 2009  City Council of Fukuoka adopted a resolution.

In Japan, there exists national character in which it is regarded as a matter of grace to make “Let bygones be bygones.” However, the pains among the victims caused by Japan  are too ineradicable. It is better to make up. It is something like a case of a quarrel among children. Only by join hands with “nations which are close but distant”, can Japan be a nation of honor in its true sense. Japan does not have to be servile. All it has to do is to apologize and compensate. Then, a thaw in relations will follow.

(2) From the perspective of international conventions on human rights, it can be regarded that the right to learn and education of children of foreigners or ethnic minorities are not guaranteed in conformity with the spirit of the Constitution of Japan.

1. First, we are surprised at the “wide gap” between ordinary Japanese schools and ethnic schools such as Korean schools and Chinese schools in the school subsidies. Secondly, the government of Japan does not recognize the qualification of Korean school graduates to take entrance examination. As a result, several universities in Japan do not grant them qualification as examinee. This should be serious violation of human rights. Thirdly, Korean schools and Chinese schools do not receive state subsidy and suffer from discrimination in the taxation system on donation. These schools are still legally categorized as vocational school like driving school.
2. Following the recommendation of 10 years ago, Japan Federation of Bar Associations required the government of Japan to correct the “wide gap” in March 2008. According to the registration survey of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in August 2007, 20.5% of school-age children of foreigners go to foreign schools. Clause 1, Article 26 of the Constitution of Japan says that “All people shall have the right to receive an equal education correspondent to their ability, as provided for by law.” The importance of the right to receive education should be guaranteed not only to Japanese citizens but also to foreigners and ethnic minorities under abovementioned international conventions on human rights which Japan ratified in the past. Foreigners also should be included in the object of “the compulsory education” as clause 2, Article 26 of the Constitution of Japan indicates. The government of Japan has an obligation to give foreign children normal education as it does to Japanese children.

Establishment of national identity in the coexistence

It can be said that Article 13 of the Constitution of Japan guarantees the rights to receive education for the acquisition of their native language and culture to the children of foreigners and ethnic minorities as one of fundamental human rights. Therefore, Koreans in Japan have the right to learn in their own language as well as the right to learn Japanese language. During our stay in Kobe, we commemorated the 61^st anniversary of Hanshin Educational Struggle. At that time, Koreans in Japan were deprived of their right to receive education in their own language. Under the US occupation, the General Headquarters imposed a state of emergency only once in Kobe. On April 24th 1948, Ministry of Education made an order to close down the Korean schools. Korean residents in Japan who hoped to study in their own language were disheartened. With the institution of martial law, more than 1,700 Koreans were arrested in Kobe alone. Mr. Pak Chu Bon, who was the chairperson of the prefectural headquarters of the League of Korean Residents in Japan, was incarcerated in Kobe Prison in poor health. In November 1949, he was released on parole and passed away 4 hours later. In Osaka, young boy, Kim Tae Il who had attended the demonstration was shot dead by the police. Even today, we can witness several human rights violation cases in Japan. Japan should provide for the necessary legislation.

(3) Racial discrimination today, not in the past

1. Escalation of bullying in a sly, underhand manner

Today, more than 2,000,000 foreigners live in Japan. More than 10,000 foreigners take the Japanese nationality every year. The number of international marriages and children with dual nationality is rising, too. However, it is very difficult to say that Japan is a comfortable country to live for foreigners or those who have several ethnic backgrounds. Because of bullying or other reasons, about 7 % of children do not go to school.

11 school teachers from Canada were shocked to read an essay which won the highest award in Human Rights Forum of Judicial Scrivener in 2008 written by a student of Kobe Korean High School, because she was insulted by some Japanese students only because she wore Chima-chogori, Korean national costume. She was told from Japanese students;

“We are going to kill all Koreans in Japan.”, “We will kill all those who wear Chima-chogori.”

