Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 3

　　Let's check the battleship the Prince of Wales. It was a huge battleship mounted with ten 14-inch guns and powerful anti-aircraft guns nicknamed "pom-pom" guns. The latter could shoot 6000 bullets per minute. She had experienced a fierce air attack from Germany and Italy 2 years before. Additionally the crew was well trained to repel the aircraft. Moreover, the name of the battleship, the "Prince of Wales" derived from the name of Edward VIII in his Crown Prince days, the elder brother of then king George VI. How proud of this battleship the Brits were. Another battleship, Repulse was alike. The commander of the fleet was Admiral Thomas Phillips who was the best veteran officer. They were unarguably the strongest in the world. They set out at past 1700 hours on Dec 8th from Singapore searching for the Japanese fleet in order to smash them.
　　How about the Japanese side? Against the world's most powerful British fleet, Japan could only spare two old battleships, Kongo and Haruna, whose age was 27 years old. Their armaments were at most the level of cruisers. It was just like a joke. No one would believe the victory of Japan, however Japan actually survived both the Japanese-Sino and Japanese-Russo War in the same situation. That's why Britain delivered the most powerful battleships to the East. If Japan couldn't win the battle, the troops proceeding down the Malay Peninsula would be completely killed by the shortage of military necessities.　　Link to Next

Pom-pom guns

戦艦プリンスオブウェールズは毎分６０００発もの弾を射出できるポムポム砲など、当時最高クラスの武器を搭載し、ヨーロッパ戦線において十分な経験を積んだ戦艦。その艦名にも彼らの自信が感じられる。当時の国王ジョージ６世の兄王である、エドワード８世の即位前の王太子プリンス・オブ・ウェールズの名前を冠していたのだ。さらに英国東洋艦隊司令長官は、実戦経験の豊富な英国の誇る最強の士官、トーマス・フィリップス海軍大将。彼らは、日本のマレー上陸部隊の輸送船団を攻撃するために最強の布陣「Ｚ部隊」を編成し、１２月８日１７時過ぎに、全艦シンガポールを出撃した。これに対し、日本が対抗して派遣できたのは、艦齢２７年の金剛と榛名の二隻だけ。兵装・装甲の厚さも巡洋艦程度の実力しかない戦艦である。悪い冗談としか思えないが、日本は同様な条件で日清／日露の戦いを制した実績があり、これを知る英艦隊は最新鋭の不沈戦艦を派遣したのだった。一方日本は、英艦隊に敗れればシンガポール攻略を図る日本陸軍への支援を絶たれ、陸軍は下手をすれば全滅する。そのような状況なのだが割ける艦船は、金剛と榛名しかない。どうなってしまうのか、、

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 2

　　In the U.S.-distorted post-war education, I was taught as follows: that is, the Imperial Headquarters was so stupid that they didn't notice the importance of aircraft and continued to rely on ships. As a result, Yamato was destroyed mainly by military aircraft. It seems that the U.S. would like to instill disgust at Japanese military knowledge into Japanese young people such as me. Is this true? I declare it's wrong and I'll write about the evidence that proves me right.
　　In the first place, it was Japan who sent a battleship to the bottom for the first time in the world. I don't mean Pearl Harbor. The battleships destroyed by the air assault at Pearl Harbor weren't in operation. The switches of those ships were off! There is another precedent in the battle of Taranto which took place on the night of 11-12th November 1940 during the Second World War, and the ships sunk were moored in this case too.
　　I'm going to talk about the naval battle off Malaya, in which the proud British battleships of the Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk by land-based bombers and torpedo bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This engagement was fought on 10th December 1941, 2 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and it was the beginning of the rise of the power of naval aviation over the guns of battleships.
　　Viewing also the following years of history, there were only 2 cases apart from the naval battle off Malaya in which the battleship in operation was sunk. The name of the battleships were Yamato(Apr. 7th 1945) and Musashi(Oct. 24th 1944), both of which were repeatedly attacked by overwhelmingly huge numbers of military aircraft before sinking. In other words, the battleship had such a strong and overwhelming power at that time.
　　The naval battle off Malaya was an unprecedented mission for Japan to attack only by aircraft the strongest and bravest battleships in the world at that time. Anything you do first since recorded history requires an unbelievably tremendous amount of time and effort. You'll appreciate how daring Japan was in those days.
　　What of the British side? Britain along with the U.S. had been pushing Japan to the brink of waging war against the allied nations since long ago, and eventually and successfully they plunged Japan into the bottom of deep sorrow. Britain was already ready for fighting Japan. They would be confident of victory in the battle.
　　Six days before the battle, Force Z moored in Singapore, which consisted of the battleship the Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser Repulse and four destroyers. The objective of Force Z was to intercept the Japanese fleet with its extraordinary power. On the other hand, Japan had to transport military supplies to the troops which were going down south on the Malay Peninsula.　　Link to Next

