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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Pulling back the curtain: A backstage look at the 2025 NDP show segment
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ms Jade Koo Ah Mui (right), 70, rehearsing for the NDP show segment with other contingent members from Soka Gakkai, a local religious organisation. SINGAPORE – Clad in a pale blue balletic dress, Ms Jade Koo Ah Mui exuberantly waved her light stick, which periodically glowed purple and blue in tandem with the music. At 70, the septuagenarian is performing in Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP) for the 10th time, as part of the contingent from Soka Gakkai, a local religious organisation. This year, she is joined by her neighbour, brother-in-law and two daughters. Ms Koo said: 'I feel very happy to be here. As a Singaporean, I'm thankful that I'm healthy and can celebrate Singapore's 60th birthday – that's something to be joyous and grateful about.' She is just one of around 3,000 performers from 19 groups who are taking part in the NDP show segment. With the theme 'Majulah Singapura', the show comprises four different acts inspired by the National Anthem . Addressing the media on July 12, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Ng Eng Ping, chairman of the NDP show support committee, said: 'The National Day Parade has always been the premier platform for our local artistes and creatives to showcase what they have to offer. 'This year, apart from the artistes, we have the young students, the active seniors, and the beautiful, inspiring individuals with disabilities – and all of them form an important part of the fabric in Singapore.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US slaps 30% tariffs on EU and Mexico; EU warns of countermeasures Singapore S'pore shows what's possible when digital innovation is matched with purpose: UK foreign secretary Singapore Casual racism should be tackled by getting more people to understand it is not acceptable: David Neo Asia Fuel was cut off during take-off: Preliminary report on Air India crash Singapore $3 cashback for hawker centre meals and shopping at heartland stores with DBS PayLah initiative Singapore Body of 62-year-old man recovered from waters off East Coast Park Asia Aerobridge hits Qantas plane at Sydney Airport, damaging engine, delaying flight LTC Ng added that this year's parade show segment has four key messages: celebrate diversity and Singapore's people; reflect on the nation's aspirations; reinvigorate spirits; and move forward with a stronger sense of us. A stage for all ages Rigorous training for the annual spectacle took place over months. On the days of the live rehearsals, the performing team gather at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre to rehearse the choreography, get their make-up done, change into their outfits and collect their props, before heading to the Padang in the evening. Performers getting their make-up done at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI But performers like Ms Koo are undeterred. She said: 'It's physically demanding since we stand for long hours, and the beat of the music can be quite fast. I've been trying to maintain a strong mentality, though, that I definitely need to partake in this.' Alongside senior performers, there are also around 400 young people in a performance featuring students of four local schools: CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School, Fuhua Secondary School, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) and Anderson-Serangoon Junior College (JC). Alongside senior performers, there are around 400 young people in a performance featuring students of four local schools. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI The students, togged out in red and white vests and crimson bucket hats, perform a choreography routine to popular National Day songs from the past, such as Home and The Road Ahead. Each student holds up a placard bearing personalised responses to the prompts 'I want to...' and 'I want us to...', reflecting their hopes and aspirations as individuals and for Singapore. Seventeen-year-old Srinivasan Shiv Siddarth, a first-year student from Anderson-Serangoon JC, decided to take part in this year's NDP performance after watching his older brother march in the commando contingent at the 2024 parade. Anderson-Serangoon JC student Srinivasan Shiv Siddarth decided to take part in this year's NDP after watching his older brother march at the 2024 parade. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI On balancing schoolwork and a hectic practice schedule, Srinivasan said it has been difficult but manageable. 'During rehearsals at the Padang, there's a lot of waiting time, which you can spend doing work. When you're studying with your friends, I think it's quite easy to get a lot done fast,' he said. 'If there's anything we didn't know (in our homework), we could ask our friends or even the national servicemen who were there.' Another student performer is Zori Rebecca Singer who, at 13, is one of the youngest dancers in her segment. Student performer Zori Rebecca Singer, 13, is one of the youngest dancers in her show segment. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI The Secondary 1 student at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School said: 'Although it can get really tough and tiring, it's really rewarding at the same time. You learn how to go and do things even when you're really exhausted, and just never give up and persevere.' Her favourite part of the performance is the mellow, emotional second half, when they dance to the song Home. Zori said: 'I think a lot of Singaporeans think of Home as something meaningful, and really connect it to Singapore. 'Personally, it's my favourite National Day song because it's just so meaningful, and I think the performance would really bring tears to the eyes of the people in the audience – it's so good.'
