Mr. Yanase and An-Pan Man

Mr. Yanase and An-Pan Man

This year many Japanese died as with Mandela and Thatcher.

One of them is a cartoonist or a manga artist named Yanase Takashi (1919-2013).

Mr. Yanase is well known for his big hit "An-Pan Man" (An-pan is a round soft bread with azuki bean jam in its center; Pan means bread in Japanese).   He is a super-deformed figure imagined from Superman.  But it has been widely accepted by young children in Japan, since the An-Pan Man is a hero in the world of characters and personalities with faces of foods or snacks.  In the work, bad guys are "Baikin Man" (Germ Man) and his henchmen.

However, this work of cartoon aroused some controversy among parents whose children loved to read this title.  It was because An-Pan Man rescued a starving guy by plucking off part of his head, which was of course a part of bread, to have the guy eat it.  As Japan is not a Christian country, nobody thought that it was an act of supreme love Christ Jesus tried to perform.  Parents and some critics said that it was weird that a hero of a manga work took part of his head to feed a man.  Nonetheless children didn't mind it.  They must have known that the face of An-pan Man would be mended and recovered through a kind of plastic surgery.  He would surely look complete in the next issue.   And An-Pan Man never lost to bad guys such as Baikin Man.

Since it was first released in the form of a picture story book in 1973, it got gradually popular to expand its stage of activities into animation and TV.  The An-Pan Man series  earned totally more than 1 trillion yen ($10 billion) as of 2010.   It has followed Pokemon in terms of popularity among children.

But why did Mr. Yanase create a hero from a food, bread.  It was said that he suffered poverty and hunger after WWII.  He also served the Empire of Japan as a soldier in the front line in China.  He hated war and he wished to help people in poverty without much to eat.

After the war, he worked in a newspaper company in his home town, Kochi, in Western Japan and then came to Tokyo.  (As a female worker in the newspaper company Yanase loved moved to Tokyo, young Yanase also came to Tokyo to marry her.)   He became a professional manga artist in 1953.  In 1969, Mr. Yanase worked with Manga King Osamu Tezuka.  Mr. Yanase succeeded fairly as a kind of artist (he even wrote the words to some hit songs in those days).

But in 1973, Yanase Takashi focused his energy on his activities as a poet and an illustration book author.  Then the great hit An-Pan Man was produced.

An-Pan fights a bad guy to help his friends in a manner children can easily understand.  And in order to save a starving man, he even plucks off part of his head to have him eat it.  He is truly a hero even in a sense of Christianity.

 http://tokyo5.wordpress.com/tag/baikinman/
An-Pan Man is flying like Superman



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Sun Yatsen in Kobe in 1924

Sun Yatsen in Kobe in 1924

Sun Yatsen (1866-1925) was a symbolic Chinese who put an end to the Qing dynasty and led China to modernization.

Though he was not a communist, he had a strong influence on Mao Tse- tung.  In Taiwan, Sun is regarded as the father of the country, since the actual founder of Republic of China Chiang Kaishek was one of followers of Sun.

Before Sun died in 1925 in Beijing, he visited Japan.  Sun was traveling from Southern China to Beijing by sea through Shanghai and Kobe, Japan.  It is thought that he intentionally took this route to stop in Japan where he had spent many years before the fall of  the Qing dynasty.

Sun and other revolutionary Chinese at the time used Japan as their base to fight Qing.  Sun and Chiang Kaishek had been helped by many Japanese.  Without their support despite rather cool attitude of the Imperial Government of Japan toward young activist Chinese, the revolution of China in the early 20th century should have been impossible, leading to probably a century-long era of chaos and civil wars.

Anyway, Sun Yatsen must have thought that he must speak to Japanese people now that his revolution was almost successful and his life might have been ended in near future due to his illness.  He sent the last message to Japan on this occasion, which is called "Greater Asianism."

In this speech, he mentioned future of the Empire of Japan with a strong sense of apprehension, though Sun started his speech in the following way:

Gentlemen: I highly appreciate this cordial reception with which you are honoring me today. The topic of the day is "Pan-Asianism," but before we touch upon the subject, we must first have a clear conception of Asia's place in the world. Asia, in my opinion, is the cradle of the world's oldest civilization. Several thousand years ago, its peoples had already attained an advanced civilization; even the ancient civilizations of the West, of Greece and Rome, had their origins on Asiatic soil. In Ancient Asia we had a philosophic, religious, logical and industrial civilization. The origins of the various civilizations of the modern world can be traced back to Asia's ancient civilization. It is only during the last few centuries that the countries and races of Asia have gradually degenerated and become weak, while the European countries have gradually developed their resources and become powerful. After the latter had fully developed their strength, they turned their attention to, and penetrated into, East Asia, where they either destroyed or pressed hard upon each and every one of the Asiatic nations, so that thirty years ago there existed, so to speak, no independent country in the whole of Asia. With this, we may say, the low water mark had been reached. 