(Vocabulary)
the Imperial Headquarters　（旧日本軍の）大本営
instill  to teach someone to think, behave, or feel in a particular way over a period of time:
instil confidence/fear/discipline etc into sb A manager's job is to instil determination into his players.
prove sb right/correct  ＜人＞が正しいことを証明する
send ~ to the bottom  ～を沈める
the naval battle off Malaya  マレー沖海戦
rise 《常に単数形で》台頭, 権力獲得, 出世
the rise of fascism ファシズムの台頭
her rise from poverty 彼女が貧困から身を起こしたこと
the rise and fall of sb/sth ＜…＞の興亡, 栄枯盛衰
appreciate 《[他]進行形不可》…を認識する, 理解する
appreciate how/why  どれだけ［なぜ］…かを認識する
It is difficult to appreciate how bad the situation has become. 状況がどれだけ悪化したのかを認識するのは難しい．
fully appreciate  完全に認識［理解］する
fail to appreciate something  ＜…＞を認識［理解］できない
daring 危険を伴う; 怖いもの［命］知らずの; 斬新な, 大胆な: [名] [U] 度胸; 斬新さ, 大胆さ
a daring rescue attempt 危険を伴う救助活動
a daring young officer 命知らずの若い将校
what of ...? (formal) (ほかの人やもののことを持ち出して) …はどうなんですか？



Battleship Yamato

我々が戦後の偏向教育で教えられたことがある。戦艦の時代から航空機の時代に変わっていたことに気がつかなかった大本営が馬鹿だというのだが、そもそも世界で最初に航空機で軍事行動中の戦艦を沈めたのは、日本なのだ。航空機で戦艦を沈めた先例としては真珠湾攻撃とタラントの戦いがあるが、そのどちらも撃沈したのは作戦行動中の戦艦ではなく、スイッチの切られた、港に停泊している戦艦だった。作戦行動中の戦艦を撃沈したのはマレー沖海戦での日本が世界最初であり、その後においても現代までの世界の戦史において、航空部隊が作戦行動中の戦艦を沈めた事例は、このマレー沖海戦と、終戦間際に圧倒的な航空機をもって沈められた戦艦大和（昭和２０年４月７日）、同様に大多数の航空機をもって沈められた武蔵（昭和１９年１０月２４日）の３例しかない。言い換えれば、戦艦（バトル・シップ）というものは、それだけ強力かつ圧倒的な存在だった。まして、マレー沖海戦が、世界で最初に戦艦を航空機で叩くという作戦だったということは、前例のない不可能への挑戦だったということであり、何事も、はじめてのことというのは、たいへんな緊張と決断力を要することを考えれば、日本が、どれだけ凄かったかがわかろうというものだ。一方、英国軍にしてみれば、日本を追いつめ、開戦に踏み切らせたわけで、すでに何ヶ月も前から日本がやってくることを見越して、準備万端整えて、日本軍を待ち受けていた。マレーの海域で、英国海軍は、１００％確実に勝利できる体制をひいていた。開戦の６日前の１２月２日に、英国の誇る最新鋭の巨大不沈戦艦である「プリンス・オブ・ウェールズ」、巡洋戦艦レパルス、その他駆逐艦４隻からなるＧ艦隊をシンガポールのセレター軍港に入港させていた。

Battleships: Prince of Wales and Yamato 1

　　I rang in the New Year and I chose the biggest-ever battleship Yamato as the topic of my first entry. Two battleships were built of the same size just before the Greater East Asian War; one was Yamato and the other was Musashi. Far bigger battleships than them would never be built any more, because the role of battleships in war decreased. Both Yamato and Musashi were attacked by airplanes and torpedoed. The end of Yamato was more tragic than that of Musashi, so Yamato remains in Japanese minds even now as the symbol of the tragedy of the war. Testifying to the popularity of Yamato, Yamato was featured in a Japanese anime and it was exported as "Space Battleship Yamato", also known as "Star Blazers" in the U.S. I'll cite the description from Wikipedia about Star Blazers;
　　Star Blazers is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series, Space Battleship Yamato l (1974), ll (1978), and lll (1980). Star Blazers was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. Significantly, it was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plot and storyline that required the episodes to be shown in order. It dealt with somewhat more mature themes than other productions aimed at the same target audience at the time. As a result, it paved the way for future arc-based, plot-driven anime translations.
　　Returning to the topic, I will build my thoughts about the last war around the battleship Yamato. This topic will need ten or more entries, but please keep subscribing.
　　Yamato headed out for Okinawa with only enough fuel for one-way and without any defence force by fighters in April 1945, when the Greater East Asian War was near its end. It meant that the crew were going to throw away their lives. Some people referred to this action as a reckless plan, but is that so? Actually, Yamato sank in the East China Sea on the way, receiving air assaults by numerous aircraft and being torpedoed by submarines. Was Yamato foolhardy? I feel like this action included an invisible and monumental intention.
　　Temporarily, the allied forces would feel on top of the world. The pilots of military aircraft would be in ecstasy, attacking and sinking the world's biggest battleship! They must have had a boisterous party.
　　However, when the fever of victory fades away from the winner's mind and the grief of losers diminishes after a certain span of time, and both winners and losers obtain understanding, some surely put on their thinking caps. The last voyage of Yamato might suit the purpose of such people who can see history through neutral eyes. Is it still too early to think about the causes and effects of the war serenely, beyond a dichotomy between winners and losers?
　　As Voltaire said in his Letter to Frederick the Great; History is truly written only in nations with freedom. I'm writing about Yamato in the following several entries.　Link to Next