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Peeling back the curtain: A backstage look at the SG60 NDP show segment
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ms Jade Koo Ah Mui (right), 70, rehearsing for the NDP jubilee show segment with other contingent members from Soka Gakkai, a local religious organisation. SINGAPORE – Clad in a pale blue balletic dress, Ms Jade Koo Ah Mui exuberantly waved her light stick, which periodically glowed purple and blue in tandem with the music. At 70, the septuagenarian is performing in Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP) for the tenth time, as part of the contingent from Soka Gakkai, a local religious organisation. This year, she is joined by her neighbour, brother-in-law and two daughters. Ms Koo said: 'I feel very happy to be here. As a Singaporean, I'm thankful that I'm healthy and can celebrate Singapore's 60th birthday – that's something to be joyous and grateful about.' She is just one of around 3,000 performers from 19 groups, who are taking part in the NDP jubilee show segment. With the theme 'Majulah Singapura', the show comprises four different acts inspired by the national anthem . Addressing the media on July 12, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Ng Eng Ping, chairman of the NDP show support committee, said: 'The National Day Parade has always been the premier platform for our local artists and creatives to showcase what they have to offer. 'This year, apart from the artists, we have the young students, the active seniors, and the beautiful, inspiring individuals with disabilities – and all of them form an important part of the fabric in Singapore.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Air India crash report shows pilot confusion over engine switch movement Singapore $3 cashback for hawker centre meals and shopping at heartland stores with DBS PayLah initiative Singapore Body of 62-year-old man recovered from waters off East Coast Park Singapore Wegovy, injectable drug used to treat obesity, now available via prescription in Singapore Business NTT DC Reit's Singapore public offer 9.8 times oversubscribed Multimedia Which floor is this? Chongqing's maze-like environment powers its rise as a megacity Singapore Over 20 motorists caught offering illegal ride-hailing services at Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay LTC Ng added that this year's parade show segment has four key messages: celebrate diversity and Singapore's people, reflect on the nation's aspirations, reinvigorate spirits, and move forward with a stronger sense of us. A stage for all ages Rigorous training for the annual spectacle took place over months. On the days of the live rehearsals, the performing team gathers at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre to rehearse the choreography, get their make-up done, change into their outfits and collect their props, before heading to the Padang in the evening. Performers getting their make-up done at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI But performers like Ms Koo remain undeterred. She said: 'It's physically demanding since we stand for long hours, and the beat of the music can be quite fast. I've been trying to maintain a strong mentality, though, that I definitely need to partake in this.' Alongside senior performers, there are also around 400 youth in a performance that features students of four local schools: CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School, Fuhua Secondary School, Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) and Anderson-Serangoon JC. Alongside senior performers, there are also around 400 youth in a performance that features students of four local schools. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI The students, outfitted in red and white vests and crimson bucket hats, perform a choreography routine to popular national day songs from the past, such as Home and The Road Ahead. Each student holds up a placard bearing personalised responses to the prompts 'I want to...' and 'I want us to...', reflecting their hopes and aspirations as individuals and for Singapore. Seventeen-year-old Srinivasan Shiv Siddarth, a first-year student from Anderson-Serangoon JC, decided to take part in this year's NDP performance after watching his older brother march in the commando contingent at the 2024 parade. Anderson-Serangoon JC student Srinivasan Shiv Siddarth decided to take part in this year's NDP after watching his older brother march at the 2024 parade. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI On balancing schoolwork and a hectic practice schedule, Srinivasan said it has been difficult but manageable. 'During rehearsals at the Padang, there's a lot of waiting time, which you can spend doing work. When you're studying with your friends, I think it's quite easy to get a lot done fast,' he said. 'If there's anything we didn't know (in our homework), we could ask our friends or even the NS men who were there.' Another student performer is Zori Rebecca Singer, who at 13, is one of the youngest dancers in her segment. Student performer Zori Rebecca Singer, 13, is one of the youngest performers from four local schools. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI The Secondary 1 student at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School said: 'Although it can get really tough and tiring, it's really rewarding at the same time. You learn how to go and do things even when you're really exhausted, and just never give up and persevere.' Her favourite part of the performance is the mellow, emotional second half, when they dance to the song Home. Zori said: 'I think a lot of Singaporeans think of Home as something meaningful, and really connect it to Singapore. 'Personally, it's my favourite National Day song because it's just so meaningful, and I think the performance would really bring tears to the eyes of the people in the audience – it's so good.'
