Before Talking about Someone’s Education

A flood of news reports on Nobel Peace Prize to Malala Yousafzai appeared on front page of every newspaper on Saturday. The Japanese like to be compassionate on someone’s success, with a sentiment of virtually participating in the story. Most Japanese were delighted with awarding Yousafzai and chanting the importance of education. But they do not realize enough about problems of education in Japan. A number of kids in Japan cannot get enough education not because they are woman, but because they are in poverty.

Newspapers praised Yousafzai of her brave effort to require education for women. They reported the reason of the award, “Resistance against oppression on children and young people and effort to address the right for every children to have education.” Media liked to quote her words of victory, which were “Attempt to silence me with guns and bullets had failed. Book and pen are the most powerful weapons,” as if they were encouraged by that young Pakistani girl.

The Japanese are easy to be encouraged by beautiful stories. It is common that Japanese soccer fans scream on the street of Shibuya, Tokyo, that they thank the team for giving braveness, dream, love and hope, even when the team loses. They are not actually thanking for the soccer game. It is a simple excitement on unusual event in their boring and empty ordinary lives. Not being changed by the event, their lives go on with their routine jobs.

Children in poverty in Japan are not excited with those events, because they do not know about it. They do not see soccer game on TV, because electricity is cut off in their houses. They will not go to the public viewing, because they cannot afford to get train ticket to Shibuya. Kids in poverty are silently sitting in a small room, waiting for their parents to come back from low-income job. It is embarrassing.

In 2011, one student out of six in Japan was dependent on financial support to go to school. Although administration led by Democratic Party of Japan introduced tuition exemption for high schools, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been cutting budget for supporting low-income families. High school students who retire the school with the reason of inability to pay for tuition are increasing. Before praising the cause of Malala, the Japanese need to help kids in neighborhood go to school.

Basically, the Japanese are too excited with Nobel Peace Prize. They were also excited with the recipient, Barack Obama, in 2009. Their hope was turned to disappointment when Obama was involved in sir strike in Iraq and Syria. Political decision of Nobel Committee has been eroding its authority. Having said that, people who cannot maintain their own peaceful principle in the Constitution have better not talk about peace in the world.

Wanted Real Fight

Most people in Japan can still not understand why the college student wanted to join Islamic State in Syria. It is not even clear whether there was a sort of reason. He just wanted to fight and kill somebody. Seeking a reason to do that, he approached religious lesson of Islam, which he had not care most of his life. “One can do everything, if he or she try hard to die,” is an old saying in Japan. Some young people seem to believe that everything is tolerated, if they cost their own lives.

The student of Hokkaido University, who tried to go to Syria, reportedly told police that he was disappointed with his failure in seeking job. He thought he would die within two years, and wanted to do what he wanted before he would die. While he was wondering around Akihabara, Tokyo, he found a message on a bookshop to recruit soldiers in Syria and applied for it. Seeking job in Syria must be a severe sarcasm against the society in Japan as a whole.

Lacking moral responsibility, a former university professor worked as a liaison between Islamic State and the student. “Everyone should live and die as he or she likes,” told the scholar in an interview of TV program. In saying so, he did not seem to have care about what Islamic State did, including beheading innocent Western citizens. It is possible that he could not distinguish real world from virtual game where he feels comfortable.

Some news corporations reported a story of Japanese young man, who joined a battle in Syria as a member of anti-government militia. Experienced isolation from friends in elementary school, entering Japanese Self-defense force and establishing a firm, he has been embracing his desire for fighting in an extreme situation. “Soldiers in battle field have chosen fighting. There is no meaning in asking them right or wrong about killing each other,” told the man. In his wrong mindset, all soldiers are involved in the battle with no rule.

Current violent crimes in Japan have the same aspect, which is represented by selfishness. In the case a fatty man killed another man in a restaurant after a squabble, the criminal kept on his dinner, calling it “my last supper.” He believed that he would be able to pay the cost of his murder by being brought to the trial. Increasing are such cases, in which the murderer does not escape from investigation and appear to police voluntarily.

Law cannot be deterrence for such murderers. Japanese citizens need to be careful enough not to be a victim of indiscriminative murders. In a society with dense population such as Japan, that is a real problem. Politics is not working to make the society inclusive for those desperate people.

Recession Looming

For the first time since the start of Shinzo Abe administration, views on economy showed a clear different between the executive branch of Japanese government and Bank of Japan. While the President of BoJ, Haruhiko Kuroda, maintained his comment on economy as healthy, the Cabinet Office indicated recession of Japanese economy. Before achieving the goal of targeted inflation, the central bank is isolated.

