Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Korean Letters 4

Continued from here.

    I learned Korean history by myself. I focused on before the 19th century this time because I know roughly about after the 19th century.
     The pictures show the books that I read for these past 3 weeks. Both books in the first picture are written by a Korea-hating person and a Japan-hating person. I compared them with each other.
     The book on the right was written by a Japanese historian. His opinions, based on reliable evidence, seemed to be perfect. On the other hand the book on the left was funny and ridiculous. For example, the author describes the issue of Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima in Japanese) this way: Japan can easily file a lawsuit to the International Court of Justice because Japan has nothing to lose when it loses the case, but Korea is tightly controlling the Rocks effectively now and if it loses the case it has to give it up...so, Korea won't go to the Court. See also here.
     What do you think about this excuse? It's literally nonsense. It's because the Korean administration officials know that they have no chance against Japan that Korea won't sit at the table of the International Court. The author continues ....  The Korean language is superior to Japanese because homonyms are fewer in Korean than in Japanese. I couldn't believe my eyes to read this. I think he is unqualified to write books. In Japan and China the written language is an ideogram. Korean is a phonogram. His opinion is completely wrong. Originally it's of no use to struggle for mastery between different languages.
     I really think that Korean is systematic and beautiful. I'm learning it like maths and listening to it like music. I like it though I'm sorry to hear that Korean is denying the usage of Chinese characters.
     Anyway, the book on the left was written emotionally and the evidence is vague. Reading this book was just like wasting time.
     See the second picture. These books are written by a history researcher after intensive research. I examined some evidence that the author took up in his book and I got to believe these books. I'd like to pay a tribute to Korean readers to give me a chance to learn about Korean history. I got shocked to know it. If I were the Korean president, I would be sure to hide the historical facts and never show it to Korean children. Korean history is such a history.
     When the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea was signed in 1965, Seoul didn't say anything about the issue of comfort women. Why did the issue show up now? It has been my biggest question. I know the book that triggered this issue, but the author of this book revealed later that he wrote it on speculation and no evidence. However the Koreans are continuing to blame Japan for this issue. Why? In fact there's a general idea on prostitution (sex for money) in Japan but no notion about obliged comfort women (kind of sex slavery).
     "Comfort women" was from the Korean culture. If you are Korean, please study your own history and culture. Examine every kind of record and figures sincerely. There remain many documents in China, your country and also Japan. Many travel writers left the documents for you. I don't want to offend you and write about this issue any more but I hope you'll stop shifting a lot of the responsibility on Japan. (和訳)

(Vocabulary)
homonym     同音異義語
phonogram  表音文字
ideogram     表意文字
pay a tribute to　（人）に賛辞を呈する、（人）に敬意を表する、（死を）哀悼する
the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea　日韓基本条約   한일기본조약
hift responsibility to　（人）に責任を転嫁する［なすりつける］

韓国からの手紙４

ここからの続き　http://ridiculouskcruelc.seesaa.net/article/141154175.html　朝鮮史の勉強をした。１９世紀以後は大体わかっているので今回はそれ以前に焦点を当てた。写真はこの３週間の間に読んだ本を示している。最初の写真の２冊の本は韓国嫌いの人と日本嫌いの人とによって書かれたものである。これらを比べてみた。　右側の本は日本人歴史家によって書かれている。彼の意見は信頼できる根拠があり、完全なように見える。一方、左側の本はおかしくてばかげている。例えば、竹島についてはこう書かれている。日本は何も失うものがないから簡単に国際司法裁判所に訴えることができるが、韓国は現在竹島を実効支配しており、もし裁判で負ければそれを諦めねばならないから、、、だから韓国は訴訟に応じないのだと言う。参考: http://ridiculouskcruelc.seesaa.net/article/141154384.html　この言い訳はどうだ？全くナンセンスと言わざるを得ない。韓国が司法の場につかないのは、日本に対して勝ち目がないことを政府が知っているからだ。著者は続ける、、、朝鮮語は日本語よりも優れている。なぜなら同音異義語が日本語に比べて少ないからだと。これには驚いた。この著者は本を書く資格はないと思った。日本や中共の書き言葉は表意文字である。それに対して朝鮮語は表音文字だ。彼の言葉は完全に間違っている。もともと、言語の優位性を論じるなど、何の意味もないことだ。朝鮮語はシステマティックで美しいと思う。数学のように学び、音楽を聴くように聞いている。ただ、朝鮮人が漢字を使わないようにしてしまったことを聞いてとても残念に思うが、朝鮮語は好きだ。とにかく、左の本は感情的に書かれており、根拠が希薄だ。この本を読むことは時間の浪費に過ぎない。 　２番目の写真を見て欲しい。これらの本は歴史家により十分な研究の後に書かれている。著者が取り上げている根拠のうちいくつかを自分でも調べてみて、これらの本が信頼できるものとわかった。朝鮮史を勉強する機会を与えてくれた韓国の読者に感謝したい。朝鮮史を知って驚いた。もし、僕が韓国大統領であったら間違いなく事実を隠し、子供達には教えないだろう。朝鮮史はそのような歴史である。 　日韓基本条約が１９６５年に結ばれたとき、韓国は慰安婦問題について何も語らなかった。なぜ今になってこの問題が出てきたのか？引き金となった本を知ったが、後にこの著者は単なる想像で書いたもの、何の根拠もないことを明かしている。しかし、朝鮮人はこの問題で日本を責め続ける。いったいなぜ？日本には当時から売春婦という概念はあったが、強制的な慰安婦（性の奴隷）という概念はなかったのだ。 　慰安婦という概念は朝鮮文化から来ている。もしあなたが朝鮮人なら自国の歴史や文化を勉強してみることだ。支那や貴国、日本にも多くの文書が残っている。多くの旅行作家の記録もある。あなた方を攻撃するつもりはなく、この問題でこれ以上書くつもりもないが、日本に多くの責任を転嫁するようなことはやめて欲しい。

(KW: 黄　文雄　嫌韓流　혐일류）

Korean Letters 3

Continued from http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/11/korean-letter-1.html

     To my surpirse, all of them are supporting my opinion written in the entry: http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/10/korean-textbook.html

     Most e-mails acknowledge that my opinion is correct, but .... they change the topic and accuse Japan of doing various things. Some rebuttals were ridiculous and seemed to be kind of nursery rhymes, however a few criticisms raised some valid points that I couldn't answer promptly.
     Given this situation, I decided to study their history again. I studied world history in my high school days, but it was at the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) that Korea showed up on the stage of  world history. The relationship between Japan and Korea was taught in my Japanese history class, but it was just relations between both countries, not a part of the world and very regional issues. My knowledge about Korean history before the 19th century was very fractional and poor. I didn't know about their way of life. It took about 3 weeks to roughly learn about it and you might imagine how hard it was learning after my daily work. However, never! I didn't feel any pain, even one iota. It's fun to acquire knowledge.
     I replied to all the e-mails in English. I coudn't help writing strong opinions sometimes, but I am happy to exchange opinions with people from other countries. I really realized that mass medias are not always correct and we are easily brainwashed.

