東日本大震災から６年　Great East Japan Earthquake Six Years

東日本大震災から６年　ー
日本が得た国益　冷静さと気丈さに外国人から尊敬

Great East Japan Earthquake Six Years On
What Japan Gained
Foreigners Respected Japanese Coolness and Strength under Stress
 
【ニッポンの新常識】Common Knowledge Revisited 107
 
　東日本大震災と、それに伴う大津波の発生から１１日で丸６年になる。震災や津波の犠牲者と、ご遺族の皆さんには、改めてお悔やみを申し上げる。現在も不自由な生活を余儀なくされている被災者の皆さんが、早く平穏無事な生活に戻れることを心から願っている。
　March 11th marked the 6th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and corresponding tsunami. I take this opportunity to once again express my condolences to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami and their families. I sincerely hope that those who are still displaced will soon be able to return to their normal life.
 

　東日本大震災は、日本が改めて世界の注目を集めるきっかけにもなった。大津波の衝撃的な映像と同じくらい世界が驚いたのは、パニックや暴動、略奪や火事場泥棒がほとんど起きなかったことだ。
　The Great East Japan Earthquake was an opportunity for the rest of the world to once again focus their attention on Japan. While the world was shocked at the video images of the tsunami, the world was just as surprised that almost no panic, riots, plunder, or looting occurred.
 

　地震の後、首都圏の公共交通機関はすべてストップしたが、駅の階段に座って運転再開を待つ人々は冷静で、他の人が通れるスペースを空ける配慮をしていた。徒歩で自宅に帰ろうとする人々の大行列は極めて静かに流れた。幹線道路沿いの飲食店や商店は休憩場所やトイレを無償で提供した。
　Following the earthquake [which occurred in the afternoon on a work day], all public transportation [from Kanto (Tokyo) northward on the island of Honshu] came to an abrupt halt [including not only the trains, subways, and monorail systems, but also all the expressways, many roads and bridges, and even the Sendai Airport, which was swept out to sea]. In Tokyo, the people waiting for trains to start running again calmly sat on stairways at the stations, being careful to leave a passageway for people who wanted to get through. A huge wave of people returning to their homes on foot proceeded in a comparatively orderly fashion. Stores and restaurants along the main thoroughfares provided rest areas and restrooms without charge. [I, myself, was caught in Gunma Prefecture (about 100 miles from Tokyo) and drove home mainly through rice paddies and residential neighborhoods which were pitch black from the power outages, taking about 10 hours to cover what should have taken only an hour and a half normally.]
 

　肉親や友人、自宅や職場を失った被災者も、避難所では気丈さと冷静さを保ち、周囲への気遣いを忘れなかった。水や食料の配給を待つ長蛇の列で、割り込みなど身勝手な行動を取る人はほとんどいなかった。
　Friends and relatives who lost their homes and workplaces maintained order in the various evacuation centers, looking out for the welfare of those around them. Almost no one crowded into the long lines for food and water or otherwise acted selfishly.
 

　米ＡＢＣニュースの女性リポーターは、取材中、一人の男性からお煎餅を手渡され、「あなたこそ食料が必要なのに…」と繰り返して絶句した。極限の環境下でも他者を気遣う日本人の国民性は、同情よりも感動を呼んだ。
　While covering the disaster, a female report from ABC News in the U.S. was given some rice crackers by a survivor and was left virtually speechless, repeatedly commenting “You are the one who needs food.” The national character whereby Japanese people constantly take into account the condition of those around them brought not sympathy, but deep emotions of respect.
 

　世界中の人々は、もし同じ規模の震災が自国で起きたら、「日本人のようには振る舞えない」と知っている。多くの人が日本人の冷静さと気丈さに、逆にショックを受け、憧れに近い敬意を抱いた。外国人からの尊敬は日本の国益そのものである。
　People around the world realized that if a disaster of similar proportions were to occur in their own country, their countrymen would not “act like the Japanese.” Many people were in fact shocked at the calmness and strength of the Japanese people, and gained a sense of respect bordering on admiration. The respect of foreigners is in and of itself an important national interest of Japan.
 

