When I discussed the crisis of Darfur among Japanese bloggers, a friend of mine, Mr. Yamaguchi, told me that my logic and usage of "Democracy" are not persuasive. I explained what I felt about Democracy and he suggested me to write it in English. Therefore, I write.

When I was in the US, in the "Business and Society" class room, an American girl student made an impressive speech. She expressed the world without Democracy was where one cannot walk streets with her heads up.

I find the Democracy is more than a mere political decision-making system. It means that one accept the other's presence and existence. It means that one permit others to survive, to live, and to share communities. It is a reciprocal process. A person has to bother each other from the moment she was born. I believe Democracy has ethical aspects and ethics is the way to coordinate interests among the community members.

On the other hand, "MINSHUSHUGI," which is a translated Japanese word of Democracy, means a little different in Japanese people and the definition of "MINSHUSHUGI" is a little narrower than that of Democracy.

By the way, Mr. Joi Ito wrote very charming essay titled "Weblogs and Emergent Democracy." It shows how our net community affects the real world by emergent power and I found a new hope of Democracy and MINSHUSHUGI.

[Reference]
-Views from Japan
-Joi Ito