tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201292376032245922024-03-14T16:04:37.406+09:00Worldwide-Women's Action Networkw-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-9994853213435319892016-02-10T07:08:00.003+09:002016-02-10T07:15:12.363+09:00Please visit us in the new site! This blog has been integrated into the <a href="http://wan.or.jp/wwan" target="_blank">Women's Action Nework website</a>. (http://wan.or.jp/wwan) . New articles will no longer be posted in this blog, and this will only be available until the end of 2016. All of our previous articles have been moved to the new site, as well.<br />
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Please bookmark us in the new site. Looking forward to seeing you there!<br />
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-59432145640587822312015-12-06T20:31:00.000+09:002015-12-06T20:31:01.001+09:00Report on Women's Film Festival Osaka 2015<span style="font-family: MS Pゴシック;">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";">I went to the International Women Make
Sister Waves Film Festival, which was held on November 14 and 15, 2015, in Toyonaka
City, Osaka. Commemorating the 45<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> anniversary of women’s liberation movement,
the forth Film Festival was entitled “We’re Still in the Midst of Lib!” and a
total of seven documentary films were screened in two days. A special talk by
the women in their 70s about “the 45 Years of Women’s Lib—Never-ending Journey
on the Road of Lib—was also held, as well as discussions after screenings. The
Festival had other sorts of festivities, including panel exhibition showing the
women’s lib movement in Osaka and a party celebrating the movement’s 45<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
anniversary.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";">The screening program of the Festival
included the premiere shows of three overseas films as
follows: Spanish and Turkish films documenting feminists movements which
spread in respective countries from the end of 1970s to 1980s, and a Canadian film,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lesbiana: A Parallel Revolution</i>*, which
reviewed the radical lesbians’ movement generated from the women’s lib movement
in the 1970s mainly through the interviews of those radical feminists. A
Japanese film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looking for Fumiko </i>represented a dialogue between the women engaged in the 1970s lib
movement and younger generations. </span></span><span style="font-family: century;">The other Japanese film </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">30
years' of Sisterhood : Women in the 1970s Women's Liberation Movement in Japan </i></span></span><span style="font-family: century;">was </span><span style="font-family: century;">composed of narratives of twelve women who had been involved in the lib
movement in those days and have been living a life for liberation still now.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";">Watching these films, I felt that I could vividly
re-experience the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">spread</i> of various women’s movements simultaneously generated in various places of the world and
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">power of solidarity </i>among<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>individual women who spontaneously took
part in the movements to let their voices heard. That was because the films
were directed by women who aimed to listen carefully to voices of those women engaged in the movements. Even though their problems and
difficulties were different from ours, we, who are living a contemporary life somehow
with uneasiness, could receive positive messages and hopes from each of those
films.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";">Above all, the words which I found most inspiring
were those uttered by a woman in the Spanish film about La Sal in Barcelona. “For
me, ‘feminism’ is uncomfortable behaviorism,” she said, “because you could never
keep away from feminism as it involves the questions of your own life and
identity, while you could forget about the missiles (she means other kinds of
social movements) you would not take home to your bed.</span></span><span style="font-family: Century, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">” Yes! I agreed to those words with much empathy.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";">Another impressive phrase was spoken by a women
who appeared in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lesbiana: A Parallel
Revolution</i>. She said “I think it necessary that we should be connected
through recognition of our heterogeneity rather than homogeneity." The linkage
based on heterogeneity might not be attainable particularly in Japan where homogeneity
tends to be most highly regarded. The importance of heterogeneity, however, should
be better appreciated in our actual activities and movements today.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";">* <a href="http://www.lesbiana-film.com/en">http://www.lesbiana-film.com/en</a></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "century";">Original article written by NAKAMURA Natsuko </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://wan.or.jp/general/search?search=%E3%82%B7%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E7%A5%AD&x=13&y=13">http://wan.or.jp/general/search?search=%E3%82%B7%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E6%98%A0%E7%94%BB%E7%A5%AD&x=13&y=13</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Translated by FUKUOKA.A.A</span></div>
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</span>w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-79115994469892199432015-11-29T23:40:00.004+09:002015-11-29T23:43:55.041+09:00Making use of yourself to connect with society--Knowledge of philosophy and its use<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="color: #1e33ee; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Event URL : </span><span style="color: #1e33ee; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><u>http://www.essor.or.jp/blog/kouza/2015-12-26</u></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">O</span>rganizer : Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Hiroshima Prefecture gender equality</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Date : Saturday, December 26,2015 10:30-12:00</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Venue : ESSOR Hiroshima conference room 2nd floor (11-6, Fujimi-cho, naka-ku, Hiroshima)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">URL : </span><span style="color: #1e33ee; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><u>http://www.essor.or.jp/</u></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Contact: Tel:082-242-5262 FAX:082-240-5441 Email:</span><span style="color: #1e33ee; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><u>essor@essor.or.jp</u></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Brochure:<a href="http://woman-action-network.s3-website-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/event/66d402e132763d1b654a38e43cdff32e.pdf" target="_blank"> Download</a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Detail : Inviting Mr. Hitoshi Ogawa, philosopher often appears on TV as a speaker, we will learn the importance of thinking things with the philosophical view. The theme is "Making use of yourself to connect with society--Knowledge of philosophy and its use"</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Fee is 500 yen, Free child service is available (Please book in advance).</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://wan.or.jp/calendar/detail/3626" target="_blank">Original Article on the WAN Website</a>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Translated and Adapted by T. Muramatsu</span>w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-82860272500254405232015-11-29T19:16:00.000+09:002015-11-29T19:26:48.829+09:00Movie Review: Freedom Writers<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>Acquiring Their Own “Words” and “Voices” to Change Their Lives</b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AEFY17E/ref=dp_mv_of_dp_0" target="_blank">Buy this DVD from Amazon.com</a></span></div>
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Erin Gruwell, a novice high school teacher, comes in charge of a class composed of “at-risk” students. Growing up in slums where violence and murder happen every day, the students segregate themselves into the racial groups and fight against each other in the cycle of hatred, just like adults do outside of the school. They have no hopes in their own lives and no enthusiasm to learn. Nevertheless, Erin believes the power of education and, all by herself, begins struggling to change the students’ lives. She gives her students some books to read and diaries to write about themselves, because she believes that they can understand and empathize with others through reading and writing. She tries to teach them how big the world is and how to describe themselves in their own words.</div>
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Regarding her as a just another white woman from a rich family, the students disapprove and sneer at Erin. Erin doesn’t sympathize, look down or give up on them because she knows that their attitudes towards her result from their immaturity and pain. Instead, she respects each of her students as a person and gradually, her honesty touches a chord with them. They open up their hearts to her through their own “words” and “voices” they have acquired. This story touched me deep inside.</div>
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This movie is based on a best-selling book titled <i>The Freedom Writers Diary</i>, which was written by actual high school students and published in 1994. The every story in it is too harsh to believe that it’s true, but that is the reason why the students’ voices are filled with hopes (I recommend this book as well as the movie).</div>
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The theme song of the movie is “A dream” by COMMON feat. WILL. I. AM, which samples the famous speech by Martin Luther King Jr, “I Have a Dream”. Every time I listen to the theme, tears well up in my eyes and I think that there is no song that matches with the movie more perfectly than this song.</div>
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In this movie, Erin succeeds in developing trust with students and also letting them believe in the power of education, but there is one thing she has to lose: her husband. While she devotes herself in teaching her students to change their lives, he gives up his relationship with her and leaves her. The movie depicts him as a kind of pathetic man who can’t understand his wife’s passion for her career. </div>
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In closing, I’d like to ask you one question. If you had a career which you think you should devote your whole life to and choose over your partner, what would you do? Or, what would you do if your partner had such a career? If you were Erin or her husband, how would you deal with this unanswerable question? </div>
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<a href="http://wan.or.jp/article/show/6287" target="_blank">Original Article</a> by Natsuko NAKAMURA</div>
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Translated by N. Tajima</div>
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-43602075819250436062015-09-20T14:34:00.000+09:002015-09-23T18:52:39.961+09:00“Force against terrorism only ends up generating new terrorism” --- OVERSEAs is now acting! Stop the “Galapagos bill” which ignores world trends!<div class="MsoNormal">
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August 28th, 2015, before massive</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">protests around the Diet
Building on the 30th, a press conference was held by “OVERSEAs-PEACE for
World,” an organization of Japanese living abroad</span><span lang="EN-US"> fighting against the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=420129237603224592"></a>security-related</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">legislation</span><span lang="EN-US">, which enables the use
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The three founders of OVERSEAs – Yukiko Takei, Yuki Nakamizo, and Shin Yamaaki --- attended the conference. Inspired by the many protesters and protest groups across</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the country including SEALDs, MIDDLEs and TOLDs, Takei called for the foundation of OVERSEAs in mid-August. In just a single week after its foundation, about 400 people had joined their closed group page on Facebook.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">As
of 13:00 on September 20th, OVERSEAs has got 2727 “Like”s on their Facebook
community page (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/OVERSEAs%E7%99%BA%E4%BF%A1%E7%89%88-980605138640687/timeline/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/OVERSEAs</a></span><span style="font-family: "MS 明朝"; font-size: medium; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OVERSEAs%E7%99%BA%E4%BF%A1%E7%89%88-980605138640687/timeline/" target="_blank">発信版</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OVERSEAs%E7%99%BA%E4%BF%A1%E7%89%88-980605138640687/timeline/" target="_blank">-980605138640687/timeline/</a>) and 1,250 web
signatures on their petition website</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;"> (</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.overseas-no9.net/" target="_blank">http://www.overseas-no9.net/</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">). They are considering submitting
the signatures to the Japanese consulates overseas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In
the protests on August 30th, they carried out a standing demonstration near the
Diet Building holding the blue placards of OVERSEAs. Also, their supporters in
Berlin and New York joined the protests with the same placards. They posted photographs
of their actions on Facebook to demonstrate their worldwide solidarity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: grey; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">Viewed from abroad, we can see that “Japan is safe because
it is considered to be a ‘weak country’ which cannot take military action</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: grey; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">.”</span></b></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Yukiko Takei is a lawyer, who occasionally holds the
“Constitution Café” events as a member of the Association of Young Lawyers
Defending Tomorrow’s Freedoms, and watches over SEALDs as a member of Watching
Lawyers. Having once worked for a general trading company, she says, “When you
consider peace and security, you need to think about our
relationships with foreign countries.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Those who advocate changes to the collective
self-defense legislation emphasize the “threat of China” and argue for the
necessity of military buildup. But she questions that argument, saying, “For
Japan there is no point in making war against China, which is one of Japan’s
biggest trading partners.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Takei also says, “Japan is safe precisely because it is
‘weak.’” What does this mean?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Now, the nature of wars and conflicts around the world is
changing from “country against country” to “country against (cyber) terrorism.”