When Asia reached this point, the tide started to turn, and the turn meant the regeneration of Asia. It started thirty years ago when Japan abolished all the Unequal Treaties that she had entered into with the foreign countries. The day when the Unequal Treaties were abolished by Japan was a day of regeneration for all Asiatic peoples. After the abolition of the Unequal Treaties, Japan became the first independent country in Asia. The remaining countries, such as China, India, Persia, Afghanistan, Arabia, and Turkey were not independent, that is to say, they were still dominated, and treated as colonies, by Europe. Thirty years ago, Japan was also a colony of the European countries. But the Japanese were far-sighted. They realized that the only way to power was to struggle with the Europeans and to abolish all Unequal Treaties, which they did, thus turning Japan into an independent country. Since Japan has become an independent country in East Asia, the various nations in this part of the world have been buoyed up with a new hope. They realized that since Japan has been able to achieve her independence through the abolition of the Unequal Treaties, they could do the same. So once again they have mustered courage to conduct their various independent activities with the hope of shaking off the yoke of European restriction and domination and regaining their own rightful position in Asia. This has been the prevailing thought in Asia during the past thirty years, which indeed gives ground for optimism.

Note that Japan was not colonized by any European countries or the US.  Japan was only imposed unequal treaties on by these Western Powers when it opened the nation in the 1850s after a 250-year-long isolation period under a samurai regime.

Anyway Sun closed his speech as follows:

Japan to-day has become acquainted with the Western civilization of the rule of Might, but retains the characteristics of the Oriental civilization of the rule of Right. Now the question remains whether Japan will be the hawk of the Western civilization of the rule of Might, or the tower of strength of the Orient. This is the choice which lies before the people of Japan.

It was November 28, 1924 that Sun delivered this speech.  And 13 years later, the Empire of Japan and China entered a full scale of war which was eventually ended when the US defeated the Imperial military of Japan over sever battles over the Pacific Ocean in August 1945.
Indeed, Japanese leaders before WWII must have paid more respect to the words of the greatest hero in the modern Chinese history.

But China today, led by the Chinese Communist Party, looks like proceeding to becoming a military power under the rule of Might.

As Japanese leaders before WWII must have paid more respect to the words of Sun Yatsen, today's Chinese leaders must study these words of their great predecessor.

(For full text, refer to http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sun_Yat-sen's_speech_on_Pan-Asianism)


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Mt. Fuji Observed from the Tokyo Suburbs

Tokyo Tramcar Novels

Tokyo Tramcar Novels

Naoya Shiga is thought to be one of the best authors in Japan in the modern era.

Recently I read some short novels written by Shiga.  And two of them are focused on tramcars.

In one novel, a little girl was hit and killed by a tramcar running in Tokyo City (before WWII).  It was watched by some road maintenance workers.  They happened to see the little girl running from her mother to the middle of the street where tramcar rails were provided.  Then a driver of a coming tramcar tried to stop the vehicle by using a winding type of brake before applying the more effective emergency brake.  So, it could not stop before the girl.

The mother got shocked and could not even come to the separated body of the girl.  Her little head was severed from her tiny body.  The mother was just watching the scene of the bloody accident with the pale face.

To the police on site, the driver alleged that he tried the emergency brake but it was too late.  A  person in charge of handling accidents of the tramcar company came in a hurry to the place and tried to make less a degree of responsibility of the driver and the company.  "It was too sudden and it was impossible for the tramcar to avoid the tragedy though the driver used the emergency brake," he argued.

Finally the driver was taken to the police but his negligence looked like covered by his excuse.  And the road maintenance workers all saw the proceeding of the event.  They also worked for the tramcar company so that they did not blame the driver before policemen on site.  But it made them experience grave trauma.  The author depicted how they behaved after work of the day.  It was somehow a desperate novel at heart.

In another novel staging a tramcar, Shiga focused on passengers in a tramcar vehicle.  It was a hot summer day, and they all looked unpleasant.  Especially a young utility worker sitting before the main character of the story looked like in bad temper.  Then suddenly a white butterfly flew in from a wheel window.  It danced in the air of the car to finally settle on a sheet of a commercial poster as the hero watched.

Subsequently, the hero saw, from a wheel window,  a little boy running to the route ahead.   The driver put the emergency brake to effect, though it was too late.  Passengers all got alerted.  They jumped off from the halted tramcar to see what happened to the boy.

The boy was, however, safely caught by an iron net installed at the lower head of the vehicle.  He was scooped into the net without damage.  Family members of the boy came around the tramcar.  Then, the boy started to cry.  The young worker, one of the passengers, picked him up from the net.  Then the boy discharged his urine.

After all the passengers returned to the inside of the tramcar, the driver started it.  Everybody was joking about urine on the shirt of the young worker.  He took off the shirt and wrung it, laughing.  Everybody now didn't look so unpleasant in the heat of summer of Tokyo City.  But the hero realized that the white small butterfly which had been resting on a poster had gone.  