In the press conference after the decision making meeting of BoJ on Tuesday, Kuroda showed his recognition on Japanese economy as maintaining positive circulation of income and spending. In addition, he boasted that cheap yen reaching to the rate of ¥110 equivalent to ¥1 would be preferable for Japanese economy. Although the attitude toward monetary easing between Japan and U.S. Federal Reserve Board has been showing distance, Kuroda kept his optimism that the foreign exchange rate precisely reflected the situation of economy.

But wind against Kuroda is blowing from business leaders. “Further decline of Japanese yen is not preferable for Japan as a whole,” told President of Keidanren, Sadayuki Sakakibara, worrying negative impact on procurement from overseas or weaker consumption already damaged by tax hike this spring. While the exchange rate had been moving between ¥101 and ¥103 per one dollar from February to August, it abruptly jumped to around ¥110 in September. Sakakibara did not hide his anxiety, saying “It was a great change within a month.”

The pessimism in business was reflected in digits. Economic Trend Index in August marked 108.5, based on 100 in 2010, 1.4 points down from previous month. The assessment of Cabinet Office declined from “standstill” in July to “indicating downward change.” Economists in markets analyzed that it had been possible for Japanese economy to have stepped into recession, marking its peak in January of this year. Newspapers raised large headlines of “Aspect of Recession Possible.”

Prime Minister also expressed negative views on economy. “It is appeared that cheap yen has demerit on families and small or midsize businesses,” told Abe in the discussion in the Diet. Abenomics has been carried with close cooperation between Kuroda and Abe. However, skepticism on Kuroda is growing inside the administration. Kuroda’s positive opinion on further tax hike for next year is seen as a supportive comment for Minister of Finance, where Kuroda has long been affiliated to. Economic team of Abe is in jeopardy of breaking up.

Article IX Failed

Although no one would complain with a brave Pakistani young woman, Malala Yousafzai, receiving Nobel Peace Prize, there was a strange expectation spreading inside Japan. Some newspaper reported that Article IX of the Constitution of Japan topped the ranking of a bookmaker in Norway listing the possible recipient of the prize. It was actually an unusual movement of the leftist in Japan to counter radical attempts of Shinzo Abe administration and the conservatives to amend the article. As long as the Japanese nation is separated between the left and right, they would not achieve it.

The movement Article IX for Nobel Peace Prize started with an initiative of a housewife in Zama, Kanagawa, last year. With thirteen other members, consisted of other wives, businessmen or teachers, she collected supports through webpage and sent an application “the Japanese nation possessing Article IX” to Nobel Prize Committee last April. The supporting signature they collected all over Japan amounted to four hundred and ten thousands.

Against low expectation for the newcomer to receive the prize, Peace Research Institute Oslo placed Article IX on the top of possible recipients. It focused on the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine and East Asia in listing. “It is a good opportunity for Nobel Peace Prize to get back to its original principle for seeking peace,” explained the institute, according to Tokyo Shimbun. However, the institute won only one time, when Al Gore received the prize in 2007.

The opinion in Japan is far from integration for protecting Article IX. Liberal Democratic Party, presided with Abe, has been seeking constitutional amendment from its establishment in 1955. On Article IX, the party asserts to change it to be available for possessing defense force and to enable use of force. Japan Restoration Party, enjoyed temporary popularity and kept on division and merging with other party, once upheld abolition of the constitution, dismissing it as pushed by the United States. Total amount of anti-constitution powers makes significant majority in polls.

The leftists expected that Abe would be in hard situation, if Nobel Committee had chosen Article IX. But it is not so easy, because the meaning of existence of the article is hard to understand, since Japan is not recognized as a threat against world peace. If North Korea announces that it is not going to strike Japan, or China stops its assertion on Senkaku Islands, because of Japan’s peaceful constitution, then Nobel Committee may consider the prize for Article IX.

Best Friend Forever

The governments of Japan and United States released the interim report of Guidelines for U.S.-Japan Security Defense Cooperation on Thursday. The most significant update of the guidelines this time is broadening the area that Japanese Self-defense Force can operate in supporting U.S. Forces. However, that Japan can participate in U.S. wars does not necessarily mean that it will do that. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe does not look like willing to risk his political asset by doing most Japanese really do not want. U.S. does not really expect Japan to do that, anyway. After all, the message of the guidelines is “Best friend forever!”

Both governments kept on updating the guidelines, since they established them in 1978. Although they were mainly assuming direct attack to Japan at the beginning in the environment of the Cold War, peripheral contingency was added to the guideline in the review in 1997. Potential threat had changed from Soviet Union in Cold War to China in unstable situation in Taiwan Strait or Korean Peninsula. After experiencing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, operative area for Japanese force will expand to all around the world in the review this time.

Current guidelines have three categories for cooperation of both forces, which are peace, periphery contingency and war. New guidelines will integrate them into one for seamless operations. It is a reflection of requirement of guidelines for “gray zone,” which would not be categorized in those three. Supposed cooperation includes logistic support behind battlefront, reconnaissance, attack on near-by U.S. vessels in drill, missile defense and maritime security.

