Marginalia Americana

(What the Bush Administration Did for Americans)

In a recent online conversation among a few friends, one of us wondered if the Bush administration had come up with any successes from a policy (not political) point of view. The Bush tax cuts did not seem so useful to us, since none of us were particularly well off. Prescription drug coverage by Medicare didn’t cut it either; we were too young for that. In fact, this question was difficult to answer to the point of being rhetorical. One of us came up with homeland security, specifically airport security, but the one who posed the question told us that taking measures that any administration would have done in light of the situation did not deserve mention as policy.

But there has been no attack on the homeland, and the economy has held up. So, perhaps the Bush administration should be credited for:
1) taking its eyes off Afghanistan and going into Iraq so that militant Islam would concentrate its resources on the Middle East and its vicinity; and
2) appointing two powerless Treasury Secretaries so that Greenspan would not be distracted.

Unfair? Perhaps. But politicians are like shamans; they take credit for the rain, and get blamed for droughts. There's still too much stacked against the Democrats to give them even odds or better to take the House in November, but, Republicans, watch out in 2008. Iraq looks dangerously unstable and the US economy is showing signs of cooling.

(Anderson Cooper Uses Cable TV as an Education Tool)

CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°scored something of a coup when Cooper copped a 20-minute interview with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and aired substantial portions of it on the show on the Sept. 22. Unfortunately, he seemed to be stuck on the question of whether Ahmadinejad believed the Holocaust did not happen, and failed to crack Ahmadinejad's armor of evasions and counterquestions. He had to be reminded in a different segment by Wolf Blitzer that Ahmadinejad never talked about the Holocaust in his UN speech. He also seemed obsessed with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's bizzare, if harmless, UN speech calling President Bush the Devil and badgered Ahmadinejad on his opinion about it.

Cooper did more reporting on Ahmadinejad the following day, and did do a better job, though the teleprompter, absent during the interview, must be given some of the credit. A good learning experience in all. Unfortunately, Cooper himself was doing a lot of the learning.

( Louisville Paper Gets Disc With 232 Photos of Nude National Guard Women)

Sorry, no pictures in that article. This reminds me of the US controversy over gays in the military, though. As a heterosexual male, I think I would be far more distracted from my combat duties by spending day after day with physically fit, sweaty women in close quarters than by the fear that the gay guy in the shower stall next to me might make a pass. But maybe that's just me. You wonder what's the JSDA policy, if any, is on that one.

Back to the news itself; these things happen, because war is hell.

("The Daily Show" Host Jumps on the I-Report Bandwagon. (September 28))

Or so CNN claims. Actually, John Stewart is making fun of the idea of having amateurs send in video reports that CNN could subsequently air. Amid the laughter, John Stewart subtly reminds us that people are going to put themselves in danger to gain footage. You can bet The Daily Show (as well as the rest of media) will be all over CNN the first time somebody suffers serious physical damage. In the meantime, what do we call this phenomenon of an award-winning news channel reporting on an award-winning news program reporting on the news channel?

You know a show is hot when you snag Pervez Musharraf before Larry King does.

Trivia from the LDP Presidential Debate: Did We Have Our Own Arsenio Moment?

(Sidebar to this GlobalTalk entry.)

The three LDP presidential candidates, Shinzo Abe, Teiichi Tanigaki, and Taro Aso showed up together for what has become the obligatory show-and-tell for Japanese political leaders on Koichiro Tawara’s Sunday Project. (Imagine C-Span run by Geraldo.) The show began with Mr. Tawara holding a panel that described each candidate in one word. The candidates were each given a smaller panel and felt pen and asked to write his own one word that would better describe himself. They dutifully complied, then, at Mr. Tawara’s bidding displayed them for the TV camera. This exercise was repeated for another question, and then the session proceeded to the regular grilling by Mr. Tawara, mostly of Mr. Abe on the history issue.

This particular quiz format is a staple of Japanese TV variety programs in general, as well as dedicated quiz programs, which, like similar US TV broadcasts, often features grade B celebrities.

Prime Minister Koizumi stretched the limits of politics as theater. Is the next generation heralding the political entertainment era?

