Japan's new foreign minister

Japan's former justice minister Yoko Kamikawa, who ordered execution of a record 16 people on death row, has been appointed as the new foreign minister. Many of those she executed were former cult members who had been brainwashed by their leader. A person who killed more people than any serial killer in history is now the foreign minister of a G7 member state.

Her executing so many people was clearly a political move that worked well for her. Many people in the falling island nation, who do not question if Kamikawa had done what she did had she been the one to press the button to hang those people, praised her "bold" decision.

Kamikawa, as justice minister at the time, also made no effort to unveil the truth about the death of Ms. Wishma Sandamali, a Sri Lankan woman who died in custody at an immigration detention facility in Nagoya.

Hopefully foreign ministers of advanced countries will help her understand why their countries abolished the death penalty and also that people's lives matter regardless of their nationalities.

Shinzo Abe's state funeral

The highly controversial “state funeral” of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ended up being a national disgrace, with no leader from fellow G7 countries or Japan’s major allies attending it. Its stark contrast to the state funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was a clear revelation of how the country that once used to be Asia’s superpower quickly lost its international status, if not how much or little the person who passed was respected by the people. 

Leaders of the world's democracies had a good reason not to attend Abe’s funeral. Polls taken by major Japanese media showed more people opposed than supported it. Abe’s association with a notorious religious cult that brainwashed and fraudulently taken money from innocent Japanese people, which came to light only after his death, changed many people’s view towards him. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s undemocratic way of deciding to hold a state funeral without seeking consent from the parliament also attracted criticism. Such tactics were first used by Abe himself. 

Those who are not familiar with Japanese politics may wonder why many Japanese do not think the country’s longest-serving prime minister does not deserve a state funeral. Polls show that he is remembered most by the various scandals he and his wife Akie Abe were involved in, including selling government-owned land to his supporter at a fraction of the market value, and misusing government subsidies to help his friend start a vet school on Shikoku Island. His friend Noriyuki Yamaguchi, who was fined by the court for raping female journalist Shiori Ito was never arrested or sent to jail. 

Abe had no hesitation to have bureaucrats falsify public records or physically paint government documents in black to cover up his scandal, and promoted those who led the effort, including former financial bureau chief Nobuhisa Sagawa, who drove one of his subordinates Toshio Akagi to commit a suicide in a crisis of conscience. In a continued effort to cover up the scandal, Abe’s right-hand man and successor Yoshihide Suga, who allegedly ordered the chief of Japanese police not to arrest Yamaguchi, paid off Akagi’s wife to forcefully end the lawsuit she filed to unveil the truth behind her husband’s death. Abe told the parliament that he will resign not only as a prime minister but as a member of the parliament if he or his wife is found to have been involved in the scandal, but never lived up to his words. 

Then why in the world did the Japanese people let a person who undermined Japan’s democracy and independence of the judicial branch continue to stay in power? Polls taken while he was in power show that those who supported him did it for a passive reason, i.e. his administration looked better than other options – This is a reflection of people’s disappointment towards the former Democratic Party who lost power in just three years. People who did not support Abe had a stronger reason, i.e. they did not find him to be trustworthy. However strong the reason for not supporting him may be, it is the number that counts, and more people supported him even passively than those who disapproved him for his seemingly dodgy character. 

The invitation extended to the head of Myanmar’s military that ousted the democratically-elected leader in a coup indicates what Abe's government was all about. He told Vladimir Putin that they are looking at the same future, made no issue about Russia's unilateral annexation of Crimea and even invited him to a resort in his constituency to ask him to return the Japanese-claimed islands occupied by the Russians - not only did he get nothing but he was kept waiting at the airport for two and a half hours. The mass execution of members of the former Aum Shinrikyo cult and the tragic death of a Sri Lankan woman who was detained by Japanese customs authorities both happened during his time, with Yoko Kamikawa as Justice Minister.

Without a doubt, it was a smart move by the current and former leaders of the world’s democracies not to attend Abe's state funeral. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau barely canceled his trip due to a hurricane that hit his country. He would have attracted so much attention had he been the only G7 leader to attend a state funeral that was not even supported by the country’s own people. 