Japan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Komeito and JCP struggle with aging support base as Upper House poll approaches
Two political parties that have long been reliant on strong organizational support and dedicated party members — Komeito, a junior party of the ruling coalition, and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) — are facing growing headwinds in the campaign for the Upper House election. With their support bases aging, newer political forces gaining ground and too many parties for voters to choose from, both parties have struggled to maintain voter traction, causing them to lose seats in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election in June. Their share of proportional representation votes in national elections continues to decline as well. 'We're in a fierce battle where it's hard to predict the outcome. We need to give it everything we've got,' Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito told reporters Thursday following a campaign stump in the city of Osaka. Komeito once boasted a rock-solid support base in the Kansai region — touted as 'invincible' — but the party suffered a complete loss in all four Osaka electoral districts in the Lower House election last October. Its proportional representation votes, which were once close to 9 million, dropped below 6 million — a record low. Under Saito's leadership, the party sought to reset its trajectory in the Tokyo assembly election, but for the first time in nine elections, the party failed to get a seat for all of the candidates it fielded. Party officials point to the aging membership of its main backer Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhism group, as a key challenge. 'We're also seeing more cases where supporters (other than Soka Gakkai) are passing away,' one party insider said, underscoring the lack of generational turnover. Meanwhile, the JCP, which marks its 103rd anniversary this year, faces similar demographic difficulties. The party's proportional representation vote count has continued to slide, falling to 3.61 million in the 2022 Upper House election and 3.36 million in last year's Lower House poll. The party's official newspaper, Shimbun Akahata, which has been instrumental in breaking stories such as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's political funds scandal, is now struggling with declining subscriptions and has called for ¥1 billion in donations. The party's longstanding policy of cutting the consumption tax has also lost its edge, as nearly all opposition parties now include similar proposals, diluting the JCP's message amid an increasingly fragmented political landscape. In the Upper House poll, Komeito is aiming to retain its 14 seats up for reelection and set a target of 7 million proportional representation votes. The JCP is aiming for at least eight seats — up from the seven up for reelection — and an ambitious 6.5 million votes in the proportional representation. 'We still have a long way to go. I hope we can expand our support,' JCP leader Tomoko Tamura said at a campaign rally in the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, on Thursday. Both parties are stepping up efforts to reach out beyond their traditional organizational base, turning to social media in a bid to attract younger voters. Komeito has launched a YouTube sub-channel where its candidates and officials hold talks with prominent online commentators. The JCP, meanwhile, has published a series of short videos addressing common concerns, such as, 'Would Japan become a communist state if we took power?' Party executives appear in the videos to answer those questions. 'We're still figuring things out through trial and error,' Saito said. Translated by The Japan Times
CNA
08-07-2025
- CNA
Soka Gakkai Singapore Buddhist group members expelled for forming 'faction' turn to High Court but fail in bid
SINGAPORE: A group of members who were expelled from the Soka Gakkai Singapore (SGS) Buddhist group turned to the High Court in hopes to reverse the decision, but failed in their bid. The 20 of them had been expelled as they formed a WhatsApp group chat called "Solidarity of Genuine Sensei's Disciples" (SGSD), which they described as the Buddhist equivalent of a Bible study group. One of their main leaders was an expelled former member of SGS. SGS found that the subgroup was a "faction" and contrary to the interests and harmony of the main group. After fixing disciplinary committee hearings which the claimants did not attend, SGS expelled them. The 20 expelled members then turned to the High Court seeking a declaration that the decisions of the SGS to expel them from membership were made "in breach of the rules of natural justice" or were irrational or unreasonable, and are therefore null and void. In a judgment released on Tuesday (Jul 8), Justice Philip Jeyaretnam dismissed the application by the 20 members: Tang Huixian; See Soon Leong; Loi Wei Ling; Tan Ying Wei, Melvin; Quek Kwang Hwee, Vincent; Chua Yu Zhang; Tiang Tsui Ling Serene; Chan Wei-lien Aaron; Chua Wen Hui; Lee Kang Hee; Tang Sok Mun, Joy; Kuek Yong Liang; Tan Han Peng; Ang Wei Ming, Kevin; Wong Fui Yoong; Ang Pei Shan, Grace; Foo Chuan Hui; Ang Wai Loong, Sebastian; Chen Kezhi, Dennies; and Hou Chun Choon. They were represented by Choo Zheng Xi, Tan Jin Yi and Donaven Foo from RCL Chambers, while SGS was represented by Goh Kok Yeow, Andrew Goh and Alvin Sng from De Souza Lim & Goh. WHAT HAPPENED SGS is a Buddhist organisation practising Nichiren Buddhism in Singapore, registered first as a society in 1972 and a charity in 1985. Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism originating in Japan, founded by the Buddhist priest Nichiren. SGS is part of an international network of affiliated organisations under Soka Gakkai International, and the only constituent organisation of Soka Gakkai International in Singapore. According to SGS' constitution, management of its affairs is invested in its management committee. Its constitution allows for the expulsion of members, for reasons including breaching any provision of its constitution, rules and bylaws or doing something "against the interests or harmony of the association". According to the claimants, SGSD is an informal group of family and friends who came to study and practise Nichiren Buddhism together and encourage each other in their faith. The chat group was created around February 2021 and subsequently renamed "Solidarity of Genuine Sensei's Disciples". Their main activity comprised monthly study sessions over Zoom video call, and they also pooled funds to purchase study materials and develop a mobile application. Around 2015, some of them pooled funds for a media project relating to the passing of a founding president of Soka Gakkai. In early August 2022, one of SGSD's members revealed the existence of the group to an SGS leader. He is no longer a member of SGSD, and is the former husband of one of the claimants. The managing committee of SGS decided that the formation of the group was unorthodox and unacceptable and required further investigation. The Buddhist Council of SGS, which is in charge of matters of faith, took the view that the alleged members of the group who were leaders of SGS would have their leadership statuses revoked pending investigations. Senior leaders of SGS later made statements during training sessions for its leaders about SGSD, saying they had held their own activities, "completely ignoring" SGS and soliciting donations from members, in violation of the principles of SGS. The senior leaders also charged that the members of SGSD had "spread resentment and dissatisfaction towards SGS and its central figures", and that their most serious offence was "disrupting the harmony of the Buddhist Order, which is considered one of the five cardinal sins in Buddhism". The senior leaders said SGS leaders needed to "confront the influence of evil" and "crush the malicious actions". They then said they would contact SGSD members for discussions to encourage them to stop associating with "this faction". SGS set up disciplinary committees to look into the matter and fixed hearings, but none of the 20 members attended them. They said SGS had not provided them enough information to effectively respond to the charge stated in the notices. The hearings were held and the disciplinary committee panels reported their deliberations, findings and conclusions to the management committee. In December 2023 and February 2024, SGS sent letters to the 20 claimants informing them of the outcome and requesting their resignations. The claimants did not resign, as they did not think SGS had any basis to call for their resignation. SGS then issued notices of expulsion to them in March 2024. The claimants said the leadership of SGS was set against SGSD, and that the disciplinary committees and management committee were tainted by apparent bias. JUDGE'S FINDINGS However, the judge reviewed transcripts of recordings of the training sessions and found that "a fair-minded observer attending these sessions would have considered them to be good faith attempts by SGS leadership to look into SGSD". "A fair description of them using milder religious language would be that they were an attempt to bring the claimants back into the fold," said the judge. "Indeed, a fair-minded observer would have been surprised that those of the claimants who were present at the dialogue sessions did not take the opportunity to explain, if it were possible, how SGSD could be reconciled with the core principle of unity even though it stood outside the organisational structure of SGS," he said. He said it was "striking" that instead of recognising what were "obviously valid concerns of SGS leadership", some of the claimants had to resort to secretly recording the sessions. "The purpose of such recordings can only have been for use in anticipated legal proceedings," said the judge. "Such conduct strongly suggests that the claimants were not seeking compromise let alone making any effort to seek unity." Counsel for the claimants suggested that the name of SGSD came about merely as a name for a WhatsApp group chat formed during the COVID-19 pandemic days, when group members could not meet in person. But the judge said this "anodyne description did not seem entirely accurate given the evidence of SGSD's activities". He said establishing a self-directed subgroup of SGS members led by an expelled former member of SGS was something the management committee considered inconsistent with SGS' interests or membership. Justice Jeyaretnam found that the claimants had been given ample notice of the allegations they had to answer in the disciplinary committee hearings. "As it turned out, none of the claimants attended the (hearings)," he said. "I would infer that this was a coordinated position and choice on the part of the claimants, which itself indicated that they were operating as a group." He found that SGS had given the claimants a full and fair opportunity to be heard at the disciplinary committee hearings, but the claimants "chose not to avail themselves of this opportunity and cannot complain that they were denied the right to be heard". "The argument that the decision to expel the claimants was irrational has no basis whatsoever," said Justice Jeyaretnam. "The short point is that (there was) ample evidence of SGSD being an organised group with an expelled former member of SGS as a central leadership figure and having objectives and activities that were not authorised by SGS," he said. In dismissing the application, the judge said this does not mean that the claimants are not free to pursue their faith, only that they must do so outside membership of SGS.