The aim of terrorists is to defeat “strong countries” like the United States.
She argues that in such a worldwide trend a “weak country” like Japan, which
has abandoned arms, is less likely to be targeted by terrorists, and therefore,
is safer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">It is true that modern-day terrorism is conducted in the
form of guerrilla warfare, in which overwhelmingly militarily (and also
politically and economically) weaker groups attack stronger powers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">This may result in those “strong countries” being forced
to spend much money, and as a result, end up reconsidering their policies. That
is exactly what the terrorists is looking for. Not to beat, to conquer or to
rule the powers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Takei has, in fact, seen many Americans hiding their
passports trying to conceal their nationality in airports and on board
airplanes. Americans are likely to be targeted just for “being Americans.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">On the other hand, Takei has been proud to show that she
is “Japanese.” So far, most Japanese residents in foreign countries have lived
safely without being targeted by any specific political groups, because we have
not killed anyone in war with other countries for 70 years due to Article 9 of
the Japanese Constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">However, our security notion that “we are safe because we
are Japanese” will begin to disappear when Japan enhances its military power
and takes part in U.S.-led wars, and rapidly so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Since the start of the Abe administration in December
2012, ten Nikki employees were among 40 foreigners who were kidnapped and
killed by pro-al-Qaeda militants in Algeria in 2013. And in January 2015, two
Japanese men were held hostage and killed by the terrorist group Islamic State
(IS).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">In the horrible execution of the hostage Goto, IS sent a
frightening message saying, “(Prime Minister) Abe, with your reckless decision
to participate in an unwinnable war, this knife not only will massacre (Goto)
Kenji, but also continue and cause a bloodbath where your people are. Let the
nightmare begin for Japan.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Abe responded to this with a very belligerent and risky
message, though sounding-brave; “<span style="color: #161616;">To the terrorists,
we will never, never forgive them for this act … </span>Japan will never yield
to terrorism ... (and) is firmly resolved to fulfill its responsibility in the
international community's fight against terrorism.” The Japanese government
could not do anything when its citizens were kidnapped. It could not save them.
It could hardly even negotiate with the terrorists. It revealed that it was
completely incompetent in protecting the lives and security of its citizens.
And yet Abe blustered, “We will never forgive IS.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Obviously, IS will not sit by and will send more hostile
messages to the Japanese government. This exchange of bitter words could get
worse, but those put at a greater risk of suffering serious harm are ordinary
Japanese citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: large;">Actually, according to the foreign press, Jumpei Yasuda,
a Japanese freelance journalist is now being held hostage by an unknown group
in Syria. But there has been little coverage of it in Japan. Many people believe
that the incident might have something to do with the government’s, especially
Abe’s, insensitive and overbearing attitude towards the Muslim extremists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;">If the new collective
self-defense legislation enables the use of force by the Self Defense Forces
abroad, their potential enemies will certainly include such extremists. As a
result, Japanese people would be much more likely to become their “targets.”
Warning that Japanese people are about to throw away the wonderful fortune they
are not even aware of owning, Takei and her partners say, “We are strongly
against the collective self-defense bill which will never be conducive to
peace in Japan and the world. We should contribute to the world through culture
and economy, not military force.”</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"><a href="http://iwj.co.jp/wj/open/archives/260070" target="_blank">Original article</a></span></u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"> written by Independent Web Journal</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Translated by A. Tawara</span></div>
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-26651947384875996432015-08-31T17:53:00.000+09:002015-09-01T00:00:35.570+09:00California Scholars Rally Against Japan’s Proposed Security-related Bills on Aug. 27, 2015<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A wave
of protest is brewing at home and abroad. According to <a href="http://anti-security-related-bill.jp/index_en.html">the Association of
Scholars Opposed to the Security-related Bills (ASOSB)</a>, a large number of scholars
from over 100 universities both in Japan and overseas have released statements
against the government-sponsored security bills now under deliberation in the
Diet. One call to action was issued on August 27 by Keiko Yamanaka, a scholar
at University of California, Berkley, and some others based at UCB/UCD asking
for people in California was to join hands in protest against the bills. ASOSB
is calling for broader support and signatures on a petition available on their website.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*****************************************************************************</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">****</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As scholars deeply concerned about Japan’s
constitutionalism and its future, we declare our strong opposition to the
so-called security-related bills that were passed by Japan’s Lower House on
July 16, 2015. Proposed by the Abe government, these so-called security-related
bills consist of 1) the International Peace Security Bill, and 2) the omnibus
Peace and Security Legislation Consolidation Bill that amends 10 war-related
laws. If passed by the Upper House this September, these bills would allow the
Japanese government to send Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to cooperate with
overseas military operations conducted by other countries. Many scholars of
constitutional law have pointed out that these security-related bills are
clearly in violation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. By joining the
efforts of the Association of Scholars Opposed to the Security-related Bills (</span><a href="http://anti-security-related-bill.jp/images/link_california.pdf" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">http://anti-security-related-bill.jp/images/link_california.pdf</a><a href="http://anti-security-relatedbill.jp/index_en.html" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">), we not only
express our opposition to the Bills, but also urge other concerned scholars in
California to voice their views. Please note that we are a group of scholars
based in California who have chosen to express our opposition to the
Security-Related Bills in Japan as individuals (See the next page for the list
of signatories). The opinions expressed in this statement are those of the
individuals, and they do not represent the views of the organizations and/or
institutions of their affiliations. If you agree to sign this appeal, please
contact one of the following: • Keiko Yamanaka (keikoyamanaka7</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[at]</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">gmail.com) •
Byung-Kwang Yoo (yoobk15[at]gmail.com) • Junko Habu (habujunko</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">[at]</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">gmail.com). In your
message, please include the following information.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. I
agree to publicize the following information about myself </span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> (Please check one of
the boxes below):</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> [ ] Name, academic
discipline, title, department and university</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> [ ] Name only</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> [ ] None <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Your
Name: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3.
Academic Discipline: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4.
Title: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5.
Department and University: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. Date:
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7.
Comments (Optional):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0mm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-weight: normal;">See also a feature article (</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://worldwide-wan.blogspot.jp/2015/07/call-for-support-sign-appeal-against.html"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-weight: normal;">Call for Support: Sign the
Appeal against the Security-Related Bills</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-weight: normal;">) on the W-WAN website.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h3>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Posted by Naoko Uchibori</span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-1322866106471172912015-08-14T11:03:00.000+09:002015-08-14T11:03:52.338+09:00 “We Refuse Abe’s Politics” – Call for Action at 14:00 (German time) on August 15th, SaturdayACTION: “We Refuse Abe’s Politics 0815” “Nein zu ABEs Politik 0815”<br />
<br />
Date: Saturday 15th August<br />
Time: 14:00 (German Time)<br />
<br />
Let's wave placards!<br />
<br />
Venue: In front of your house, in your house, in your office, etc.
Take photos of your action and post them to Facebook.<br />
FB: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1614472758832999/">https://www.facebook.com/events/1614472758832999/</a><br />
<br />
Placards: Japanese, German (Download from <a href="http://www.sayonara-genpatsu.de/2015/08/01/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%99%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB%E3%82%92%E8%A8%B1%E3%81%95%E3%81%AA%E3%81%840815-nein-zu-abes-politik-0815/">here</a>.)<br />
<br />
<br />
[Declaration]<br />
<br />
On 15th July, The Japanese Lower House steamrolled security bills which a number of constitutional scholars consider as unconstitutional. The majority of the Japanese citizens are opposed to the bills.<br />
<br />
If the Upper House approves the bills, Japan would be able to use military forces when Japanese allies such as the United States are attacked even if Japan itself is not directly attacked. It would also be able to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces abroad to provide logistics support to the military of its allies when they claim they are working for an international peace-keeping operation.
