2003  March

*The Shameful Nation, the Shameful People [0310-19]

 A few days ago, an interest message was written in a Japanese BBS. According to this message the president of his cooperation said that what rules our world is not justice, but the people who have power. The writer told us he is a president of medium and small-sized enterprise, and he guess the president suggested that the employees should obey president’s order, even if it is absurd. At a grace, it is natural that the writer of this message should blame the president. But, it is not so, because both he and his president think Japanese government should follow U.S. administration, as long as it is most powerful nation in our world.

The theme of this BBS is American politic against Terrorism. The writer of this message insisted that Japanese people should obey U.S. super power, because the ruler of our world is not justice, but power. It is very easy to refute him, and actually he was confuted. He blamed confuters that they do not recognize the meaning of power at all, but he mistook, when he separated the idea of power from idea of justice. No one deny the fact that the power changes the world. But it is also true that no power cannot maintain itself without justice. Who are favorable to the power without justice? At least, it will be difficult to find such person among ruled people. However, he was an employee of the president who believes in the power without justice. I could not find the disease that leads Japanese economy endless recession. That should be called slave spirit!

Now in economic market many investors dislike the war against Iraq and escape from U.S. dollars. They also admit that U.S. has super power, but do not think the diplomatic politic of President Bush is good. However, according to the logic of power by the writer, they must not sell dollars, as long as U.S. has most powerful nation. Does he want to say cool investors decide what they buy according to the idea of justice?

Also today it is reported that neutral nations to U.S. proposal against Iraq represent more extend deadline for Iraq attack. British government suggested a little room for negotiation, but U.S. administration once declares the possibilities the Iraq attack without U.K. Any way, the position of U.S. is isolated so much. Is isolation most fearful for Japanese people who obey the logic of power? Slaves cannot choice his/her master, but free people can do. Even if one support the logic of power, free people should consider whom he obeys well.

030313
 Both power and justice are only an excuse to justify something, when they are used to justify someone’s personal position. For slaves it justifies to be slave, for rulers justifies to be ruler. However, we must notice the fact that an excuse is only excuse and far from truth. Our real world will demand us to make up for the difference between fiction and reality. The slavish moral of the writer of BBS causes the severe Japanese recession. Also, the arrogance of U.S. administration will bring political and economic confusion. If Japanese economy falls like Argentina, obedient Japanese people will be slaves of foreigner managers. They will be most excellent slaves in our world. This is the conclusion that the writer should expect.

If you observe human history, you will find how misery is the people who obey someone blindly. They will be victims of ruler at the very beginning. To survive, we should keep the position of free people, even if it is not complete. Considering neutral nations among no permanent members of the U.N. Security Counsels, for example, Pakistan has been suffering from pressures between U.S. and Islamic people. With considering the opposing relation against India, it manages to keep subtle balance. Here is no room for the logic of power to obedience.

There is no frontier for terrorists. Even if U.S. is an island nation, the sea around her will not protect her nations. Also U.S. accepts many foreigners and enjoys the prosperity brought by them. It is said that U.S. administration aims the petroleum in Iraq. It is true, but stubbornness is abnormal. It is sure that the peoples who support Bush ministration are evil fundamentalists!

On the other hand, how miserable Japanese administration! Someone says the cooperation with U.S. is necessary against North Korea. How silly!! There is no reason that North Korea invades Japan without the trouble against U.S. If North Korea invades Japan, it is the time U.S. decides to attack the country. Japanese administration must hinder from the war between U.S. and North Korea. U.S. fundamentalists will not hesitate to attack North Korea, even if there is possibility that North Korea attack Japan using nuclear weapon. In front of their fantastic belief, Japan is meaningless, because they can scarify the entire world except U.S. for their illusion of ideal.

The people who do not image others like themselves can become cruel. They will lose the real world and seek their illusion scarifying others. U.S. is great island country, but it will be useless against terrorism.
 

*After Beginning Iraqi War

030320
 I am a little melancholic because of American arrogance. To tell the truth, I hope Iraq endures U.S. attack, but it means there will be many victims in this country. I cannot stand it.

