About the Salvation Army
March 4, 2015
Mr. Jiro Katsuchi
Commander, The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and implements various social welfare, medical and educational activities in 126 countries and regions throughout the world. The movement was initiated by the Methodist minister William Booth in 1865 in the East of London to “salve everyone” by the grace of Jesus Christ and lead people to a meaningful and happy life. We celebrate our 150th Anniversary this July at our International Congress with 16,000 participants from across the world that will convene under the theme of “Boundless The Whole World Redeeming.”
Our Mission Statement declares “to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” Our Red Kettle Donation was launched in San Francisco in 1894 to fulfill our mission. The US was suffering from depression back then which caused hundreds of sailors to lose their job and their families to lead a poor life. The Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner to the area’s needy and came up with an idea to hang a black iron pot from a tripod to collect donations. He placed the pot at downtown in Oakland, Alameda, with a sign that read “Keep the Pot Boiling.” The pot attracted many people and raised enough money to ensure the people were properly fed at Christmas. The movement spread throughout the US and reached Japan in 1909 to assist the unemployed. Our donation campaign called the “social pot” commemorated its 105th anniversary last year. We have used the goodwill donations for various activities, including emergency relief operations and assistance to damages caused by earthquakes, typhoons or floods as well as assisting mothers, children, welfare families and homeless people.
The Salvation Armies around the world have sent monetary donations in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, and we have implemented various assistance activities worth 900 million yen to date. The Salvation Army adopts a military structure but it was evaluated to be “by far the most effective organization in the U.S.” by a renowned business consultant and management expert Peter Dracker (Forbes, 11 August, 1997).
Our activities have ranged from providing meals to rescue workers for the September 11 attacks in 2001 to preventing the spread of Ebola virus since last spring. Having been granted the consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 1947, the Salvation Army is determined to strive for the betterment of society by the saving grace of God.
What You Might Not Know About “Insurance” and “Lottery”
March 4, 2015
Mr. Masato Ono
President, Total Insurance Service Limited
Today, let me share with you some stories on “non-life insurance” and “lottery,” with some “tips to win large-sum lotteries.”
Now, what does “non-life insurance” and “lottery” have in common? The answer is they both originate from “gambling.” The renowned insurance company Lloyd’s of London formulated the original scheme of “insurance” in the Age of Exploration to diversify the risks of great gambling “sea voyages” and to secure enormous funds. “Lottery” is nothing but another form of “gambling,” which is granted special permission by the Public Lottery Tickets Act in Japan. Only local governments are authorized to issue lottery tickets by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Fire insurance is the most well-known among non-life insurances. Now why do we need to insure our property against fire? The answer is the Japanese Civil Code Article 709 which exempts the person who has started an accidental fire from paying compensation for damages. If our house burns down by a fire spreading from our neighborhood, we cannot claim for compensation. This is why we must “protect our own house by ourselves.”
“Employment Practice Liability Insurance” is another form of insurance to cover risks of lawsuits for sexual harassments or power harassments. While such harassments are unacceptable, we must note that the number of legal cases that give the accused companies and managers a harsher sentence keeps increasing.
Risks have diversified and become gigantic in recent years that go beyond the existing scope of risk management. Accordingly, “insurances” are expanding its coverage to avert such unexpected risks, ranging from satellite insurances, cyber risk insurances to bicycle insurances. I hope you make good use of such services for your safety and security.
Let me move on to the second topic “lottery.” Please note that you are eligible to get the prize money up to one year from the draw. Each year, the total sum of unclaimed prizes exceeds 20 billion yen, including a few large-sum lotteries worth at least 100 million yen. Such money becomes the property of whichever local government presides over the place where the winning ticket was sold, to be spent on public works. I am surprised to know there are so many people who let go the good fortune.
Another point to note is that if a group leader receives all the large-sum prize money and later distributes it among group members, he/she becomes subject to gift tax. To be exempted from income taxation on your prize money you receive in a group, make sure to prepare a proxy listing all the members with their share of profit specified.
Let me close my speech by wishing you all to have “no chance” to use the insurance but to have “good chance” to win the lottery.