Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the Japanese Monthly, the Internet newsletter from Transparent
Language. This issue marks the second in our three-part series looking back on some of the most
notable people, events, and accomplishments of the 20th century. This month's article focuses on
some of the great civil leaders and humanitarians from Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. We
hope you find it both informative and useful in your language study. In May, we will conclude
the series with a look at Latin American artists, writers, and filmmakers who helped shape our
view of the 20th century.
Note that the article is presented in Japanese, followed by a translation in English.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
In English:
Even if we confine our study to a brief span of years, there are countless individuals whose
effort to improve conditions in their communities, countries, or on a global scale deserve
attention. This Newsletter pays tribute to the accomplishments of a few important humanitarians
and civil leaders from Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa whose influence was
internationally recognized in the twentieth century.
Eisaku Sato served as prime minister of Japan from 1964-1972. He is widely recognized for his
diplomacy in building peaceful international relations both within Asia and with other parts of
the world. His rejection of nuclear arms, which led to the signing of the Treaty on the
Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, earned him the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1974.
From China, Sun Yat-sen was a revolutionary leader whose political agenda focused on
overthrowing the Ch'ing dynasty in China to establish a republic. His aims included
large-scale industrialization in China. He served as provisional president of the Chinese
republic in 1911 and later led China from 1923-25. Many consider him to be the father of
modern China.
Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, the fourteenth Dalai Lama in Tibet, was born in China to Tibetan parents.
After being enthroned in 1940, however, he managed a government in exile in India the Himalayan
Mountains of India. His Nobel Prize for Peace, given in 1989, recognized his nonviolent methods
of protest against Chinese rule in Tibet.
In 1991, the Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace to Aung San Suu Kyi, a peaceful
protester for democracy and human rights in Myanmar, then called Burma.
Golda Meir was an astute political leader devoted to Israel and its independence. She served as
prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974 and was recognized for her efforts to maintain peace
in the Middle East during those years. Only after her death in 1978 did the public discover that
she had been fighting leukemia for twelve years before her death.
Anwar el-Sadat, an Egyptian army officer, served as the president of Egypt from 1970 to 1981.
He worked with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin to establish peaceful ties between their
countries. Both leaders received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978 for their negotiations. In
1979, peace was reached between the two countries.
Mohandas Gandhi of India (commonly called Mahatma) is internationally respected for his method
of passive resistance and non-violent protest against British rule in India. His civil rights
campaigns inspired and touched the world, and lent hope to many--even Albert Einstein, who hoped
that Ghandi's promotion of nonviolence could help prevent the violence made possible by the
atomic bomb.
Some of these figures of modern history may already be familiar to you. In any case, we hope
that you've enjoyed this look at a few great leaders and even discovered something new!
