It's really comfortable to have a coffee break in the early hours in the grounds of the shrine. Amid a scorching summer, only this time slot is acceptable. I'm terrible with summer. Anyway, it became noisy outside the shrine. Many riot policemen gathered in a few lines in a strict manner guarding the entrance of the shrine. Their existence wasn't in harmony with the solemnity of Yasukuni shrine. The unrest was due to Korean and Chinese people. I horribly resented them causing a commotion.
Then I visited the National Archives of Japan to see the special display of the imperial rescript to end the Greater East Asian War. On Aug. 15th in 1945, this rescript travelled on the radio not only across Japan but to overseas military personnel. By it all the Japanese people completely stopped fighting except for the fight against the northern territory's Russian invasion. In the display, you can see several drafts with various remarks and corrections. I'll show you the original writing below.
What was then in the mind of what you call the Emperor of Japan, Tennoh, though "Emperor" isn't a proper word for Tennoh. I saw some melancholy in those drafts. I'd like to write about the moment when the government decided to stop fighting someday. You'll be amazed to know it and at the same time understand why the Japanese people promptly accepted the defeat and obeyed the disarmament.
(Vocabulary)
time slot 時間帯、時間割
in harmony with sth (外観について) ＜…＞と調和して
solemnity [U] 厳粛さ, 荘厳さ
unrest (社会的な) 不安, 不穏な状態
resent (sb) doing sth （＜人＞が）＜…＞することに憤慨する
cause a commotion 騒ぎを起こす
National Archives of Japan 国立公文書館
rescript 布告、法令、勅令、勅語
imperial rescript 詔勅
Imperial Rescript on Education 《the ～》〔1890年の日本の〕教育に関する勅語、教育勅語
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2008/08/aug-15th-war-en.html
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/08/german-and-engl.html
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