<br />
<br />
It's a significant policy change for Japan, which, for so many years, has been a pacifist nation renouncing war. Some point out that Japan will run the risk of having nuclear power plants targeted by missiles.
<br />
<br />
As a reaction against Prime Minister Abe's brutal politics, Hisae Sawachi, a novelist, led a protest against the bills.
<br />
<br />
The Asahi Shimbun reported the protest.<br />
<a href="http://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASH7L7K7HH7LUTIL01N.html?iref=comtop_pickup_02">http://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASH7L7K7HH7LUTIL01N.html?iref=comtop_pickup_02</a><br />
Sawachi and those who agreed with her launched a website.<br />
718 response: <a href="http://718yobi.blogspot.jp/">http://718yobi.blogspot.jp/</a><br />
<br />
Protest against the Japanese Government (Abe's Regime) in Germany
<br />
<br />
In Japan, on 18th July, at 1 PM, protesters waved the same placard at more than 1000 sites throughout the country.
<br />
<br />
We are going to do the same action in Germany on 15th August.<br />
If you can join us, let's bring placards and meet in front of the art museum, K20 GRABBEPLATZ
(Grabbeplatz 5, 40213 Düsseldorf).<br />
<br />
Original article: <a href="http://net.wan.or.jp/now/?p=1802">http://net.wan.or.jp/now/?p=1802</a><br />
Abridged Translation: Atsuko Ishikawa
wansmthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16204361584945910808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-90048464994395477712015-08-03T12:26:00.000+09:002015-08-03T12:26:32.645+09:00Speech by Mana Shibata, SEALDs<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Speech by Mana Shibata </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Tokyo, Friday, July 24, 2015</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Good evening. I am Mana Shibata, a college junior.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I am here to read a letter I wrote to Mr. Shinzo Abe.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Dear Mr. Abe, I am filled with deep rage and despair toward you.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Your forced passage of the security legislation at the Special Committee in the Lower House could be called a coup d’etat. In Okinawa, you have set residents against each other and proceeded with the construction of a new base. In Kagoshima, you are preparing to restart the Sennai nuclear plant without sufficiently explaining your safety policy.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In northeast Japan, there are still many people who have been living in temporary shelters for more than four years. Can you really call this “our beautiful nation Japan”?</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">America builds bases all over the world “for freedom and democracy,” occupies conflict regions, threatens the lives of civilians, and ever since 9/11 has been repeatedly murdering people indiscriminately in its “war on terror.”</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Kenji Goto was killed, I remember how frightened I became, wondering whether Japan would start a war on terror like America.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But Japan did not take that path then, and it must not take it now.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As a nation who has suffered atomic bombing, as a nation which does not have a military force, as a nation which has Article 9 in its Constitution, we have the responsibility to think seriously about peace and continue peacebuilding. With the Constitution of Japan, we pledged that we would not repeat the experience of 70 years ago.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I do not need a future that depends on military force. A peace based on killing, I do not call peace. Someday I hope to give birth to my own children and raise them. But I do not have the confidence to raise children in our current society.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Mr. Abe, can you wipe away my fears? Can you call this a society where parents can feel secure raising their children? Can you promise the children of Fukushima a safe and healthy future? Can you return an island without bases to the grandfathers and grandmothers of Okinawa?</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I am standing here now raising my voice because I want Japan to be a country that seeks peace and promotes it throughout the world when my children are born. I want to make this a society where we think about the future, cherish life, learn from previous generations. A society where it is common sense to value such common sense.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">To me, peace is little pieces of happiness like returning after school to a home where my mother is waiting for me with dinner ready; seeing a baby in a stroller laugh, opening its mouth so wide I can see it still doesn’t have any teeth; calling my grandmother to say thank you for sending me money for my education; listening to music on the train that someone special told me about. That’s the kind of daily life I want to protect.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The current government, unable to protect the Constitution, says there is no other way, and tries to affirm the Abe administration. How can the government of such a country, which so casually violates its own Constitution, be a peacemaker in international society?</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I truly cannot understand how people can behave so childishly in Diet sessions; compare war to a neighborhood fire; bury beautiful Oura Bay. I do not feel the tiniest bit of intelligence or compassion in a single one of your words or actions. I only feel that you are insulting me as a citizen of this country.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Mr. Abe, I can no longer leave the government of our country up to you. I want a democratic and peaceful tomorrow where every individual is valued. I don’t want to create such a tomorrow with you. I don’t think I can.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The view I see before me here gives me hope. I wish you would stand here and see it. The faces of the people who are taking action because they seriously care about this country’s future are full of strength and hope, surely tens of times more than the faces you see every day in Nagatacho.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Neither democracy nor the future of this nation are in your hands. They are to be won by those of us here.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">July 24, 2015. I call on you to dissolve the Abe administration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">Original speech video is available in Japanese:</span><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDbAd1CSDDk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDbAd1CSDDk</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">and translated by Gerry Yokota, collaborator.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Posted by Shin Yamaaki</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-27140795107235732502015-08-01T11:19:00.000+09:002015-08-29T22:09:47.406+09:00Japanese Youths Crying out for Democracy and Peace: SEALDs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cries of fury are reverberating in front of the National Diet Building in Tokyo, as protesters demonstrate against Prime Minister Abe's security bills that would allow the Japanese self-defense force to fight overseas for the first time since WWII. Leading the protest every Friday evening is a youth group called <a href="http://www.sealds.com/" target="_blank">Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs)</a>, whose presence has drawn much attention from the media:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<a href="http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201507110033" target="_blank">"Students protest planned security legislation in front of Diet," </a><a href="http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201507110033" target="_blank"><i>Asahi Shimbun.</i></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.pressenza.com/2015/07/youth-rising-against-the-security-bills/" target="_blank">"Youth Rising Against the Security Bills," <i>Pressenza</i>.</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/21/national/social-issues/campaign-group-sealds-hooking-japans-youth-jazzy-placards-fliers/#.VbMjL0ugHlS" target="_blank">“Campaign group SEALDs hooking Japan’s youth with jazzy placards, fliers,” <i>Japan Times</i>. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/01/national/media-national/political-turning-point-japans-youth/#.Vcqqq0ugHlQ" target="_blank">"A political turning point for Japan's youth,"<i> Japan Times.</i></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/29/national/politics-diplomacy/sealds-student-group-reinvigorates-japans-anti-war-protest-movement/#.VeGu0UugFTQ" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"SEALDs student group reinvigorates Japan’s anti-war protest movement," Japan Times.</span></a><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WrbEOE2SXOQ/VbM9J9WlrKI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/wQnNoN6I2_M/s1600/sealds.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WrbEOE2SXOQ/VbM9J9WlrKI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/wQnNoN6I2_M/s400/sealds.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Image from SEALDs' website</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are a few examples of how some of the young, hip protesters are expressing themselves at demonstrations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beniko, a twenty-four-year-old shop clerk and a member of SEALDs, spoke to 1,000 protesters on June 12, 2015:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Last year, I never thought I would take part in such demonstrations; nor had I ever imagined myself making a public speech like this. Along the way, I’ve had bitter experiences; some of my friends left me. Some people said I had changed, and some thought I was annoying. But I have always been like this, speaking out when I feel something is wrong. Sounding off when it doesn’t feel right. That should be a standard way of engaging in the politics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Today, before I came here, I bought a bikini and I’m still contemplating when to put on my new fake lashes for summer. It should be normal that people like me, fussing over swimsuits and makeup, stand up and be counted in the politics. That should be regarded as a standard. Till the day comes, I will continue to stand up and make myself heard.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On July 15, 2015 in Osaka, Tomoka made a speech at the SEALDs KANSAI demonstration that touched many across the nation:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I cannot bring back the lives that are lost in battles. I cannot rebuild the cities that are destroyed by air raids. I cannot take responsibility for the future of the children who are injured by the arms produced by Japanese companies. I cannot heal even a slightest bit of the sorrow caused by the loss of families. I cannot gloss over what I cannot account for, like Prime Minister Abe does when he uses terms such as "absolutely" and "I promise." Mr. Abe, our Constitution prohibits the use of arms and does not allow your dictatorship. If you continue to neglect the principles of the people’s sovereign</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ty, a fundamental human right, and pacifism, you are no longer our prime minister.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“As long as our democracy exists, we have the right to drag you down from the seat of authority. We have the power. You will resign this summer, and next year, for the seventy-first time, we will celebrate another year of peace.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The following week in Tokyo, Mana Shibata, a college junior, echoed her voice in front of 70,000 protesters:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Prime Minister Abe, can you possibly erase</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> my worries? Can you provide a future free from health concerns for children in Fukushima? Can you give back base-free lands to grandmas and grandpas in Okinawa? Can you possibly turn this country into a place where people hope to bring up their children? We can no longer trust our future in you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“As I speak, the view from here makes me full of hope. Mr. Abe, come and join me. The faces lining up here are much more determined and hopeful than those that you are used to seeing.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Photos and videos of demonstrations are available at: <a href="https://twitter.com/SEALDs_jpn" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/SEALDs_jpn</a> (in Japanese) and <a href="https://twitter.com/sealds_eng" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/sealds_eng</a> (in English).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Text by Aya Kitamura</span></div>
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-45127101210051684412015-07-07T08:34:00.000+09:002015-07-07T08:34:24.662+09:00Show Your Opposition to Abe’s Politics on July 18<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zjhnaa-OlQg/VZsQd4t0mWI/AAAAAAAAAl8/C6Xd-CSVmlA/s1600/sho_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zjhnaa-OlQg/VZsQd4t0mWI/AAAAAAAAAl8/C6Xd-CSVmlA/s320/sho_f.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Dozens
of famous intellectuals and cultural figures in Japan, including WAN’s director
Chizuno Ueko, are asking people to demonstrate opposition to the current prime minister
Abe’s politics by way of holding a sign with the slogan “We Refuse Abe’s
Politics.” </span><span lang="JA" style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">(アベ政治を許さない)</span></div>
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<span lang="JA" style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">People
are encouraged to download the file from<a href="http://wan.or.jp/emergency/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/sho_f.pdf" target="_blank"> http://wan.or.jp/emergency/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/sho_f.pdf</a>.