I just don't know which novel was written first, but a life-saving story is more pleasant to read for most of readers and probably the author himself.

Naoya Shiga (1883 – 1971) was a Japanese novelist and short story writer active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan. 

Shiga was awarded the Order of Culture by the Japanese government in 1949.
Shiga suffered the fate of many authors who are successful in their early years, combined with the fatal weakness of authors specializing in the autobiographical novel – after a while there is little or nothing left to write about. During the last 35 years of his life he occasionally appeared as a guest writer in various literary journals, where he reminisced about his early association with various Shirakaba school writers, or his former interest in Christianity, but he produced very little new work. He died of pneumonia, after a long illness, at the age of 88. His grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoya_Shiga

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Tokyo Street

Resignation of Tokyo Governor Inose

Resignation of Tokyo Governor Inose

What did they say about the resignation of Naoki Inose, originally a write, as Governor of Tokyo for his illegal obtaining $500,000 (50 million yen) from an owner of a big hospital group and his son, a national lawmaker, when Inose started his election campaign for the Governorship last year?

Abe says Inose's resignation will have no impact on Olympics
POLITICS DEC. 19, 2013 - 04:30PM JST ( 15 )TOKYO — 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that Japan remained committed to offering the best Olympic Games in 2020 and that the resignation of Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose would not affect that. 

Inose resigned after being caught up in a financial scandal just three months after he helped his city win a bid to host the 2020 Olympic. 

“I cannot get in the way of preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where national pride will be at stake,” Inose told a news conference. “I decided that there is no way but my quitting as Tokyo governor to break the stalemate.”
http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/abe-says-inoses-resignation-will-have-no-impact-on-olympics

Inose calling it quits over money scandal
KYODO
DEC 19, 2013 

Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose announced his resignation Thursday after coming under fire for taking ¥50 million in cash from a hospital operator mired in vote-buying allegations involving a Diet member. 

Inose, 67, who was instrumental in Tokyo’s successful bid in September to host the 2020 Olympics, made the announcement at a news conference after submitting his letter of resignation to Toshiaki Yoshino, president of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. 

Pressure had been mounting on Inose to step down not only from the metropolitan assembly but from the central government and his predecessor, Shintaro Ishihara. Inose was elected governor Dec. 16 last year. 

The medical group, Tokushukai, the largest operator of medical facilities in the nation, is at the center of an election violation case involving Lower House member Takeshi Tokuda, the son of Tokushukai founder Torao Tokuda. 

A special election to choose Inose’s successor will take place within 50 days after the assembly president notifies the election board the assembly has accepted the resignation.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/19/national/tokyo-governor-announces-resignation-over-money-scandal/


Tokyo governor resigns over money scandal 

English.news.cn   2013-12-19 10:20:50

TOKYO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose announced his resignation on Thursday over his receiving of 50 million yen ( about 479,450 U.S. dollars) from hospital operator Tokushukai. 

Inose, who was elected on Dec. 16 last year, made the announcement at a press conference after submitting a letter of resignation to Toshiaki Yoshino, president of the Tokyo metropolitan assembly. 

The assembly is arranging for an extraordinary session next Tuesday to officially approve the governor's resignation and the next poll will likely be held on Feb. 2 or 9.
Inose apologized to the citizens of Tokyo and Japan, promising his resignation wound not influence Tokyo's preparation for the 2020 Olympic and Paraolympic Games. 

Inose has said he borrowed the 50 million yen as a personal loan from House of Representatives member Takeshi Tokuda, the son of Tokushukai founder on Nov. 20 last year, and repaid it on Sept. 25, shortly after prosecutors raided the Tokushukai group on suspicion of election violations involving Tokuda.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-12/19/c_132980077.htm


Governor Inose, The Face of Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic Bid, Resigns Over Loan Scandal
Writer-turned-politician steps down after unreported $480,000 “personal” loan called into question.
By J.T. Quigley
December 19, 2013 

Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose announced his resignation at a press conference Thursday morning following a loan scandal that tarnished the politician who just months ago helped his city secure the 2020 Olympic games. 

His fall from grace follows the revelation of a 50 million yen ($480,000) “personal” loan from hospital conglomerate Tokushukai – an organization that is currently embroiled in an election-rigging scandal involving Takeshi Tokuda, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives and son of Tokushukai’s founder. 

“I made efforts to fulfill my responsibility to explain [the money in question] to the public at Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly meetings and press conferences, but I couldn’t dispel their suspicion,” Inose told members of the press who had gathered at the Tokyo metropolitan government office in anticipation of his resignation. 

“I would never want to hold up the administration of Tokyo and preparations for the Olympic Games due to my personal issues. I came to the decision that I had to quit. I’m very sorry and I want to apologize,” he added. 

