On November 10, 1981, the 10th International Conference on the Unification of Science (ICUS) was held in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 720 people from around the world participated in the conference, including Nobel laureates and other natural scientists from various fields, as well as scholars from the humanities and social sciences and cultural figures. At the general meeting, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the conference, proposed the "Asian Grand Highway and Japan-Korea Tunnel Project."
Mr. Eizaburo Nishibori (President of the Japan Mountaineering Association) participated in the conference from Japan and was deeply impressed by the International Highway and Japan-Korea Tunnel Project, saying, "I have said some pretty big things myself, but this is on a scale that far surpasses them." As soon as Mr. Nishibori returned to Japan, he asserted that "Japan should also start a Japan-Korea Tunnel Project," and the "Japan-Korea Tunnel Research Association" (chaired by Mr. Yasuo Sasa (Professor Emeritus of Hokkaido University), introduced by Mr. Nishibori) was established in Tokyo in May 1983.
Mr. Nishibori and Mr. Sasa were both presidents of the Japan Mountaineering Association, a public interest incorporated association, with Mr. Nishibori being the previous president (13th) and Mr. Sasa being the next president (14th). Mr. Sasa was an authority on geology and a key figure in selecting the route for the Seikan Tunnel, making him an ideal candidate for the Japan-Korea Tunnel Research Association.
Let's take a look at the historical background of the "Asian Grand Highway and Japan-Korea Tunnel Concept." Looking at the evolution of civilization history, ancient human civilizations began with tropical civilizations such as Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, then transitioned to the peninsula civilizations of Greece and Rome, followed by island civilizations centered on Britain, and finally, maritime civilizations centered on the British Empire swept the world.
After that, civilization crossed the Atlantic Ocean and landed in the United States, where it culminated as a continental civilization. The United States benefited from this, becoming the world's strongest and largest nation in just over 200 years. Within the United States, settlement progressed from the east to the west, and upon reaching the Pacific Ocean, it crossed the Pacific to Japan. Western civilization that landed in Japan spent 120 years before moving to the neighboring Korean Peninsula. A symbolic event of this was the Seoul Olympics held in South Korea in 1988.
In short, the concept was put forward to establish an economic base in Asia by developing infrastructure such as the Peace Expressway and Peace High-Speed Railway, which would serve as major arteries for logistics in the center, and to build an East Asian community extending from Japan through South Korea and North Korea to China.
Having enjoyed over 120 years of prosperity, Japan stood at a crossroads, facing the choice of continuing its prosperity or embarking on a path of decline. For further development, Japan needed to connect to the Korean Peninsula by land, from a civilizational historical perspective.
Indeed, the 1990s in Japan were called the "lost decade." However, looking back now, it could be called the "lost 20 years." During this period, Japan experienced the collapse of its bubble economy, economic stagnation, political turmoil, and a society rife with unrest and a surge in crime.
While Japan-Korea relations are historically marked by resentment and enmity, true peace can emerge between the two countries by overcoming these barriers, building a "bridge of love," and creating a tunnel of peace.
If Japan and Korea unite, the Pacific island nations, along with the West, will also cooperate.
Just as Saigo Takamori led to the peaceful surrender of Edo Castle during the Meiji Restoration, this could also be a catalyst for North Korea to abandon its policy of military expansion and shift towards peaceful unification. This would lead to the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.
This would not only maintain peace in Asia but also create the world's leading economic bloc, establishing an economic foundation based on a new ideology. Furthermore, expanding the highway network across Asia would contribute to the development of an Asian community. The
major challenges at that time will be national borders and conflicts based on race, ethnicity, and ideology. We must break down these "walls" and lead the way towards peaceful unity. This is a historical mission that Japan must take the lead in, and Japan should dedicate itself to peaceful diplomacy and lead Asia. The spiritual foundation for this must be a higher-dimensional spirit.
The Anglo-French Tunnel across the English Channel was agreed upon at a summit meeting between the leaders of Britain and France, and was completed in four years. Much of the technology used was Japanese tunnel technology. Immediately after the completion of the Anglo-French Tunnel, the European Union (EU) was established. The establishment of the EU made visa-free travel within the region possible. The currency was also unified under the euro.
Similarly, if the Japan-Korea Tunnel is completed, an East Asian Community will come into view, and beyond that, an Asian Community. In the future, a common currency will surely be created. Even the East Asian Community alone would become the world's largest economic bloc, and if it encompasses all of Asia, it would become an even larger economic bloc. These benefits will be expanded to the world.
The construction of expressways is a concrete plan for achieving world peace. Throughout history, "world peace" has been proclaimed many times, but how to achieve it has not been clear. However, world peace will be achieved through this plan of constructing expressways.
World peace will be realized through the combination of both a spiritual foundation and an economic foundation. The starting point for this is the "Japan-Korea Tunnel". The "Japan-Korea Tunnel" is the gateway to a base for disseminating world peace. If Japan contributes with its technological and economic power, it will shed the stigma of being an aggressor nation and be welcomed by all countries. There is no greater hope for Japan. This is the path Japan should take.
| Biography |
In 1982, he established the International Highway Construction Corporation in Tokyo to concretely promote the International Highway Project and the Japan-Korea Tunnel Project, and served as its chairman. |
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