The Global Youth Festival in Japan

Dr. Sun-jin Moon, Director General of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), presented True Mother’s address in Japan on September 23, 2014. True Mother’s address spoke about True Parents’ vision of love and peace as the basis for creating a better world.

The event, which was attended by almost 10,000 youth and students in Chiba Prefecture, was an attempt to connect young people across national, ethnic and cultural boundaries. The participants, who had come from all over Japan, were overwhelmed by the many cultural performances and the moving keynote address, which urged Japanese youth to build a world of true love.  “Youth members of Japan!” Dr. Moon urged. “Let us go to a wider realm and stand at the forefront of saving the world!”

Dr. Moon passionately read the keynote address, “A Path Toward the Future World of Peace,” on behalf of True Mother, at times sobbing and beseeching the audience.

In the address, True Mother revealed the perseverance it took for her and True Father to follow their mission. “I and Rev. Moon never avoided trials. Whenever baseless persecution came against us, we never resented anyone but loved them. By overcoming the challenges, unexpected blessings were given. After a half-century of our endeavors, we could establish our firm foundation of missionaries in 194 countries. We have built a solid base for one world that will attend Heavenly Parent.”

Furthermore, she urged the Japanese youth: “We can build a happy life and a world of peace which everybody wants. Gratitude will bring heavenly fortune, while forgiveness opens people’s hearts and love will move the others’ hearts. Let us be thankful for anything, forgive even enemies, and love our neighbors like our own body, and unite as one for peace.”

The festival, which was broadcast live over the Internet to 285 locations and 40 countries, opened with a ceremony that displayed 40 national flags and culminated in a riveting dance performance.

The celebrations already had started on September 23, however, with an exciting “Global Village” event held on the square in front of the Makuhari Event Hall. Stalls representing 40 nations featured each country’s culture, crafts and food, while various performances entertained the guests.

The square was packed with young people from all over Japan who wanted to get a taste of the “global family.” Organizers said they would donate all profits to international charitable activities.

Along with fun and entertaining activities, the global village also was a place to learn more about peace initiatives going on in each country. In the Philippines, the Youth Federation for World Peace has been supporting school lunch and education for children. In March the Youth Federation members visited Leyte Island, which had been devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, to help reconstruct an elementary school. Pictures of these activities were displayed within the booth.

At Nepal’s booth, staff members wearing their national costume welcomed the visitors with a “Namaste” greeting. They sold casual jewelry and small gadgets inside a pleasantly aromatic booth. Body painting of leaf and vine designs with henna, the sap of a tree that grows in the tropics, was a popular attraction.

There was a long line in front of the Taiwanese booth to get a cup of tapioca milk tea. At the U.S. Las Vegas booth, a “one hundred yen casino” allowed visitors to win snacks and other prizes by playing  a roulette wheel.

The global village was an exciting addition, and set the tone for the entire day’s festivities.

Inside the event hall, as the guests of honor were introduced, the ambassador of Nigeria to Japan, H.E. Godwin Nsude Agbo, offered congratulatory remarks. “My image of peace has a world where people are not discriminated with gaps of race, religion, nationality or social background, allowing coexistence for all,” he said. “As the world faces many challenges, the roles of the Unification [Church] with its global perspectives are becoming far more important.”

These global perspectives were highlighted in some of the international projects sponsored by the Unification Church and the Youth Federation for World Peace. Projects in Nepal, the Solomon Islands, and a special organization called U-Peace, which was organized after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, were among those mentioned. Some of the volunteers are currently assisting in a project at the site of the August 2014 major landslides in Hiroshima City, according to Yoshihito Kato, leader of U-Peace, who joined the festival via Internet to report on the group’s activities.

Participants young and old were inspired by the gathering. Mari Sugawara, 22, said: “I felt strongly that youth have the potential to alter history. … I felt motivated to do whatever I can.” A member of the Japanese House of Representatives expressed his approval, saying: “I have not seen a convention of a conservative camp with 10,000 youth. I was really moved! This convention testified to the historical achievements of the Unification [Church].”