Inose, an award-winning nonfiction writer before entering politics, garnered national acclaim for his musings on Japan’s World War II defeat and the life of nationalist author, playwright and director Yukio Mishima. He was elected governor in a landslide win last December.

http://thediplomat.com/2013/12/governor-inose-the-face-of-tokyos-2020-olympic-bid-resigns-over-loan-scandal/


19 December 2013 Last updated at 03:30 GMT 

Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose resigns over money scandal 

The governor of Japan's capital, Tokyo, has resigned after admitting he received money from a scandal-hit hospital chain ahead of an election. 

Naoki Inose described the 50m yen ($500,000; £300,000) payment as a personal loan from operator Tokushukai. 

He said he would resign to avoid affecting preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Mr Inose was elected leader of one of the world's biggest cities in December last year. 

He was considered key in securing Tokyo's bid to hold the 2020 Olympics.
'Lack of virtue' 

Mr Inose said he had paid back the loan from Tokushukai. 

Announcing his resignation, he said: "I shouldn't be delaying government operations or stalling preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics any longer." 

"I intended to fulfil my duty of explaining to the city assembly, people of Tokyo and people of the nation, but regrettably I could not clear doubts over me. It's solely because of my lack of virtue." 

He added: "The only solution is for me to step down as governor."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25443452

Mr. Naoki Inose was born in a mountainous prefecture called Nagano (old name is Shinsyu).  He graduated from Shinsyu University after having joined anti-Vietnam War movement and other leftist student activities in 1960s.   But he succeeded as a writer to become conservative.  He was picked up as one of main civilians as a member of a governmental rationalization committee of state-run transportation businesses by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2000s.

Probably, as ex-PM Koizumi and ex-Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara were rather close to each other, Inose was appointed to Vice-Governor of Tokyo by then Governor Mr. Ishihara several years ago.

This was the biggest news in Japan today: Resignation of Tokyo Governor Inose.

  

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Tokyo Prefecture Office Bldg, Shinjuku, Tokyo

Public-Opinion Poll about China

Public-Opinion Poll about China

The US Gallup and The Yomiuri-shimbun Newspaper of Japan recently conducted a survey targeting American citizens and Japanese people.

One of major findings is that those who trust China account for only 5% among Japanese respondents but 32% among Americans.

Japanese who think that the relationship of their country with China is bad account for 87%, while the ratio is only 21% in the US.

Japanese who don't trust China account for 88%; and Americans who don't trust China account for 66% but 32% Americans trust China.

What the most concerns Japanese about is China's hostilities over the Senkaku Islands and territories of countries surrounding China; the ratio of Japanese who point to this issue as the largest source of anxiety is 89%.  For Americans, the gravest concern about China is on a human-right issue, which is cited by 84% of American respondents.

This data can be understood better when we look at the recent reckless movement of China.

The East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (abbreviated ADIZ) is an Air Defense Identification Zone covering most of the East China Sea where the People's Republic of China announced that it was introducing new air traffic restrictions in November 2013. The area consists of the airspace from about, and including, the Japanese administered Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu Islands in mainland China) north to South Korean-claimed Socotra Rock (known as Suyan Jiao in China). About half of the area overlaps with a Japanese ADIZ, while also overlapping to a small extent with the South Korean and Taiwanese ADIZ. When introduced the Chinese initiative was controversial as requirements were imposed that other countries with air defense identification zones do not impose[1] and it included contested maritime areas.[2] Critics said the move escalated the Senkaku Islands territorial dispute between China and Japan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Defense_Identification_Zone_(East_China_Sea)

It looks like a very stupid aggression by a rogue country.  China has responsibility to maintain peace around its border to foreign countries.  And no countries now pose any military threats to China.  Situations have been the same since the Korean War ended in 1953 or  the Vietnam War ended in 1975.  Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, the US, etc. have not changed their territorial concepts and frameworks in these years.  Only China has become so militarily aggressive and diplomatically high-handed along with growth and expansion of its economy.

Like a cheap gangster getting big and easy money, China is now claiming  that it is no more a poor and weak hoodlum, exhibiting a new gun he recently purchased.

China's new air defense zone above Senkakus 'very dangerous' escalation, Japan says
AFP-JIJI, KYODO
NOV 23, 2013

BEIJING – The government branded as “very dangerous” China's announcement Saturday that it has set up an East China Sea air defense identification zone that includes the Japan-held Senkaku Islands.

The Chinese Defence Ministry said the zone was created to “guard against potential air threats,” but the move will only inflame a bitter sovereignty row over the islets, which China claims as Diaoyu.

....

Four Chinese Coast Guard boats briefly entered Japan's territorial waters around the Senkakus on Friday, after multiple incursions at the end of October and the beginning of this month further aggravated tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera in late October said the repeated incursions are a threat to peace and fall in a “gray zone (between) peacetime and an emergency situation.”

A few days earlier, his Chinese counterpart had threatened Japan that any bid to shoot down China’s drones would constitute “an act of war.” That move came after a report said Japan had drafted plans to destroy foreign drones that encroach on its airspace if warnings to leave are ignored.

