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Riyo Mori,森 理世 a 20-year-old ballet dancer from Shizuoka Prefecture has been selected as the 2007 Miss Universe 2007.

SMPENA ulangtahun ke-50 persahabatan Jepun-Malaysia, myJICA akan mengadakan satu ekspedisi (membalas dendam) mendaki Mt. Fuji pada hari Merdeka (31 Ogos) nanti.

Kos: RM2995

Tempahan: Hubungi Azhar: 019-2739390

Aturcara:

28/8 (Selasa): .

11:30pm Berlepas dari KLIA

29/8 (Rabu) . :

7:00am: Tiba di Narita
Bertolak ke Tokyo
Check-in hotel
Acara bebas di Tokyo

30/8 (Khamis) .
7:00am Check-out hotel
Bertolak ke Shinjuku
11:30am Tiba di Stesen 5 Fuji
12:30 PM Mula Mendaki
8:00pm: Tiba di stesen 8 & REHAT
11:00pm: Mendaki

31/8 (Jumaat) .

4:00am Tiba di Puncak
5:30am Turun
9:30am Tiba di Stesen 5
1:00pm Meninggalkan Fuji
Check-in hotel

1/9 (Sabtu) .

Acara Bebas

2/9 (Ahad) .
8:00am: Check-out dan ke Narita
11:30am Berlepas Pulang

* Kos meliputi tambang kapalterbang, cukai lapangan terbang, insuran
perjalanan, pengangkutan di Jepun dan Penginapan di Jepun
(twin-sharing)

Suzuki lauded for his contributions
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THE contributions of Tan Sri Kazumasa Suzuki, who died last Saturday, were not limited to Japanese investments in Malaysia.

He had also contributed a lot to providing scholarships to Malaysian students in Japan, wrote Utusan Malaysia columnist Hata Wahari.

He identified Suzuki as the man who was responsible for drawing Japanese investors to the country in support of the “Look East” policy.

Suzuki, who arrived here in 1968 to work for Mitsui & Co Ltd, was the founder and president of the Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry of Malaysia.

“His capability to attract Japanese investors to the country showed that they did not only respected Suzuki but also proved that Malaysia had a lot to offer to the world and played an important role in the Asian region,” Hata said.

Former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Sham Sani described Suzuki as a corporate figure who was well respected by the Japanese business community here.

“All his life, Suzuki never complained of tiredness in bringing more industries from Japan to Malaysia.

“He even introduced the Japanese way of making bread to Malaysia through the setting up of The Loaf with (former prime minister) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Langkawi last year,” he said.

Alumni Look East Policy president Za’ba Youn said that one of the biggest contributions of Suzuki to students who studied in Japan was to ensure that all of them found jobs at Japanese companies in Malaysia.

“He also proved to Japanese companies that Malaysians had the capability to work,” he added.

The columnist expressed regret that Suzuki could not celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and Malaysia on Aug 31.

Surprising find at Okinawa temple
BY DEVID RAJAH

OKINAWA: An ancient blade of a keris found recently at the royal Enkakuji Temple grounds near the 15th century Shurijo Castle might unravel the ties the Malay world had with these southwestern islands of Japan.

As the war-ravaged Enkakuji Temple was being restored, construction workers stumbled upon a protruding porcelain pot handle at a spot where offerings were made to the gods.

The ensuing archaeological dig unearthed nine other items, including the wavy blade of a keris, foreign to this part of the world.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: A staff member of the Okinawa Prefecture Archaeological Centre showing the blade of the keris found at the Enkakuji Temle grounds.
Historians believe the keris could be from either Malacca or Java as Okinawa and the its surrounding islands under the old Kingdom of Ryukyus had diplomatic and trade ties with ancient cities and ports in Asia, including Malacca, before it became a part of Japan in 1879.

The blade measuring 22.1cm from the tip to hilt was found without the handle and sheath, as the wooden parts had been destroyed.

According to the Okinawa Prefecture Archaeological Centre officials the blade was found buried along with other items, including a clay plate with carvings of a dragon shaped boat, a glazed pot, a gold-plated door hinge and a metal door skirting.

The castle restoration work started in 1989 and the Shurijo Park was opened to public in 1992 while restoration work at the temple is still ongoing.

Prof Dr Kurayoshi Takara a historian from the University of The Ryukyus said the discovery had not been publicised much and is unknown to people outside Okinawa and Japan.

He believes the discovery of the blade of a keris would spark international interest among historians and archaeologists to determine its origin.

“I personally believe it could have been from Malacca because the Ryukyus Kingdom had started trading with Malacca in the 15th century,” said Prof Takara, who has been to Malaysia and Malacca to carry out research on the ancient ties the Kingdom of Ryukyus had with Southeast Asian kingdoms.

From historical records, Prof Takara said, the Ryukyus had started trading with Siam (Thailand), between 1425 and 1570, Malacca (1463-1511), Patani (Southern Thailand) (1490-1543) and several other areas in Indonesia (Palembang, Java and Sumatra) and Cambodia.

“Records also indicate Ryukyuan junks went to Malacca every year for 49 years and carried out trade with local merchants, Arabs and Indians.

“They would bring gold, silver, copper, tin, and Chinese ceramic from mainland Japan and China and trade them for ivory and wine,” he said, adding that there were also correspondence between the rulers of Malacca and Ryuyukus.

Malacca was also known for its high quality wine (believed to be nipah wine), but later years Ryukyuans started buying it from Thailand when Malacca stopped making it.

Article published in the Star Online, June 26, 2003

YEARS of bad waste disposal practice is finally taking a toll on Malaysia’s environment.

The inexpensive open dumping method which Malaysia favoured for many years is now a threat not only to the environment, but also to the economy, and its use has led to considerable public health consequences.