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Uwajima mayor
appeals to Hawaii
Posts plea on Web to
Hawaii citizens, officials
Star-Bulletin staffThe city of Uwajima this weekend posted a message from the city's mayor to the people of Hawaii on the city's Web site, urging boaters to help in the search for the nine missing high-school students, teachers and crew members of the Ehime Maru.
Sub captain won't talk
A similar message was also sent to Governor Ben Cayetano and Mayor Jeremy Harris.
The text of the message is as follows:
Dear residents of Hawaii: As the Mayor and representative of the people of Uwajima, I kindly ask you to read the following message.
There are the three main reasons why we are still strongly urging the U.S. authorities to continue its search for the missing nine members of the Ehime-Maru, the Uwajima Fisheries High School training vessel, one week after the tragic collision with the USS Greeneville occurred.
1. It is a fact that the bodies of drowning victims generally rise to the surface after 4 to 10 days.
2. It is the custom of Japanese fishermen to continue their search for those missing at sea for about two weeks.
3. Whereas in Christianity the soul of the person is considered of paramount importance, in Japan, the body takes a much more important role. In Buddhism, which is the predominant religious belief in Japan, when the funeral is held, the custom is to say a final farewell to the deceased before cremating them. The ashes are the final remains of the deceased and, as such, are cherished.
Uwajima is a small, close-knit fishing community and such beliefs are still strongly held. Thus I, and the victim's families, urge you again to press for a further continuation of the search for the missing.
After listening to the stories of the survivors, rescued thanks to the diligent work by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy, even though two people, one high school student and one crew member, were seen on the deck as the accident happened, they have yet to be found. Please listen to the voices of the families and people of Uwajima, who are hoping that those nine missing people, four of which are high-school students, will still be rescued.
If you see anything which you believe may be connected to the Ehime Maru while you are out on the water, please report it to the appropriate authorities. We know that the people of America are dedicated believers in the value of the family and that you will empathize with us in trying to bring our loved ones home.
The oceans of the world are all connected and flow freely as one great body of water.
Furthermore, there is an old saying in Japan; "Hate not the people, but the crime." We hope and pray that this tragic incident does not harm the warm and truly special relationship that our two countries share.
Yours Truly,
Hirohisa Ishibashi,
Mayor of Uwajima
The citizens of Uwajima
To residents of Hawaii from Uwajima
Voice of Uwajima
City of Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, Japan
(in Japanese)