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自問党総裁候補の安倍晋三、谷垣禎一及び麻生太郎が今や日本の政治的リーダー達にとって必須となっている田原総一郎の「サンデープロジェクト」（あの突撃リポーターのヘラルド・リベラがくそ真面目な政治専門ケーブルチャンネルのC-Spanを仕切る番組を想像してください）に登場しました。番組の初めに、田原氏は、候補者をそれぞれ一言で説明するパネルを手にして見せた上で、各候補者が手に持ったもう少し小ぶりのパネルにフェルトペンで自分自身が自分を一言で言い表すと思う一言を書くよう求められました。いずれも田原氏の求めに従い、田原氏の合図でいっせいに視聴者にそれを見せました。もう一問同じように書き込みと展示を繰り返してからいつもの通り田原氏による尋問に入りましたが、これは、大部分歴史問題がらみで安倍氏に向けられました。

このクイズ形式は、日本のバラエティ番組の定番であり、クイズ専門番組でも広く使われています。後者はとりわけ、米国のそれと同様、しばしば二流タレントを中心に運用されています。

小泉首相は、劇場政治を極限まで推し進めました。その次の世代は、エンタテインメントとしての政治の時代を切り開こうとしているのでしょうか。

I Hear You, Paul - “So a Fifty-Five-Year-Old Walks into a Bookstore…” Redux

This is my response to Paul J. Scalise"’s comment on a previous thread. Since I’m not confident that there are enough readers of this blog to sustain a dialogue on any particular thread, I am posting this independently. Besides, this should be barely long enough to qualify as my self-imposed quota of one thread a day.

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Paul:

Your comment in turn reminded me of people I met in the US while I was working there between 2001-2004. These were now middle-aged men, who'd become involved in Japan as academics or missionaries, got swept up in the 1980s rush to the Japanese market and became businessmen, bankers and consultants, and never looked back. Many who stayed in the academia also found the way to fame and fortune in their chosen calling.

Some of these people remain in the Japan business, but many have gone on to transfer their business skills to a broader market. There is life after Japan.

Likewise the subsequent generation of academics and analysts spawned in the Japan boom (often aided by the influx of education and research money from Japan). With fewer opportunities to directly transfer their Japanese language and cultural skill to the business sector, they have chosen to broaden their repertoire and re-brand themselves as East Asia experts or otherwise.

Some of this scenario is being replayed in China, but I have a hunch that much of the plot is unfolding very differently, and will continue to do so for two reasons. First, there is a huge Chinese diaspora that diminishes the comparative advantage of the non-ethnic-Chinese adept.

Second, the huge flow of Japan money that flowed into US universities and think tanks is not, to my knowledge, being matched by similar largess from China, public or private. And a smaller bubble means that there will be less of a pop when it bursts.

******

Incidentally, I think that the level of interest in the Middle East (and therefore Middle East languages) is much lower here in Japan. And one rapidly growing genre published in Japan of which you will find very few examples of English translations is our search for national identity.

It may not surprise you to learn that the traditionalist (in the modernist sense, as I explain in my commentary on Mr. Abe) wing of nationalism do exceptionally well on the best-selling book charts. There are notable exceptions from the leftish pacifist school that used to dominate the first quarter century of social commentary in post war Japan, and there is plenty of centrist thinking backed by careful scholarship that informs the mainstream. But the traditionalist ascendancy prevails on the shelves of the bookstores, so much so that the first time I began to look at Japanese language bookshelves in a long time, I thought I’d chanced on a store whose owner had strong rightist leanings. I soon found out that this bookstore, like most others, was just following market trends.

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これは、Paul J. Scalise"氏がa別のスレッド previous threadで行なったコメントに対する回答です。このブログに一つのスレッドをずっと続けるだけの数の読者がまだいらっしゃらないと思うので、これを新たな書き込みとして建てることにしました。それに、なんとか、自分に課した「一日一書き込み」に街灯Sル位の長さもあると思いましたので。

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ポール：
　君の書き込みから、今度は私の方が、思い出したよ。2001―2004年にかけて米国に滞在していたときに会った人達のことを。彼等は、今は中年に達した男性達で、初めは研究者や宣教師として日本と関わったのだが、80年代の日本市場ラッシュに巻き込まれてビジネスマン、バンカー、コンサルタントになって、そのまま戻らなかった人達だ。学界に残った人達の多くもまた、日本ブームによって名利を得た。

こうした人達は、日本ビジネスに残っている方も多いが、多くは、その知見をもっと広い市場で生かすようになっている。日本ブームが去っても、やることはあるものだ。

日本ブームが生み出した次の世代の研究者、アナリスト達（これは、教育・研究に流れ込んだ多額のジャパンマネーにも助けられた）もまた、対応していることは同様だ。日本語、日本文化の知見を直接ビジネスに移す機会が減っている彼等は、自分達の商品リストを拡大して、東アジア専門家等とブランドの更新を行なっている。