The argument of the renewal is that it will erode principle of the Constitution of Japan that has been interpreted to be prohibiting use of force beyond the line of exclusive defense. Although the interim report does not include clear wording of “collective self-defense,” it is going to appear in the final version. The reason is clear. Abe administration has been persuading the public that collective self-defense is necessary for Japan-U.S. cooperation, or security and existence of Japan.

Well, will Japan exercise collective self-defense as soon as the guidelines are revised? The answer is no. Abe has been confirming that he will not go beyond exclusive defense, because it will definitely cause steep down of his supporting rate jeopardizing his administration. Told ya. Abe has been taking advantage of U.S.-Japan alliance for his personal political agenda of unleashing Japanese force.

South Korea Gone Too Far

Everyone knows that the government of South Korea has been frustrated its biased news report. But it has gone too far. The Central Local Prosecutors Office in Seoul indicted the former Bureau Chief of a Japanese newspaper, Sankei Shimbun, with suspect of violation against Availability of Information Network and Information Protection Law on Wednesday. It is obviously a violation of freedom of speech. It does not improve already highly complicated bilateral relationship between Japan and South Korea, rending Shinzo Abe administration another cause of accusing South Korea.

The reason of prosecution for the former Sankei Bureau Chief, Tatsuya Kato, is defamation of character. He uploaded a column article in August, which indicated South Korean President, Park Geun-hye, had privately been with unidentified man on the day hundreds of high school students were killed in sinking ship in the sea southwest of Korean Peninsula. Conservative group were furious against the report. It is likely that the government felt pressure from internal opinions.

Sankei released its statement on its front page on Thursday, which required immediate abolition of that legal procedure. It asserted that the indictment was violation of freedom of speech guaranteed by democratic nations including Japan and, needless to say, South Korea. “We cannot help question why it is allowed for South Korean government to penalize on an article written by Japanese news media toward Japanese people in Japanese language,” said the statement. Although almost nobody cares living without Sankei Shimbun, South Korean government was wrong in dealing with that news organization.

According to Sankei, Foreign Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, released a comment that he was concerning and regretful about the incident that was related to freedom of report and Japan-South Korea bilateral relationship. No, Mr. Foreign Minister with reputation of always reading paper prepared by diplomatic bureaucrats. It should not be escalated to the level of bilateral diplomatic relationship. Problem of freedom speech should be solved by freedom of speech.

That attitude of South Korean government may encourage discriminative tendency of Japanese society. Although United Nations Human Rights Committee urged Japanese government to restrict hate speeches against Korean Japanese exercised by ultra conservative groups, Abe administration has been reluctant to make necessary legislation. Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan may gain power in terms of argument over comfort woman. There is nothing good for South Korea to increase adversary inside Japan.

Nobel Madness

When democracy declines, it appears as deterioration of news organization. All news media enthusiastically reported one report from Sweden, Nobel Award on Physics to three Japanese scholars. Newspaper on Wednesday was mostly occupied with stories on revolutionary impact of their invention of blue color light-emitted diode on human life, Japan’s revival as a technology giant, and personal episodes of those Japanese heroes. In the oppressive environment against media under Shinzo Abe administration, news organizations are turning their back to truths.

The recipients were Isao Akasaki, Professor of Meijo University, Hiroshi Amano, Professor of Nagoya University, and Shuji Nakamura, Professor of University of California Santa Barbara. They were awarded for their invention of blue color LED, which had been more difficult to create than red or green. With three primary colors of LED, it became possible to make natural white light with low cost. The award praised their achievement as revolutionary, saying “The twenty-first century will be lighted by LED, while incandescent lamp lighted twentieth century.”

The top page of all newspapers raised unusually huge headlines of the news. On opinion page, every paper sent warm applause to them. Headlines of editorials in main six newspaper in Tokyo were “Protect Soil for Steady Studies” of Asahi, “Revolution of Light Brightening 21st Century” of Mainichi, “Wanting to Be Proud of Blue Light Changed the World” of Yomiuri, “Delight of Manufacturing” of Tokyo, “Nobel Prize for Japanese Who Caused Light Revolution” of Nikkei and “Originality and Diversity for Future Generation” of Sankei.

It is convenient for news organization to have news which harms nobody, especially when they are criticized about their attitude on reporting. Leaders of newspapers firmly believe that being compassionate with most readers enhance credibility of newspaper. But other important news, including steep decline of economic trend index in August or groundbreaking cooperation between Tokyo and Chubu Power Companies, were pushed aside.

Accused by broad public on its misguided reports on comfort woman and testimony of former director of First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Asahi had to consume certain space in the same issue for explaining their reports on immoral abandonment of contaminated soil in Fukushima. Wind is still blowing against newspapers, even how much they make great, but empty, efforts to reach ordinary people.