On it, the slogan is written in powerful and impressive Japanese calligraphy by
one of the movement promoters Tota Kaneko, a famous haiku poet. Print it out on
a A3 size piece of paper, and hold it at 1 p.m. on July 18 Japan time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Also
see the article below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">By
Naoko Hirose</span><o:p></o:p></div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-35445504354449894952015-07-01T16:46:00.001+09:002015-08-01T11:55:53.282+09:00Call for Support: Sign the Appeal against the Security-Related BillsWomen's Action Network invites you to join hands with the Association of Scholars Opposed to the Security-Related Bills. The initial signatories include Chizuko Ueno and Yayo Okano of WAN, and many others have since participated in the appeal. Both scholars and non-scholars are welcome.<br />
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Visit <a href="http://anti-security-related-bill.jp/index_en.html" target="_blank">here</a> to learn more about the Association, see the growing number of signatories, and join in!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWfyU7aHFdQ/VZOZk9h3DjI/AAAAAAAAAlc/lMs8NaxCUig/s1600/s4CvdT-chirashi_en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWfyU7aHFdQ/VZOZk9h3DjI/AAAAAAAAAlc/lMs8NaxCUig/s1600/s4CvdT-chirashi_en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWfyU7aHFdQ/VZOZk9h3DjI/AAAAAAAAAlc/lMs8NaxCUig/s1600/s4CvdT-chirashi_en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bWfyU7aHFdQ/VZOZk9h3DjI/AAAAAAAAAlc/lMs8NaxCUig/s640/s4CvdT-chirashi_en.jpg" width="451" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RLhFhBeQBM/VZOaOqX2GpI/AAAAAAAAAls/YydZSZyuxws/s1600/AphxP7-chirashi_en.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RLhFhBeQBM/VZOaOqX2GpI/AAAAAAAAAls/YydZSZyuxws/s640/AphxP7-chirashi_en.png" width="452" /></a><br />
<span id="goog_903816225"></span><span id="goog_903816226"></span><br />
<br />
See also a feature article (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/c-m-rubin/japanese-scholars-say-no_b_7776418.html" target="_blank">"Japanese Scholars Say No to War" by C. M. Rubin</a>) on Huffington Post.<br />
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Posted by Aya Kitamura</div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-14276057272764847312015-06-30T06:33:00.000+09:002015-06-30T06:35:39.758+09:00The Legacy of Frida --- Film Review by Natsuko NAKAMURA<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The legacy of Frida Kahlo was uncovered 50 years
after her death.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Japanese photographer, Miyako ISHIUCHI
captures the real life of Frida Kahlo as a woman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This film depicts </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“the record” and “the memories”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of the two
women and how their lives have crossed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0KBbctQvRAA/VZGy_IsAUNI/AAAAAAAAAlA/HLuWg8ofmRY/s1600/main-300x168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0KBbctQvRAA/VZGy_IsAUNI/AAAAAAAAAlA/HLuWg8ofmRY/s1600/main-300x168.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frida Kahlo is one of the most famous
female painters in Mexico. She was highly recognized as a surrealism artist in
Europe as well. She lived her life positively despite her physical
disability and the turbulence of the modernization of Mexico. Her way of
life resonates with many people from all over the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2004, 50 years after her death, the
legacy of Frida was uncovered. In 2012, a project to take pictures of her
belongings was launched by a Mexican curator, and Miyako Ishiuchi, a world-famous Japanese photographer, was chosen to take the photos. When Ishiuchi
visited the Frida Kahlo Museum called "the Blue House" in Mexico City,
she saw each of the enormous items arranged in front of her, such as Frida's
Mexican traditional costumes and accessories in which her identity originated, and
her medicines and corsets which evoked her ceaseless physical pain. They seemed
not only to be the evidence that Frida lived with various kinds of
"pain" as well as the joy and pride, but also to represent her
memories. As a painter, Frida Kahlo depicted what life was all about through
her life. How did Ishiuchi face the legacy of Frida and what did she
capture in her photographs?</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TUpPULF48Fc/VZGz56a0OvI/AAAAAAAAAlI/K-31BoDfUNc/s1600/sub2-300x199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TUpPULF48Fc/VZGz56a0OvI/AAAAAAAAAlI/K-31BoDfUNc/s1600/sub2-300x199.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This film shows the whole process of
Ishiuchi’s shooting for over three weeks. It describes, in a careful manner, how
the photographer faced the legacy and discovered the real life of Frida with
her photographs freeing her from her conventional image. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The film is directed by Daisuke Kotani, a
Japanese director who are highly acclaimed both domestically and
internationally with his documentary film, <i>The Cat That Lived a Million Times</i>.
By filming Ishiuchi's shooting process, he also captured the Mexican culture,
the tradition passed down from generations to generations, and women living in
the present time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYApzFRJD54/VZGz51PJGVI/AAAAAAAAAlM/RNnQJphYNrI/s1600/sub1-300x198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYApzFRJD54/VZGz51PJGVI/AAAAAAAAAlM/RNnQJphYNrI/s1600/sub1-300x198.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the documentary about “the record”
and “the memories”. The tokens of Frida’s life and the photographs that
captured them travel beyond space and time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this film, y</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ou can discover the new image of Frida
Kahlo that no one has ever imagined.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The official website of the film is <a href="http://legacy-frida.info/en/" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">==============================<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); letter-spacing: 0.4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Distributed
by Nondelaico<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); letter-spacing: 0.4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinematography:
Tadasuke KOTANI<span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starring: Miyako ISHIUCHI<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); letter-spacing: 0.4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2015/Japan/89
min/Japanese, Spanish, English, French</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; line-height: 25px;">In cooperation with: Embassy of the United Mexican States</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: rgb(238, 238, 238); letter-spacing: 0.4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Production:
Nondelaico<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooperation in Advertisement: Tereza and
Sunny</span><br />
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The <a href="http://wan.or.jp/reading/?p=16064" target="_blank">original article</a> written by Natsuko NAKAMURA</div>
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Translated by N. Tajima</div>
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-19598021834327243892015-05-29T19:46:00.001+09:002015-05-29T19:46:11.855+09:00<div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">A Critical Moment: Sex/Gender Research at the Intersection of Culture, Brain, & Behavior</span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">October 23-24, 2015 - <span style="color: red;">Early Registration Ending June 30</span><u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">UCLA, Los Angeles, California<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">WEBSITE<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.thefpr.org/conference2015" style="color: purple;" target="_blank">http://www.thefpr.org/<wbr></wbr>conference2015</a><span style="color: #555555;">/</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Confirmed Keynote Speaker</b> is Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling, Nancy Duke Lewis Professor Emerita of Biology and Gender Studies, Brown University, and author of the pioneering books, <i>Sex/Gender: Biology in a Social World (2012)</i> and <i>Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality (2000).</i><i> </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Some of Our Many Talks</b>:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Maternal Mystique: Constructing the Biosocial Body at the Maternal-Fetal Interface (Sarah Richardson)</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Recent Discoveries and Opportunities for Improved Understanding of Sex-Biasing Biological Factors (Art Arnold)</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A Life History Theory Perspective on Neural, Hormonal, and Genetic Correlates of Variation in Human Paternal Behavior (James Rilling)</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Social Neuroendocrinology and Gender/Sex: Asking Hormonal Questions with Social Construction and Evolution in their Answers (Sari van Anders)</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Where Does Sexual Orientation Reside? (Lisa Diamond)</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Early Androgen Exposure and Human Gender Development: Outcomes and Mechanisms (Melissa Hines)</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Naturalizing Male Violence and Sexuality (Matthew Gutmann)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Panel discussions and question/answer sessions with the audience throughout this 2-day event. Don’t Miss Out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Discover the latest findings on sex/gender, from an interdisciplinary perspective. All at UCLA this <b>October 23-24, 2015</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: red;">REGISTER NOW</span></b>. Our last two conferences sold out before the end of Early registration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>EARLY REGISTRATION (lower cost) </b><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">ENDS</span><b> June 30, 2015</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.thefpr.org/conference2015/registration.php" style="color: purple;" target="_blank">http://www.thefpr.org/<wbr></wbr>conference2015/registration.<wbr></wbr>php</a></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Posted by Kumiko Moriya</span></div>
</div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-10173430008595542532015-05-21T05:55:00.007+09:002015-05-21T05:55:57.004+09:00Chizuko Ueno’s Blog No. 86: Fukui District Court gives provisional disposition banning restart of nuclear power plant<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Some happy news, which we
haven’t had in a long time. Fukui District Court has given a provisional
disposition banning the restart of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant. Fellow WAN
members and Suruga-shi City Councillor Harumi Kondaichi broke into smiles on news
footage. The representative and deputy representative for the plaintiffs were
both women. Attorneys Hiroyuki Kawai and Yuichi Kaido were seen among members
of the defense. I actually participated as a plaintiff, but since I was not
residing within a 100-kilometre radius of the power plant, I was seen as not at
risk of suffering harm and determined ineligible as a plaintiff. As a result,
nine members remained on the plaintiffs’ side. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The ruling was made by Justice
Hideaki Higuchi, the same judge who acknowledged the request to block the
restart of the Oi Nuclear Power Plant. This ruling was a bolder step up from
the previous one. He most likely studied intensively on nuclear reactors during
this time. This will likely be a ruling that will go down in history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I feel that judges must feel isolated.