こうしたシナリオのある部分は、今、中国で再現されている。しかし、筋書きの相当部分は、大いに違っているのではないかと想像している。それには、二つの理由がある。第一に、巨大な華僑の存在が、漢人でない中国専門家の比較優位を減少させる。

第二に、米国の大学、シンクタンクに流れ込んだ巨大なジャパンマネーに匹敵するような現象は、中国の官民を問わず、私は、寡聞にして知らない。バブルが小さければ、はじけるときの音も小さいことだろう。

******

ところで、君が言う、中東に対する関心（従って中東の諸言語）に対するは、ここ日本では、ずっと低い。そして、急速に伸びているジャンルで、英語に翻訳されることが少ないだろうと思われるのが、国民としてのアイデンティティを探る、というものだ。

私が（安倍晋三に関する解説で説明したような意味で近代的な） 伝統主義者達の著作が売れ行き好調なのは、君も知っての通りだ。戦後日本の最初の四半世紀において社会評論を支配した左気味の平和主義をベースにした強力な例外はあり、また、確かな学問的考証を土台にした中道的な考え方がたっぷりと国民の主流にしっかりと浸透しているのも、事実だ。しかし、本屋の書棚では、伝統主義者達の台頭が目立っており、長い間お目にかかっていなかった日本語書籍の書棚を覗いたときは、右翼の書店主がいるところに迷い込んだのかと思ったくらいだ。まもなく、私は、そのコノ本屋も、その競争相手のほとんどがそうしているように、市場トレンドを追っかけているだけなのだとういうことを理解した。

So a Fifty-Five-Year-Old Walks into a Bookstore, No, a Library… Oh Hell

English 50, Chinese 6, Korean 3, French 3, German 2, Spanish 1 1/2, Italian 1, Russian 2/3, Portuguese 2/3…

To make a short story even shorter, these were the numbers of shelves dedicated to instruction books in the respective languages in a bookstore near the Shinbashi JR station I went into in order to kill some time yesterday (Sept.13). Three more shelves were dedicated to "others". Shinbashi has gone slightly upscale in recent years, but it's mostly offices (but no significant corporate headquarters), as well as plenty of good, inexpensive restaurants and bars and other businesses that cater to the people working there. And there are no schools to speak of in sight. The late afternoon/early evening clientele in the bookstore also reflected this demographic.

The reason for the overwhelming popularity of English is pretty obvious. The only surprise to me is the enduring popularity of German. I might also have been surprised at the strong showing of Italian if I hadn't been aware of the tourism angle. In fact, I suspect the entire genre reflected much more than pure self-improvement.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. And the strong interest in Chinese and Korean is encouraging. Likewise with the powerhouses among the "others", Thai and Indonesian, weighing in with half a shelf each. Twenty years ago, how many of us Japanese would have even cared about learning an Asian language?

Somewhat disappointing, if not surprising, is that Arabic only merited about 4 inches, or 1/8 of a shelf. Not exactly favored as a tourist destination by the average office lady, Arabic　as the common language of the Middle East deserves serious consideration as a third language after English, given the importance of the Arab oil economy and the lack of competition.

There were three other shelves carrying Japanese instruction books, all for English language speakers. I didn't see a single gaijin customer while I was in there, but I wasn't going to go around asking questions just for the sake of this blog.

******

Actually, I have even more time on my hands, so I dropped by the Hibiya Library to see if they'd acquired any more Elmore Leonard novels in the last five years. (Yes. One.) If you're not accustomed to frequenting libraries during the weekday, you'll be surprised at the large number of middle-, late-middle-aged men getting into self-improvement.

Kidding. These are guys with nowhere to go, nothing to do, at least when it’s raining all day and the missus can no longer stand the sight of you sitting around in the house, watching TV. Or so I guessed. I certainly wasn't going to try to satisfy my there-but-for-the-grace-of-the-gods-go-I curiosity and risk being punched out, just for the sake of a few more extra lines on this blog.

Actually, I don't think they would have had the energy to take a swipe at me. But these are clean-shaven, obviously literate guys, with years and years of experience. Surely they could hold down a part-time desk job if someone reached out to them.

You think there's going to be a labor shortage? Well, there’s gold mine there for the kind of business that can give these guys a sense of self-worth, in addition to the extra cash. Give them time-off to do NGO, NPO volunteer work at corporate expense, whatever. And if they don’t want that extra money to take that trip to Shanghai, they could go straight to the NGO/NPOs, meet nice, mature women in the process, who knows?