Star Blazers Intro (English) 　

Star Blazers

(Vocabulary)
ring in the New Year　新年を迎える
testify to sth ＜…＞を明示［証明］する
an animated movie アニメーション映画
adaptation [C] 改作, 翻案, 脚色
television/film/stage adaptation  テレビ［映画，舞台］用の脚色
significantly  《文修飾》 重要なことは
overarching 全体にわたる, 包括的な
a target audience/group/market  対象となる視聴者［グループ，市場］
The target audience for this magazine is women aged 25-45. この雑誌が対象とする読者は25歳から45歳の女性だ．
audience 1 (コンサート・講演・映画などの) 聴衆, 観衆, 観客; 2 (テレビの) 視聴者（層）, (ラジオの) 聴取者（層）, (雑誌・本などの) 読者（層）
a captive audience  とらわれの聴衆
Advertisers make use of the fact that they have a captive audience on trains. 広告主は電車の中にとらわれの聴衆がいるという状況をうまく利用している．
[!] There were about 200 people in the audience (×200 audiences). 観客はおよそ200人ほどいた．audienceは集合名詞なのでaudiencesは不可．
build stories around  ～を中心に据えて物語を作る
assault [C] (軍事的な) 攻撃, 急襲
a military/an air/a ground assault  軍の［空からの，地上］攻撃
foolhardy 無謀な, むちゃな, 向こう見ずな
monumental 《通例[名]の前で》とてつもない, とんでもない
a monumental task  とてつもない任務
in ecstasy  歓喜して
put on your thinking cap (informal) じっくり考える, 熟考する
dichotomy (formal) 二分される違い, 二項対立 [＋dichotomy between]
serenely (人・表情などについて) 穏やかに, 安らかに; (場所・景色などについて) 穏やかに, のどかに
Letter to Frederick the Great; ヴォルテール ｢フリードリヒ大王への書簡-1739/4/27｣ 歴史は自由な国においてのみ真実に書かれうる。

日本海軍が作った当時としては世界最大最新鋭の戦艦、大和と武蔵。戦艦の価値が下がった今、これ以上の船が造られることはあるまい。大和は同型艦武蔵と比べ、より悲劇的な最後だったため日本人の心に今でも残っている。大和は宇宙戦艦ヤマトというアニメにも登場し米国にも輸出された。なぜか名前はスターブレイザーと変えられているが、これはもしかしたら大和という戦艦を米国民に知られたくないのかもしれない、、、戦艦大和の最後の任務と宇宙戦艦ヤマトの任務と重なっていることが米国の子供達には隠されている。確固としたストーリーを持つアニメは米国ではこれが最初だという。大和は片道分の燃料だけで航空機の護衛もなく出撃し、東シナ海に沈んだ。これは無謀な攻撃だろうか。沈めた方はどんちゃん騒ぎをしたことだろう。沈められた方は悲しみに沈んだだろう。しかし、時が経ち、勝者と敗者の興奮と悲しみが薄れ冷静に歴史を見ることができるようになったとき、大和の出撃はどのように評価されるのだろうか。

Command Center of the Imperial Japanese Navy

　　On the last day in Okinawa, I visited the former site of the command center of the Imperial Navy. People in Okinawa resisted the U.S. until the last minute in 1945. The top officials of the Navy turned their guns on themselves or had their hand-grenades on their arms in this command center to take responsibility for the defeat. Some following pictures show the inside of the commander's room. You can see the bullet-pocked or damaged walls by the broken pieces of their grenades. There were brief descriptions in every room and they were enough to know the cruelty of the war. Who and for what started the last war? The answer is now being brought to light bit by bit. I'm going to write my opinion in this blog.
　　This center was constructed in the underground of a hill near Naha airport. When you stand there, you can get the whole view in all directions. It's maybe why this hill was chosen as the fort. A monument stood on top of the hill in memory of people who had departed around here. My wife and I commemorated them by a moment of silence. What were they thinking about in their fading consciousness. No one would want to die. I decided to write about the last war from the eye of a Japanese.