(Vocabulary)
nursery rhyme  童謡、わらべ歌
valid  (疑問・議論などが) もっともな, 妥当な
a valid point  もっともな点
given
【接続】 ～と仮定すると、～を考えると、～を前提として、～を所与として、～をかんがみて
【前】 〈文〉～と仮定すると、～を考える［考慮する］と、～を前提として、～を所与として
given this situation  このようなことから
not ~ one iota　少しも～ない、みじんも～ない

韓国からのメール３

ここからの続き　http://ridiculouskcruelc.seesaa.net/article/141154176.html 驚いたことに全てのメールがここで書いた僕の意見を支持してくれています。　http://ridiculouskcruelc.seesaa.net/article/141154189.html多くのメールが僕の意見は正しいと認めた上で、話題を変え、いろいろなことをしたと日本を非難しています。愚かな、寝言のような反論のある中で、すぐには答えられない的を射た批判もありました。このようなことから、朝鮮史を再び勉強してみることにしました。高校時代に世界史の勉強をしましたが、朝鮮が世界史の表舞台に登場するのは１８９５年の下関条約においてでした。日韓関係は高校時代、日本史の授業で教えられ、それは世界史の一部ではなく、限局された一地方の問題でした。僕の１９世紀以前の朝鮮史についての知識は貧弱でした。約３週間をかけてざっと勉強しましたが、何ら苦痛ではなく、知識を得ることは喜びでした。 全てのメールに英語で答え、時々は強い意見を書かざるを得ませんでしたが、外国の人々と意見を交換できるのはとても素晴らしいことです。日本のマスコミが常に正しいとは限らないこと、我々は簡単に洗脳されてしまうと言うことを実感できました。

Korean Letters 2

Continued from http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/11/korean-letters-.html

     I hit upon an intersting idea reading these e-mails. I wonder why they don't want to add comments openly. If they do so, everyone could read their opinions. I found their deep psyche in some e-mails. It looked like they didn't want to agree with me in every situation. Their pride doesn't seem to let them acknowledge Japanese opinions. Pride goes before, and shame follows after.
     However, I admire their attitude in another sense. Their nationalism and patriotism are awesome. Japanese self-appointed liberal intellectuals blame Japan for doing something bad despite not having any secure evidence and many people support them. I can't understand their way of thinking.
     Korean people who express their affinity for Japan tend to be condemned. Such kind of patriotism is not good, but it's also a serious problem that many Japanese don't even have such patriotism.
     Nationalism and patriotism are totally described by one word, "aikokushin," in Japanese. Left wing groups insist that the word "aikokushin" shouldn't be taught to children. They raise their voices that "aikokushin" leads Japan to war.
     I think this is wrong. Actually, "nationalism" might be harmful for most Japanese, but "patriotism" is essential and necessary to all peoples. The Japanese educational system, planned by Douglas McArthur, teaches young people that "aikokushin" is a bad thing. We Japanese are brainwashed here too. (和訳)

(Vocabulary)
deep psyche  深層心理
pride does not let  プライドが許さない
Pride goes before, and shame follows after. プライドが先を行き、恥が後に従う。／虚栄心が強すぎると失敗して恥をかく。
in another sense 別の意味では
awesome  重大な; 息をのむような, 圧倒されるような; (インフォーマル・話) すごくいい, 最高の
an awesome responsibility  重大な責任
self-appointed  独り決めの, 自ら任じた, 自薦の
liberal intellectual  進歩的文化人

韓国からのメール２

(続き) これらのメールを読んで奇妙な事実に気がついた。なぜ彼らはコメントを書かないのだろうと思っていたが、コメントとすると誰もが読むことができる。彼らは深層心理において僕に同意したくないようだ。日本人の意見を認めることは彼らのプライドが許さないようだ。虚栄心が強すぎて恥をかくのだが。しかしながら、別の意味で、彼らの態度を素晴らしいとも思う。彼らの愛国心は素晴らしい。日本の自称進歩的文化人は何の根拠もなく、日本が悪いことをしたと言っては日本を非難する。また多くが彼らを擁護する。彼らの考えが全く理解できない。日本に親しみを感じると表明する韓国人は非難されやすい。そんな愛国心はよくないが、一方でそんな愛国心さえも持たない多くの日本人がいることは、これもまた大きな問題である。"nationalism"と"patriotism"は合わせて愛国心と訳される。左翼は愛国心を子供達に教えるべきではないと説く。愛国心は戦争に繋がると声を上げる。しかし、これは間違っていると思う。実際問題、"nationalism"は多くの日本人にとって良くないかもしれないが、"patriotism"はすべての国民にとって必要不可欠なものである。ダグラス・マッカーサーによって計画された日本の教育システムは日本の子供達に「愛国心」は悪いものと教える。我々日本人はここでも洗脳されているのである。

Korean Letters 1

     I got more than 50 e-mails from Korea. It's because of this entry: http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/10/korean-textbook.html

     This blog is linked to a Korean blog that is maybe written by a Korean priest. I guess it is the reason why I got so many e-mails from South Korea.
     All the e-mails but two were written in Korean. They might have a misunderstanding that I'm very good at Korean. I'm just learning Korean because I want to enjoy travelling in Korea. I'd like to try many Korean dishes and to see beautiful scenery. My German was obtained as a subject in my student days and was required again at my postgraduate examination after ten years as a surgeon. The ability of reading and writing German, along with enough vocabulary, was mainly required. On the other hand, talking about Korean, it's a kind of amusement to learn Korean. The ability of talking and listening in Korean in daily life is what I'd like to acquire. That is to say, my vocabulary of Korean words is poorer than that of German and English. My comprehension level in Korean is lower than that in German.
     Anyway, it took a lot of time to understand all of the e-mails. Please write in English next time! I'm going to write about the contents of e-mails in the next entry.

P.S.   This storm of e-mails made me better in Korean. I'll try to write something in Korean here in the near future.

Mr. Nagai Came Back To Ehime

     Mr. Kenji Nagai, a Japanese photo journalist who was killed by the crackdown of the Burmese junta returned to Japan dead. I'm sorry I didn't know what he was doing before his death. I guess many Japanese didn't know him.
     After he was shot, his reports and what he was doing for needy kids in Asia, the Mideast and eastern Europe were introduced by various medias. I was really sorry I didn't know him. He was from Imabari city which is located next to my city and I'm proud of being born in the same prefecture.
     I wonder what way of thinking the junta has. Why don't they think of others' sorrow? Burma is one of the pro-Japanese countries. It's time for us Japanese to help them.
     By the way, Japan invaded Southeast Asian countries during World War Two. Nevertheless, many Southeast Asian countries are pro-Japanese and seem to feel a strong affinitiy towards Japan. I'm very happy to hear that. The activities of Mr. Nagai might contribute to their life. On the other hand, how about China? China is behind the Burmese junta, which they call Myanmar.
     I'd like all of you to realize the specific nature of China. This country is getting more and more dangerous, not only to humans but to the planet.

http://www.projectumbrellaburma.com/default.htm

(Vocabulary)
needy  非常に貧しい, 困窮した
needy families   貧困家庭

Korean Textbook for Japanese People

I wrote about South Korean policy in the following entry:
http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2006/12/international-s.html

     This entry was grammatically corrected by a native lady who agreed with my opinion. After I wrote that I had wanted to read the real Korean textbook because I thought it must be due to the education that Korean people had in their student days that they insisted on many things unreasonably. Eventually I found the book in the city library. This Korean textbook of history for junior high school students is translated into Japanese. The pictures show the front cover and some pages in it.
     More than 10 Korean people have often accessed this blog and I wanted to prepare one written in Korean for them, but I couldn't. Whatever, you Japanese would easily understand that it is not the individual Korean but the Korean government that is responsible for the deep division between both countries.
     I focused on 2 points in the textbook. One is about An Jung-geun (安重根 안중근) and the other is about Liancourt Rocks (竹島 다케시마(일본어)  독도  獨島)
     At first take a look at the second picture. You can magnify and read the textbook. What do you think about it? Some people whom we think of as terrorists from any angle are honored as kind of national heros. When such a biased education occurs during the low teens, the students would be brainwashed. I wonder why the Japanese government doesn't accuse them? On the other hand, the Korean government does the same with our textbook. I think they don't have room to criticize us. Japan shouldn't hold back against South Korea. I didn't know, but it looks like there was another terrorist act against an American. (written on the same page.)
     Next, I hope you'll access the following website if you can read Japanese or use the automatic translation system: (Korean people, I think, can easily read it, because Japanese grammar is extremely similar to Korean.
http://www.geocities.jp/tanaka_kunitaka/takeshima/
     The Korean government interprets their own historical documents in a distorted way many times, besides sometimes changing the content of their historical heritage, I mean, they are twisting things around. I'd like to describe only one thing here that I was the most afraid of.
     Take a look at the last picture. That is a page in the textbook. The content is like this: You can see Liancourt Rocks clearly from Ullungdo Island (鬱陵島 울릉도 うつりょうとう) with the naked eye if the weather is fine and that was written in an old document more than 100 years ago. (To tell the truth, these sentences indicate another island of the same name, but the government is twisting that fact.)
     By the way, is it possible? Liancourt Rocks (竹島 독도) is a rock rather than an island as you can see by the pictures of Liancourt Rocks on the above website. Its altitude is only 157 meters. Liancourt Rocks is 92 km away from Ullungdo Island(鬱陵島 울릉도). Can you clearly detect a rock 157 meters high in the ocean from a distance of 92 km with the naked eye. What do the students who live on Ullungdo Island think? They must have known that their government is officially lieing. Korean textbooks for teens acknowledges lying!
     I've found much more interesting things in this textbook, but I don't have enough time to show all of those. Anyway, I can declare with confidence that the Korean government has a serious responsibility about the Korean way of thinking against Japan.