They probably cannot debate over topics with colleagues or persons related to
the field, or ask them for advice. If they did, they would likely be
immediately subjected to influences and pressure from all sides. As a judge, he
would probably be wary of the situation in the judicial sector as well. Mr.
Hideaki Higuchi has apparently just been transferred to Nagoya Family Court starting
this April. Prior to that, a petition to
challenge the judge, made by Kansai Electric, was rejected. Mr. Higuchi’s
simultaneous post at Fukui Regional Court had been acknowledged despite his
transfer. If the petition to challenge had gotten through, or if he had been
taken off the case as a result of his transfer… it would have been adequate
reason to be suspicious of political pressure coming from somewhere. At the ruling
to stop the restart of the Oi Nuclear Power Plant, Mr. Higuchi said, “The safety
of human lives cannot be measured on the same scale as business profits”.
Again, when making the provisional disposition to stop the restart of the
Takahama Nuclear Power Plant, Mr. Higuchi clearly declared that “the standards
of the Nuclear Regulation Authority are not reasonable.” Justice Higuchi, your
name will be marked in history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The head of the committee,
Tanaka, has himself acknowledged that the new standards set out by the Nuclear
Regulation Authority are not absolutely safe – that a reactor cannot be
declared safe just because it has met the standard. The Nuclear Regulation
Authority may be the one to decide if a reactor meets the standard or not, but
politics is what decides whether or not the reactor will be restarted based on
those results. And we voters are the ones who decide whether or not to accept
that decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Here is an example of the
standards of the Nuclear Regulation Authority being “not reasonable”, as
pointed out by the judge: the standards stipulate that an earthquake-proof building
should be constructed in preparation for disasters; however – perhaps in
consideration of the wallets of electric power companies – there is a grace
period for the construction. (I didn’t know that! This must be why these
standards are said to be “lenient.”) The Nuclear Regulation Authority sets
standards in place, but still gives approval ratings even if reactors do not
meet those standards. As Justice Higuchi said, “Nature does not wait for the
grace period to pass,” and that is the truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I am
sure there are many people involved in the judicial sector who are deeply
disappointed that the courts were accomplices in the policy to promote nuclear
power. The involvement of the courts is also pointed out in Joachim Radkau’s “A
Short History of the Anti-Nuclear Movement in Germany”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“The
persistence and success of Germany’s anti-nuclear movement can be explained not
only by the internal structure of the protest demonstrations, but also by
interactions between citizens’ protests, the media, politics, government
administration, the courts, and science.” (Joachim Radkau, “A Short History of
the Anti-Nuclear Movement in Germany.” Misuzu Shobo, 2012.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">He
claims that what Germany has and Japan doesn’t is this interaction between the
various actors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Eiji
Oguma’s book, “Those Who Stop the Nuclear Plants” (Bungeishunju, 2013) points
out the following: “In Japan, ‘going nuclear-power-free’ has already been
realized.” Not only that – “Japan has done what no other movement in the world
has been able to do before, which was to dominate the government district over
a long-term period through the use of non-violent direct action. As a result,
the people changed the energy policy of the party in power [at the time].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“The
people are still too unaccustomed to their own accomplishment to acknowledge
this miracle as a miracle. They do not yet realize the depth of possibility
hidden within it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Indeed,
all fifty-four reactors currently in Japan have been stopped, and the reason
why it is taking so long to restart the reactors is because the citizens, using
all manner of methods, including judicial means, are putting a “hold” on the
process, and the administration cannot ignore this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lately I feel that the courts
are more sensitive to changes of the times than the legislature and
administration. If this is one of the results of judicial reform, then I
welcome it. The legislature has finally begun to take action regarding
discrimination against extramarital children following a ruling that it was
unconstitutional. It would probably turn out the same way for the lawsuit for
married couples to have different surnames. The judicature is more closely
aligned with the perceptions of the citizens in terms of going nuclear-power-free.
Until now, the judicature has always been thought of as the “hound” of the
government. It seems as if the time has come for the judicature to emphasize
its independence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://wan.or.jp/ueno/?p=4909" target="_blank">Original article </a>in Japanese<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.25pt;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Meiryo, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Translated by Rieko Shimizu and adapted by Naoko Hirose<o:p></o:p></span></div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-90937438159664877272015-04-30T13:24:00.000+09:002015-04-30T21:57:29.420+09:00"Anshin (security) pouch" for disaster-preventing produced by women's group "Ami∞Amu"<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Recommended by Chizuko Ueno</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">"Ami∞Amu", a woman's group at Setagaya-ku that tries to create "local disaster-preventing network" has produced "<i>Anshin</i> (security) pouch."</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Scissor, portable flashlight, garbage bag, safety pin...14 items in total are included.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">It is hard to prepare each of those items by yourself!</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">The pouch is designed by a woman's group "nui nui" that embraces women's handmade work. </span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">It is lightweight, compact and easy to carry around. For yourself and for someone as a gift!</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Wishing you an <i>Anshin</i> (security)!</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">By Chizuko Ueno</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><img alt="http://wan.or.jp/market/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/d6b15ed430e15063928948e7a8ccb4db.jpg" class="shrinkToFit" src="http://wan.or.jp/market/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/d6b15ed430e15063928948e7a8ccb4db.jpg" height="239" width="320" /><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">inside; "<i>Anshin</i> pouch"</span><br />
<br />
<img alt="http://wan.or.jp/market/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/8fc148da2f1a8d1789114801a8e0975c.jpg" class="shrinkToFit" src="http://wan.or.jp/market/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/8fc148da2f1a8d1789114801a8e0975c.jpg" height="239" width="320" /><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">compact and space-saving</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>◆Included items◆</b> </span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">The wisdom of disaster-preventing is packed in this compact pouch.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Not just for the time of disaster, it is also useful for everyday life.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">14 items as follows are included;</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">whistle, mini flashlight, scissor, big plastic bag, safety pin.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">pill's bag, adhesive bandages, wet tissue, candies, memo pad,</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">permanent marker, bag for change, urine removal pad, information card</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>◆Price◆</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Retail price; 2200yen</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Items only; 600yen</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Pouch only; 1600yen</span><span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"> </span><img alt="http://wan.or.jp/market/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/po-chiroiro.jpg" src="http://wan.or.jp/market/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/po-chiroiro.jpg" height="320" width="290" /><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">various designs of "<i>Anshin</i> pouch"</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">For more information, please make a contact with "Ami∞Amu" as listed below.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><b>◆Woman's group "Ami∞Amu"◆</b></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">"Ami∞Amu" is a group that aims at dealing with local disaster prevention based on respect for human rights,</span><span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"> and established by a group pf woman living at Setagaya-ku.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">In 2012, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, during the process of making a proposal to Setagaya-ku for disaster contingency planning, they tried find a way to do something direct to local disaster prevention.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Since 2013, "Ami∞Amu" has been doing various activities as study meeting, workshop which produced the "<i>Anshin</i> pouchi", research the status of children commuted by train on the day of the Earthquake.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">From now on "Ami∞Amu" will organize "disaster prevention cafe" on a regular basis and continue to seek a way of disaster prevention cares the human rights from a various aspects with local community.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Number of members; 8 </span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">HP </span><span style="color: #053bee; font: 13.0px Arial;"><u>http://amiamuamiamu.blog.FC2.com</u></span><span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Contact; </span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Email; </span><span style="color: #053bee; font: 13.0px Arial;"><u>amiamu_amiamu@yahoo.co.jp</u></span><span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Mobile; 080-5086-6141(Sunada)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"><a href="http://wan.or.jp/market/?p=3189" target="_blank">Original article </a>written by Chizuko Ueno</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Translated by T. Muramatsu </span>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-61415029789594409082015-04-30T12:30:00.000+09:002015-05-02T20:26:54.583+09:00The Widening Gap between Increasing Criticism and Growing Ignorance (2)<h2>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Absurdity in the Sankei’s Campaign and the Asahi-Bashing</span></span></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Urgent Symposium for the Final Solution of the Comfort Women Issue Held
in Tokyo</span></span></h3>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p5LyoL6PqJw/VUGIccHRSXI/AAAAAAAAAkA/HZ3MFilaMr4/s1600/150423_142336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p5LyoL6PqJw/VUGIccHRSXI/AAAAAAAAAkA/HZ3MFilaMr4/s1600/150423_142336.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On April 23, 2015, the South Korean and
Japanese organizations who have been working to resolve the comfort women issue jointly held an “urgent” symposium and press conference at the House of Councillors