030320
 Now terrorism becomes the diversion of ideologists. They enjoy military attack or bombing. Who will win in this game? The war cannot be realistic.

030321
 It continues shameful days for me. With the war against Iraq, I find many Japanese opinions that Japanese people cannot resist U.S. super power. They do not have the sense of independence, which is necessary for survive in international society.

030322
 The expansion of U.S. is a game that will be bankrupt at last. The more later be bankrupt, the more harder will be the damage. It will involve the entire world.

030323
 My stomach is not good now again. I cannot eat enough. The high-handed U.S. behavior against our world makes my health worse, too.

030324
 Little by little, the military situation becomes confusing. It is clear now U.S. cannot give freedom to others without resistance. It conflict with the spirit of independence.

030325
 I recognized again that we cannot live without our circumstances. The most important is natural environment. The people who begun the war will not understand this truth, because for them all beings should be utilized for their convenience.

030326
 It is reported that the sandstorm in the Arabian Peninsula relates to yellow sand that is typical weather phenomenon in Japan and obstruct views. We live in the same earth and international society.

030327
 American people will not elect Bush as U.S. President next. However, the confliction between U.S. and Arab may extents the confliction of Civilizations. The longer extents the war, the more is it possible that Sadam survive as a hero.

030328
 Pessimists will not begin war. Fanciful optimists begin war. Fanciful pessimists harm themselves, but fanciful optimists harm others.

030329
 The most significant idleness of U.S. is she did not research true mind of usual people in Iraq. Why U.S. army could not find Iraqi emotion against U.S., even when it invade Iraq firstly.

030330
 Every people has their own territory, like every animal keeps their territory. If someone invades it, both people and animal resist him instinctively. U.S. administration does not understand this truth. Also, U.S. and British army invade the territory of Arab people. Instinctive resist can extend beyond Arabic world.

030331
 There are American people who said to Iraqis in U.S. that go back your native land, if they do not support U.S. However, this opinion is very arrogant. Who invade other’s land? Do Iraqis who live in U.S. invade U.S.? Even if Iraqis took refuge from Iraqi regime, they do not abandon being Iraqi. If American people insist so, U.S. will drive out not only industrial factories, but also intellectual people who support American prosperity. Notice the fact that the Nazis drove out the Jews!
 

Hallow! Iwata desu (This is Iwata). How are you doing?

Excuse me that I could not send you [Japan Report] so often. Today I begin my message with referring to the attitude of Japanese government to Iraq problem.

Japanese Prime Minister, Junichirou Koizumi, declare to support Bush Ministration, though most of Japanese people opposite military attack against Iraq. It is very strange thing, not only because it is against many Japanese's will, but also one of main Japanese diplomatic principle is to solve problems by peaceful way. Actually, many corporations in western countries relates to Iraq in its military institutions, only Japanese has nothing to do with.

Frankly speaking, Japanese people do not have much interest in the problem of Iraq, though it will give bad influence Japanese economy. It is because the problem of North Korea is more serious for Japanese people. Some one says the reason why Japanese Administration support U.S. in Iraq problem is it must cooperate Bush Administration to solve the problem of North Korea. It may be true, but I think that this attitude call opposite effect for Japan. Because, once U.S. completed
Iraq attack, it will consider attacking North Korea next. If U.S. attacks North Korea, Japan is primary target not only of nuclear weapon, but also of poison gas. Even if North Korea does not have nuclear missile, it can carry poison gas using balloons. The dictator Kim is most awful ruler in our world. He does not have normal sense as ruler, and cannot distinguish fantasy and real world.

Any way, I had not understood why Japanese leaders can't compete with U.S. I guess one of the reasons is U.S. government keeps private weakness of Japanese politicians. It may be true. However, I find now the psychological complex of Japanese people to American civilization.

Recently, like other Asian countries, many Japanese elites graduate from American Universities, and they influenced American advanced society. U.S. is very attractive country. Much excellent intelligence concentrate in this country, it leads our world not only in the branch of technology, but also in the branch of managements. They are charmed by these greatness, and feel the need to introduce last system in U.S. to their native lands.