To Korean people !

Please see the same page in the textbook written in Korean. You would understand my opinion. I mean no offense to you. I feel an affinity with you and your country, so I'm learning the Korean language.

(Vocabulary)
hold back 〔事実・本心などを〕隠す［秘密にする・しまっておく］、本当のことを言わない、
take in a distorted way / twist things around　曲解する
no offense  悪気はない

日本語版韓国歴史教科書

韓国の政策について下記の記事でも書いております。http://ridiculouskcruelc.seesaa.net/article/141154384.html　韓国人がここに書いたような非理論的な主張をするのは学生時代に受けた教育によるものに違いないと思ったのでこの記事を書いた後で本物の韓国教科書を読んでみました。たまたま市立図書館で教科書を見つけたのですが、中学生向けの韓国の歴史教科書で日本語に翻訳されています。写真は教科書の表紙と一部のページを示しています。　１０人以上の韓国の方がこのブログにしばしばアクセスされており、彼等のために韓国語でも記事を書きたいと思いましたが、うまく書けませんでした。いずれにせよ、日本と韓国の間の深い溝を作った責任は韓国人個人にあるのではなく、韓国政府にあるのだということがわかると思います。　争点を２つに絞ってみました。ひとつは安重根というテロリストについて、もう一つは竹島についての書き方です。　まず第一に２枚目の写真を見て下さい。拡大すると文字を読むことが出来ます。これをみてどう思われますか？どう見てもテロリストなのに国家的英雄とされています。このようなバイアスの掛かった教育を１０代の前半で受けてしまうと学生は洗脳されてしまうでしょう。これらの事実を非難しない日本政府はいったいどうなっているのでしょう。一方で韓国政府は教科書問題で日本政府を批判します。彼等には我々を批判する資格はないと思いますがどうですか？日本は韓国に対して我慢するべきではないと思います。　次に韓国の方へ、もし日本語が読めるか、自動翻訳システムを使うことが出来るなら次のサイトにアクセスしてみてください。http://www.geocities.jp/tanaka_kunitaka/takeshima/　韓国政府は自分たちの都合の良いように歴史を解釈し、歴史書を改ざん、つまり歪曲しています。僕が今一番心配していることをこれから書きたいと思います。　最後の写真を見てください。教科書の一ページです。内容はこんな感じです：竹島は天気が良ければ鬱陵島から肉眼で見え、このことは１００年以上前に書かれた資料の中にも書かれている。(実を言えば、この文献は同じ名前の別の島を表しているのですが、韓国政府はそれをわかっていて曲解しているのです。）上に紹介したサイトの写真で見る限り、竹島は島と言うよりは岩礁です。高さはたったの１５７メートルです。これが９２キロも離れた鬱陵島から肉眼ではっきりと見えるのでしょうか。双眼鏡でも使えば別ですが。鬱陵島に住む中学生には歴史教科書がウソをついているということがはっきりとわかっているはずです。　この本の中にはまだまだ多くのおかしな点がありますが、全てを紹介するには時間が足りません。とにかく、韓国政府は韓国人の対日感情について重大な責任があると自信を持って断言できます。 韓国の皆さんへ！韓国語版の同じページを読んでみてください。僕の意見を理解して頂けるでしょう。僕はあなた方を攻撃するつもりはありません。むしろ韓国人と韓国に対して親近感を覚えています。だから韓国語も読めるようになりました。

 

 

 

 

 

(KW: 韓国　歴史教科書　反日)

Korean Cuisine (参鶏湯 삼계탕 Samgetang）

     I have been learning Korean for two years from TV or radio program on the NHK educational channel. I knew many things about the Korean culture on the program and got interested in them. One of them is Korean dishes. I happened to know about a cooking class of Korean dishes the other day and the dish that would be cooked in the class was samgetang. I immediately signed up for the course.
     I was expecting that I could cook samgetang by myself, but I couldn't because it takes more than four hours only to boil it and we didn't have enough time in the class. The instructor prepared the dish previously on our behalf, and we had only to boil it for an hour. I learned how to prepare the food while boiling it. The instructor was an elderly Korean lady who owns two restaurants. She was Korean but was not good at using Korean because she was born and grew up in Japan. However, she looked happy when I told her things about South Korea. Pictures show the boiling pot and served samgetang. It doesn't look so delicious, but the taste was very good. Anyway, I enjoyed not the cooking class but the eating class!
     Many Japanese people got intersted in the Korean culture and watch Korean TV dramas and movies now. Many artists of both countries visit each other. She repeatedly and happily said that she couln't imagine today's boom in Korean culture in Japan when she was a child. She seemed to have been living in Japan trying to avoid Japanese society.
     There's a Korean primary and junior high school near my high school. I used to belong to the soccer club in my high school and I knew the level of Korean soccer was relatively high. I wanted to play a friendly match with them, but I couldn't. I felt a kind of unvisible barrier between us and them. The direct distance between both schools was only 200 meters but there was no exchange of students. I didn't know why that happened in those days. See also here.
     I feel learning languages, including Japanese, makes me open-minded. I don't know when the next class will be held, but I'll try the next dish.

(Vocabulary)
on behalf of sb/on sb's behalf ((米)in behalf of sb/in sb's behalf とも)
＜人＞に代わって, の代理として, を代表して

From Herald Tribune

     I found two articles in the International Herald Tribune this morning. I was deeply disappointed to read one and was buoyed up by the next day's article.
     Pope Benedict held hands with the devil. He confirmed that the bishop, who had been installed as Bishop of Beijing by China's state-controlled Catholic Church, was the official bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. What a terrible pact made between the Vatican and China?
     On the other hand the German Prime Minister, Angela Merkel, invited the Dalai Lama as the nation's guest. In addition she strongly accused Wen Jiabao (温家宝) of a Chinese hacking attack on Germany and the U.S. when she visited China a few months ago. Her attitude is consistent and great and Japanese politicians should model themselves after her.

This is both troubling and sobering news.
I'm totally in favor of her policy.
His visit is embraced favorably by mainstream German media.

(Vocabulary)
buoy up = to make someone feel happier or more confident:
hold hands with the devil (何かをやり遂げるために)悪魔とも手を結ぶ
hacking  ハッカー行為, ハッキング
model yourself after sb(米) ((英)model yourself on sb とも)  ＜人＞を見習う
embrace  （人)を抱き締める　(フォーマル)（考え・意見など）を受け入れる, 採用する
mainstream  主流（派）の, 主要な
sobering  まじめにさせる, 考えさせられる
sober up 酔いが覚める
sober sb ↔ up ＜人＞の酔いを覚ます

Baekdu Mountain Airport (Changbai Shan Airport 長白山空港)

     A sad story came along. China seems to be building a new airport again at the border of North Korea, near 長白山 (Changbai Shan). The Chinese authorities say that the airport is for sight-seeing and would be connected to Beijing, Tsingtao, Dalian and Changchun at least until next summer. However from any angle the aim of the hasty construction would be for the diversion of the airport to military use in case of military tension. I'm afraid one of the most beautiful places in China could be polluted. 長白山 (Changbai Shan) is called 白頭山 (Paektu-San or Baekdu Mountain) in North Korea. See also here.
     This area has a complex history. There are some important and beautiful Korean remains. China says those monuments are their own, as usual, but they are apparently Korean (Goguryeo 高句麗). Chinese authorities, I think, lie just like exhaling their own breath. Tong Hua City (通化市) is located in this area. I'd like you to know an incident that happened here on Feb. 3rd in 1946. We Japanese have to remember this incident for more than 3000 victims who were killed by the Chinese Communists. (see here in Japanese!)
     Let me explain this incident. The Pacific War is supposed to be over on Aug. 15th in 1945. In fact, unbelievably, all the fights were over by the voice of the Emperor in most battle fields. Japanese soldiers threw their guns away on this day. However it was not the case in Hokkaido and China. I write about the case in China here.
     In China the roundup of Japanese was still happening a half year from the end of the war. Genocide of more than 3000 Japanese was committed in Tong Hua City (通化市) on Feb. 3rd 1946 by Chinese communists. I hope this incident will be in the public eye. Chinese authorities insist that they fought Japan in the Pacific War, but it is not true. It was the Kuomintang Party that fought Japan. Chinese communists were just hiding in the mountain and they started to fight around the end of the war. Besides, it was the Chinese communists that organized massacres against Japanese after the war. Many Japanese who were waiting to go back to Japan were cruelly killed. I want all of you to investigate this incident. Let's have knowledge based on the true evidence.