1. Japan should guarantee the right of foreign children and ethnic minorities to learn. If Japan fails to establish “Basic Education Law for Multi-ethnic and Multi-cultural Coexistence”, it will be isolated from international community. Several legal systems which are incompatible with “Basic Education Law for Multi-ethnic and Multi-cultural Coexistence” should be amended not only for the acceleration of acknowledgment of different culture and people from different backgrounds but also for the elimination of conflicts between states in the future.

Going along with the time, Japan should fully improve human rights situation and liquidate its crimes in the past. Otherwise, Japan will be despised by the world. We can observe discrimination and prejudice even in the enthusiasm for World Baseball Classic. Japanese national team played games with South Korean counterpart 5 times. In the eyes of foreign media, this fanaticism was used for the elevation of exclusive nationalism in the economic recession irrespective of fine content of the games. Japanese media one-sidedly labeled launching of communication satellite by the DPRK as missile although media from the rest of the world all regarded it as the former. It seems that Japanese people suffer from an obsession to regard the DPRK as evil.

Conclusion

We can find racial discriminations even among the young people in Japan. With such abhorrence, more than 6,000 Korean people were massacred after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. On the other hand, in Kobe, in the confusion of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on January 17th 1995, many Korean residents in Japan were worried about another nightmarish accident. People in Kobe, however, weathered the difficult situation by mutual assistance between Japanese people and Koreans in Japan. This opportunity to visit Kobe reminded us of a history which achieved ethnic education at the risk of their lives through Hansin Educational Struggle in 1948. It seemed to us that message from Kobe, an international city with an elegant atmosphere, can be a breakthrough for the improvement of human rights situation in Japan. We hope that the circle of multi-ethnicity and multi-culture will surely spread from Kobe to the world.

Charles LESKUN 高校・大学で歴史、社会学の講師

Patricia O’REILLY トロント大学オンタリオ研究所教育学科講師

Denial of History = Denial of Justice 

Chairman of Kobe-Canada Educational and Cultural Exchange Program

                                                          　　　　            Yoshio IwamuraⒸ                          

As for the Nanjing Massacre, there are several famous Japanese politicians who claim that it is contradictory to the fact.

Japan admitted in 1993 that the government was involved in recruiting the women, Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe caused a stir when he claimed earlier  in 2007 there was no proof the government coerced the women into the brothels.

Rightwing media commentators in Japan have produced a stream of newspaper and magazine articles denying government involvement, insisting the women were either professional prostitutes or participated of their own free will.  As a result, the Japanese Government put on the pressure to eliminate the articles about the comfort women from school textbooks.  

Shintaro Ishihara, who was born on Sept. 30, 1932, is a Japanese author, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999. In 1990, Ishihara clearly denies  the Nanking massacres during World War Ⅱ, and he mentioned that the Rape of Nanking was merely fiction because he claimed that “People say that the Japanese made a holocaust but that is not true. It is a story made up by the Chinese. It has tarnished the image of Japan, but it is a lie.” Also, more recently he backed the film The Truth about Nanjing, which also claims that the Nanking Massacre was Chinese propaganda and based on false history.

It is quite surprising that not an ordinary citizen of Japan, but a person who Represents a country groundlessly denies the case without any convincing proof.

In 2007 the US Congress and parliaments in the Netherlands, Canada, the European Union and South Korea all adopted declarations calling for a resolution of the issue, and that the UN Human Rights Committee, which took up the issue last year, urged Japan to offer a public apology and to compensate victims individually. 

 Japan has to sincerely express regret for its invasions and the military sexual slavery system. Canada and America have to contemplate the atrocious treatment of Japanese immigrants during and after the war. America has to look back and feel deeply sorry about the misery it had caused the atomic bomb victims. And most of all, Germany has to feel guilty about the Holocaust. The only way we can stop such terrible things from reoccurring is to honestly teach our children about them, and hope they learn the valuable lessons offered by history. Otherwise, how can we ever hope to stop history from repeating itself? 