　一方で、残念ながら当時の菅直人政権（民主党）は、お世辞にも危機管理能力が高いとはいえず、私を含む在日外国人社会は、福島第一原発事故の政府対応について不信感を抱いた。複数の外資系企業が資金を出し合って専門家を雇い、事故の影響を独自に調査させた。
　On the other hand and unfortunately, it is impossible to say that the administration of then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan (Democratic Party of Japan) had any kind of impressive crisis management skills, and many foreigners, myself included, were deeply troubled about the way the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster was handled. [Not trusting the government,] a number of foreign companies pooled their funds and hired independent consultants to advise on how they should proceed in light of the nuclear accident.
 

　春休みを前倒しにして、母国への帰国を推奨した外資系企業や大使館も多かった。二度と日本に戻らなかった外国人も少なくない。おかげで都心の外国人向け高級賃貸住宅の家賃相場が半額程度にまで下がり、私の次男はその恩恵を受けた。
　Since it was just once week before the regular Spring break, many foreign companies and embassies advised their foreign citizens to return to their home countries. As a result, the market for foreigner housing in Tokyo took a steep plunge, with average rents dropping by about half, something which my son was later able to take advantage of.
 

　東京に残ったわれわれは、パニック状態で飛んで帰った「ガイジン」を、「フライジン」と揶揄（やゆ）している。
　Those of us who remained in Tokyo ridiculed those who took flight as “Fly-jin” [a play on words for the term gaijin,” which means “foreigners”].
 

　震災時に日本人が見せた冷静さと他者への配慮の欠片もない人々が、沖縄にいる。米兵や家族の車を止めて「ヤンキー、ダイ（＝アメ公、死ね）！」などとヘイトスピーチを行うのだ。彼らを放置する行為は、日本の国益に間違いなく反している。
　There are people in Okinawa [the violent anti-U.S. military base agitators, a large portion of whom are indeed not Okinawan] who have not a trace of concern about other people such as what was exhibited by the Japanese people during the earthquake disaster. They unlawfully stop the cars of U.S. military personnel or their families and while pounding on the vehicles shout hate speech such as “Yankee, Die!” There is no doubt that allowing such activities to continue is not in the national interest of Japan.
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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沖縄の真実と…　The Truth About Okinawa and the Media’s

沖縄の真実とメディアの「報道しない自由」
「沖縄県民記者会見」の舞台裏
The Truth About Okinawa and the Media’s Right Not To Report
Behind the Scenes at Okinawan People’s Press Conference
 
 
【ニッポンの新常識】Common Knowledge Revisited 106
 
[In order for foreign readers to understand the following column, some background is probably necessary.
　For many years the U.S. Marines have had use of a huge (7,500 hectare) jungle training facility on Northern Okinawa. Some years ago, the U.S. and Japanese governments agreed that the U.S. would return about 4,000 hectares of the area to Japanese control. To do that, the helipads located on the portion to be returned needed to be rebuilt on the portion not to be returned. Anti-U.S. base activists have obstructed this construction for some time, but late last year the Japanese government decided to move forward forcefully with the construction.
The location is in the Takae area of Higashi-son (Higashi Village), the municipality just north of Nago City. A majority of the local residents are in favor.
However, protestors from other areas of Okinawa, mainland Japan (especially Kansai), China, Korea, and Australia joined a few locals in violent protests, all documented on YouTube. See, for example:
 
Those who are not in favor want to have the training area abolished altogether, not just reduced in size.
One of the prominent groups to join the demonstrations was Norikoe Netto, a citizens’ organization dedicated to eradicating hate speech and racism against Korean residents of Japan. Shin Su-gok is a third-generation Korean resident (non-citizen) of Japan, and is the nominal head of this organization. This organization has participated in anti-U.S. base demonstrations in Japan on the theory that the existence of the U.S. military bases is discrimination against the so-called Okinawan ethnic minority, a distinction which is not supported either in fact or in public opinion.
The situation became so bad that Tokyo and Osaka sent in riot police to support the Okinawan police.
The Japanese mainstream media has largely ignored this issue, and the Okinawan media has run false reports about it.
Tokyo MX Television ran a segment in “News Girls” on January 2nd which detailed the way these violent protests are having a negative impact on the local population. It also reported the involvement of outsiders and pointed out that they are being paid (but pointedly did not criticize the fact that they are being paid). For your information, payments are made through a special fund called the Henoko Kikin (Henoko Fund), which is thought to be largely sponsored the by the Chinese Communist Party.
In addition, Norikoe Netto offered payments for people (presumably their members) to go to Okinawa, stir up trouble, and post it on the internet. These facts were reported in the MX program.
The return of 4,000 hectares was completed on December 22, 2016.]