(Vocabulary)
come along　やって来る、現れる； 〔宿題などが〕進む； 現実になる
My homework is coming along nicely [smoothly]. : 宿題は、はかどっています。
A chance like this doesn't come along too often. : こういうのは、そうそうないチャンスだ。
hasty (行動・判断などが)性急な, 軽率な
diversion　排水路、迂回路； 脇へ反らせること、転換、移転、転用; 気晴らし、娯楽、気分転換; 《軍事》けん制（作戦）、陽動（作戦）; 目的地外着陸
Tom never saw you as anything but a diversion. : トムにとってあなたはただの遊び相手なのよ。
any way you slice it〈米話〉 // from any angle　どう考えても
military tension  軍事的緊張
exhale 発散する、蒸発する、消散する、息を吐く、息を吐き出す; 吐き出す、発散させる
roundup 一斉逮捕［検挙］、手入れ
roundup of vagrants　ホームレス狩り
Kuomintang Party　中国国民党

Lake Kuttara

     We made for Lake Kuttara next, which is called the mysterious lake. I have wanted to see it since a long time ago. I pulled my car over in the parking lot and took pictures. As the 2nd picture shows, this lake is a caldera lake that was formed by volcanic activity.

     When we got to the lake, we didn't see the other tourists. The staff members of a boat house were preparing for their business. I went down to the water's edge. This is the closed area which has no rivers that empty into this lake. The outer rim of this lake is beautiful.

     I've sometimes gone out touring with my motorcycle to see such caldera lakes. This picture shows Lake Towada. This picture was taken last year. You can see two peninsulas poking out from the lake in the picture. This lake is noted for its beautiful autumnal leaves and many sight-seeing ships cross the lake. The depth is 327 meters and it's the second deepest in Japan.

   This picture is Lake Mashu. People are prohibited to get on the inside of the ridge of the outer rim to preserve the conditions. It is only the reserchers permitted by the Ministry of the Environment that can access the water's edge. This picture was taken in 1997. This lake is famous as a lake of mists, but it was fine when I visited.

Baekdu-san　Baekdu Mountain (from GoogleEarth)

     The last three pictures were downloaded from some of the sites on the internet. If you can use Google Earth, find the lake at latitude 42. 00' north and longitude 128. 03' east. The name of the lake is Heaven Lake at Baekdu Mountain (Pektusan, 백두산, 白頭山). This mountain is located at the border between China and North Korea, and so is very far for Japanese people.

Baekdu-san　Baekdu Mountain (from Wikipedia)

     I can't believe that China and North Korea could keep their national structure as it is for such a long time from now. I hope I can visit there freely. When the 38th parallel disappears, I'm going to ride my motorcycle around the Sea of Japan. I'd like to drop in at this lake at that time.

Baekdu-san　Baekdu Mountain

from here.

     Find and survey these lakes (Heaven Lake, Lake Mashu, Lake Towada, Lake Kuttara) on the map and you will feel these lakes are like brothers or sisters. In ancient times, when the activity of volcanos was more active than now, the borders of countries didn't exist. Don't you think so?

(Vocabulary)
water's edge 波打ち際
empty into sth 〈川が〉＜湾など＞に注ぐ
outer rim  外輪山
the 38th parallel ３８度線

(KW: 倶多楽湖 白頭山 백두산 十和田湖 摩周湖)

Porotokotan

     About twenty years ago the Japanese Prime Minister at the time, Mr. Nakasone, announced a controversial comment that Japan is ethnically homogeneous though the U.S. is a multicultural country. The drift of his argument was like this:
     The U.S. government has always had some difficulties to carry out their policies because of the influx of illegal aliens who are in most cases uneducated. On the other hand, the Japanese are a single race and medical services, welfare and education are being equally done all over the country in Japan.....
     As mentioned above, he was accused of not knowing about the Ainu. Lots of critics told of the Ainu living in Japan and it's not good that the Prime Minister didn't know about it. The Ainu was also mentioned in the fundamental primary school textbook of history and I had heard of the Ainu. I thought it was just a history, however, I was surprised to know that Ainu is alive and exists today.
     Ainu is one of the northern peoples. They were living on the eastern coast of Russia, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and Hokkaido since far before the Japanese went to Hokkaido. That is to say, they were the indigenous people of Hokkaido. Old records reveal that they lived in the north of Honshu (main island of Japan) too.
     According to the story from a guide to POROTOKOTAN, the Ainu and Japanese got mixed at least before the middle of the Edo era. The guide was an eldery gentleman who looked to be in his early 70's and he seemed to be the 6th generation of the mixture of Ainu and Japanese. I heard lots of things about the Ainu from him.
     I imagined and expected to be able to see the Ainu village here at Porotokotan. In other words, I took Porotokotan as a real Ainu village. However, it was just an illusion. The real Ainu, leading a quiet Ainu life, don't exist now. Porotokotan was just a museum or amusement facility though I'd like to see a real life presentation like that of the Amish. I was disappointed that there is no genuine Ainu life now.
     Even young people who have Ainu ancestors don't use the Ainu language in daily life and they work hard to learn it just to preserve the Ainu culture. A dozen employees of Porotokotan wear the ethnic costumes and entertain us, but they live as Japanese outside Porotokotan and put on the native dress only during their business hours.
     At this point Mr. Nakasone's comment that I introduced at the beginning of this entry was not totally wrong. Ainu is almost completely fused with Japanese now.
     I took more than fifty pictures here for the rest of my family. I chose and show you some of them. At first, let me explain the name Porotokotan. More than 90% of names of places in Hokkaido are named from the Ainu language. "PORO" of Porotokotan stands for big. Likewise, "TO" means lake and "KOTAN" means lakeside. Totally, Porotokotan means the lakeside of a big lake. I think you know the biggest city in Hokkaido is Sapporo. "PORO" of Sapporo means "big" too.

 

     This picture shows the entrance of Porotokotan. Tourists have to go through the shopping street to get here and the same going back to the parking lot. When I walked here on the way to the entrance, I was going to buy something for a souvenir on the way back, but I didn't get anything here when I returned to the parking lot. I heard in the museum that there are no Ainu leading the Ainu life. That means,,, who made these folkcraft articles? I didn't ask this question there, but the folkcraft must have been made by machine, not by the hands of Ainu.

 

     My digital camera is old and doesn't have a wide angle lens. I'd like you to see the huge sculpture in the 1st and 2nd pictures. I couldn't shoot the whole image in one time. I think you can imagine how big it was, compared with the size of the people. You can see only the base of the sculpture in this picture. The sculpture is a kind of God for the Ainu and was built praying for the happiness of all the visitors.

     This picture was shot from the pier. I hope you can figure out the atmosphere of Porotokotan. As you can see, Ainu houses were arranged here and I entered one of them. As soon as I entered the house, I felt something strange or not right. Do you remember the houses that I showed you at the historical village of Hokkaido? See the 5th-7th pictures of this entry: http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2007/08/historical-vi-1.html

     The climate of Hokkaido is extremely severe, especially in the winter. Winds must have been so strong. Did Ainu people have the technique or method to build such a big and strongly structured house? I asked this question to my guide. He replied that these houses were not built by Ainu people and were of no importance historically. It's just for the exhibition and performance. The size of the houses seemed to be more than ten times as big as the real Ainu houses.

 

     This is the entrance of one of the houses. The name of this house is written in three languages on the signboard. The upper line is written in the Ainu language, the middle is English and the lower is Japanese. In this house, I was given a lesson about the history and daily life of the Ainu from a member of staff. There were about 200 tourists in the house, but mostly Korean. Though the Korean group had an interpreter the speaker himself added some Korean words in his talk and his speech was interesting and very enjoyable. If allowed, I wanted to hear the story about the forced migration by Stalin just after World War Two, though the speaker might have intentionally wanted to avoid the political story. The Ainu people were forced to move from Sakhalin to Hokkaido by the Soviets. If the Korean people had heard that story, they would feel sympathy with the Ainu because Korea had just the same experience.