In Japan, there exists national character in which it is regarded as a matter of grace to make “Let bygones be bygones.” However, the pains among the victims caused by Japan  are too ineradicable. It is better to make up. It is something like a case of a quarrel among children. Only by join hands with “nations which are close but distant”, can Japan be a nation of honor in the truest sense. Japan does not have to be servile. All it has to do is to apologize and compensate. Then, a thaw in relations will follow. 

To our joy, we Japanese chose a new regime this year. “Based on the spirit of fraternity, I will make my utmost efforts for Japan to serve as a bridge for the world,” Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said. We pray that Democratic Party of Japan may accept legal responsibility and apologize unreservedly for the “comfort women” system as soon as possible.

神戸・カナダ教育文化交流事業
カナダ側出席者リスト

Kobe Teachers’ Convention

Participants 

Name of Participant	Gender	Organization / School	Title	School Board
Amy CHAN	Female	Forest Hill Collegiate Institute	Teacher	Toronto District School Board
Carole WHELAN	Female	North Toronto Collegiate	History Teacher	Toronto District School Board
Charles  LESKUN	Male		Teacher	Peel District School Board
Deepa KARAMJEET	Female	Beverley Heights Middle School	Vice-Principal	Toronto District School Board
Flora CHONG	Female	Toronto ALPHA	Vice-Chair
Joseph WONG	Male	Toronto ALPHA	Founder and Chair
Laura JONES	Female	Driftwood Public School	Vice-Principal	Toronto District School Board
Patricia O’REILLY	Female	Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto	Instructor, Department of Curriculum Teaching and Learning
Margaret WELLS	Female	Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto	Instructor, initial teacher education program
Robert LATO	Male	Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto	Instructor
Shaun CHEN	Male		Trustee, (Ward 21, Scarborough-Rouge River)	Toronto District School Board

 Patricia O’Reilly　　トロント大学講師
Patricia O’Reilly is an instructor at the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She teaches in the Initial Teacher Education Program and prepares students to become Secondary Classroom teachers.  Her courses include: The Social Justice Teacher Education Seminar; Foundations of Teaching; Learning and Believing in Catholic Schools; Theology for Ministry.  Her experience includes five years with the Ministry of Education of Ontario as an Education officer in the Curriculum Policy Branch and five years as a Secondary School Administrator.

パトリシャ・オーライリーさんはトロント大学、オンタリオ研究所教育学科の講師です。教師養成プログラムの中で中学校教師を目指す学生を教育しています。彼女の教える学科は次の通りです：教師のための社会正義セミナー、基礎教育、カトリックの学校での教育と信仰、教育学と神学。彼女はオンタリオの教育課でカリキュラム担当5年間と中学校の管理職5年間の経験を持っています。

She has an extensive background in Social Justice and Human Rights education which includes, workshops, presentations, curriculum writing and leading Social Justice Study tours for educators. As Chair of the Holocaust Education Committee of Toronto, for the League of Human Rights of B’Nai Brith Canada she spent ten years training educators from across Canada in anti-discrimination education in Germany, Poland and Israel. Patricia has worked with the Christian Peacemaking Team in Palestine, with ALPHA in Toronto, and Canadian Jesuits International in Toronto and Zambia.  She has published curriculum on social justice education and has just completed a Study guide for Novalis Press: Practical Theology for Teachers

Shaun Chen　トロント地区教育委員会副議長
Named by Maclean’s Magazine in 2000 as one of “100 young Canadians to watch,” Shaun Chen is a prolific community leader who has articulated with passion the voices of his generation. A lifelong advocate for children and youth and an outspoken proponent of equity and education, Shaun was first elected to the Toronto District School Board in 2006 as Trustee for Ward 21, Scarborough–Rouge River.　In 2008, Shaun was elected Alternate Vice President of Enrolment and Director of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, which represents public school boards across the province serving over 1.3 million students. He also served on the Children’s Services Advisory Committee, helping to support a multi-year strategy to expand children’s services across Toronto. Most recently, Shaun was elected Vice Chair of the TDSB Administration, Finance and Accountability Committee.