(Vocabulary)
bullet hole/mark 弾痕
a body full of bullet holes 弾痕だらけの死体
bullet-pocked 弾痕の残る
commemorate someone by a moment of silence  黙とうで（人）を追悼する

Demonstration

　　I had another schedule on this day. It was to join in a demonstration to celebrate the birthday of Ten-noh, who is, what you call, the backbone of Japan.
　　There are lots of agents from China and Korea in Okinawa, who are aiming to brainwash Japanese people into hating Japan and the U.S. Even the principal media in Okinawa acclaim those agents. So, some Japanese people have a lot of prejudice against Okinawaite like that Okinawa wants to become independent from Japan, or wants to be a part of the People's Republic of China. After seeing how Okinawa is, however, I can declare, "it's wrong." Most people in Okinawa know better.
　　Participants got together at Makishi Kouen Park at the east end of Kokusaidori Street which is well-known as one of the sightseeing points and attracts lots of not only local people but tourists. We sang the national anthem of Japan at first and started our demonstration march toward the west end of the street, where my hotel is located. Slogans were roughly three; "Viva Okinawa!", "Your Imperial Majesty, Happy Birthday!" and "Thank you for your concern about us." Lots of people cheered us, and the declaration of their will made me really happy.
　　It also was nice to talk with people who love Japan and have the same way of thinking as me.

(Vocabulary)
brainwash sb into doing sth ＜人＞を洗脳して＜…＞させる
acclaim 称賛, 絶賛;…を称賛する, ほめたたえる
take to the streets/highways (抗議などのために) 街頭［大通り］に繰り出す
Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the election results. 何千もの人が選挙結果に抗議して街頭に繰り出した．
know better もっと分別がある、わきまえている、慎重である
declare [他]〈意図・気持ち・愛など〉を表明する, 明言する, 断言する
"It's not fair," he declared. 「それは不公平だ」と彼は強く断言した．
indication of intention; declaration of intent/intention/will  意思表示

Present From ANA (Japan-based Airline)

　　I got a present of two return tickets to the cities Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya or Naha, which are connected with my hometown of Matsuyama City by ANA direct flight. I picked the last choice up. I'm going to write about my trip to Okinawa whose capital city is Naha.
　　I left Matsuyama in the pouring rain. About an hour later, the captain announced that we were flying above Kagoshima Prefecture in the south of Kyushu. Due to the thick cloud, I couldn't see the ocean, but I remembered Chiran air station in Kagoshima Prefecture from which pilots of the "Kamikaze Suicide Squad" flew toward the U.S. fleet 68 years ago. How long did it take for them bearing heavy bombs to reach the target. After taking off, they must have put up with the solitude because they were prohibited to use wireless communication so as not to be detected by the U.S. What were they thinking? About their sweetheart? Family? Friend? Childhood? I was so sorry to be happy on the passenger plane. At the same time, I was proud of them. They truly had Bushido, the soul of Japan, I believe. I'd like to cite the words of Inazo Nitobe; "Unformulated, Bushido was and still is the animating spirit, the motor force of our country". I hope the truth about the last war will be revealed.

(Vocabulary)
Unformulated, Bushido was and still is the animating spirit, the motor force of our country.
新渡戸稲造：決して定義されているわけではないが、武士道は、今も昔も日本人に息づく魂であり、我が国の原動力である。
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１２月の沖縄旅行。マイレージが貯まったので行ってみました。途中、機長の挨拶で、鹿児島県上空を飛んでいると聞いて知覧を飛び立った特攻隊員のことを考えました。重い爆弾を抱えてどのくらい孤独な時間を過ごしたのでしょう。盛大な見送りを受けて飛び立ったものの沖縄沖の敵艦を発見するまでたった一人。その間、何を考え、死んでいったのでしょう。彼らの存在は今生きる日本人が誇りにすべきものと考えます。

A Fire

　　An end of year party at a nearby restaurant was scheduled after work yesterday. We got off work on time. Just after changing my clothes, I heard a wail of a siren and an announcement, which informed us of the outbreak of a fire near my hospital and called on all members of the fire-fighting team to gather at the scene.
　　Opening the window, the wall of the building across the street was stained with a shade of red. The scene was extremely close. I went out of the hospital to grasp the situation immediately and found the fire at a two-layer wooden house adjacent to the parking lot of the hospital. Most staff members had already headed for the restaurant, but they were called back and got ready to evacuate inpatients from their rooms. Besides, some moved their cars to a secure place to escape the fire. All the staff members of my hospital were already in relaxed mode, but were forcibly returned to work mode. Fortunately, the resident in the burning house, who lived alone and was a rather aged woman, was out walking her dog at the time.
　　I'll show you pictures of the house burning and just before the inspection the next day. The wind was not so hard when the house burned. It was lucky that the fire didn't spread out across the town.