　東京・内幸町の日本記者クラブで先月２４日、東京ＭＸテレビへの言論弾圧を許さない「沖縄県民記者会見」が開かれた。ベストセラー『沖縄の不都合な真実』（新潮新書）の著者である篠原章氏が司会を務め、元衆院議員の杉田水脈氏と私も応援に登壇した。
　An “Okinawan People’s Press Conference” decrying suppression of the free speech of Tokyo MX Television was held on the 24th of last month at the Japan National Press Club in Uchisaiwai-cho, Tokyo. Akira Shinohara, author of the best-seller “The Inconvenient Truth about Okinawa” (Shincho Shinsha) was the moderator, and former Lower House Diet Member Mio Sugita and I also were on the panel.
 

　経緯はこうだ。１月２日放送の同局「ニュース女子」は、沖縄の米軍基地反対運動家の中に、関西弁のプロ市民や在日朝鮮人がいると報じた。これに市民団体「のりこえねっと」の辛淑玉（シン・スゴ）共同代表が「人権侵害」と放送倫理・番組向上機構（ＢＰＯ）に訴え、審議が始まった。
　The course of events is as follows. On January 2nd, MX aired a segment of “News Girls” which reported that professional protestors speaking Kansai dialect and Korean residents of Japan were included among the anti-U.S. military base protestors in Okinawa. In response, Shin Su-gok, the nominal head of the citizens group “Norikoe Netto” filed a complaint with the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO) alleging “human rights violations,” and an investigation was begun.
 

　同時に、沖縄県民３人の証言もデマかのように扱われた。この展開に憤り、３人は上京して会見を開くに至った。
　In the complaint, the comments of three Okinawan residents [contained in the report] were treated as false. Outraged at this turn of events, these three residents came to Tokyo and held a press conference.
 

　那覇市在住の手登根安則（てどこん・やすのり）氏は、「ボギーてどこん」の名前で、数年前からユーチューブなどで反基地活動家の異常性を暴露してきた。
　Naha resident Mr. Yasunori Tedokon, under the name “Bogey Tedokon,” has for several years been exposing the abnormality of the demonstrators on YouTube and elsewhere.
 

　国頭郡東村で循環農業に取り組み、カフェも運営する「カナンファーム」代表の依田啓示氏は、同村高江で工事車両を妨害する違法検問の被害を何度も受けた。
　Mr. Keiji Yoda, who runs an environmental friendly farm in Higashi-son, Kunigami-gun [in northern Okinawa] and operates a coffee shop called “Canan Farm,” suffered damage to his business time and again from illegal checkpoints set up to obstruct construction vehicles in the Takae region of Higashi-son.
 

　名護市在住の我那覇真子（がなは・まさこ）氏は、「琉球新報、沖縄タイムスを正す県民・国民の会」代表運営委員として、地元沖縄の閉鎖的な情報空間に風穴を開けるべく努力している。
　Nago resident Masako Ganaha, as the managing director of the “Prefectural Residents Association to Reform the Ryukyu Shinpo and Okinawa Times [the two main Okinawan newspapers],” is working to breathe new life into the closed local news media environment.
 

　以下は、昨年９月に東京・神田駿河台で開かれた「ホットケナイ、高江。ないちゃ～大作戦会議」のチラシの文言だ。
　The following is the text of a flyer distributed at the “Hottokenai, Takae. Naichaa Daisakusen Kaigi [Cannot Ignore Takae. Non-Okinawans’ Grand Strategy Meeting]” held by Norikoe Netto.
 