Shaun has received a myriad of community honours including Toronto’s Commitment to Diverse-City Award, Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces Citizenship Award, and an award citation in youth services from Scarborough Community Council. In 1999, he was awarded the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers. Shaun holds his Hon. B.Sc. in computer science and equity studies from the University of Toronto, where he is currently completing his Master’s degree in the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education. 

Amy Chan　フォレストヒル大学の歴史と社会学を教えている。
Amy Chan is a history and social sciences teacher in her fifth year at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute with the Toronto District School Board.  She has taught a variety of courses and grades with the aim of incorporating human rights issues into all subjects.  She is an Equity Committee member of her school, preparing workshops for fellow teachers about issues of inclusivity.  She is also the staff sponsor the school’s Multicultural Club.  This organization helps students bring cultural awareness and sensitivity to the school community.　Amy attended York University’s Regent Park Community Program for Teacher Education.  This was a program designed to encourage teachers to include social justice issues of inclusiveness, equity, and community development in their careers.  She has also volunteered with the Pathways 2 Education Program designed to help under-privileged youth earn a post-secondary education. 

Deepa Karamjeet 　トロント地区教育委員会の副校長　小中学生向けの”I still remember”3部作の著作がある
Deepa Karamjeet is a Vice-Principal with Toronto District School Board (TDSB) which is the largest board in North America. She got into teaching on her mother’s inspiration and started teaching in 1987. Arriving in Canada in 1990, she started teaching as a full time volunteer teacher and simultaneously ventured into fast food business where she became a General Manager of a Taco Bell Store and Educational Director of Oxford Learning Centre. Along with formal teaching and administrative duties connected with running of an Inner City School, she has been making her contribution to the academic family and the community. She is currently the co-chair of Beginning Teachers program for her Family of Schools and the Hub Chair for Literacy of four schools. She coaches Internationally Trained Teachers for an organization called Skills for Change Canada where she helps and coaches new immigrant teachers to Canada to facilitate their assimilation in educational system.
Deepa has great passion on Character Education and has tried to lead by example. As an educator she believes that it is her responsibility to produce good human beings with real passion for the well being of fellow humans. She also firmly believes that education without any humanitarian orientation or content is only barren knowledge exchange. Without inculcating an attitude of caring and concern for issues like social justice, human rights and other sensitive issues impacting human lives; education can produce only knowledgeable and skilled brutes.  She participated in the 2007 Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour organized by ALPHA and has become a volunteer for the organization since then. Working with ALPHA has made her more aware of Asian culture and also more determined to further the cause of understanding and reconciliation through getting redress for victims of the Nanking Massacre. Towards that end, she has also written three books for children of grades 5-8. It is a trilogy called “I Still Remember”, narrating the story of three sisters and how their lives were changed in 1937.

Carole Whelan　北トロント大学の講師
Carole Whelan has been teaching with the Toronto District School Board for over thirty years. Currently she teaches a Grade 11 Social Science course and both Grade 10 and Grade 12 Canadian history courses at North Toronto Collegiate. Her particular interest is Canadian social history. She is faculty advisor to her school’s Girls’ Athletic Association, an organization that provides leadership opportunities for female students and she is also co-chair of the school’s alumni foundation.
Carole was honored to be a participant of the 2008 ALPHA Peace & Reconciliation educators’ tour to China and South Korea. In 2006, she participated in a teacher-tour study of the World War II Canadian battle fields and war cemeteries.
For many years, Carole has taught lessons on the European Holocaust and has often taken student groups to both the Toronto and the Washington Holocaust Museums.  This past fall, however, was the first time she taught her history and social science classes about Nanjing Massacre.  She was amazed at the emotional impact this topic had on her students; some students discovered, for the first time, that their own families had been directly impacted by the events of the Sino-Japanese war.