(Vocabulary)
wail [自](サイレンなどが)かん高く鳴る;1 泣き叫ぶ声;2 (風・サイレン・楽器などの) 悲しげな音
He could hear sirens wailing in the distance. 彼は遠くの方でかん高いサイレンの音を聞いた．
forcibly  力ずくで, 力任せに; 徹底的に, 強硬に
return （こんなわかりきった単語でもたまには辞書引きは必要ですね）
a) [自] return to sth　＜元の状態＞に戻る
return to normal 通常（の状態）に戻る
After a couple of weeks, things had returned to normal.　数週間後には事態は平常に戻っていた．
b) [他] return sth to sth　＜…＞を＜元の状態＞に戻す
efforts to return the company to profitability　会社を再び黒字に転じさせようという試み
[同意] restore sth to sth

Senile Dementia?

　　Today, a nearly 90 year-old patient visited my opd a week earlier than I expected. He has long been seeing me regularly, but he didn't have an appointment today. However, he asked me to give him injections of the analgesics consisting of hyaluronic acid into his bilateral knee joints.
　　According to his words, he, along with his wife, had been invited to a memorial ceremony held by the U.S. Navy, casually dropping the name of the Commander of the Navy and they had to visit Tokyo this weekend. He wanted the injection for prevention of pain from his knee joints for fear of the long walking.
　　He lives deep in the forest and is a mere common farmer. I didn't believe his story, but I wanted to joke with him saying "Is your destination really Tokyo? Isn't it Yokosuka?" He replied, "Yes, How do you know that?" I just knew that the naval base is located in Yokosuka City and had no idea about the memorial ceremony." However, I started to think that his story might be true.
　　You always have to keep away prejudices, I deeply realized. He was one of the rescuers of the U.S. aircraft accident that had occurred near here in 1952 and also one of the founders of the monument to fourteen U.S. soldiers who had passed away at that time. This year is the 60th anniversary. Sorry for the kidding, old man! You are right!

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2009/04/short-touring.html

(Vocabulary)
joke with sb ＜人＞をからかう
drop  [他]〈言葉・名前など〉をふと口にする, 漏らす
She casually dropped his name into the conversation. 彼女は会話の中で彼の名前をふと漏らした．
casually  何げなしに

Umimori, Guard Of Coast 海守

　　Arrogant China is desirous of taking control of the Japanese territory of Senkaku Islands, which are located in the southwest of Japan. On the islands, before the last war, more than hundreds of Japanese people used to live for processing marine products like dried bonitos and feather from albatross. Due to the outbreak of the Greater East Asian War, the residents had to give up their work. No Chinese had ever lived on the islands. Additionally there is lots of evidence to prove the validity of Japan's ownership.
　　On the other hand, China has made lots of effort to eliminate old maps of their own from Japan since the seventies, because those maps, although they were printed in China, clearly indicate Japanese sovereignty over the islands. Every one of the old maps printed in China, imported into Japan and stored in used bookstores in Japan, have been bought up by Chinese agents. Even maps stored in the National Diet Library were stolen or damaged.
　　The arrogance of China woke up lots of Japanese people, who had been sleeping under the long-lasting peace. Then, they came to know the importance of the defense of the coast. That's why a number of people, including me, joined a voluntary body, "Umimori", literally the guard of the coast. The members sometimes get together to clean up the beach, or constantly pay attention to the changes of the sea. The picture shows my membership card.

(Vocabulary)
desirous of sth (フォーマル) ＜…＞を望んで
National Diet Library〔【略】NDL〕 国立国会図書館
validity  正当性, 妥当性; (切符・文書などの) 有効性; 法的な有効性, 合法性
body [C] 団体, 組織
The American Medical Association is the doctors' main professional body. 米国医師会は医師の主要な職業団体である．

Kamikaze, Special Attack Force

　　More than 2600 years have passed since the foundation of Japan. However, Japan hasn't always stayed independent during this span of existence. Japan was governed by the U.S. for 6 years and 8 months about 60 years ago. The products manufactured in Japan during the governed period were stamped as "Made in Occupied Japan". That is to say, Japan wasn't independent for nearly seven years. Japan was forced to take a major role of minesweeping around the Korean Peninsula during the Korean War. It led to the successful invasion of U.N. troops onto the coast of Incheon and consequently the restoration of South Korea, but there are no appreciative words for Japan on the monument standing at Panmunjom, but it's natural because the independent nation of Japan didn't exist at that time.
　　In 1952, Japan finally attained its independence after all sorts of troubles and difficulties. However, Japan has completely changed. We were brainwashed and our Constitution, which was drawn up and forced on us by the U.S. 60 years ago, is still highly prized, while Germany, which had likewise lost the war, has modified their Constitution more than 50 times.
　　Oct. 25th is the day when the suicide attacks by fighters started. The leader of the first attack team was from Saijo City near my hometown. He left his newly-wed wife, charged toward an aircraft carrier and sank it.
　　What impressions will people have about the Greater East Asian War several hundreds years from now?