国葬 State funeral

 全体で見れば反対が多い元首相の国葬。若い世代ほど賛成が多いのは落ちぶれていくこの国の将来を暗示している。自らの不祥事や経済失策を隠すために統計数字や公文書を改ざんし、マスコミに圧力をかけ、何も悪いことをしていない国家公務員を自殺に追い込むなどまともな人間のすることではなく、その加害者の命が被害者の命よりも重く、国葬に値するなどと考えるのもまともな人間の発想ではない。そうした善悪の区別もつかない人たちが今後この国を担うと思うと暗澹たる気になるが、今さらシンガポールに移住することもできない...。経済政策では株価をよく見せるために後先のことも考えずに輪転機を回し続けて買い支え、法人税率を下げ、国民の大事な年金まで株に投じた。本来であれば自らの労働の対価として受け取る円の価値を下げることに血道を上げる首相など国賊レベルなのに、そのことにさえ気づけないのがこの国の国民の残念さ。今になって急速な円安という形で副反応が表れているが、それがなぜ起きているかも理解できていない人が多いのだろう。そもそも霊感商法をする宗教団体と関係をもつような政治家が国民のことなど考えているはずもない。外交面ではロシアの大統領を温泉接待するなど恥知らずなパフォーマンスばかりで領土は取られ放題、自身よりIQが４０くらい高いであろうシンガポールの建国の父の国葬では居眠りする非礼ぶり。かつて世界第2位の経済大国だった日本が今や一人当たりＧＤＰで東アジア最下位まで転落している事実も、今さら正義感ふりかざしてロシアを批判してもウクライナの人々に響かないことにも気づかない。そうした国民にしてあの政権、あの首相、あの副首相あり。この国の将来はまったくもって暗い。

Overall, more Japanese people oppose the former prime minister's state funeral, but the fact that the younger generation is more in favor may suggest that the future of this country is grim. Falsifying statistics and official documents, pressuring the media, driving a state official who did nothing wrong to commit suicide and using government funds to cover up his own scandals and economic failures are hardly actions of a decent person. It is a gloomy thought that people who cannot distinguish between right and wrong will be responsible for the future of this country. His economic policy of recklessly printing bank notes to support share prices, cutting corporate tax rates, and using people's pension funds to support stock prices will all take a toll on the people. Sadly those people who will suffer do not even understand why the value of the yen, which is what they get in return for their hard work, is rapidly losing value. Many do not seem to understand that there is no way a politician who supports (or is supported by) a religious group who brainwashes and rips off its followers would have any consideration for the people. On the diplomatic front, this former prime minister shamelessly entertained the Russian president at a hot spring, hoping he will give back the Russian-controlled islands that belong to Japan. Those who support him likely do not understand that Japan, which was once the world's second largest economy, has now fallen to the bottom in East Asia in terms of per-capita GDP, or why Ukraine has shown little appreciation for Japan's support. The future of this country is in the hands of such naive young Japanese who do not have the slightest idea about what's happening in the rest of the world and are so easily deceived by the ruler.. 

学習能力 Learning ability

 予想通りの参院選の選挙結果はこの国の国民の学習能力の低さを象徴している。日本が転落の一途をたどってきたこの30年余りの間にほぼ一貫して政権の座にあった政党が経済失策と国民の貧困化から目をそらすために始めた憲法改正だの軍備増強だののプロパガンダにまんまと乗せられているように見える。敵基地攻撃などやったら全国の原発にミサイル打ち込まれてこの国は終わる。そんなことできるはずがないとわかっていながら扇動する政治家の目的も見抜けずまんまと騙される。今やマスコミも政権を批判しなくなり、北朝鮮化が急速に進んでいる。政権に都合の悪い公文書や統計を改ざんするような、もはや民主主義とも呼べない国を守るというのは国民の生活ではなく、一部の権益者の利益を守ることでしかない。悲しいかなそうした人たちに乗せられているのは経済失策の影響をもっとも受けて不満のはけ口を探しているいわゆる「負け組」の人が多いように見える。インバウンド向けビジネスで成功した大阪の実業家が「この国はいずれ皆中国語を話すようになる」と予想していたが、アメリカが原子爆弾を開発している間に「鬼畜米英」をスローガンに竹槍訓練を行っていた世間知らずな島国の民は戦争に負けて一転「米英大好き」に代わった教訓もなく、また同じ道に進もうとしているように見える。杞憂であればいいが。