Dr. Robert Lato  トロント大学の講師
Dr. Robert Lato taught at Brebeuf College School in Toronto from 1973 until 2003.  Originally a teacher of Mathematics and Computer Science, he became the Head of Student Services in 1988.  In 1993 he received his Doctorate in Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto.  More recently he has had many varied teaching experiences, including the Adolescent Mental Health Unit at a local Toronto Hospital, English as a Second Language to new Canadians, Guidance courses at York University, and is presently employed as an Instructor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Education.
Dr. Lato is married with three children. In recent years he has blended his interest in history, cross-cultural and multi-faith experiences, and youth development to create leadership experiences within an international context. He has traveled to many destinations including the Far East, India, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His studies have involved World War II in Europe and in China and Japan,   the Viet Nam War, Holocaust Education, Apartheid, and colonialism. His programs all involve service learning and meet the interests of secondary school students, university students, adults, and seniors.

Laura Jones  トロント地区教育委員会の副校長
Laura Jones is the Vice-Principal of a K- 5 school in Canada’s largest school board – Toronto District School Board (TDSB). In the late 1990’s after years of coordinating arts based education focused on social justice issues she formally trained as a teacher and began her career with the TDSB. Prior to becoming a Vice Principal, while still a classroom teacher, Ms. Jones occupied a variety of leadership roles: Literacy Convener, Numeracy Convener and Staff Development Convener. She also served as a Site Supervisor for York University and Lakehead University Teacher Candidates.
Laura enjoyed a successful teacher. In 2007, Ms. Jones was nominated for the Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence after collaborating with The City of Toronto and community business partners, to integrate digital photography as a means to critically analyze change and conflict in community as part of the social studies curriculum. Students showcased their talents before an authentic audience – community, parents and feeder schools – their art pieces travelled to Metro Hall, Museums and Metro Toronto Libraries and Universities.
Laura participated in the 2007 Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour organized by Toronto ALPHA. Upon her return she became involved in community outreach speaking on local radio and at community functions. On contemplating the abundance of reading material available at the grade 4-8 level on the Jewish Holocaust Ms. Jones determined to contribute to the resources available for teachers to discuss the impact of World War II in Asia. Since that time Ms. Jones has written two books one fiction and one non-fiction. It is her hope that Asian experience will one day take its rightful place in the Western Understanding of World War II events.

Margaret Wells  高校教師
Margaret is an instructor in the initial teacher education program at OISE/UT. Before working in this program, Margaret was a secondary school teacher and a consultant on equity issues in education at the Toronto District School Board. She also was an instructor at York University’s Faculty of Education. Margaret does volunteer work with Facing History and Ourselves, an international non-profit educational organization that supports teachers in addressing social justice issues connected to genocide and other human rights abuses. She is currently the co-chair of the Advisory Committee for Facing History in Canada. Margaret found that her participation in the 2008 ALPHA study tour was an amazing learning experience. 

Charles Leskun 高校・大学で歴史、社会学の講師
Mr. Charles Leskun has been actively involved in the field of special and behavioral education as well as well as the teaching of history and sociology at the secondary and university levels for past 33 years. He is presently the Coordinator of a very dynamic Canada and World Studies Department at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario.  As a leader in curriculum instruction Mr. Leskun has written three document based Canadian History books. He has also written three curriculum guide works for the Ontario Ministry Education that are currently being used at the secondary level in Ontario schools. As well as this he has contributed a number pieces for the Institute of Catholic Education, a guide to First and Second World War Propaganda and teachers guide titled The Search For Global Citizenship (The Violation of Human Rights In Asia, 1931- 45).
Mr. Leskun is currently an executive member of the Ontario History and Social Science Teachers Association and the Toronto Jewish Congress Holocaust Education Committee. Also he is actively involved with the Simon Wiesenthal Centers Glassman Tools for Tolerance program. He has participated in the ALPHA Peace and Reconciliation Tour of China and is currently working on a book with his writing partner Tim Tobin and Dr. Joseph Wong about War and Memory from an Asian Canadian experience during World War Two.