Politicians ought to take notice of this growing constituency too, potential grassroots volunteers who will also bring their own votes with them. It can’t be all just public pensions and healthcare. We need a sense of community, and the nation state is too distant for the important things in our lives. If Prime Minister Abe doesn't think of something for this neck of the woods in civil society between the safety net and the nation state, somebody will.

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英５０、中国６、ハングル３、仏３、独２、西１ 1/2、伊１、露2/3、葡2/3…

うんとかいつまんで言えば、これは、昨日（9月13日）、空いた時間をつぶすために覗いた新橋駅近くの本屋にあった語学学習書でそれぞれの言語が占めていた棚の数だ。「その他」が後三つほどを占めていた。最近の新橋は多少水準が上がっているが、それでも、主としてオフィスであり（ただし大手事業の本社はなさそうである）、そこに働く人々のための安くて上手いレストラン、バーその他の商売が居を構えているところに変わりはない。また、これという学校は、見当たらない。午後遅くから夕刻にかけての本屋の客層もこうした人口構成を反映していた。

英語が圧倒的な人気を誇っている理由は、自明だろう。私が唯一びっくりしたのは、依然としてドイツ語の人気があることだ。もし観光のことを考えなければ、イタリア語が高い位置を占めているのにも驚いていたかもしれない。実は、全体を通じて、自己研鑽以外の動機も相当あるのだろうと想像する。

もちろん、それが悪いと言うことではさらさらない。そして、中国語、ハングルの人気が高いことは、うれしいことだ。同様に勇気付けられるのが「その他」の中でタイ、インドネシアがそれぞれ棚半分づつを占めていることだ。20年前だったら、私達の間で何人がアジアの言語を学ぶことを背託していただろうか。

アラビア語が幅10センチ、せいぜい棚の1/8程度しか占めていないのは、寂しい。普通のOLにとってバケーションの地ではないかもしれないが、中東の大部分の共通言語であることを考えると、英語に次ぐ第二外国語として検討してはいかがか。なにしろ、アラブの石油経済は日本にとって大事だし、他に語学学習の競争相手もいないのだから。

それ以外に日本語学習本（ただし、英語が理解できることが必要）が棚三つ分あった。私がいる間、外人客がまったくいなかったが、かといってこのブログのためにだけ質問をして廻ることはできなかった。

******

実は、それ以上に時間が余ったので、ここ5年の間にエルモア・レナードの小説の新本が入架していないかを見るために日比谷図書館に入った。（一冊あった。）もし月―金の間に図書館に行く習慣がなければ、びっくりするだろう、中年から初老に差しかかろうとする男性の知的向上心の強いことには。

冗談です。彼等は、とりわけ一日中雨が降っていて奥さんもこれ以上家の中でテレビの前でごろごろしていてほしくない、ということになったときに、いるところもすることもなくなっている男達なのだ。というのは想像、ほんのちょっと具合が違っていれば私もあの運命と思いながら、コノ書き込みの行数を少し増やすだけのために好奇心で質問して一発拳骨をかまされたくないから。

本当のところ、彼等には手を出すような元気は残っていないのだろう。さりとて、彼等は、概して身なりもこざっぱりとした、当然読み書きもでき、長年の経験も身に付けている。もしだれかが手を差し伸べてくれば、オフィスでのパートの仕事ぐらい、当然できるはずだ。

労働力不足になるんだって？もしあの男達に、いくばくかのお金に加えて、自尊心を満足させることができるようにするビジネスモデルを考案することができれば、そこには宝の山が待ち受けている。たとえば、会社の経費でNGO、NPOでボランティアをするための休暇を与えるというのはどうか。そして、上海の旅行のためのお小遣いなんか必要ないという方々には、直接NGOやNPOに行ってもらえばいいじゃないか。そこで、素敵な、年相応の女性に会えるかもしれない…

政治かもこの増えゆく選挙民集団に気を配っておくべきではないか。草の根ボランティア、しかもそれぞれおまけに自分の一票を持ってくるという。公的年金と老人健康保険だけでは駄だめだ。私たちには共同体意識が必要だ、そして国民国家は、暮らしの中の大事なことについては、あまりにも身近でない。もし、市民社会の中で、セーフティ・ネットと国民国家との間の間に当たるコノ部分について何か安倍総理が工夫しなければ、他の政治家がそれをするだろう。

Is the BBC Slipping? Or Just Business as Usual?

A couple of articles on the BBC website have got my goat. Nothing personal, I don't know these people, but I do know the BBC. And I didn't like what I saw.