Sino-Japanese relations have remained icy for more than a year because of the Senkakus dispute, which was revived when Japan purchased three of the five main islets in September 2012, effectively nationalizing the entire chain. Since then, China has regularly sent coast guard vessels to the islets, which lie 400 km west of Okinawa and 200 km northeast of Taiwan.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/23/national/china-sets-up-air-defense-id-zone-above-senkakus/#.Uq-yhPRdUuc

Refer to the following report, too.
http://eereporter.blogspot.jp/2010/10/yesterday-two-miracles-however-you.html




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Tokyo Dome, Tokyo

Buddhism and Imperial Examination 1000 Years Ago

Buddhism and Imperial Examination 1000 Years Ago

Japan imported various products of culture and civilization from China since its foundation of the imperial government about 1500 years ago.

Especially Japanese were eager to learn Buddhism flourishing in China in the era of the Tang Dynasty  (618-907).  To absorb essence of this religion, first launched in India by the Buddha in about 500 BC, the Imperial Court of Yamato of Japan sent may envoys to China, namely Tang.  Though Japanese Buddhism today is a result of hard efforts of Japanese people over 1000 years to modify and develop unique aspects of this religion, Japanese Buddhism has its roots in China, since India was so far away.  Many young Japanese Buddhist monks crossed the East China Sea to Tang to learn and receive training in temples in Tang's capital Changan and other regions.

But traditionally Chinese civilization had three main features: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Imperial Examination.  Japanese imported eagerly Confucianism and Buddhism from China but did not adopt the Imperial Examination.  

The imperial examination  was a civil service examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best potential candidates to serve as administrative officials, for the purpose of recruiting them for the state's bureaucracy. The tests were designed as objective measures to evaluate the educational attainment and merit of the examinees, as part of the process by which final selections and appointments to office would be made. Candidates could receive the jinshi (chin-shih), and other degrees, generally followed by assignment to specific offices, with higher level degrees tending to lead to higher ranking placements in the imperial government service. 

Established in 605 during the Sui Dynasty, the system was used only on a relatively small scale during the Tang Dynasty, although extensively expanded during the reign of Wu Zetian:[1] the impact of her use of the testing system is still a matter for scholarly debate. Under the Song dynasty the emperors expanded the examinations and the government school system in order to counter the influence of military aristocrats, increasing the number of those who passed the exams to more than four to five times that of the Tang. Thus the system played a key role in the emergence of the scholar-officials, who came to dominate society. Under the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, the system contributed to the narrowness of intellectual life and the autocratic power of the emperor. The system continued with some modifications until its 1905 abolition under the Qing Dynasty. The system had a history (with brief interruptions, e.g. at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty) of 1,300 years. The modern examination system for selecting civil service staff also indirectly evolved from the imperial one.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_examination

In China to become members of the elite class in the nation, students had to study hard to master many classic books, especially the so-called Four Books and Five Classics.

The Four Books are Chinese classic texts illustrating the core value and belief systems in Confucianism. They were selected by Zhu Xi in the Song Dynasty to serve as general introduction to Confucian thought, and they were, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service examinations. 

The Five Classics are five pre-Qin Chinese books that form part of the traditional Confucian canon. Several of the texts were already prominent by the Warring States period. Mencius, the leading Confucian scholar of the time, regarded the Spring and Autumn Annals as being equally important as the semi-legendary chronicles of earlier periods. During the Western Han Dynasty, which adopted Confucianism as its official ideology, these texts became part of the state-sponsored curriculum. It was during this period that the texts first began to be considered together as a set collection, and to be called collectively the "Five Classics."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Books_and_Five_Classics

Chinese youths with big ambition for success in society had to learn these texts so hard.  They could not develop their talent and ability in art freely.  Such freedom of expression of humanity was suffocated by the burden of learning classics.  However, if they had been able to pass the Imperial Examination, their success should be assured, regardless of their places of origin.  They could even become super-rich, since bribery and graft were overlooked in any Chinese dynasties.  If a young man who had passed the Imperial Examination and had been appointed to a governor in a local region, he could get money and other profits as much as he wanted virtually.

The Japanese Imperial Court did not adopt this system.  When samurais took over political power from the Imperial Court in the 12th century, they did not introduce the system, either.

Japanese governments under emperor's authority or samurai shogun's authority operated promotion systems mostly based on status and social standing of families.  Young men from notable families of the noble class or the samurai class were, in most cases, promoted in governmental or administrative offices in Japan.

But, there is a way for young men from ordinary families or farmers could be successful in the society under the imperial rule or the samurai rule in Japan.  Talented young men, not from notable houses, could become Buddhist monks.  They studied Buddhism and even Chinese classics in big temples in Japan.  Talented young men could move up the ladder to be high-ranking priests or leaders in various factions of Japanese Buddhists.  They were respected by elite noblemen and samurais in government.  In this way, able men from poor families could achieve their goals to occupy leading seats in the society and the government, though officially they were Buddhist monks and priests.