assembly hall in Tokyo, in order to reiterate a new proposal before Prime Minister
ABE Shintaro visited America.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In her speech at the symposium, Kim
Bok-dong (90 years old), a former comfort woman, asked Abe to “change his mind
and acknowledge the past mistakes” as it is “the only way for South Korea and Japan to live together in harmony.”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Based on a great many materials discovered
after the 1993 Statement, which will be described later, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">the two groups had proposed that the Japanese
government should admit the imperial army’s involvement in building, administering
and controlling the rape centers, euphemistically called “the comfort stations,”
as military facilities. On the basis of these admissions, the government was
urged to make an irreversible apology, to compensate the former comfort women
to prove the sincerity of the apology. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">This new proposal was submitted to the
government in June, 2014, but Abe administration has not taken note of it.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-weight: normal;">The representatives of the two groups,
Korean Council for the Women Drafted for
Military Sexual Slavery by Japan and Japan Action for Resolution of the
“Comfort Women” Issue, also stressed at the symposium that the new and modest
proposal would be achievable as it incorporated the wishes of the former
comfort women themselves. On the other hand, the proposal replaced the term “legal responsibility”
- a term that the Japanese government had rejected - with the concrete measures
that Japan would have to take.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-weight: normal;">Now the ball
is in the hands of Abe, who is visiting the United States. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-weight: normal;">Most of the
Japanese TV news feature his speech at the joint session of US Congress as he
was apparently welcome by the
American political and military leaders as a reliable and obedient partner. But it should not be neglected that his emotive speech expressed sympathy
or regret in general but, as one of the English media described, it “gave little sense that any part of Japan’s wartime
history required a special reckoning” and “offered no direct apology” when his “conservative
nationalism causes unease in northeast Asia and occasionally in Washington.”<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/099eb01a-ee86-11e4-88e3-00144feab7de.html#axzz3YkRbxym0" style="font-weight: normal;">http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/099eb01a-ee86-11e4-88e3-00144feab7de.html#axzz3YkRbxym0</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Kono Statement in 1993 and its Bashing in 2014</span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">In the first part of this essay (posted on
March 31) , I mentioned about Prime Minister ABE Shinzo’s various approaches to
control the mass media under his “departure from the post-war regime” policy.
In the second part, I would like to focus on the Sankei and the Asahi in terms
of the reviews and verifications about the comfort women issue and their
consequences .<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">As Prime Minister Abe intended to “verify”
the Kono Statement, which was announced by the former Chief Cabinet Secretary
KONO Yohei in 1993, the statement has been harshly criticized by the
conservative medeia as well as online based right-wingers since it admitted the
Japanese military’s involvement in operating the military brothels during the
war time and expressed apologies to the former comfort women. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">In the wake of
such Kono-bashing, the Sankei staged its own campaign by launching the two
series of articles, “History War 1: the Crime of the Kono Statement” (April
1-5, 2014) and “History War 2: the Beginning of the Comfort Women Issue” (May
20-25, 2014).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">Before reviewing the articles in question,
let me list up the events after a South Korean professor YOON Jung-ok initiated
her research on, and interview of, the former comfort
women around 1990:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">In August, 1991, Ms. KIM Hak-sun came out
to tell her experience as a comfort woman by using her real name;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">In January, 1992, Professor YOSHIMI
Yoshiaki of Chuo University discovered a relevant document that suggested the
Japanese military’s involvement in the comfort women system in the library of
the National Institute for Defense Studies;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">Before Yoshimi’s finding was exposed by the
Asahi, the Japanese government had conducted its research and announced its report
in July, 1992, acknowledging the Japanese military’s involvement;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">On August 10 and 11, 1992, the first Asian
Solidarity Conference was held in Seoul Korea;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">In August, 1993, the Kono Statement was
released.<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">
<span lang="EN-US">Serious Errors in the Sankei’s Campaign against
the Kono Statement</span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">On May 25, 2014, in the last articles of
the above-mentioned comfort women series, the Sankei went too far in its
attempt to create a story about the first Asian Solidarity Conference, a
predecessor of the present Asian Solidarity Conference for the Issue of
Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Judging from the headlines, the readers would
be led to believe that during this particular conference held in Seoul in 1992,
the former comfort women were directed by some Japanese instigators to single
out Japan as the responsible for their sufferings, thus paving the way to the
Kono Statement. </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">The article quoted Ms.TACHI Masako (87 years old) as a direct
participant of the 1992 conference as follows: the former comfort women dressed
in chima jeogori, a traditional Korean costume, were instructed beforehand by some
Japanese participants to parrot the suggested phrases during
the conference. Allegedly, Thai and Taiwanese women were even told to be
quiet as they spoke stories sympathetic to Japan. Ms. Tachi was also
quoted to say “The conference was the starting point for spreading a bad
reputation of Japan.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">And yet, the photograph which appeared on
the newspaper to endorse her arguments turned out to be wrong. The
error was obvious as the letters on the
photo showed that it was taken at a different meeting of the surviving families
of the Pacific War victims in South Korea. It was not difficult at all to find
the right picture of the first Asian Solidarity Conference which clearly showed
all the women plainly dressed in Western summer wear as well as a big banner on
which there was the title, venue and period of the conference.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R_Kj3FzoJRY/VUGPwrel2QI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/x-Tls9urCjY/s1600/1992%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E5%9B%9E%E6%8C%BA%E8%BA%AB%E9%9A%8A%E5%95%8F%E9%A1%8C%E3%82%A2%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A2%E9%80%A3%E5%B8%AF%E4%BC%9A%E8%AD%B0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R_Kj3FzoJRY/VUGPwrel2QI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/x-Tls9urCjY/s1600/1992%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E5%9B%9E%E6%8C%BA%E8%BA%AB%E9%9A%8A%E5%95%8F%E9%A1%8C%E3%82%A2%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A2%E9%80%A3%E5%B8%AF%E4%BC%9A%E8%AD%B0.png" height="267" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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It was clear that the story the Sankei attempted to frame was totally failed. Two of the relevant groups, the executive committee of the 12th Asian Solidarity Conference and Japan Action for Resolution of the “Comfort Women” Issue, sent a written request to the Sankei on August 6, 2014 to urge it to correct the five errors in the articles of May 25 .<br />
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<a href="http://gohoo.org/14122201/" title="http://gohoo.org/14122201/">http://gohoo.org/14122201/</a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HAN7t3lsRg/VUGbAkOkh7I/AAAAAAAAAko/pGxxlMWZC6E/s1600/%E7%94%A3%E7%B5%8C%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E2014%E5%B9%B45%E6%9C%8825%E6%97%A5%E4%BB%98%E6%9C%9D%E5%88%8A1%E9%9D%A2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HAN7t3lsRg/VUGbAkOkh7I/AAAAAAAAAko/pGxxlMWZC6E/s1600/%E7%94%A3%E7%B5%8C%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E2014%E5%B9%B45%E6%9C%8825%E6%97%A5%E4%BB%98%E6%9C%9D%E5%88%8A1%E9%9D%A2.png" height="400" width="311" /></a></div>
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As of September 19, the Sankei responded by notifying two corrections in a small frame on the paper failing to deliver any apologies. And in its reply to the correction request dated September 18, the Sankei explained that it recognized Ms. Tachi’s arguments as facts since they were based on her own experiences.<br />
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If so, such rule should be adapted to the narratives of the former comfort women. It is widely acknowledged that the stigmatized experience is hard to be narrated and what is spoken out in spite of all the difficulties and pressures has a very good reason to be believed in its mainstay.<br />
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In contrast, the Sankei’s blunder was assumingly caused by its ill-advised attempt to take advantage of an individual’s memory and her subjective meaning she attached to it for the purpose of a political “verification,” rather than for understanding her experience in its individuality.<br />
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Nonetheless, the misleading story was in turn consumed and reproduced by those who took advantages by doing that. The individual experience regarded by the Sankei as facts was also quoted by a magazine called Weekly Shincho of July 3, 2014, for framing another story to name FUKUSHIMA Mizuho, the former leader of the Social Democratic Party, as an instigator.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">Asahi’s Verification and Its Significance</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It took some 3 months until the two groups prepared the correction request. They instantly noticed the errors, but as they were extremely busy before and after the 12th Asian Solidarity Conference, they were unable to send the request to the Sankei before August 6.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Incidentally, on August 5 and 6, 2014, the Asahi spared the special section to verify how the comfort women issue was taken and developed. They included the Asahi’s responses to a number of questions that would be asked by its readers as well as the Japanese leading paper’s stance toward the controversial issue.</span><br />
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The Asahi was repeatedly criticized since the Prime Minister Abe stated in the end of November, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2012, that because of the Asahi’s misinformation, a fraudulent man named YOSHIDA Seiji wrote a book and it was distributed throughout Japan, becoming a big issue as if it were a true story. And while the Abe administration “verified” the production process of the 1993 Kono statement and issued a report in June, 2014, the Asahi was groundlessly blamed by not a few commentators and online right-wingers for inventing the comfort women issue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Personal attacks to its staff writer Mr.UEMURA Takashi, who happened to report about Ms. KIM Hak-sun for the first time in Japan, escalated to a terroristic level.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">A single most justifiable reason, if there