Japan succession debate to go on

It's a fairly long piece, and shows Chris Hogg understands the underlying political dynamics between the devoted traditionalists who are a core element of LDP support and the lukewarm but increasingly prevalent supporters of a female Empress. Yet he misses the point that Mr. Abe will, if anything, abandon Mr. Koizumi’s plans. Mr. Abe is a traditionalist, and he has no intention of “tak[ing] on the forces of conservatism” in the first place. In fact, I suspect he will be quite willing to accept an Empress, but under traditionalist terms. This omission and misunderstanding occurs because Mr. Hogg misses completely the other, more crucial divide between the supporters of patrilineal and matrilineal succession, respectively. That's surprising, given BBC's reputation. But then, BBC standards may be slipping. See the next article:

The Japanese Jesus trail

For those of you who can't be bothered to read the whole story, the lead paragraph goes like this:

"A Japanese legend claims that Jesus escaped Jerusalem and made his way to Aomori in Japan where he became a rice farmer. Christians say the story is nonsense. However, a monument there known as the Grave of Christ attracts curious visitors from all over the world."

And the article ends on this note:

"Yet many Christians have discovered that the Japanese view of religion can be rather baffling - as the grave of Christ the rice farmer reveals."

What is disappointing is that Duncan Bartlett has taken a fascinating phenomenon, tied it into the treatment of Christian motifs that devoted Christians would find as blasphemous as, say, the White Man's crass commercialization of Christmas, and wraps it up in shallow bemusement. If he’d bothered to consult serious scholars, he could have put it in the context of the Shinto tradition, where everything and everybody is a potential object of worship as kami, or god, from the head of a sardine to the most heinous of traitors. Or explained it in the context of the Kishhu Ryuritan, the long-standing tradition of local legends featuring religious and political personages of note from the centers of civilization exiled to the hinterlands, and their variations. (One legend says Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a 12th Century noble samurai hero fled Japan to become Ghengis Khan.) Instead, it becomes yet another run-of-the-mill feature in the longstanding media tradition of securing bylines with “gee, aren’t those people funny” stories.

Speaking of "gee, aren't these people funny" stories, do you think BBC would do one on Christianity in the US? It seems to me you can do and say anything short of advocating incest and murder and remain respectable by calling it Christianity. Just in case they fail to figure out a good closer, I'll write it for them:

"Many Christians have discovered that the American view of Christianity can be rather baffling - as the [say, that snake handling cult, to mention one of the more benign offshoots] reveals."

Wading in Deep Waters

Let’s try a thought experiment.

Assume there is a small, though not insignificant, minority of people living in your country. They look, walk, and talk, just like you do. After all, they were born there. The only difference is, after two, three, four generations in Japan, they continue to pledge allegiance to other sovereign states. The relationship with one of these states and yours is especially problematic, to put it mildly. They persistently refuse to take up citizenship in their place of birth and permanent residence, yet many of them demand the right to vote in local elections, and some demand the right to equal treatment in the right to hold public sector jobs. How would you feel? And if that is a difficult question to answer honestly, try imagining how your average fellow citizen would feel?

I do realize that Japan is a difficult society for foreigners. I will accept the claim that some, and possibly much, of the social discrimination that was prevalent when I was a child remains. And yes, I will accept that for a long time it was painful and humiliating to subject oneself to the powerful pressure (now discontinued) from naturalization authorities to officially adopt “Japanese” names. And yes, I am aware that there are many people here who hide behind the Internet cloak of anonymity to spill toxic waste all over Japanese Cyberspace. And no, I will not accept claims that the enormous popularity of their homeland movie stars and TV programs in Japan is proof that discrimination is a dead issue here.

But I wish I could say to the people who did not think my thought experiment worth doing and never got this far in this post: At least here in Japan, there a lot of people actually taking up your cause and siding with you on behalf of your argument. Could someone do the same, back home, whatever that means, in your sovereign state of choice? I for one do not see how a dialogue is possible with people who refuse to ask such questions of themselves.

And yes, I am aware that the fact that so many do not seek Japanese citizenship could be an indictment of Japanese society in itself. So let’s talk. And what did you say your name was?