(Vocabulary)
after all sorts of troubles and difficulties  幾多の紆余曲折を乗り越えて

Nagasaki

I honor the victims of the tragedy in Nagasaki, those who knew and loved them, and those who are struggling to recover.

 

Hiroshima

My hands shake as I pray and think of the victims in Hiroshima.

 

 

American Fall

　　We were fingerprinted in the immigration procedure. Our fingerprints were never listed in any black lists in the world, and so I wasn't afraid of any accusation or being taken into custody. However, we didn't feel good. We weren't criminals, but the rule was the rule. I obeyed the U.S. immigration rules. I knew that the security check at the immigration counter in the U.S. had become stricter in the past decade due to the undiscriminating terror threat to the U.S. To tell the truth, I have never chosen a U.S.-based airline company for more than a decade due to the same reason. Until the U.S. abolishes the collection of fingerprints from travelers, I would never stop avoiding U.S. airlines.
　　Anyway, back to the Niagara Falls, we headed for the American Fall immediately. The Niagara Falls are formed on the Niagara River separating the U.S. from Canada and so the Niagara Falls are divided into part of the U.S. and part of Canada. We went close to the part of the U.S., which is called the American Fall. I'll show you pictures of the fall below. I hope you'll see how magnificent it was.

(Vocabulary)
fingerprint 〈人〉の指紋をとる
undiscriminating terrorism  無差別テロ

5th Ski Day, Lunch

　　We brought our lunch up to the mountain today too. That's because most of the menu items in the lodge were too oily for us. To my surprise, my friends grew accustomed to having lunch in the lodges and they used the hot water provided for tea bag users to prepare cup noodles. The instant noodles packed in a cup or pot are called "cup noodles" in Japan, but I don't know what they are called in Canada. Is "cup noodles" the acknowledged name? Anyway, the combination of rice balls, hot noodles and a bottle of domestic beer was perfect.

　　The weather was not so good in the afternoon. We got back soon after lunch and whiled away the early evening. As for me, I rushed to the jacuzzi, which was one of the best amusements.

　　The second picture was of the driver's seat on the shuttle bus. I visited here after a 4 year interval and found that shuttle buses had become very stylish and clean. Judging from the logo, "Fuel Cell", printed on the bus, the buses must be driven by electricity. It will contribute to green action. As for the drivers, I often saw Indian people working. It was the same for taxis. I didn't know why, but the security of Canada is great and they can communicate with English. I wondered whether these ideas might be the reason.

(Vocabulary)
while away sth  ＜時＞をのんびり過ごす
fuel cell:   a piece of equipment that combines two different ELEMENTS, such as OXYGEN and HYDROGEN, to produce electricity in order to supply power to a vehicle or machine

Unbroken Will

　　Firstly I'd like to write what I thought concerning the accident of Space Shuttle Challenger. While I had my hair cut in a barber shop in 1986, the incident was broadcasted on TV. I remember just like yesterday that I was shocked to watch the videotape of the incident. One of the crews was a Japanese American. I thought that the accident would lead the Space Shuttle Project to an end.

　　After two and a half years of struggle, however, NASA successfully launched another Space Shuttle, Discovery, and this achievement encouraged me to work hard in the midst of surgeon's training course. I deeply admired the persevering spirit of the U.S., feeling the bravery like phoenix in them.

　　According to the official report, the cause of the accident was the deterioration of an O-ring which seals the joint of solid fuel tank, and to my surprise and anger, although this fault was already known by NASA and the maker, they apparently underestimated the risk derived from it and covered up the fact. It's natural that this bureaucratic attitude of NASA which brought malfunction of safety management was accused at that time.

　　Richard Phillips Feynman, who was the leader of the investigation team of the accident, concludes his report as follows; (I re-translated his words from Japanese translation, so what is below is not exactly his words.)

　　The fact has to take precedence over keeping up appearances, because you can never deceive nature.

　　Even though, it may sound condescending and complacent, I think that all of the persons involved in Fukushima Daiichi Plant could learn good lessons from the improvement of the Space Shuttle project team.

　　Lastly, my daughter is going to stay in Toronto for a month this summer for learning English. Under the excuse of visiting her in Toronto, I'm thinking to drop in at Washington D.C. to see Discovery in the National Air and Space Museum.