　«「市民特派員」を沖縄・高江に送ろう　私たちのメディアを、私たちの手で。つないで下さい、沖縄と私たちを。①往復の飛行機代相当、５万円を支給します。あとは自力でがんばってください！②高江にたどり着いて、ＴｗｉｔｔｅｒやＦａｃｅｂｏｏｋなどのＳＮＳ、もしくはツイキャスでの中継をお願いします。③戻ってから千字程度の報告をお願いします。報告は辛淑玉さんのＦａｃｅｂｏｏｋか、のりこえねっとのＦａｃｅｂｏｏｋなどに掲載させて頂きます。※詳しくは、大作戦会議で！»
　“Let’s send ‛special operatives’ to Takae in Okinawa and take control of our own media. Link ourselves up with Okinawa. (1) We will provide 50,000 yen, the approximate cost of airfare. Otherwise, please be on your own. (2) Upon arriving in Takae, please send out SNS messages on Twitter, Facebook, etc. or live twitter broadcasts. (3) Upon return, please provide a 1,000-word report. The report will be posted on Shin Su-gok’s or Norikoe Netto’s Facebook page. More details at the strategy meeting.”
 
　論評はしない。
　I will not offer any critique about this.
 
 
　記者会見に来た編集者がツイッターで、我那覇氏に«ただの嘘つきが雁首揃えていいわけする場をわざわざ時間を使って取材してあげたのですから生意気なこと言ってないで素直に感謝しなさい。あなたたちは単なる国賊でありこの国の汚物なのですから身の程をわきまえるよう»と書き込んだことが、ネット上で話題となっている。
　The fact that one of the editors who attended the press conference posted the following comment: “Ganaha, who got together a group of liar pipeheads (also translated as ‘head of a penis’), should be thankful that we took time to attend this excuse-making session. You are simple traitors and should keep in mind your status as the filth (also translated as ‘sewage)’ of this nation” has become a hot topic on the internet.
 

　これが、「ヘイトスピーチ反対」を掲げる人物の発信なのだから、笑うしかない。
　This is the statement of someone who opposes so-called “hate speech.” We can only laugh in response.
 

　沖縄県民会見は、産経新聞が報じたが、受付に名刺を残した大手新聞や地方新聞、通信社は「報道しない自由」を行使したようだ。これが日本メディアの現実である。
　The Sankei Newspaper reported the press conference, but the other major newspapers, wire services, and local newspapers who left their name cards at the registration desk exercised their “right not to report.” This is the current sad state of the Japanese media.
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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正男氏暗殺は日本でも容易 Assassination of Kim Jong-nam Would

正男氏暗殺は日本でも容易
朝鮮学校に補助金支給する地方自治体も・・・
独裁者に忠誠を尽くす理由
Assassination of Kim Jong-nam Would Have Been Easy in Japan
Questionable Subsidies from Local Governments to North Korean Primary and Secondary schools in Japan
Reasons for Offering Allegiance to a Dictator
 
 
【ニッポンの新常識】Common Knowledge Revisited 105
 
　北朝鮮の金正恩（キム・ジョンウン）朝鮮労働党委員長の異母兄、金正男（キム・ジョンナム）氏が、１３日の白昼堂々、マレーシアのクアラルンプール国際空港で暗殺された。
　Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of Kim Jong-un, the Secretary General of the Workers’ Party of Korea, was assassinated in broad daylight at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia on February 13th.
 

　監視カメラがとらえた、わずか２秒ほどの犯行時の映像は、まるでスパイ映画のワンシーンのようだった。報道番組だけでなく、ワイドショーやバラエティー番組でも、事件を連日、長時間取り上げている。
　The images of the short two-second attack captured on surveillance cameras look like a scene from a spy movie. News programs, tabloid TV shows, and even variety shows have been covering this story intently every day.
 

　私も出演した１９日放送の読売テレビ系「そこまで言って委員会ＮＰ」で、北朝鮮専門ニュースサイト「デイリーＮＫジャパン」を運営する高英起（コウ・ヨンギ）氏は、金一族である正男氏の暗殺命令は、最高指導者の正恩氏以外には出せないと語った。
　During the TV show “Soko Made Itte Iinkai NP” broadcast on February 19th in which I appeared, Koh Young-ki, who runs the North Korean news website “Daily NK Japan,” stated that no one besides supreme leader Kim Jong-un could have issued an order to assassinate a member of the Kim family
 

　確かに、正恩氏の許可なく異母兄を暗殺し、それがもし独裁者の逆鱗に触れたなら、暗殺犯や黒幕は確実に粛清される。
　Unquestionably, if someone were to assassinate the half-brother of Kim Jong-un without permission and incur the wrath of the dictator, the assassin together with all the accomplices and co-conspirators would be purged.
 