 

     I took a picture of an ethnic Ainu dance, but their movement was so fast. The picture is what you see. We were sitting on the front row. A, my daughter, was always away from me. She was sitting 1.5 meters apart. There was room for about two people to take the seats between us. A Korean man seemed to want his daughter to sit between us from a casual glance backwards. I tried to say "Do you want your daughter to sit here?" in Korean, but I couldn't. My Korean was no use in the extreme situation that requires the exact words. My words were "앉으세요" meaning "Take a seat please!" It was not wrong, but wasn't exactly what I wanted to say. I explained that the girl was my daughter and she didn't like me and was sitting apart with my poor Korean skills. I hope he really understood me. At any rate, the words are kind of tools to communicate with each other. If you can't use the tool at the moment you want to use it, the tool is no use at all. I realized that reading the grammar book slowly at the desk is not sufficient to enjoy chatting in Korean. It was a good opportunity.

 

     A is eating soft ice cream at the POROTO (big lake) lakeside.

     As I wrote above, there were many Korean tourists in Porotokotan, but there were few foreign people in the historical village of Hokkaido. Porotokotan is not a historical heritage site but an amusement facility, whereas in the historical village there are many real houses that were actually used. I wondered why the Korean group chose to come here, not the historical village?

(Vocabulary)
drift of an argument　論旨
indigenous  〈人・慣習・文化などが〉 （土地）固有の, 土着の
Amish 《複数扱い》 アーミッシュ (非常に厳格なキリスト教の一会派
use ~ at the moment one wants to use it　～を使いたいときに使う
at a casual glance　何気なく見ると

(KW: ポロトコタン アイヌ民族博物館)

U.S. House of Representative Goes INSANE

米国下院議会へ陸続と抗議文
日本の保守系文化人が立ち上がる
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

「史実を世界に発信する会」（加瀬英明会長）はマイク・ホンダへの公開質問状をはじめ、外交委員会メンバー、ぺロシー議長等議会指導者へ何度も手紙と資料を送って１２１決議案の不当性を訴えてきた。
決議案が採択されたため、ペロシー議長と４３５人の下院議員に対して、抗議と再調査、そして謝罪を要求する手紙を出すことに決定した。
１.ペロシー議長への手紙：
２．下院議員４３５名への手紙：
全文は添付の通り。また外国人特派員クラブ会員へもプレスリリースする予定。

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact
Shin Sakuma Bldg. 3F, 2-13-14, Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003, JAPAN
Tel 03-3519-4366  Fax 03-3519-4367  URL http://www.sdh-fact.com

---------------------------------------------------------------

July 31, 2007

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
235 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 0508
USA

Dear Madam Speaker:

昨日7月30日、貴殿が議長を勤めるアメリカ下院は、日本政府に慰安婦を性奴隷にしたことを正式に謝罪することを求める決議案を可決した。これは、将来のアメリカの歴史において類まれなる恥ずべき愚行として記録されること必定の愚かで不当極まりない決議である。なぜならば、この決議案は歴史事実を極度に歪曲し、存在しないものを捏造した前提の上で成り立っているものであるからである。

われわれは、貴殿に対してこの決議案が事実に基づいていないので、改めて事実調査を行なったうえで審議にかけるよう要望した手紙に参考資料（秦郁彦教授のレポート他）を添付して5月7日に送付した。また7月3日にはさらに性奴隷制度など存在していなかったことを示す資料を添付して事実調査を要求する手紙を送付した。

これ等の手紙の中で特に強調したのは、アメリカの公式記録United States Office of War Information, Psychological Warfare Team, attached to the U.S. Army Forces India–Burma Theater, APO 689　において、「"慰安婦”（comfort girls）は売春婦または職業的なキャンプフォロワー(professional camp follower)に他ならない」明確に述べていることである。そして、彼女達に月平均の稼ぎ高は１５００円で、うち７５０円は雇い主へ返済される、と記録されていることである。
当時日本軍の軍曹の月給は３０円であったから、彼女達はその２５倍稼いでいたことになる。これを性奴隷といえるのか。米軍の公式記録によって真っ向から否定されている、強制された慰安婦制度であるとか、性奴隷であるとか言うことを主張する決議案が果たして正当化できるものか否か、事実調査を行なって検討してほしいと要望したのである。しかるにわれわれの理を尽くした要望は全く無視されてしまったのである。

人権の尊重ということについてはわれわれは貴殿と根本的に信条を同じくしている。問題なのは人権の名の下に本決議案は事実を無視して一方的な日本断罪を行っていることである。これは日本と日本人の名誉と人権を侵害する不当な行為であるということである。途方もない冤罪といわねばならない。

われわれは、戦地において慰安婦が苦難を受けたことに心から同情するものである。日本政府は世界で唯一こうした方々への慰謝をおこなっている。その日本政府を一体アメリカは一方的に断罪する権利があるのか、よくよく考えていただきたい。聖書に「汝らの中、罪なき者まづ石をうて」ということばがある。

アメリカ軍がベトナムで現地売春施設を利用したことはご存知であろう。多くの部隊ではキャンプ内にこうした施設を入れていたことはSusan Brownmiller のAgainst Our Willにも書かれている。韓国でも国連軍用の慰安所が作られ米軍が主に使用していた。（Don-a Ilbo, Sep. 14, 1961）さらに言えば、米軍が日本に進駐してきたときに、日本政府に慰安所の設置を指示し、それを利用している。こうした中で辛酸をなめた女性も数多くいる。貴殿に是非理解していただきたいのは、日本軍の慰安所と米軍がベトナム、韓国或いは日本で使っていた慰安所とは基本的に同じものであったということである。

あたかも日本軍の慰安婦だけが「強制」の「性奴隷」であるかのような全く事実に反する主張しているのが決議案121である。これほど不当なものがfairnessを重んずるアメリカの議会に提出されること自体、信じられないことであるか、それが可決されたということはまさに歴史的な愚行である。

もし貴殿に一片の良心があるならば、直ちに決議案見直しの「歴史検証作業」に取り掛かっていただきたい。そしてその不当性が明らかになった際には、明確な謝罪をアメリカ国民と日本に対して行なっていただきたい。決議案１２１の廃止決議とともに。

敬具
平成19年7月31日

「史実を世界に発信する会」
代表　加瀬　英明
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact
Shin Sakuma Bldg. 3F, 2-13-14, Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0003, JAPAN

---------------------------------------------------------------

July 31, 2007

Dear Congressperson:

７月３０日、アメリカ下院は日本政府に慰安婦を性奴隷としたことを公式に謝罪することを求める決議案を可決した。これは歴史事実を全く無視した不当極まりない決議であり、われわれは強く抗議するものである。

決議案が本会議にかけられるまでに、われわれはペロシー議長に対して、様々な資料を示して決議案が事実に基づかないものであることを訴えた。２度にわたる手紙で、採択の前に事実調査を十分に行い、その上で審議を行なうことを要求した。

ところがわれわれの理を尽くした要望は全く無視され、事実を確かめることなく、一方的な決議が採択されてしまったのである。議員諸兄は、添付ペロシー議長宛の手紙に述べたような自国の公式文書についてその内容を知った上で、投票したのであろうか?決議案の内容は真っ向からこれと矛盾するものなのである。もし、これを知らずに、一方的に他国、それも友好国を断罪するような決議案を通してしまったのだとすると、諸兄の責任もまた重大なものである。
是非とも、ペロシー議長にこの問題についての再調査と、決議見直しを行なうよう働きかけていただきたい。

敬具

平成１９年７月３１日
「史実を世界に発信する会」
代表　　加瀬英明

Attachment:Letter to the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

---------------------------------------------------------------

▽
資料
米下院は７月30日の本会議で、下院決議案121号、いわゆる「慰安婦問題に関する決議案」を採択した。下院決議案121号の全文（H. Res. 121）；　
A resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government of Japan should formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Force's coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as "comfort women", during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II.、U.S. House of Representatives. July 30, 2007
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:hr121eh.txt.pdf

ラントス下院外交委員会委員長の下院決議案121号に関する発言
Remarks of Chairman Lantos on H. Res. 121, the “Comfort Women” resolution, during House debate House Committee on Foreign Affairs. July 30, 2007
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press_display.asp?id=404
●

Japan Defeated Vietnam in Soccer Asian Games 2007

     I admire the Vietnamese attitude in the stadium. Vietnam is one of the southeast asian countries. I hope that peoples of specific asian countiries (China and both Korea) emulate Vietnamese behavior.

http://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2006/12/international-s.html

(Vocabulary)
emulate　まねる、模倣してしのごうとする、見習う
Some Europeans hope to emulate the American motto. アメリカのモットーを見習おうというヨーロッパ人もいる。
I wish I could emulate you. 私もあなたのようだったらいいのにな。◆【用法】相手の能力などに憧れて。

China, The Cancer Of The World

     China was deeply and closely involved with the mosque siege in Pakistan.