Joseph Y.K. Wong
Dr. Joseph Wong (C.M., M.D., D.Sc.) is a family physician practicing in Toronto for over 30 years. He has been a life-time volunteer helping various causes in Toronto, Canada, and many other countries. He served as Chairman of United Way of Greater Toronto from 1990 to 1992, as Hon. Chair from 1994 to 2000. He founded the National Harmony Movement for Canada and is still Co-chair of the organization, promoting harmonious interaction among peoples in Canada. He founded Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care and Yee Hong Foundation in 1987, which has grown over the last 20 years to become the largest non-profit geriatric care centre and program in Canada, with 4 centers in G.T.A. serving over 4,000 seniors every day. He led efforts to fund-raise for various natural disasters in the world: droughts and floods that hit China in the 1980’s and 1990’s, famines in Ethiopia and Somalia in mid to late 1990’s; North Korea famine in 1998; India earthquake in 2000; Tsunami relief in 2004 and most recently the Burma cyclone and China earthquake in Sichuan. He founded Toronto ALPHA in 1997, and still serves as chair of the Board. He was named Toronto Star Man of the Year in 1986, received a Hon. D. Sc. Degree from University of Toronto in 1992; Order of Canada in 1993, and the Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Award in 2005.

Toronto ALPHAの会長
ジョセフ・ウォン氏はトロントで30年以上開業している医者である。カナダのトロントだけでなく他の多くの国の各方面でボランティアとして奉仕活動を行っている。彼は1990年から1992年までUnited Way of Greater Torontoの議長として、1994年から2000年までは名誉会長として務めた。またNational Harmony Movement for Canadaを創設し、今も議長を務めカナダの調和的進歩に貢献している。彼が1987年に老人病患者のために創設したイー・ホン・センター病院とイー・ホン財団は過去20年間でカナダ最大の老人ケア・センターとなり、今は4施設に増やし毎日4000名の老人に奉仕している。彼は世界で起こる自然災害のための基金を集めている。1980年代と1990年代に中国を襲った干ばつと洪水。1990年代中ごろから後半にかけてのエチオピアとソマリアの飢餓。1998年北朝鮮の飢饉。2000年のインド大地震。2004年の津波と最近のビルマ大竜巻、四川大地震などに献金した。1997年トロント・アルファを設立し、現会長をしている。彼は1986年トロント・スター・マンに選ばれ、1992年にはトロント大学より名誉博士号を、1993年にはカナダから叙勲を受け、2005年にはカナダ赤十字人道賞を授与された。 

Flora Chong  Toronto ALPHAの副会長
Flora decided to retire from a senior executive position of a mid-size business group with Head quarter in Toronto and became a full time volunteer for ALPHA in 2005.  Not only does she have a strong business and information system background, Flora was also professionally trained and had been practicing as an interior designer. She has been an active volunteer in a number of organizations other than serving as Vice-Chair of Toronto ALPHA. At present, she is also on the boards of Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation (a geriatric care centre) and Across U-Hub (a youth leadership organization). Flora has led the highly successful 2006 and 2008 Peace and Reconciliation Study-tour, and involved in numerous projects of ALPHA in the past years. She was the executive coordinator for the Canadian Parliamentary motion on ‘Comfort women’, consultant and coordinator for the production of “Iris Chang – the Rape of Nanking”, and Chair of Education Program Development for Toronto ALPHA. She received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for her volunteer work and philanthropic contribution.

「みんなで考える“ヒューマン・ライツ”」実行委員会　実行委員長　岩村義雄