(Vocabulary)
persevering  [形](ほめて)忍耐強い
deterioration [U] 悪化, 劣化, (質の) 低下
bureaucratic  官僚的な
take/have precedence (over sb/sth) （＜…＞に）優先する
keep up appearances  体面を保つ, 見えを張る
even though, it may sound condescending and complacent, ...
偉そうに、あるいは独善的に思えるかもしれませんが、...
condescending (けなして) 人を見下したような, 偉そうな, 尊大な
complacent 自己満足した, 独りよがりの

E-mail from a Senator

　　I got a kind e-mail from a Senator of Virginia in the U.S. the other day. The story goes like this:

　　Some news of the repetitive questionable lobbying by Koreans who live in Virginia came to me. The Koreans' aim is to revise the maps in the textbooks, changing the Sea of Japan to the East Sea without substantial reasons. I thought that those Koreans were hopeless, while I didn't have any answers against their appeal. I could only watch how it might come out. I couldn't help letting matters take their course.

　　A couple of weeks later, some favorable news arrived. Their bill was killed by a narrow margin, 8 to 7. I was relieved to know the result.

　　Korean people, along with Chinese people, seem to believe that they can get anything by loudly insisting on it, no matter whether their point is right or not. There's another context in Japan just now. The Mayor of Nagoya City, Mr. Kawamura, officially announced that the Massacre of Nanking was fiction fabricated by Chinese Communists. Consequently, the authorities of Nanking City stopped the friendship events between Nagoya City and Nanking City in a unilateral way. The relationship as sister cities is suspended now.

　　Back to Virginia, I sent e-mails to Senators who denied the Koreans' proposal, to express my gratitude and one of them replied to it. I was happy and understood that I have at least one means of voicing my opinion even overseas.

(Vocabulary)
questionable 〈行為・人格などが〉いかがわしい, 不審な;〈決定・結果などが〉疑わしい
the story goes like this: 話はこうだ
substantial  重要な, 価値のある
We need more substantial evidence than this.  これよりももっと確かな証拠が必要だ．
let matters take their course  ことの成り行きに任せる
point 論点
in a unilateral way  一方的に
voice (フォーマル)〈意見・懸念・異議など〉を声に出す
He refused to voice an opinion.  彼は意見を述べるのを拒否した．

(Feb. 5th)

Nuke Disaster Drill

　　My hometown is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture, which is located in Shikoku, the smallest island of the four main islands of Japan. As you know, Japan has experienced a series of huge earthquakes, tsunami and the serious nuclear plant accident last March.

　　Japan has more than 50 nuclear reactors across the country and three of them are in Ehime. Those reactors belong to Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. My office is located within the circle of 30 kilometers in radius from the plant. Today, a massive nuclear disaster drill was conducted. My personal opinion is that the plant is substantially secure against disasters. The reactors were built with Japanese highly advanced nuclear technology. On the other hand, the reactors damaged by the tsunami in Fukushima were introduced from the U.S. at the still early days of nuclear power technology. It means they were old-fashioned. It would be the company's fault that they didn't concern themselves over the expected lifetime of the reactors. They should have replaced the reactors.

　　Anyway, the magnitude of the drill was unprecedented. I don't know how much money was channeled to the drill. Lots of townspeople; authorities like police, town officials, hospitals, every kind of school (primary, nursery,, ,), besides physically challenged people. Some were transferred by buses and boats. Others were picked up by choppers of the Self-Defence Force and the Coast Guard. Hospital personnel were engaged in the decontamination work of radioactive substances. It was just like a scene from a film.

(Vocabulary)
conduct an evacuation / an emergency drill 避難訓練をする
substantially  かなり, 大幅に [同意] considerably;  本質的に, 実質的に [同意] essentially
concern 《受け身形不可》〈人〉に関係する, 影響する
How I vote doesn't concern you.  私がどう投票しようとあなたには関係ない．
concern yourself with sth  (フォーマル) ＜…＞にかかわる, 関心を持つ
channel sb/sth into sth  ＜資金・人など＞を＜…＞に流す, 回す
channel sth to sb  ＜資金など＞を＜人＞に提供する
decontamination  除染

Janitor Satellite

　　I found an interesting news item about an artificial satellite, called the Janitor Satellite, which is planned to be launched by Swiss scientists. The title of the news which caught my eye was very nice. I admire the sense of humor of the editors. It's "A Roomba for space!" The url of the news is as follows. Please check it.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-02-15/news/31064905_1_satellite-orbit-debris

　　Additionally, I investigated other medias to know the details of the project. According to the news, about 16000 items of space debris, such as the ruins of rockets and satellites, which are more than 10 cm in diameter, are floating and orbiting around the earth at the speed of 18000 km/h. This debris could destroy the satellites in orbit and kill the astronauts.

　　The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL) worries about the growing risk of space waste and developed the satellite, "Clean Space One". This satellite is supposed to catch space waste, re-enter the atmosphere with them and finally burn itself up. The price of this satellite is estimated to be 10,000,000 Swiss Franc (10 million in US dollars). Switzerland's commitment to nature is beyond question over the years. Knowing about this project, I deeply regarded Switzerland with admiration. Then a simple question came up; who would pay the cost of the project? I believe that China should be mainly responsible, because it intentionally destroyed some satellites in 2007 for military purposes, causing six astronomers' temporary evacuation from the international space station last year.