The results of the Upper House election, as expected, are symbolic of the poor learning ability of the people of this island nation. It appears that the public are falling for the propaganda about constitutional reform and arms buildup, which the political party that has been in power almost consistently during the past 30 years or so, during which time Japan has been on a downward spiral, has launched to distract them from their economic missteps and the impoverishment of the nation. If Japan launches an "enemy base attack" as this party says, the country will turn to ashes with retaliatory missiles targeting nuclear power plants the political party built across the country. The politicians of that party and its allies know that it is impossible to do such a thing, but the public seem too naive to see their true purpose. Japanese bureaucrats now falsify official documents and statistics that are unfavorable to the regime, and the media no longer criticize the regime. In short, the country can no longer be called a democracy, and it is quickly turning to one not so different from North Korea. Protecting such a country means protecting the interests of a few, not the lives of the people. Sadly, those who are being so easily deceived are the so-called "losers" who are most affected by the economic failure and are looking for an outlet for their frustration. A successful Osaka businessman predicted that "everyone in this country will eventually be speaking Chinese." The people of this country, who used to engage in bamboo spear exercises under the slogan "bestial Americans and British" while the US was developing atomic bombs, do not seem to have learned a lesson after losing the war and immediately and shamelessly switching to becoming "America and Britain lovers." They seem to be going down the same path again, without having learned any lessons from the war. I only hope that my fears are unfounded.

サミット G7 Summit

島国メディアがもはや時代遅れとなったG７の報道に終始する中、ロシアが127カ国を集めてサンクトペテルブルクで国際経済フォーラムを開催したことについては積極的に取り上げない。プーチン大統領は先進国による対ロ制裁は失敗した、ロシア経済は正常化している、と強気の見通しを示したそうだ。それが単なる強がりでないことは最近のロシア株とルーブルの上昇を見ればわかる。ロシアの物価は足元では安定しており、同国がエネルギー輸出で得た収入はウクライナでの戦費を上回っているとも報じられている。注目すべきはロシアが新興大国のゆるやかな同盟体であるBRICSのうちの4か国とインドネシア、イラン、トルコ、メキシコを合わせた8か国を新たなG8と名づけることを提唱したことで、島国メディアの報道と裏腹に西側のG8がインフレと経済破綻で急速に衰退しているのとは対照的で、中国との関係が良好なのも大きな強み。果たしてロシアがクリミアを併合したときに首相が領土を返してもらうために同国の大統領を温泉旅行に招待したようなみっともない島国が今さら浅薄な正義感でロシアたたきをすることに何の意味があるのか。資源もなく食料も自給できず、アメリカに見捨てられたら即終了の島国は、ミサイル攻撃の格好の標的となる原発を全国に建てまくったという自覚のもと、もっと賢いふるまいをすべきだろう。

While the island nation's media is all about reporting on the outdated G7 summit, they are not actively covering Russia's hosting of an international economic forum in St. Petersburg with 127 countries. President Putin is said to have expressed a bullish outlook, saying that sanctions against Russia by developed countries have failed and that the Russian economy is normalizing. That this is not mere bullishness can be seen in the recent rally of Russian stocks and the ruble. Prices in Russia have stabilized recently, and the country's revenues from energy exports are reportedly exceeding the cost of war in Ukraine. It is worth noting that Russia has proposed naming a new G8 for a group of eight countries, including four of the BRICS, a loose alliance of emerging powers, plus Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, and Mexico, while the G8 in the West is rapidly declining due to inflation and economic collapse. Russia has also maintained good relationship with China. An island nation, whose prime minister hosted the Russian President on a trip to a hot spring in an embarrassing attempt to get back the northern territory, right at a time when the rest of the Western bloc was protesting Russia's unilateral annexation of Crimea, can hardly be convincing by bashing Russia with a shallow sense of righteousness. An island nation, which has no natural resource, nor is self-sufficient in food, and has built nuclear power plants all over the country, which are easy targets for missile attacks, should reconsider how it behaves itself.