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一つ、思考実験をやってみましょう。

あなたの国に、小さいが決して無視できないマイノリティが住んでいるとしましょう。彼等は、あなたとまったく同じように見え、歩き、話すのです。タダ一つの違いといえば、日本に住んで二代、三代、四台と経っても、日本以外の主権国家に忠誠を尽くすのです。しかも、その中のある国については、あなたの国との関係は、決していいとは言えないのです。彼等は、生まれ、永住権をもつ地において何があろうとも帰化しようとしません。それなのに、その仲の多くの人々が地方選挙に置いて選挙権を要求し、なかには、公務員となることについて同等の権利を要求する人達もいるのです。さあ、あなたんら、どう思いますか。もし、正直に答えるのが難しいとしたら、あなたの国の、普通の市民だったら、なんと感じるでしょうか。

確かに、日本が外国人にとって困難がある社会であることは、認めます。私が子供だったころあった社会的差別のなかのあるもの、ひょっとすると多くのものが、今なお残っていることも認めましょう。そして、確かに、帰化手続き当局がかつて行なっていた、日本人名を採るようにとの指導が長く行なわれていたことが、苦痛かつ屈辱に満ちていたことも認めましょう。そして、日本のインターネット社会で、匿名を奇禍として多くの人が忌まわしい言葉を撒き散らしていることも認めましょう。そして、韓流の俳優やテレビドラマがとてつもない人気をここに博していることが必ずしも差別が問題でなくなったしまっていることを意味しないことも認めましょう。

しかし、私の思考実験を無味意味と判断してここまで呼んでくれなかった人達に言いたいのです、少なくとも日本では、あなた方の主張を取り上げて一緒に戦っている人達がいるのです。あなた方が母国として選んでおられる主権国家、それが一体どういう意味を持つものかわかりませんが、そこで同じことができますか。私自身は、ここにいうような疑問を自分自身に対して投げ駆ることができないような人達とは、どうして対話が可能になるのか、まったく検討もつきません。

ええ、そして、多くの人達が日本国籍を選び取ろうとしないことが日本社会に対する告発かもしれないことも、わかっています。だから、話し合おうではありませんか。ところで、あなたのお名前は、なんでしたっけ。

IHT Interviews Suspected Spammer, SS Ends Up with New (Temporary) Blog

The following Q&A is part of an email exchange with IHT's Patrick Smith, which grew out of another email exchange inititated by a mutual friend (acquaintance?). I have lightly edited the answers, written on the night of the birth of the new future heir to the Three Sacred Implements, for grammatical accuracy and parallel construction "intern" for "Lewinsky"). I thought this as good as any for giving my views on matters concerning the Imperial Household as they relate to the event. I’ve also translated my own comments into Japanese, and in doing so have added some words that will enable them to be read as stand alone comments. I'd be happy to give this issue further thought on this blog.

I would like to think my comments were reflected in Mr. Smith's analysis. Unfortunately, the online link ends mid-sentence, at "realit", which is not even a word (sidebar: 206-2007, Winter Semester: "Realit vs.Fakelit: Artifice in Creative Writing" Fall, 2 Credits). I guess I'll have to buy the hard copy to se if I got my name into print.

******

"Speaking broadly, as a matter of bedrock knowledge, I should be sure I understand just where the imperial family stands for most Japanese—still very important? Less than before? Less solemn, meaning this is more a celebrity magazine sort of event than it might have been before? I have Japanese friend who say they've avoided this whole matter rather the way one might avoid the latest Walt Disney movie."

I think a substantial majority is supportive in the same way American Jews are supportive of Judaism. That is to say, the Imperial Household has different meanings for different people, including their supporters. The celebrity magazine factor has been there since 1958, when we celebrated the wedding of the current Emperor and Empress. It is the celebrity magazines that have changed. (Think: Kennedy/gang moll vs. Clinton/intern.) The Imperial Household figures certainly less prominently in Japanese these days than in 1958; there are more distractions. (Think: CBS/NBC/ABC vs. cable, satellite, and Internet.)

As for Disney movies, no, I don't watch Disney movies anymore, either. But I'm not trying to make a statement out of it. I don't trust people who avoid Disney movies any more than people who pretend to enjoy Raymond Carver. In any case, Disney movies are hugely popular, more popular, say, than the run-on-the-mill indie hit.

「大多数の日本人は、皇室を支持していると思いますが、それは、ちょうどユダヤ系アメリカ人がユダヤ教を支持しているのと同じような具合なのでしょう。つまり、皇室は、人によって色々と違った意味を持っているわけで、それは、支持者達も同じことです。おっしゃるような有名人扱いは、1958年の今上陛下と美智子様のご婚儀の時からずっとあります。有名人を扱っている週刊誌の方が変わったのです。（昔、ケネディ大統領とマフィアの愛人との関係を米国のメディアが見てみぬふりをしたことと、クリントン大統領とインターンとの関係を格好の話題にしたこととを比べていただければ、言わんとするところがわかっていただけると思います。）また、1958年当時と比べて皇室が日本人の関心の中で占める割合は、確かに落ちていますが、これは、他に関心を引くことが多くなっているからです。（また米国の例を挙げれば、CBS、NBC及びABCがテレビ放送を独占していた当時と、有線も衛星放送も、それにインターネットが加わっている今日との違いのようなものです。）