See http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/12/asia/letter.php

Measles

     There is the measles going around in Japan though the country is supposed to be one of the developed countries. It's because of the Japanese Government's lack of policy. There are some cases of the measeles in Canada and the U.S. in a year and almost all of them are exported from Japan. Despite the fact that Japan has enough technology and money to produce vaccines, it delivered the virus to and fro. I'm bitterly ashamed.
     In our neighbor, Korea, the measles are completely eradicated now. They took secure measures towards the eradication of the measeles for some decades.
     The Japanese authorities, I think, must take some urgent steps to remove the measles virus from our land.

See also http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2007/06/01/News/Suspected.Measles.Case.Causes.Concern-2910967.shtml

(Vocabulary)
to and fro  行ったり来たり

A Korean Classy Lady

     A Korean classy lady consulted me today. She was suffering from cervical spondylosis and has attended my hospital regularly. She has been put in traction and other physical medicine.
     To tell the truth, I have been trying to speak to her in Korean, but I couldn't. I didn't have enough confidence in my skill in Korean.
     There always are some Korean texts on my desk at OPD. When the stream of patients are split, I make it a rule to look over them. She gave a glance at them and talked to me about the Korean language. I realized that it was my chance. "잘 지냈어요" (How have you been?) I uttered lamely. My voice was so weak, but she completely understood my Korean words. I was very happy.

(Vocabulary)
classy
〈ホテル，レストランなどが〉 高級な, おしゃれな, クラッシーな
〈人が〉 上品な, エレガントな, 一流の
spondylosis 《医》脊椎症
lamely  心もとなさそうに, へどもどして

Editorial from The Boston Globe

    I hate China. I'm completely agree with :

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/05/08/chinese_shadows/

(Vocabulary)
murderous　殺人の、殺意のある、残忍な
dictatorship　専制君主［独裁者］の職［任期］　専制［独裁］国家［政治・権力］
enabler　実現する人［もの・要因］
censure  非難する
quaint　古風な趣のある；　〔考え方・行動などが〕奇妙な、異様な、変わった、古くさい◆非難・不賛成を表す
solidarity　団結、一致、連帯、共有、結束、連帯責任
wretched　不幸な、惨めな、哀れな、悲惨な、卑劣な、浅ましい、嫌な、ひどい
consortium　合弁企業、組合、共同体、共同事業体［企業体］
despot　専制君主、独裁者、暴君
staunchly　忠実に、断固として
equating of A with B　AとBの同等視
repression　抑圧、リプレッション、弾圧、抑制、鎮圧、制止；　衝動、本能
Xinjiang Uighur province　新疆維吾爾、新疆維吾爾自治区
noninterference　〔特に政治面の〕不干渉
sacrosanct　極めて神聖な；　批判［干渉］を許さない
deter　〔怖がらせたりくじけさせたりして人が～するのを〕阻む、阻止する、思いとどまらせる；　防ぐ、防止する、抑止する

ボストン･グローブ紙社説

　悪の枢軸とはされてはいないが、残忍な専制独裁国家がいくつか存在する。そしてそれらの独裁国家に共通していることがある。それは全て支那がバックアップしているという点である。スーダンしかり、ビルマしかり、ウズベキスタン、ジンバブエなど、これらの国で支那は悪事の実行者となっているのである。 　支那は共産主義下にあるものの、彼らが独裁者を援護する動機は毛沢東の理論とは関係ない。スーダンによる大量虐殺が国連安保理の制裁を免れるように援助したり、ビルマの軍事政権を非難する国連決議に反対票を投じたりしている。支那の外交政策は高尚な理論に基づいたものではないのである。 　支那はエネルギー需要が急速に増大しているが、国内には原油はない。そのため支那は原油を得るために、海外の油田や石油企業体に莫大な投資をし、それを保護している。また支那は世界中の原油や天然ガス田を国有企業を使って手に入れようと、自国民を虐殺する国家とさえも手を結ぶ。 　支那国営石油会社がスーダンにある２大共同企業体の最大の鉱区を所有し、スーダンの原油輸出量の半分以上を買っている。これはあまり知られていないが、ウズベキスタンの独裁者カリモフが２００５年に彼に抗議する人たちを虐殺したが、その直後、支那の外務省はそれを支持するコメントを発表している。 　カリモフの人民弾圧と、チベットの自治権、台湾の独立やウイグル回教徒の活動家に対する支那の弾圧とを同一視しているのである。その直後、カリモフは北京へ招かれ、そこで６億ドルに及ぶウズベキスタンでの油田共同開発にサインした。 　他国からの干渉を恐れるあまり、特にチベット、台湾、新疆自治区の問題で、支那は他国からの干渉を絶対に許さない態度を取り、ジンバブエのムガベのような独裁者と商業的、外交的なパートナーシップを結んでいる。 　支那の支配層にダルフールの虐殺や強制労働、ビルマの民族浄化などに協力することを思いとどまらせる一番良い方法は、できる限り頻繁に支那を名指しし、恥をかかせることである。支那の指導者がもっとも嫌うこと、それは２００８年北京オリンピックを虐殺オリンピックと名付けることである。

Open Letter to Wen Jiabao (REPRINT)

Open Questions to His Excellency Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of the People’s Republic of China

As we wish China and Japan the best of friendship and amity, we extend our heartfelt welcome to Your Excellency’s visit to Japan.

We have been conducting research on the Nanking incident, which is said to have occurred during the war between Japan and China in Nanking in December 1937.

Results of our research have caused us to have serious doubts regarding views of this incident commonly held in your country. Thus, in this matter, we would appreciate receiving your response to the questions posited below.

1.      The late-leader Mao Zedong never mentioned the “Nanking massacre”. His only reference to the Nanking occupation was a personal observation he made when he stated, “the Japanese forces had many surrounded, but not many were killed,” in his book titled, On Protracted War, a summation of his lectures given at Yanan, China six months after the battle occurred in December.  If the incident, with claims of 300,000 citizens massacred, did take place, it must have been like last century’s holocaust.  Is it not unnatural and strange that Mao Zedong did not say a word about the incident? How do you account for this fact?

2.      In November 1937, just before the siege of Nanking, the Nationalist Party, organized by the nationalists and communist organizations, created an international propaganda department within its Central Propaganda Office. According to a confidential report titled, "Outline of Operations: the International Propaganda Department, the Central Propaganda Office", between December 1, 1937 and October 24, 1938 the International Propaganda Department held 300 press conferences in Hankou. According to records kept at the time, an average of 35 people attended these press briefings comprised mainly of journalists and officials of foreign embassies.  And, in the 300 briefings, no mention was ever made of “citizens being massacred in Nanking,” or “hostages being murdered unlawfully”.  What do you think of this fact?  If massacres were committed, is it not a mystery as to why they were not mentioned?

3.      The activities of an international committee which cared for the Nanking citizens who congregated in the Nanking Safety Zone were recorded. Under the auspices of the Council of International Affairs of the nationalist government, the record was published in book form titled Documents of the Nanking Safety Zone by a publisher in Shanghai in 1939. According to the book, the population of Nanking stood at 200,000 prior to the Japanese occupation. This population level remained unchanged during December. Records show the population to be 250,000 one month after the Japanese occupation of the city began. Then, based on these records, it would have been impossible for 300,000 people to be massacred.  Could you give us your thoughts about this?