is any, for the Asahi to become a target of the revisionists seems to be its
unchanged commitment to historical issues as was found in the following
statements in the article: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“The point in question is that the women were deprived of freedom and had their dignity violated in comfort stations which could never be established without the military’s involvement,” and “the Asahi has been reporting about the comfort women issue and our awareness of the issue still remain unchanged.”</span></div>
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Cool-headed readers of the feature pages would find just few problems that are serious enough to be attacked or blamed. The Asahi re-examined their news gathering and belatedly withdrew some incorrect writings concerning Mr. Yoshida’s story. But as a matter of fact the story had been discredited long before as a result of both academic and nonacademic researches. Neither his testimony nor the Asahi’s reports of it made the comfort women issue unfavorable to Japan, causing bilateral or international problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a symposium held on April 5, 2015, to consider the comfort women issue as well as the Japanese society and media through the Asahi issue, Professor HAYASHI Kaori of the University of Tokyo reported the result of the contents analysis of the overseas media. She conducted it as the only female member of the Asahi Third-party Panel. According to her findings, “comfort women” were most frequently referred to in relation with the Prime Minister Abe’s own comments, not with the Yoshida testimony or the Asahi’s report. Abe has turned out to be the one who keeps attracting the overseas media in a negative way, adversely affecting his government’s efforts.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Written by FUKUOKA A. A.</span><br />
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-45493533065058648082015-04-22T10:38:00.000+09:002015-04-22T10:38:35.943+09:00What’s New! on WAN as of April 22, 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
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Continued Screenings of “What Are You
Afraid of?”</h2>
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<span lang="EN-US">A documentary film about the Japanese post-war
feminism which was directed by MATSUI Hisako and supported by WAN, has been screened
in various cities on different occasions since it was introduced at the Aichi
International Women's Film Festival (AIWFF) in Nagoya on September 6, 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A recent screening was held in Kyoto on
April 9, which was followed by a talk between UENO Chizuko and NAKANISHI Toyoko.
The upcoming screenings include the one to be held at the Gender Equal center
of Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, from 10:00 am on April 25.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Visit the following site for the film
information:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.aiwff.com/2014/en/films-en/documentary/what-are-you-afraid-of.html">http://www.aiwff.com/2014/en/films-en/documentary/what-are-you-afraid-of.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This year’s AIWFF 2015 is scheduled to be
held in Naogya from September 1 to 6, 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Active Report about “Nuclear and Earthquake Disasters
and We”</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US">On Sunday, April 5, Mako & Ken, who
belong to Yoshimoto Creative Agency as a stand-up comedian duo named Oshidori,
appeared in a talk show in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Mako has been continuously attending the
press conferences of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and disseminating the
first-hand information on the internet, because she became suspicious about the
news provided by the government or the mainstream media since 3.11 Fukushima nuclear
accident. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">At the press conferences, Mako, who had once majored in life science in the
medical department of Tottori University, often asked
questions which got to the point. Her remarks were so highly regarded overseas that
she was invited to speak about what she learned after 3.11 by a German
anti-nuke organization last year and by an international conference of the
religion scholars this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">On the 4.5 talk in Toyohashi, Mako &
Ken kept talking for two hours about how the radio activity in the air and
contamination of the water is far from under control, while showing relevant
pictures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Their talk was so informative that more people who can’t trust what is announced by the government and yet don’t know how to get
access to the right information should go and listen to their talks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Reported by TAKEMOTO Yurie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Summary Translated by FUKUOKA A. A.</div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-36034764376860672542015-04-09T19:03:00.001+09:002015-04-09T19:04:19.972+09:00New Release of the Voices from Japan<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">FEATURE: Hate Speech toward Women</span><span style="font-family: "MS 明朝","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Century; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Century; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">:</span><span lang="EN-US"> A Discussion from the View Point of<br />
Gender<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s2zMuZPAaCw/VR-_B8neJWI/AAAAAAAAAjU/8PFSO_mEYzc/s1600/207%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s2zMuZPAaCw/VR-_B8neJWI/AAAAAAAAAjU/8PFSO_mEYzc/s1600/207%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br />
Introduction<br />
<br />
Special Report<br />
Deliberately Incited Discrimination against Women:<br />
Gender-discriminatory remarks of public officials<br />
By Nobuko Kamenaga<br />
<br />
Fighting Hate Speech around the Comfort Women Issue<br />
By Ban Chongja<br />
<br />
Japanese Government on Discrimination: Issues of Discrimination against<br />
Korean Schools and Japanese Military “Comfort Women”<br />
By Wooki Kim<br />
<br />
Anti-Imperial System and Anti-Hate Speech 25<br />
By Daiko Sakurai<br />
<br />
So Much Hatred of Women:<br />
The Link between the Homosocial Internet and Current Anti-Korean<br />
Sentiment<br />
By Rie Kaiwa</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "MS 明朝","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS 明朝";">Buy now. </span><span style="font-family: "MS 明朝","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS 明朝";">↓</span><span lang="EN-US"><br />
<a href="http://ajwrc.org/jp/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=207&cid=2">http://ajwrc.org/jp/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=207&cid=2</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "MS 明朝","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS 明朝";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Posted by FUKUOKA A. A.</div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-73967191326747397772015-03-31T12:11:00.002+09:002015-04-15T21:10:59.886+09:00"This is how I avoided being killed by stoker" by Yoko Haruka<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Based on my personal experience, I thought about the reason why stalking incidents never die and what we can do about it </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">I wrote this book only for "preventing the worst."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">That means " not to be killed."</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">In fact the entertainment industry is pearls of wisdom about fighting against stalker.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">Watching the news of victims almost every month, I thought the time has come to make them publicly known and decided to get off my backsides.</span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font: 13.0px Arial;">I hope this will reach to someone with fear.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31cgobkkDLL._SL160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31cgobkkDLL._SL160_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“This is how I avoided being killed by stoker”</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;">Written by Yoko Haruka</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(</span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="st">Chikuma Shobo</span>, 2/5/2015)</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #8064a2;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E7%A7%81%E3%81%AF%E3%81%93%E3%81%86%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AB%E6%AE%BA%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9A%E3%81%AB%E3%81%99%E3%82%93%E3%81%A0-%E5%8D%98%E8%A1%8C%E6%9C%AC-%E9%81%99-%E6%B4%8B%E5%AD%90/dp/4480815236%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAINRL55PZQG7MCP4A%26tag%3Dwan03-22%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D4480815236" target="_blank">Buy this book (jump to an Amazon page)</a></span></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://wan.or.jp/book/?p=8331" target="_blank">Original article</a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;">written
by Yoko Haruka</span></span></div>
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Translated by T. Muramatsu</div>
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<br />w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-10020270840977221922015-03-31T10:18:00.001+09:002015-03-31T10:20:01.846+09:00The Widening Gap between Increasing Criticism and Growing Ignorance (1)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 24px;">Prime Minister Abe’s Unsuccessful Efforts to Whitewash Japanese Wartime Atrocities</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">For</span><span lang="EN-US"> the past several
weeks, I have had some English articles </span><span lang="EN-US">sent,</span><span lang="EN-US"> forwarded, or referred to by my friends or </span><span lang="EN-US">via
SNS. </span><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">All of them </span><span lang="EN-US">were about</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">atrocities
the Japanese Imperial Army committed. </span><span lang="EN-US">I would like to
review them to express my particular concern</span><span lang="EN-US">s</span><span lang="EN-US"> about the widening gap between rising criticism</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">about Japanese government’s attitude toward the comfort
women issues in </span><span lang="EN-US">the </span><span lang="EN-US">English media and growing ignorance</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">of those global concerns in the Japanese media.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">This situation was triggered by the </span><span lang="EN-US">Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s comment </span><span lang="EN-US">at the </span><span lang="EN-US">budget committee</span><span lang="EN-US"> meeting in the Diet</span><span lang="EN-US"> on January 29, 2015. The Japan Times, the oldest English newspaper
in Japan, immediately reported about his pledge to increase efforts to alter
views abroad on Japan’s actions in World War II by disseminating the “correct”
view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The New York Times
followed the</span><span lang="EN-US"> very</span><span lang="EN-US"> next day: “He (Abe) singled
out a high school history textbook published by McGraw-Hill Education that he
said contained the sort of negative portrayals that Japan must do more combat.”