The Mainichi
24-06-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
A reopened nuke launch site in Okinawa reveals a dark legacy
NAHA (Kyodo) -- The tranquil village of Onna is one of Okinawa's most beautiful spots. Scenic beaches, dramatic rock formations and lavish seaside resorts dot the coast. But there's a dark legacy here -- a former nuclear cruise missile launch site built during the postwar U.S. military occupation. The Mace B cruise missile launch site is the last remainder of four that were constructed in the 1960s. Opened to the public for the first time this spring, the large concrete building, roughly 9 meters tall and 100 meters wide, sits on a hill facing the East China Sea. The United States occupied Okinawa from 1945 to 1972. As Cold War tensions increased, it accelerated its deployment of nuclear weapons on the main island despite anti-nuclear sentiment in Japan following the radioactive contamination of a Japanese fishing boat in the mid-1950s. The Fukuryu Maru No. 5 was exposed to fallout from the U.S. Castle Bravo nuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll in 1954, killing one crew member and sickening the other 22. Following Okinawa's return to Japanese rule in May 1972, Soka Gakkai, a major Japanese Buddhist organization, purchased the lot that included the Onna launch site in 1976. With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the group restored the interior and opened the base to the public in March. Some 3,000 people have visited so far. "It gave me goosebumps. I was aware of problems involving U.S. military bases, but I had no idea about the deployment of nuclear weapons (in Okinawa)," said a 41-year-old woman who was visiting the site from Sapporo, northern Japan, with her parents. "Okinawa might not exist now if any nuclear missiles had been fired," she said. Isao Kuwae, 61, secretary general of Soka Gakkai in Okinawa, suggested that when the missile base was being erected local contractors may not have known what they were building. He added the Onna site is "the only place where you can see with your own eyes the past presence of nuclear weapons in Okinawa." A Mace B cruise missile was said to have a payload 70 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that the U.S. military dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945, killing an estimated 140,000 people by the end of the year. With a range of over 2,000 kilometers, the missiles, deployed at the bases in Okinawa in the first half of the 1960s, could strike China and parts of the Soviet Union. They were reportedly made ready for war during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. But with the subsequent development of new missiles, the need for Mace B missiles diminished. They were removed from Okinawa starting in 1969, when the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed on Okinawa's return to Japan without nuclear weapons. Although Japan regained sovereignty and independence in 1952 under the terms of the San Fransico Peace Treaty, Okinawa continued under U.S. military rule for the next 20 years. In 1967, Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato declared the so-called three non-nuclear principles -- not producing, not possessing and not allowing any nation to bring nuclear weapons into Japanese territory. At the time, the U.S. had some 1,300 nuclear weapons in Okinawa. "The three principles came into existence because there were nuclear weapons in Okinawa," said Masaaki Gabe, 70, professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus. "The Japanese government felt assured because of U.S. protection." Despite occupying approximately 0.6 percent of Japan's total land area, Okinawa still hosts some 70 percent of U.S. military facilities in the country, Gabe noted. In Yomitan, another Okinawa village where Mace B missiles had been deployed, Junshi Toyoda, 65, a local government official involved in compilation of the village history, said that present fears about the possible deployment of long-range missiles still exist. Threats from contemporary missiles with a firing range of several thousand kilometers overlap with those caused by the presence of nuclear weapons in the past. "The fact that nuclear weapons exist today makes it easier to feel the crises that was close to home during the Cold War era. I hope people will first learn about the deployment history of nuclear weapons in Okinawa," Toyoda said.