4.      In the book Documents of the Nanking Safety Zone, mentioned above, there is a list of detailed complaints against the Japanese army’s criminal activities.  The list includes a total of 26 murder incidents, of which only one case was witnessed but it was judged to be a lawful killing and thus noted in the book.  These records and your country’s claim of 300,000 people massacred are at extreme odds with one another. What do you think about this?

5.      Numerous photographs said to be proof of the Nanking massacre are being displayed in books and at many exhibitions including the Massacre Memorial Museum in Nanking.  However, it was revealed by scientific studies that there is not a single authentic photograph offering proof the massacre actually happened.  If your country has photographs which can provide proof, please allow us to see them.  We would like to examine them.

6.      Given the above, it appears to us that the Nanking massacre could not have happened. But if you suspect that it occurred, we would like to ask that you conduct a verification examination in an objective manner with consideration of materials we will submit to you. In reality though, your country has built the memorial museum in Nanking, which is promoting the massacre of 300,000 people extensively. This act is unfair as it undermines history. Also, it amounts to a contradiction, since your country’s official position is promotion of a policy aimed at establishing friendly relations with Japan. Furthermore, as this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Nanking incident, various organizations inside your country are said to have planned movie productions about the Nanking massacre with many now under way.  We perceive these acts as an unbearable humiliation to us who really hope to be friendly with your country.  Could you give us your thoughts about this?

We would like to receive Your Excellency’s replies to the above points.  As this is a concern to many Chinese and Japanese alike, we are submitting the questions in an open forum.  As we wish to maintain a strong friendship between China and Japan for future generations, we sincerely hope to hear from you.

April 10, 2007

Committee for the Examination of the Facts about Nanking

KASE Hideaki, Chairman
FUJIOKA Nobukatsu, Secretary General       
ARA Kenichi        UESUGI Chitoshi
KOBAYASHI Taigan       SUGIHARA Seishiro
TAKAIKE Katsuhiko      TAKAYAMA Masayuki
HIGASHINAKANO Shudo    MIZOGUCHI Ikuo
MIYAZAKI Masahiro      TOMIZAWA Shigenobu, Auditor
MOTEKI Hiromichi, Auditor

(Vocabulary)
reprint　〔他の出版物の記事などの〕転載
Wen Jiabao　温家宝
open letter　公開質問状、公開書簡
amity　友好、親善（関係）、親睦
heartfelt　〔感謝・同情・謝罪などの言葉・行動などが〕心からの
Your Excellency　閣下
Nanking incident　南京事件
late （最近）死んだ、亡くなった、今は亡き、故人となった、故～
Mao Zedong  毛沢東
Nanking massacre 南京大虐殺
protract  ～を長引かせる
protracted war 長期戦
summation  合計、総和; 加重; 要約
Yanan 【地名】延安◆中国・陝西省。中国共産党軍の学校があった。
claim 〔当然の〕要求、主張、申し立て
holocaust 大虐殺; 大惨事、全滅; 《the Holocaust》ナチスによるユダヤ人大虐殺
nationalist party　国家主義的団体、民族主義政党; 国民党
Hankou　漢口
comprise　〔全体が部分として～を〕包む、包含する；　〔部分〕から成る
congregate　集団の；集まる、集合する；～を集める、集合させる
auspice　前兆、吉兆；　庇護、保護、援助、後援◆通例複数形のauspicesで
stand at sth   〈数値などが〉 ＜…＞である
Unemployment stands at 6%. 失業率は6％だ．
prior to ～より前に、～に先立って
at odds 〔考え方などが〕一致［調和］しないで; 〔二つの文書の記載内容などが〕食い違って
authentic 本物の、正真正銘の; 〔資料・報告書などが〕信頼のおける、信ぴょう性のある
given　 …を考えれば, …ということを思えば
[＋given (that)]
I think I did all right, given that I didn't study much for the test.
あまり試験勉強をしなかったことを思えば，まあまあよくできたと思う．
appear　…のように見える；　見えてくる [自]
verification　根拠、確認、検査、検定
with careful consideration of　～を慎重に考慮して、～を熟慮して
amount to sth　合計で＜数・量・額など＞になる；　結局＜…＞という結果になる
The court's decision amounts to a not-guilty verdict.
その判決は無罪評決も同然だ．
mark　〈記念日など〉 を祝う
celebrations to mark Australia Day
オーストラリア建国記念日を祝う行事
perceive　(書き言葉) 〈事柄〉 をとらえる, 理解する
perceive sb/sth as sb/sth
＜…＞を＜…＞ととらえる［＜…＞だと考える］
humiliation 恥, 屈辱： 恥をかかせること, 屈辱を与えること； 屈辱を与えるもの
suffer humiliation 屈辱を味わう
This decision is a humiliation for the president.
この決定は大統領にとって屈辱的なものである．

温家宝国務総理閣下への公開質問状

このたび中華人民共和国国務総理温家宝閣下のご訪日に当たって、日中両国の友好を願う者として心より歓迎申し上げます。 さて、われわれは１９３７年１２月に行なわれた日中南京戦に伴って起こったとされる所謂南京事件を検証すべく、研究して参りましたものですが、貴国のこの事件に対する見解につき、重大な疑義を抱いております。以下その中心的な疑義につきまして閣下のご見解を伺いたく、謹んでご質問申し上げます。 一、 故毛沢東党主席は生涯に一度も、「南京虐殺」ということに言及されませんでした。毛先生が南京戦に触れているのは、南京戦の半年後に延安で講義され、そして「持久戦論」としてまとめられた本の中で「日本軍は、包囲は多いが殲滅が少ない」という批判のみです。３０万市民虐殺などといういわば世紀のホロコーストとも言うべき事件が本当に起こったとすれば、毛先生が一言もこれに触れないというのは、極めて不自然で不可解なことと思います。閣下はこの事実について、どのようにお考えになられますか? 二、 南京戦直前の１９３７年１１月に、国共合作下の国民党は中央宣伝部に国際宣伝処を設置しました。国際宣伝処の極秘文書『中央宣伝部国際宣伝処工作概要』によりますと、南京戦を挟む１９３７年１２月1日から38年10月24日までの間に、国際宣伝処は漢口において300回の記者会見を行い、参加した外国人記者・外国公館職員は平均35名と記録されています。しかし、この300回の記者会見において、ただの一度として「南京で市民虐殺があった」「捕虜の不法殺害があった」と述べていないという事実について閣下はどのようにお考えになられますか。もし本当に大虐殺が行なわれたとしたら、極めて不自然で不可解なことではないでしょうか？ 三、 南京安全区に集中した南京市民の面倒を見た国際委員会の活動記録が「Documents of the Nanking Safety Zone」として、国民政府国際問題研究所の監修により、1939年に上海の出版社から刊行されています。それによりますと、南京の人口は日本軍占領直前２０万人、その後ずっと２０万人、占領１ヵ月後の１月には２５万人と記録されています。この記録からすると３０万虐殺など、ありえないと思いますが、閣下はいかがお考えでしょうか? 四、 さらに「Documents of the Nanking Safety Zone」には、日本軍の非行として訴えられたものが詳細に列記されておりますが、殺人はあわせて２６件、しかも目撃されたものは１件のみです。その１件は合法殺害と注記されています。こういう記録と３０万虐殺という貴国の主張しているところとは、到底両立し得ないと考えますが、閣下はいかが思われますか? 五、 南京虐殺の「証拠」であるとする写真が南京の虐殺記念館を始め、多くの展示館、書籍などに掲載されています。しかし、その後の科学的な研究によって、ただの１点も南京虐殺を証明する写真は存在しないことが明らかとなっております。もし、虐殺を証明する写真が存在しているのでしたら、是非ご提示いただきたいと思います。そのうえで検証させていただきたいと思います。 六、 このように、南京大虐殺ということは、どう考えても常識では考えられないことであります。それでもあったとお考えでしたら、われわれが提供する資料も踏まえて、公正客観的にその検証を進めていただきたいと考えます。ところが現状では貴国は南京に大虐殺記念館を建て、大々的に３０万虐殺を宣伝しています。このようなことは、史実をないがしろにする不当極まりないことであるばかりか、貴国の唱えられる日中の友好の方針とも真っ向から対立するのではないかと考えます。更に本年は南京事件から７０年ということで、貴国のさまざまな機関が「南京虐殺映画」製作を企画し進めていると伝えられます。こうしたことは日中友好を願うわれわれ日本人にとって耐え難い裏切り行為とうけとめております。閣下はこれにつきどのようにお考えでしょうか? 以上の諸点につきまして、閣下のご回答を是非承りたく存じます。このことは多くの日中国民の関心事と考えますので、公開質問状として提出させていただきます。子子孫孫までの日中友好を願うものとして、閣下のご高配を、衷心から期待しております。 平成１９年４月１０日 南京事件の真実を検証する会委員一同 （会長）加瀬英明　（事務局長）藤岡信勝　（監事）冨沢繁信　茂木弘道 （委員）阿羅健一　上杉千年　小林太巌　杉原誠四郎　高池勝彦　高山正之 東中野修道　溝口郁夫　宮崎正弘