ディズニー映画が低俗だと思って見に行かないように、皇室記事をあえて読まないという方の意見については、確かに私も見ません。しかし、そのことに何か価値判断を込めているつもりもありません。ディズニー映画を避けるというような人の話は、レイモンド・カーヴァ―の小説を好むふりをする人達と同様、信用できません。いずれにしても、ディズニー映画は、たとえばインディーズ系のヒット映画に比べてはるかに多くの人が見ているのですよ。

"Is there a sense of relief in this: At last a piece of joyful news from the imperial household--after 60-odd years of Showa, then the matter of Masako, etc. --finally something to rejoice? Also, there is something forward-looking built into a birth, something untarnished by the past. Is this a factor--a psychological tendency here?"

There have been a lot of things to rejoice over in the Imperial Household, the marriages, the births; all in the Heisei Era, if I remember correctly. But, beyond the obvious joy, there is an obvious sense of relief over this; after all, a lot of people think we’ve been able to avoid a divisive and, for those whose lives could be indelibly altered, distressing debate over the succession till the mid-century. I disagree, of course, as you know from the occasion. Something untarnished by the past? You said it, not me. I have a hard time thinking in terms of symbolism.

私の記憶によれば、平成の御世においても、相次ぐ御婚儀、宮様御誕生と、皇室の中で喜ばしいことは結構あったのです。しかし、確かに、当然の喜びの一方で、国民がほっとしていることも明らかです。というのも、これで、国論を分断し、結論次第でその運命が大きく改変されるかもしれない方々にとってつらい論議を、今世紀半ばまで避けることができると多くの人が思っているからです。私が、そうではなく、早々にも取り組む必要があると考えていることは、別の機会にご覧になったとおりです。誕生が、思わしくない過去が尾を引いていない出来事であることが何らかの心理学的効果を及ぼしているのではないかというお話については、私の方は、なんとも申し上げるつもりはありません。私は、そういう、象徴主義的なものの考え方をするのが苦手です。

"Do you think that, post-Showa, the imperial household is receding in importance. We had Meiji, Taisho, Showa--all rather high-profile. Post-Taisho, has a century of prominence ended and the imperial family is, speaking figuratively, again receding to Kyoto?"

The Taisho Emperor was not high-profile at all. But of course the Imperial Household is receding in importance. So you're making a good point here. If you look at the last 1,000 years, the highly politicized Meiji and Showa Emperors are much more of an exception. It is interesting, personally, that you mention Kyoto. I had always felt the Emperor should return annually, perhaps to take up residence during January-June. I don’t think Kyoto deserves it as much anymore. A roving Imperial Household would also be fine with me. Again, I am thinking literally; not, like you, metaphorically.

大正天皇も、決して目立った後存在ではありませんでした。とは言え、皇室の存在感が段々小さくなってきているのも事実ですから、ご指摘の点は、当たっていると思います。過去千年を振り返れば、政治性の強かった明治、昭和両陛下は、むしろはっきりとした例外なのです。個人的には、京都のことをおっしゃっているのが興味深い。私自身、前々から、天皇陛下が毎年、たとえば1月から6月の間、京都にお戻りになるべきだと思っております。もっとも、京都自身変わってしまって、ふさわしさも落ちてきてはおりますが。国内を皇居が移動していくというのも、いいのではないかと思っております。これは、何かのたとえ話として申し上げているのではなく、額面どおりに受け取っていただいて結構です。

"What about Japanese women? What is the significance of this for them? Not long ago, the nation seemed to favor a change on the succession law to allow female succession. Now it seems to be sighing a sigh of relief. Am I right about this?"

Japanese women? The nation? The short answer is, I don’t know Ms. Japanese Women, or Mr./Ms. The Nation. I don’t think it’s life-changing moment for most of them, if that’s your question. Who are these two people? If you happen to meet either one of these people, let me know. I’ll introduce you to the Snark, as well as my friend the Leprechaun. Having said that, of course most people here are relieved that a difficult question has been resolved. But I told you that already.