This flexible social system of Japan was far better than the Chinese system.

In China the gate was only one.  And only a few members of the society, good at learning classics, could become intellectual persons and at the same time bureaucrats. But in Japan there were more ways for young people to develop their talents and achieve their worldly dreams even in politics.

In addition, Chinese letters were too difficult for farmers to learn and master.  Only sons of rich families had time and money to learn how to read and write, taking many years.  But in Japan as they invented Kana letters, a kind of alphabets, around the 10th century in addition to wider use of Kanji (Chinese) letters, even farmers and children could easily learn how to read and write.  The base of intellectual people was wider in the Japanese society than in China in terms of a literacy rate.

To make sure, Confucianism was also smoothly imported to Japan.  But this subject could be easily learnt from Chinese classics, old Japanese had to only import books from China.  No Japanese youths were dispatched to Chinese dynasties only to learn Confucianism by the Yamato Court or samurai shoguns.  But Buddhism was so difficult that Japanese, more than 1000 years ago, could not master it by themselves.  They needed excellent Chinese Buddhist priests, just like even Chinese Buddhist priests in the Tang Dynasty traveled to India to learn Buddhism and collect Buddhist holy books and scriptures written in Sanskrit.  Those books were translated into Chinese.  Accordingly Japanese Buddhists learnt Chinese to read them.

Even today Japanese students learn some Chinese classics in high schools, since Chinese Buddhist scriptures were written in Chinese classic letters and sentences.   Chinese today must also learn classic Chinese to read those holy scriptures if not for the Imperial Examination or tests held by today's Chinese Government or the Chinese Communist Party.



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 Tokyo Bay and Tokyo Sky-Tree Tower

Saigo, Kido, Okubo, etc.

Saigo, Kido, Okubo, etc.

The three greatest heroes of the Meiji Restoration (of the Imperial authority) of Japan, carried out from 1868, are Takamori Saigo, Takayoshi Kido, and Toshimichi Okubo.

Any learnt Japanese know these names as the greatest heroes in the Japanese history.  These samurais survived the civil war of 1868 in Japan through which the last samurai regime led by the Tokugawa shogun fell and disintegrated.

They all became top leaders of the Meiji Government of Japan.  However their fates varied so much.

Takamori Saigo (1828-1877) was a samurai of Satsuma-han (clan).  Satsuma, situated in the most south-western region of the mainland Japan, had been a strong clan governed by the Shimazu family who had not been in good relationships with the Tokugawa clan who governed the whole samurai class of Japan.  Saigo and most of other leaders of Satsuma, including Okubo, were resolute in their determination to launch a civil war against the shogun government and defeat the Tokugawa family.  Saigo, as the virtual supreme commander, eventually led the anti-Tokugawa troops joined by various clans.

When leading nobleman Iwakura made a great inspection journey to the US and Europe, being accompanied by many leading ex-samurai leaders, after the Meiji Restoration between 1871 and　1873, Saigo staying in Tokyo virtually acted as the top politician and became the most popular dignitary in Japan at the time.  He was loved by many ordinary people.  Saigo was ranked as the first full general of Army of Japan in the modern history.

Takayoshi Kido (1833-1877) was a samurai of Chosyu-han (clan).  Chosyu, situated in the most south-western region of Honsyu Island which is the main island of the mainland Japan, had not been a friendly clan to Tokugawa for centuries.  They found that a chance to take over power from the Tokugawa regime came when the US sent its naval fleet to Tokyo Bay in order to force Japan to open the nation, though past shoguns had adopted a national isolation policy for 250 years.  Actually Shimazu-han entered war with the shogunate twice in this turmoil period leading to the Meiji Restoration, in which the Tokugawa clan and their vassal samurais could not win clear victory.

Kido was a leading samurai of Chosyu governed officially by a samurai lord named Mo-ri.  Kido took a decisive part in forming military coalition between the two anti-Tokugawa major clans: Shimazu and Satusma.  With help from Sakamoto Ryuma, a progressive activist samurai of Tosa, Kido could establish a strong tie with Saigo and Okubo.  This movement decided the fate of Japan around 1868.   Kido took a leading position in the Meiji Government after the civil war of 1868.  Kido joined the Iwakura mission to visit and inspect the US and Europe after the Meiji Restoration.

 Toshimichi Okubo (1830-1878) was also a samurai of Satsuma-han (clan).  He was a friend of great Saigo from childhood.  With help from Saigo, Okubo was mostly in charge of politics in Kyoto where the emperor resided.  In years before the civil war for the Meiji Restoration, even the Tokugawa shogun came to Kyoto from Edo, presently Tokyo, and stayed there to keep influence on the emperor and other noble-class people.  As the situation was so difficult with the strong request to open the nation from the US, the shogun needed to consent from the emperor to open the nation while there were so many samurais and samurai clans all over Japan who were against establishing diplomatic ties with the US and other European countries.  Those samurai thought that Japan must be proudly independent of other countries.  "Samurai Japan or imperial Japan must not accept disadvantageous treaties now requested by Western powers," they proudly thought.

