A Wise Missionary Connecting Japan with Brazil

Professor, Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering Department. The State University of Campinas
Carlos K. SUZUKI

Waste food can be fuel for cars
SUZUKI Kenichi, a Japanese-Brazilian doctor, first came to Japan 25 years ago and completed the department of engineering doctorate course at Tokyo University. He visits Japan a few times a year, and during his latest visit, he presented a lecture about Biomass (an ingredient in alternative energy resources). "At present, CO2 is a hot topic and within five or ten years, oil production will be at its peak," the professor says.

Many people are now paying particular attention to ethanol (alcohol), a product made from sugar cane, as an alternative energy source to oil. "It is possible to make energy from methane gas and hydrogen by processing biomass and we can use it as bio fuel," the professor explains. Many countries are now studying the technology to produce alternative energy sources, and among them, Japanese technology is at the most advanced stage. Japan has already succeeded in producing energy making use of waste byproducts from beer manufacturing.

A Toyota car that runs on ethanol has recently become a topic of conversation. In Japan, a mix ratio of gasoline to ethanol of up to 3% is allowable, whereas in Brazil, a ratio of up to 25% is permitted. Ninety percent of new cars are flexible in terms of fuel use which makes it possible to use both kinds of fuel at random (flexfuel). Now, due to the possibility of an oil supply crisis and the impact of greenhouse gases, many people are seriously considering the implementation of a fuel mix such as that used in Brazil.

"One third of the sugar cane crop is made into sugar or ethanol, and the rest of it becomes waste material, but energy can be produced from it." The professor predicts that in the future, food companies will change into energy companies and will produce many different kinds of products. "Although plastics made from oil do not readily decompose, those made from bio plastics do decompose and can be returned to nature." Biomass is drawing attention also from an ecological point of view.

At this point, the question of how to supply biomass becomes an issue. In Japan, sugar cane is cultivated in Okinawa, but since Okinawa is a small island, it is difficult to mechanize cultivation or to expect mass production. Therefore, attention is focused Brazil, which is rich in natural resources. "At present, 1% of the world's supply of fuel in which ethanol is mixed with gasoline is produced in Brazil, and we are planning to make ten times more of it," says the professor.

"Japan has technology and Brazil has natural resources. They make the best combination." smiles the Japanese-Brazilian professor, who works as a bridge between the two countries. It's because 300,000 Japanese immigrated to Brazil due to their immigration policy that there are so many Japanese Brazilians, but on the contrary, about 250,000 Japanese Brazilians are coming to Japan to work. The professor says that half his heart is Japanese.

Japanese language very popular in Brazil
The State University of Campinas where professor Suzuki works, is placing emphasis on research. As it is a public school that does not charge school fees, the number of applicants has risen to 60,000. However, because only 3,000 students can enter the university, only the best enter. Here they are teaching nine foreign languages and recently Japanese language has been gaining in popularity.

"The students are absorbed in Japanese animation, comics and TV games, which have had a great influence on their selection of language. Japan is making big progress in this field worldwide, while the country is also at the forefront of robotic engineering research. Animation and manga are playing a role as a gateway for students to obtain an excellent knowledge about Japanese technology, " the professor surmises.

In Brazil, six universities have a Japanese language department, but in the State University of Campinas, about 150 students are studying Japanese as an extra unit. Four teachers are teaching Japanese using methods to meet Portuguese students, because Japanese sentence structure and grammar are completely different from those of western languages.

Separate from his teaching role, professor Suzuki takes an interest in Nishi-style health exercises, which were created by Mr. Nishi Katsuzou (1884 ~ 1959). These exercises activate certain bodily functions and are quite different from western medical science which places importance on curing diseases. "Japanese culture has something wonderful that is lacking in European and American cultures." The professor, who values ecology, seems to find something in common with the exercises.

The basic principle of Nishi Health System is to eat as many fresh vegetables as possible, so the professor himself grows vegetables and fruit in his own field. The effect of Nishi-style exercises has been proven by many people, and has spread not only throughout Japan, but around the world. "In Russia, it is experiencing a boom and eight Nishi Health System related books are being translated into Russian, all of which are pirated editions" says Mr. NISHI Manjiro (a grandson of Mr. Katsuzou) with a bitter smile, who was also present at this interview.

In "Silent Spring," a book published in 1962, the writer, Rachel CARSON, warned for the first time of the danger of destroying nature by chemical contamination. It is well-known that the earth is becoming more contaminated and that energy problems are greatly influencing human beings. It is not exaggerating to say that the future of mankind depends on biomass.

Back to List Page