日本の女性にとってこれがどういう意味を持っているか、ですか。一言で言えば、わかりません。「日本の女性」とか、「日本人」といった特定の人にあったことがありません。もしご質問が、日本の女性の大部分にとって生き方を変えてしまうようなできごとであったかと言うことであれば、そうではないというのが、私の答えです。まあ、もしそういう特定の人にお会いになったら、教えてください。そのときは、私も、幻のスナ―クや妖精レプレコンにご紹介しますよ。ということではありますが、穂と温度の人が、厄介な問題が解決されたと思ってほっとしていることは、当然です。これは、前に申し上げたとおりです。

"I note that just today the government announced that it would shelve the succession law. What is your thought on this?"

If they did, I think it's the right decision, if it really is a decision. (Pretty obvious, isn't it?) But we’ll have to face up to it sooner rather than later. It's not fair to the people concerned. You cannot walk up to a guy selling insurance and tell him the new law says you're the fifth in line for the Emperorship. Only happens in Disney movies.

もし本当に政府が皇室典範の改正を棚上げしたのだとすれば、それは正しい判断です。（当然ですね。）ただし、きちんと結論を出すまでそれほど長く待てないのも事実です。ほっとおくことは、その影響を受ける方々にとって不公平です。例えば、保険会社の営業部門にいる人のところへ行って、新皇室典範によってあなたが皇位継承第五番目になられました、と告げるわけにはいかないでしょう。そんなことがあるのは、ディズニー映画の中ぐらいです。

"Is this some sort of setback for Japanese women in this respect? (My editors far away ask this question.)"

Your editors should be fired. Of course not, it's totally irrelevant. Japanese women have changed, and will continue to change. But the goings-on in the Imperial Household have had little to do with this.

これが日本の女性にとって何かのマイナスになるのかというような質問をする編集者は、首にするべきです。もちろんそれは関係ありません。日本の女性はこれまで変わってきたし、これからも変わっていくでしょう。しかし、それと皇室内部の動静とは、まったく別の話です。

"Can you relate the position of women in Japanese society to this situation? Are the doings of the imperial family any kind of model for behavior in the sociological sense--do Japanese women draw lessons from this?"

No, I don’t think so, and how should I know. I do expect a slight up-tick in the birthrate next year, but it takes two to tango.

皇室の女性方のことから一般の日本人女性が何かを学び取るというようなことはないでしょう、本当は、私には知る由もないのですが。来年に入って若干出生率が上がるということはあると予想しています。しかし、これには両性の合意が必要です。

"My own thought is that this is a measure of the growing distance between the imperial family and ordinary Japanese--the family being rather in a world of its own. Do you agree?"

Yes, the Imperial Household is in a world of its own. But the borders, if anything, have become more permeable. Think of Princess of Kiko as a working woman (it is a full-time job, in the family business, if you will) who has another child, late in her reproductive life. I don't think it is that atypical for a woman marrying in to a family business here. Ask around. An American, in a similar situation, would, of course, shack up with a younger woman and get a divorce.

確かに皇室は別世界です。しかし、その境目は、どちらかと言えば、透過しやすくなっています。紀子様のことを働く女性と考えてください。（実際、それは、いわば家業におけるフル・タイムの仕事です。）その女性が、かなり高齢になってからまた一人子供を作った、と考えてください。これは、家業があるところに嫁ぐ女性としてそれほど珍しいこととは思えません。周りの方々に聞いてみていただいてはどうか。米国の場合、同じような状況だったら、男の方が年下の女性といい仲になって離婚してしまう、ということになるのでしょうか。

"Where are we with Japanese women in the economy and politics? Is the trend not the other way--they are becoming more engaged in work (again) and more evident politically?"

More, yes, but still less so than elsewhere. It is a mystery to me. I do not have a clue.

女性の政治や職場への進出は、確かに進んでいますが、それでもよその国に比較すれば、まだ遅れています。これは、私にとって謎です。

"What is your sense of how Masako is doing? What about the couple to whom this child is born?"

I don’t know them well enough to make a good guess.

雅子様、秋篠宮ご夫妻がどのようなお気持ちだろうかというのは、想像できるほどよく存じ上げておりません。

"Is there an aspect of this I have not noted that you think bears mentioning?"

I'm sure they are. But I can't think of any right now, except a few things I can only speculate about. And you're the one being paid to ask questions. Would you pay a fee for question I thought up and you used? I thought so.

Good night, and good luck.

他に何かと言われても、すぐに思いつくこと言えば、想像でしかものを言えないことばかりです。それに、質問するのは、そちらの仕事でしょう。もし、何か質問を思いついて、それをあなたが使ったら、使用料を払っていただけますか。でしょう。

以上で失礼します。貴稿がうまくいくことを願っております。