However these anti-Tokugawa samurais led by Chosyu and Satsuma soon came to change their policy toward the US, the UK, France, etc. after seizing power to open the nation.  But till the civil war of 1868 put an end to this diplomatic argument, political movement around the emperor in Kyoto was so tense and dangerous.  Okubo was the one who most actively contributed to political success of the anti-Tokugawa camp.  Okubo also joined the Iwakura mission to visit and inspect the US and Europe after the Meiji Restoration.

Then the civil war ended with fall of the Tokugawa shogunate.  Edo, the capital of samurai Japan, was renamed Tokyo.  The Meiji Government was established in Tokyo.  The emperor moved from Kyoto to Tokyo.  Modernization and Westernization of Japan started.  Saigo, Kido, and Okubo occupied top positions of the new government.

But, nine years later Saigo resigned from some key Cabinet position to go back to Shimazu, now called Kagoshima Prefecture, to join samurais who were complaint about the new government in Tokyo.  Many samurais were left behind from this change of the era, since not all the samurais in Japan could find reasonable posts in Tokyo.  They decided to launch a war against the central government.  Saigo with full compassion to them became the head of these insurgents.  They launched a war but were decisively defeated in Kyusyu Island where Kagoshima is situated.  And Saigo committed a suicide (harakiri or seppuku) taking responsibility at the end of the war.

Troops dispatched by Tokyo to suppress the Shimazu insurgents were led by Okubo.  So, Okuba fought against his old friend Saigo.  And during this civil war, Kido became sick and finally died.  He could not stop this war by interfering in the complicated relationships between Saigo and Okubo.

After this civil war, called the Satsuma Rebellion, only Okubo remained among the Three Great Heroes of the Meiji Restoration.  Okubo became a kind of dictator.  However soon after the victory in the Satsuma Rebellion, he was assassinated in Tokyo by unsatisfactory ex-samurais.

But Okubo had a smart follower; Hirobumi Ito (1841-1909).  Ex-samurai of Chosyu Ito was first  an honest follower of Kido but he gained strong trust from dictator Okubo.   (Ito also joined the Iwakura mission to visit and inspect the US and Europe after the Meiji Restoration.)   So, Ito succeeded in filling the void left in the Meiji Goverment by the deaths of Saigo, Kido, and Okubo.  Ito was especially entrusted greatly by the emperor.   Ito became one of the main authors of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan and assumed the highest public office as the first prime minister of Japan.  In the Meiji era (1869-1912) Ito was always at the power center of the Japanese politics.

However Ito was assassinated while traveling in Manchuria, presently the Northeast Part of China, in 1909 after the Russo-Japanese War (of 1904-05).  A Korean who protested against military occupation of Korea by the Empire of Japan shot at Ito in a station where Ito met with a Russian minister.  This incident decisively led to the annexation of Korea to the Empire of Japan in 1910, though Ito did not necessarily support the idea of this annexation.

And after the death of Ito, something changed in the Empire of Japan, though most of the Japanese people felt that an era clearly ended with death of the emperor in 1912.

Finally the next great change of Japan occurred in 1945 when the Empire of Japan lost the war against the US as part of WWII.

Nonetheless, the Japanese people today still like to discuss matters related to Saigo, Kido, Okubo, and the Meiji Restoration about which many foreigners in Asia like to learn as reference for their development and success.
    

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B1%B1%E7%94%B0%E9%A1%95%E7%BE%A9
The civil war of precisely 1868-1869 was called Boshin War after the classical name of the year 1868.




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Imperial Palace Plaza Park, Former Edo Castle of Samurai Shugun
     

Japan's Livelihood Protection

Japan's Livelihood Protection

Now in Japan about 2.2 million individuals live on welfare public assistance.

The Japanese Government allocates more than about $35 billion (3.5 trillion yen) for this critical spending.  The amount a person receives per year is about $17,000 (1.7 million yen) on average.

 http://d.hatena.ne.jp/sarutora/20121213/p1

When the labor-union supported Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) took over power in the 2009 general election, conditions and procedures for receiving livelihood protection were eased to some extent.  But as the conservative and capitalistic LDP again came back to power through the 2012 general election, the tide clearly changed.  To put national finance on a recovery track, they started to raise a bar for receiving welfare.
   
One example is as follows:  A man in his 30s finally found that he could not work due to his illness.  He went to a city office to apply for welfare.  But an official in charge was reluctant to receive an application and admit his qualification as a recipient.  So, the poor and sick man asked help from a volunteer group.  Finally he could be recognized as a fair applicant to receive money.