　正男氏や正恩氏の叔父であり、一時は正恩氏の後見人と目されていた張成沢（チャン・ソンテク）氏は２０１３年１２月に失脚し、粛清された。機関銃の弾を数十発撃ち込まれ、遺体は火炎放射器で跡形もなく焼かれたとの情報もある。
　Jang Sung-taek, the uncle of Jong-nam and Jong-un who was once seen to be the guardian and protector of Jong-un, fell from power in December 2013. It is said that he took several tens of bullets from a machine gun, and that his body was burned with a flame thrower such that no traces of his body remained.
 

　「まるで映画だ」などと、のんきに話している場合ではない。正恩体制になってから、北朝鮮は完全に歯止めが利かない国になった。猜疑心が強く、義理人情や忍耐に欠ける若い独裁者には、諫言など不可能だ。
　This should not be casually regarded as just a scene from some movie. Under the regime of Kim Jong-un, North Korea has become a country with no restraints. Suspicions run strong, and it is impossible to remonstrate with the young dictator who is bereft of any sense of moral obligation or forbearance.
 

　尊崇の証か、粛清への恐怖心のせいかに関係なく、正恩氏に忠誠を誓う僕（しもべ）の行動は、日本や米国の国益に反する。核開発を続けつつ、数多くのミサイルを日本海に撃ち込んだ北朝鮮に、実は、日本の先端技術や研究情報などが持ち込まれた可能性は高い。だが、日本にはスパイ防止法がない。
　Regardless of whether they are out of veneration or the fear of being purged, the actions of the servants who pledge allegiance to Jong-un are contrary to the national interests of Japan and the United States. As a matter of fact, it is highly probable that Japanese leading edge technology and research data were transferred from Japan to North Korea, a country which continues to develop nuclear weapons and which has fired numerous missiles into the Sea of Japan. However, Japan does not have any anti-spying law.
 

　１３年１月、日本に帰化した元北朝鮮籍の男性が、暗号を用いた軍事リポートを北朝鮮に送信していたことが発覚した。昨年５月２日の産経新聞によると、京都大学原子炉実験所の韓国籍の男性准教授は、北朝鮮や朝鮮総連と密接な関係がある「金万有科学振興会」から、核技術に関する研究で奨励金を得ていたという。
　In January 2013, it was discovered that a former North Korean naturalized Japanese citizen had sent an encoded military report to North Korea. According to the Sankei Newspaper as reported on May 2nd of last year, a South Korean associate professor of Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute received payments for his research on nuclear technology from the “Gold Banyu Science Foundation,” which has close ties with North Korea and the General Association of [North] Korean Residents.
 

　産経新聞は昨年９月２０日、朝鮮大学校が同年５月、日米壊滅を目指す手紙を正恩氏に送っていたと報じた。いまだに、朝鮮学校に補助金を支給する地方自治体があることが理解できない。
　Sankei Newspaper reported on September 20th of last year that Korea University (Japan) sent a letter in May of the same year to Kim Jong-un urging the destruction of Japan and the United States. I cannot understand why some local governments in Japan continue to provide subsidies to to North Korean primary and secondary schools in Japan.
[See:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Dsen_gakk%C5%8D]
 

　正男氏暗殺事件は、要人暗殺テロが日本でも容易なことを証明した。そもそも、日本はオウム真理教による大規模テロの発生現場である。
　The assassination of Jong-nam demonstrates how easy it would be to conduct terrorist activities in Japan targeting leading figures. After all, Japan was the site of the massive acts of terrorism carried out by the Aum Shinrikyo [sarin gas subway attacks].
 

　スパイ防止法やテロ等準備罪に反対する人々は、何に忠誠を誓い、何を守りたいのだろうか。
　Precisely to whom do the opponents of the Anti-Spy Law and the crime of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts pledge their allegiance, and who is it that they are trying to protect?
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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