(Vocabulary)
janitor  (学校・病院などの) 管理人, 用務員

Stupid Sea Shepherd (SSS)

　　A long time has elapsed since the escalation of the anti-whaling movement.

　　Cetaceans are said to be smart, being typified by dolphins. Is that the reason why the SSS is against whaling? Someone says that whales weren't included on Noah's ark. They say that God doesn't regard whales as food for human beings. Were whales just too big to be accommodated?

　　I knew of this story as follows; a small amount of oil obtained from the brain of whales is highly prized as the most useful oil on the globe. It has been utilized in the gyroscope bearing to maintain the position of missiles.

　　The U.S. used to be a whaling nation. It is said that the U.S. changed its attitude toward whaling to prevent other countries from getting that valuable oil. The U.S. has reportedly stored enough oil for 100 years. The progress of GPS might have diminished the importance of the oil, but such excellent oil can be used in many ways. Anti-whaling activists wouldn't know that anti-whaling, supposedly insisting on the importance of life, is associated with the production of weapons.

　　Even if SSS's purpose is genuinely to preserve nature, how do they cope with the outbreak of anisakis in the whaling-prohibited ocean. The number of anisakis used to be controlled by whaling. The amount of fish catches around the Antarctic Ocean will decline due to the change of the food chain. Can we not say that the activity of the SSS is the apotheosis of arrogance, forgetting that human beings are also members of nature.

　　Human beings need other creatures' lives to live. I can't understand their appeal that you can eat livestock like cows, but never eat whales. Because whales are smart? How about the tradition of eating dogs in China and Korea? SSS is full of deception.

　　To claim lives instantly without giving pain, and receive them with thanks, honoring them; it's the Japanese way and far different from simple slaughter.

　　This is the scene of seal slaughter in Canada. People control the number of seals for their livelihood. I don't want to criticise them. What does the SSS think of it?
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/canadian-seal-slaughter.aspx

　　Next, I'll present you a picture and movie from Denmark. They are slaughtering numerous dolphins in a small bay in Denmark. Dolphins are gradually dying. Isn't it cruel? Dolphins are surely suffering pain. What comments does the SSS issue? I hope that people try to remove pain from dolphins.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-371086?ref=feeds/latest

　　As for my personal opinion, the SSS seems to be obsessed by the notion of racial discrimination, just like the former U.S. president, FDR. I can't help feeling like that.

(Vocabulary)
elapse (フォーマル) 〈時が〉 経過する
cetacean クジラ目(もく)
include…を含める, 加える, 盛り込む
include sth in/on sth  ＜…＞に＜…＞を加える
We've included some music in the evening's program. 夕方のプログラムに音楽を盛り込みました．
Noah's ark  ノアの方舟
prized 大切な, 貴重な
highly prized  珍重される
fish catches  漁獲量
catch  [C] (魚の) 捕獲量, 漁獲物
the Antarctic Ocean  南氷洋
food chain  食物連鎖
apotheosis [名] [U](フォーマル)  極致; 頂点
deception  だますこと, 詐欺行為
claim a life/victim 〈事故・病気・戦争などが〉 人命を奪う［犠牲者を出す］
slaughter  [名] [U] (家畜の) 食肉処理, 畜殺;(けなして) (人間の) 大量虐殺
livelihood  生計
We depend on tourism for our livelihood.  我々は観光業で生計を立てている．

 

State Guests from Bhutan

　　The King of Bhutan and his newly wedded wife visited Japan and left for their country today after a week's stay. During the stay, the media followed them and published in a careful manner what they did in every single place which they dropped in at; the tsunami-hit and devastated areas, the busiest street in Tokyo, historical temples, art factories, traditional gardens in Kyoto and even a tiny primary school in the area worst affected by the earthquake. To start with the conclusion, I was really moved to see how they behaved. I felt their sincere sympathy for us. I'm grateful for their visit.
　　By the way, he made a speech in parliament in front of the Congressmen in English. I was listening to his words live. Also in this speech, I felt his genuine concern for us from his words. Then, I remembered Wen Jiabao's speech given in parliament a few years ago. It was done in Chinese and I couldn't understand it at all. However, according to the story I heard later, he intentionally skipped several sentences, because the Chinese media was shooting videos of his speech at that time. That is to say, his speech must have been different from the draft which was submitted to the Japanese government. I felt his country's dishonesty.
　　Anyway, Bhutan was noted on my list of vacation destinations.

(Vocabulary)
state guest / state visitor  国賓
Kingdom of Bhutan  ブータン王国
genuine concern  心から心配すること
Wen Jiabao  温家宝
a vacation/tourist destination   休暇［旅行者］の目的地