He was an unhappy man since his parents got divorced soon after he was born.  He was raised in a child-care institution in Kobe City, a port city in Western Japan.  After graduating from a junior high school, he started to work in a fish store as a live-in shop staff.  Then a great earthquake hit Kobe in 1995, taking on 6,000 lives.  He could survive but lost the job.  So, he moved to Osaka City, the main commercial city in Western Japan, to work as a day laborer.

But recently he realized that he was suffering high blood pressure.  Finally, he became unable to work any more.  But when he visited the city office, an official in charge of welfare requested him to go to a public employment security office.  Specifically he was requested to go and check jobs in the public employment security office at least thee times per week and have an interview for a job once per week. The poor and unlucky man explained why it was impossible for him to meet this condition which was actually against law.  But the official threatened that he would even reject his application if he would not follow this instruction.

In Japan the public office, when receiving an application for welfare, must decide whether or not the applicant can be qualified as a recipient of public assistance within 14 days after receiving the application.  If an applicant has no assets and no means to earn money, he or she can be admitted to welfare as a general rule.

Japan is not a poor country.  But its gap between the rich and the poor is widening.  Especially the 15-year long deflation has created more millionaires than before, but it also promoted cost reduction and staff cuts.  Though  an employment rate in Japan was just a little higher than 4%, many workers are forced to work as part timers receiving low wages.  Nonetheless still many Japanese companies plan to move their factories and plants to China and other Asian countries for a merit of cheap labor in these developing counties.

So, globalization of economy makes Japanese workers suffer. And it is expected that they will be further hurt by Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) now under negotiations by representatives of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc. for further expanding free trade around the Pacific Ocean.

Successful businesses pay tax but they cannot fully cover livelihood protection for those who are victimized by this economic system.

APPENDIX.

Country...............Ratio of Welfare in GDP

==========================================

UK                    4.1%

USA                  3.7%

Germany            2.0%

France               2.0%

JAPAN              0.3%

OECD Average   2.4%  

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Mt. Fuji Viewed from Tokyo Suburbs

The United Nations and Japanese

The United Nations and Japanese

The state of the United Nations in terms of staff by nationality and shares of expenses by countries:

No.....Country.....Number of Staff....Expense Distribution (%)
-------------------------------------------------------

1       US                 240                     22

2      Germany         102                       8

3      France             96                      6.1

4      UK                  87                      6.6

5      Italy                76                      4.9

6      JAPAN            65                    12.5

7     China               64                      3.1

8     Canada            63                      3.2

9     Russia             48                      1.6

10    Mexico            45                      2.3

TOTAL                 2,049                   100
-------------------------------------------------------

It is easily found that Japan sends less workers to the UN than expected based on its share of UN expenses which is the largest (12.5%) except the UN.

It is also said that less and less Japanese students opt to go and learn in the US than those observed decades ago.  So, some Japanese are worried: Have Japanese youths become too much inward-looking?

On the other hand, the Japanese Government has introduced a new policy to allow primary schools to teach English as a regular curriculum.   Previously English was taught from a grade of junior-high schools or middle schools in Japan.  However, as English is such a different language from Japanese and there are almost no chances to use English in daily lives in Japan, ordinary Japanese are very poor at English.  The Japanese Government and business leaders are afraid that this language gap might lead to a real decline in the Japanese economy, since globalization of economy is now the norm.

Then how different is the Japanese language?

English:
The cherry trees blossom in April.

Japanese:
(1) Sakura-wa shigatsu ni saku.
(2) Sakura-ga shigatsu ni saku.

Sakura means the cherry tree, shigatsu means April; and saku is for blossom.

But what are those "wa" and "ga?"

These two minor words decide contexts of the sentences.  They usually indicate that a word preceding each of them is the subject word.  But it specifies in what context a sentence with the subject is used.

For example, if you are asked what blossoms in Spring, you may answer that the cherry trees blossom in April.  But in this case, the Japanese sentence of the answer must be (2) but not (1).

And if you want start you speech, taking up the cherry tree, you may say, "The cherry trees blossom in April."  But in this case, the Japanese sentence for this speech must be (1) but not (2).

This is just one example of complex and subtle nature of the Japanese language.  The mind of a Japanese has been programmed so that he or she can manipulate it so correctly.  But its rule is so different from English.  Hence, it is very difficult for Japanese people to accept English at the same depth of their own language.

Nonetheless, many foreigners learn and master the Japanese language.  Compared with their efforts, a degree of an effort Japanese students are requested of in learning English might be far smaller.  So, it is expected that with advancement of educational systems and supporting technology for learning English more and more Japanese youths will become fluent in English, the most popular international language, and will be engaged in international activities, including jobs in the UN.

But it might be difficult to make Japanese youths also keep the Japanese mind and higher ability of the Japanese language, since Japanese is so unique and subtle while English is a little wild.    

And finally, the Chinese language does not use such wa or ga, since Chinese is akin to English when compared with Japanese.  (And the religion shinto is also unique to Japan but not found in China.)




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A Shinto Shrine in Japan