みかん王国 Kindgom of Oranges

みかんの季節に松山に来て、伊予鉄の電車やバスの色がオレンジである理由にようやく気づいた。そう、ここは日本有数の柑橘類の産地。もう一つの一大産地である和歌山県に比べてみかんアピールがハンパない。伊予鉄の松山市駅にある百貨店で開かれていたみかんの品評会に行ってみたところ、さまざまなネーミングのみかんが驚くような値段で売られていた。愛媛県は品種改良でブランドみかんを作り、高付加価値化を狙っているのがうかがえた。方やもう一方のみかん王国である和歌山県はというと、みかんの季節に紀南地方に行くと、大きさだけで分けられたオーソドックスなみかんが店頭に山積みされ、驚くほど安い値段で売られていた。こちらのみかんは平凡ながら実に甘くておいしい。そして和歌山県は梅の生産高も日本一だからか、やたらとみかんをプッシュすることもない。もう一つ面白いのが、愛媛県の人たちが東京の人と同じみかんの剥き方をするのに対して、和歌山県の人たちは「有田剥き」という独特の剥き方をする。有田の人に聞いたら「ほかの剥き方がわからない」といわれた。愛媛県は高付加価値化を剝きやすさに優先させたためかやたらと皮が固い品種があったりする。お土産でもらうとどうしてよいかわからない。ところが地元の人は多少の厚さの皮であれば素手で剥いてしまう。そこはやはりみかん県と感心させられる。

Coming to Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture in the season of mikan (mandarin oranges), I finally realized why Iyo Railways trains, trams and buses are all orange in color. Yes, this is one of the leading citrus growing areas in Japan. Compared to Wakayama Prefecture, another major growing area, the appeal of mikan is much stronger. I went to a mikan fair held at a department store in the city, where variously named mikans were sold at surprisingly high prices. It was apparent that Ehime Prefecture is aiming to add value to its mikan by improving the variety and creating brand-name oranges. In contrast, when I visited the Kinan region of Wakayama Prefecture during the mikan season, I found piles of orthodox mikans sorted only by size being sold at surprisingly low prices in stores. The mikans here are ordinary, but really sweet and tasty. And perhaps because Wakayama Prefecture is also Japan's largest producer of plums, they do not push mikan too much. Another interesting point is that while people in Ehime peel mikan the same way as people in Tokyo, people in Wakayama peel them in a unique way called "Arida peeling". When I asked a person from Wakayama, he replied, "I don't know any other way to peel oranges." In Ehime Prefecture, there are some varieties with excessively hard skin, perhaps because high added value is prioritized over ease of peeling. When I receive them as souvenirs, I don't know what to do with them. However, local people can peel the skin with their bare hands unless the skin is too thick and hard. Ehime deserves to be called the kingdom of oranges for the skill.

情報鎖国の困った人々 Troubled people in information-shrouded island nation

フェイスブック友だちが日本語しか理解しない日本人とは話がかみ合わないということを書いていたが、彼が指摘する通り、万人が知るべき重要な情報はどんどん英語に集約されている一方、日本語で拡散される情報は内容が乏しく不正確で、無為に感情的なものばかりになってしまった。世界2位の経済大国からアジア最貧国への道をひた走る我が島国はこうした情報鎖国状態に置かれて国民がまともな判断力を失っているように見え、今後さらに凋落に拍車がかかるだろう。しかし自らのスポンサーに利益を誘導することで政権を維持している為政者にとって国民を容易に洗脳できる状況はこの上なく好都合で、今やアジア一英語力が低い日本国民の英語教育を強化する動機づけはないだろう。

A Facebook friend of mine wrote that he has a hard time communicating with Japanese people who only understand Japanese. As he pointed out, important information that everyone should know is increasingly concentrated in English, while information disseminated in Japanese has become inaccurate, lacking in content, and emotionally charged for no good reason. Our island nation, which keeps going downhill from the world's second largest economy to the poorest in Asia, seems to have lost the ability to make sound judgments due to this state of information isolation, and its decline will be further accelerated in the future. However, the politicians, who are in power by steering profits to their sponsors, would find it extremely convenient to be able to brainwash the people easily, and there would be no incentive to strengthen English education for the Japanese people, whose English proficiency is now the lowest in Asia.