Korean Student

     A Korean student saw me today. She cut her little finger accidentaly with a kitchen knife. She tried to stop the bleeding in vain. After the treatment I tried to talk with her using some Korean words. I'm eager to use Korean now, but my speaking ability turned out to be very poor. Something must be done to become a good Korean speaker. I'm thinking of asking her or her friends to see me once or twice a month in a cafe or something like that and talk in Korean.

International Sensibility of South Korean Government

     China, along with North and South Korea have spent much time in recent years distancing themselves from Japan.  They view their anti-Japanese policies as a national virtue and this sentiment is encouraged in the heart of young people.  South Korea, in particular, has some egregious examples of treating Japan and its citizens poorly.

 

     On a banner that was brandished by Korea at the last soccer Asian Games, the face of "An Jung-geun 安重根" was boldly displayed. According to Japanese history, An Jung-geun is the terrorist who assassinated Mr. Hirobumi Ito, who had been elected Japanese Prime minister four times. An Jung-geun was arrested by Russian police and was turned over to the police of Japan. Then he was on trial for the assassination and was hanged. He is clearly a terrorist in Japan, but in South Korea he is honored as a hero. How can there be such varying opinions? This man was not a soldier. He murdered a citizen, not a military figure. He did this deed while in casual dress, not in a military uniform, and it was during peace time, not wartime. Is his conduct heroic? The Russian police arrested An Jung-geun; obviously the police thought of him as a terrorist at that time. Not only was he not a hero, he killed a man that was actually supportive of South Korea. Mr Hirobumi Ito was against the annexation of Korea and yet, An Jung-geun murdered him. He was not a brilliant man, but the South Korean Government honors him and constructed a memorial hall for him.

 

     There is a small rock reef called Liancourt Rocks （竹島、독도）in the Japan Sea. Both the Japanese and the South Korean Government claim sovereignty over these rocks. The South Korean Government runs a sensational campaign about this sovereignty across the country and occupies these rocks by force. On the other hand, the Japanese Government has been peacefully proposing that this issue should be filed in the International Court of Justice since Sep. 25 1954. However the South Korean government has avoided or evaded the court battle all the way and continues to occupy the rocks. Seoul always says, "We are confident about our historical data". If this is really so, they should put this issue to trial.

 

     A Korean fishing boat was caught by the Japanese Coast Guard in the Japanese exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The boat was stopped on May 31, 2005 because it intruded into Japanese territorial waters and the occupants were illegally fishing. When two maritime safety officials boarded the fishing boat, the crews of the fishing boat captured and abducted them. The fishing boat broke away into international waters, where the South Korean Coast Guard was waiting for them. After a 48-hour standoff and diplomatic negotiations, the Japanese Government avoided a military confrontation and obtained the release of the 2 abducted Japanese officials. The action by Korea was clearly an unacceptable violation of international law by the South Korean Government. Moreover, the South Korean Government added insult to injury by giving honorable recognition to the South Korean Coast Guard for the rescue of this fishing boat. (Chosun [Korean] Daily News, June 3, 2005).

 

     Yes, Japan is being demonized by the South Korean Government. After this incident, in the high-level conference between both Coast Guards in December of 2005, Korea requested that they'd like to have compulsory investigative authority on the fishing boats that intruded in Japanese territories. Such a suggestion is unbelievable. Japan, of course, rejected their request. Is there on earth any country that gives up its investigative rights on criminal acts that are done at home?

 

     We have to understand that South Korea is not a law-governed country. South Korea isn't one of the developed countries from any angle. What do you think about my opinion? (和訳)

(Vocabulary)
distance sb from sb  ＜人＞を＜人＞から遠ざける, 疎遠にする
view ~ as a national virtue ～を国是とする
sentiment  （ある事柄に対する）意見　感情
egregious  〈失敗・問題などが〉 はなはだしい, 目に余る
treat each other poorly  互いに嫌なことをする
brandish  〈武器など〉 を振り回す
boldly  大胆に, 堂々と  (色・形などが) 目立って, はっきりと
turn over ~ to  ～を…に引き渡す［引き継いでもらう］
figure   要人, 名士
annexation  (領土などの) 併合
military confrontation  軍事衝突、軍事的対立
add insult to injury  追い打ちをかける　さらにひどいことをする
make honorable recognition of  ～を表彰する
demonize  …を悪者扱いする
law-governed country  法治国家

 

韓国政府の国際感覚

(Corrected by Maria)

　南北朝鮮、シナはこの数年間、日本と距離を置いてきた。反日を国是とし、反日感情は若者の中で鼓舞されてきた。特に韓国は日本と日本人に対して目に余る行動をしている。 　この前のサッカーアジアカップで韓国が掲げていた横断幕には「安重根」の顔がプリントされていた。日本の教科書では伊藤博文を暗殺したテロリストと紹介されている人物である。安重根はロシア警察によって逮捕され、日本側に引き渡された。その後裁判にかけられ死刑となった。日本の考えでは明らかにテロリストであるが、韓国では英雄と考えられている。 　どうしてこれほどの評価の違いが出るのであろうか。この男は兵士ではない。そして彼が殺害したのは兵士ではなく一民間人である。兵士の格好ではなく、平服での行為である。まして戦時でもない。ロシア警察が彼を逮捕したことは、明らかに当時テロリストと考えられていたことを示している。英雄などではないだけでなく、韓国併合は間違っていると主張していた伊藤を殺害したのである。まぬけな男である。しかし、なんと韓国政府は彼を讃えて記念館まで作っている。 　アメリカ建国の父ワシントンは宗主国のイギリスにとっては憎い存在だろう。見方によって評価が変わることがあるのは当たり前であるが、安重根の例は全く事情が違う。 　日本海に竹島と呼ばれる小さな岩礁がある。日韓両国が主権を主張している。韓国は国内で大々的なキャンペーンを行い、武力でこれを占拠している。一方、日本政府はこれを平和的に解決すべく国際司法裁判所への提訴を１９５４年から提案しているが、韓国政府は法廷闘争を拒否し不法占拠を続けている。歴史的文献に自信があると言っているが、それなら法廷でどうどうと発言して欲しいものだ。 　一隻の韓国漁船が海上保安庁によって日本の排他的経済水域で捕らえられた。２００５年５月３１日、日本領海に侵入し不法操業を行っていたため停止を命じられたのである。海上保安官二人が漁船に乗り込んだところ、漁船員は彼らを拉致し国際水域へ逃れた。そしてそこには韓国の沿岸警備隊が待ち受けていたのである。４８時間のにらみ合いとなり、平行して事態打開のための外交交渉が行われ、軍事衝突を避けるため、また拉致された海上保安官二人を救出するため、日本側が譲歩した。韓国のこの行為は明らかに国際法違反であり、決して認められるものではない。韓国政府はさらに追い打ちをかけるように、この沿岸警備隊を表彰しているのである。(朝鮮日報２００５年６月３日） 　日本は韓国政府により悪者扱いされているのである。この事件の後、２００５年１２月の両国の沿岸警備の高官による会議上、韓国は日本に侵入した漁船員を自国で調べさせて欲しいと提案している。信じられない要求である。いったいどこの国が自国で起きた犯罪の捜査権を放棄するのだろうか？ 　韓国は発展途上で、幼稚な国と言えるだろう。しかし、残念なことにそれでも隣国である。どのようなつきあいをすればよいのか。