The story "Co-inventor of SD card connects public with lawmakers" about the entrepreneurial computer programmer Fukuyuki Murakami in the Sept. 7 edition left me with mixed feelings.
It's inspiring to read about someone who's so focused and willing to take risks and think outside the box. His desire to use his skills to address social issues made it all even more interesting. But certain opinions expressed by Murakami seem half-baked, at best.
About demonstrations for example, he said "I don't think those activities have much influence." To bolster this assertion, he added, "They often start the protest around 6 p.m., after most Diet members have left their offices."
To say that the effectiveness of a demonstration in front of the Diet should be measured by how many politicians were in or out of earshot at the time seems to show a total lack of understanding of the purpose of a demonstration and how its effectiveness is measured. In fact, a good case could be made for calling recent demonstrations around Japan a success in that people are joining them and that they are being talked about, leading to more public debate about the issues at hand. There's a certain momentum there.
Faxing? Nothing wrong with it, nothing at all. But nothing can take the place of a well organized, well attended demonstration. And by the way, ¥4,800 to send messages to lawmakers through his new service? Who but the most motivated among us would even consider that?
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.