However, how many people notice the problem of U.S.?

It is a little hard to find problems in advanced courtiers. Especially so, in the case that students from developing countries study in advanced. The most important interest for them is to introduce civilization to their lands, and so they often ignore culture problems in advanced countries. This tendency is more conspicuous, if they have awareness of elites to lead their native land. At the end, they are attracted prosperous but temporal success in advanced lands.

The most significant weak point of American Culture is it does not acquire the sense of tradition enough. In the sphere of study (especially social studies), it is the shortage of historical sense. When I read writings written by American people and the people who had studies in U.S., I find they conclude something only depending on something clearly visible. They may calculate something, but do not consider so well. When we consider something well, we should care
indirect reason or background behind objects. Even if it appears available temporal, it may bring significant evil to our ancestors. The problem of genetic recombination suggests this danger typically. Without the knowledge of history, it is impossible to discuss the problem of something behind enough. History tells us many example of fail, which shows us the danger us the danger of temporal prosperity.

Norbert Wiener, who established the idea of Cybernetics, pointed out the loss of [the idea of tragedy] in American people. This idea leads us [humility] and [restrained ambition], but few American people think of this kind of negative virtue positively. The philosophy of success recommends us prosperity regardless of such virtues. How many American people respect the word of Ecclesiastes?

*What has happened before will happen again. What has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new in the whole world. [Ecclesiastes 1: 9]

Most social confliction in 20 century had been caused by the gap between civilized elites and usual people. In Russia, some civilized people forced to change their country by the power of communist party. Also, now, the fail of modernization brought enthusiasms of nationalists and radical Muslim activity. In Japan, it is same. After the Meiji Restoration, Japanese people eagerly learned European civilization, and after World War 2, they have followed U.S. Whenever they accept
foreigner culture, they abandon their own native tradition. Especially, the latter case was too serious. Not only elite people, but also usual people had been Americanized. After the War, people used to say that the reason of Japanese defeat is the difference of material power between America and Japan. In those days, Japanese people were suffering from the shortage of material, and so it is natural that they were attracted U.S. material power. However, it is not correct to attribute their defeat to the difference of material power. The true reason of Japanese defeat lie originally in their silliness to begin the War.

This silliness is alive even now. Rather, it becomes to grow because of Japanese recession. It is said that this recession is second defeat after World War 2. It may be true. However, observing Japanese elites, they seem to repeat same mistake like first defeat, because they do not reflect themselves and seek ideal example out of Japan, U.S.

I had been stayed in Texas for 10 months. Different from usual Japanese elites, it was very happy for me to have classes for African American people. I could read the tragedy of U.S. history on faces of shy African Americans. Also, I had studied oriental traditional thought with western thought and the knowledge of Bible. I could talk with American people concerning the topic of Bible frequently. Some Japanese students who studied abroad in Meiji Period (more than a hundred years ago) had their traditional culture and leaned western civilization with its culture. Their typical result is Inazou Nitobe’s writing, ‘Bushido’. He referred Japanese tradition, Buhidou (the code of samurai), from the point of Christianity. He was a Christian as well as the people who respect Japanese tradition. However, how many Japanese elites who study in U.S. have the sense of Japanese cultural tradition.

The Japanese elites who will follow U.S. regards usual people as silly and have the pride to reconstruct Japanese society again. However, which is silly, elites or usual people? Japanese elites are reasonable fool, because they seek to find some solution accurately depending on old and meaningless premise. If Bush Administration decides to attack Iraq, what will be Japanese future? They cannot consider the danger of North Korea. Also, they cannot imagine how much money Japan must spend for Iraqi reconstruction. Too much burden can trigger the worldwide recession from Japan! So far Japanese administration support Bush in U.N., it will not be avoided to pay money for Iraq.

Now many people, not only Japanese but also foreigners, worry about Japanese bankruptcy and hope Japanese Renaissance. However, there are many obstacles to expect Japanese revival.