Quoting the Japan Times, the article illustrated how Abe “was shocked” and
regrettable that “we did not protest the things we should have, or we failed to
correct the things we should have.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In fact, as Kyodo
reported in November 2014, </span><span lang="EN-US">the</span><span lang="EN-US"> Ministry
of Foreign Affairs</span><span lang="EN-US"> in Japan</span><span lang="EN-US"> requested the
publisher to correct the depiction of “comfort women” in the book. More recent articles
have revealed that McGraw-Hill rejected the Ministry’s request and defended its
writers. For instance, according to the Bloomberg news on January 30, 2015 JST,
the publisher replied to Bloomberg’s question in an e-mail, “Scholars are
aligned behind the historical fact of ‘comfort women’ ” and “we unequivocally
stand behind the writing, research and presentation of our authors,” as was
quoted in other English media.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">On February 9, 2015, the Japan Times referred to Abe’s
comment again, in its article about U.S. based historians’ protest against his
attempt to suppress statements in U.S. and Japanese history textbooks about the
comfort women. It quoted their letter to the editor in the March edition of “Perspectives
on History,” the American Historical Association’s journal:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "MS 明朝","serif"; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-font-family: Century; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family: Century; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">…… the careful
research in Japan, especially by (Chuo University professor) Yoshiaki Yoshimi,
of Japanese government archives and the testimonials throughout Asia have
rendered beyond dispute the essential features of a system that amounted to
state-sponsored slavery.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">The group even warns that Abe and his allies are on a
quest to eliminate references to the issue in textbooks. The fact is that in
Japan the high school textbooks referred to the comfort women in 1995 mostly had
such references eliminated by 2005. This kind of changes are likely to prevail in
Japan as a result of active efforts of Abe and his allies to promote a peaceful
image of post-war Japan by whitewashing the brutal </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">history</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> during the war. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">As part of such efforts, Abe has been expanding his contacts
with the mass media since his second inauguration in December, 2012. He spent
more time </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">on </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">meeting with the leaders
of the press and sent more people of his preferred choice to the influential
posts in the related organizations and committees. One of the most notorious </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">examples </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">is </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">Chairman Katsuto Momii of NHK, Japan’s major public
broadcaster. In his response to a question about the comfort women at his first
press conference, Momii said that such an institution existed in “every
country” and that it is only considered wrong by “today’s morality.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">“Everyone else was doing it,” or “it belongs to the
past you cannot judge by today’s morality” is a typical way to evade responsibility
for what was done and cannot be undone. “Let bygones be bygones” has been a
widely accepted </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">sentiment </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">or even a virtue for the Japanese to maintain a harmony in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">an isolated</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> society. We should realize that
they are far from acceptable in the international community. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">Rather than contributing to </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">raising an </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">awareness </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">or knowledge building for that matter, some Japanese and South Korean
media have been provoking nationalistic fervor against each other. On both
sides of the national boarders, more and more hatred have been voiced, making
decent people sick of the fanatical and negative acceleration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTZB91eXIN0/VRn0AW2zsgI/AAAAAAAAAjE/C7CTeFgvKkE/s1600/%E7%84%A1%E9%A1%8C.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTZB91eXIN0/VRn0AW2zsgI/AAAAAAAAAjE/C7CTeFgvKkE/s1600/%E7%84%A1%E9%A1%8C.png" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">As a positive result, however, alternative media are
highly motivated now to reach out to those people, providing them new
perspectives while conservatives are reproducing </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">typical denying narratives. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">The Japan Times’ article of
March 4, 2015 </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">showed</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> a reflection of one of those new and valuable perspectives yet to be </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">a </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">mainstream in Japan. The
article written by a freelance journalist KIMURA Kayoko raises a question, “Why
do so few people in Japan make the link between the wider issue of sexual
violence in conflict and the comfort women?” One explanation she </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">provided</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">was</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> that the issue </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">was</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> depicted as a purely diplomatic matter between Japan
and South Korea. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">As she reiterate</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">d</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">, it was when three Korean women filed</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;"> a</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> suit in Japan in December
1991 </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">when the</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> comfort women </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">issue </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">became public. They, not
only charged the Japanese government with the wartime crime, but also channeled
the shame they </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Malgun Gothic"; mso-fareast-language: KO;">experienced</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"> for a half a century into a fundamental human rights. In the
1990s, the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and
Rwanda recognized rape and other forms of sexual violence as breaches of
international law. And in the 2000s, “preventing sexual violence in conflict became
a global human-rights and security concern.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">Prime Minister Abe stressed in his policy speech to
the 189th Session of the Diet in February, 2015: “w</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">e will work to ensure that the 21st century is one in which there will be
no human rights violations against women.” But those nice words, as well as “a
world in which all women shine,” or “Japan will never give in to terrorism,” merely
sound evasive and meaningless if he never listens to the specific women who
have been appealing to the Japanese government or if his government has no effective
means for dialogue with other countries concerned. In this regard, he
represents the Japanese majority who neglect to </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">make the link between the
wider issue of sexual violence in conflict and the comfort women.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">In contrast, it is the most significant that the
former comfort women and their supporters have been developing global and
contemporary perspectives. </span><span lang="EN-US">In part two of this essay, I
would like to illustrate how they are linked with the women currently suffering
violence in conflict and how these significant perspectives are </span><span lang="EN-US">lost</span><span lang="EN-US"> in the comfort women discourse in Japan,
taking examples of the misleading descriptions of the Asahi and the Sankei,
Japanese newspapers representing the liberal and the conservative
respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Written by FUKUOKA A. A.<br />
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-31916435676914930112015-03-24T09:10:00.000+09:002015-03-25T19:55:02.897+09:00March 22 National Rally Voiced “No!” to Abe Administration<span style="font-family: MS Pゴシック;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">About 14,000 people gathered in Hibiya Park, Tokyo, on
Sunday March 22, and marched around the National Diet Building and the prime
minister 's official residence.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">They demonstrated against Shinzo Abe's major policies over
rights to collective self-defense, nuclear reactors restart, new U.S.
military base in Henoko, Okinawa, and Act on the Protection of Specially
Designated Secrecy and so on as was indicated by a variety of boards they held. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EH1toaTR9eg/VRAqOVTQh0I/AAAAAAAAAic/6SHbEP_M7ZM/s1600/032212%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EH1toaTR9eg/VRAqOVTQh0I/AAAAAAAAAic/6SHbEP_M7ZM/s1600/032212%5B1%5D.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: MS Pゴシック;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The rally was organized by the Metropolitan Coalition against Nukes and participated by a variety of people both young and old. The speakers on the stage included a 16-year-old high school girl, who believes in Japan’s pacifist constitution and a 20-year-old college student, who is an active member of Students Urgent Action for Freedom and Democracy.</span></span><br />
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</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On the same day, Abe attended a
graduate ceremony in a defense university in Yokosuka,
Kanagawa Prefecture to express the government’s resolution to promote the right
to collective defense. </span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">He has been accelerating his moves to
legally dispatch Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF) overseas. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">His coalition government has just reached a formal agreement on
the outline of security legislation that would expand the scope of overseas
operations by the SDF troops, marking another step toward the most drastic
changes to Japan's postwar security stance.<span style="font-family: MS Pゴシック;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RHhDGqjeFrY/VRAqWvaBPQI/AAAAAAAAAis/d-HraYTmpmY/s1600/CArSrkiUMAI15O31%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RHhDGqjeFrY/VRAqWvaBPQI/AAAAAAAAAis/d-HraYTmpmY/s1600/CArSrkiUMAI15O31%5B1%5D.jpg" height="183" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: MS Pゴシック;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The demonstrations in Hibiya and other
parts of Tokyo represented people’</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">s earnest concerns about such right-leaning
politics of Abe. He was </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">quoted as saying</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> "the absurd remarks are irresponsible and </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">instigating anxiety," but </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">i</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">t is his hawkish maneuver and unjust reinterpretation of the
constitution that make an increasing number of people anxious about their future.
The </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">irresponsible prime minister apparently fail to pay due
respect to his own country’s supreme law.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lav1VxcIbUI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lav1VxcIbUI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lav1VxcIbUI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lav1VxcIbUI</a></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Century","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Written by FUKUOKA A.A.</span>
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-38293627437529981922015-02-28T20:43:00.000+09:002015-03-30T11:48:58.941+09:00Foreword for Chinese Edition of “Woman-Haters: Misogyny in Japan”<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Chizuko’s Blog No.82</span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">February 9th, 2015</span></b></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">A Chinese translation (in the
simplified Chinese characters) of my book “Woman-Haters” has been published. I
have learned the Chinese title is </span>『厭女症』<span lang="EN-US">(Woman-Hater Syndrome). The
following is what I wrote as the foreword for this Chinese edition. Also a
Korean translation is now under way.</span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Woman-Haters: Misogyny in Japan”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;">Written by Chizuko Ueno</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">(Kinokuniya Shoten, 6/10/2010)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #8064a2;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%A5%B3%E3%81%8E%E3%82%89%E3%81%84%E2%80%95%E2%80%95%E3%83%8B%E3%83%83%E3%83%9D%E3%83%B3%E3%81%AE%E3%83%9F%E3%82%BD%E3%82%B8%E3%83%8B%E3%83%BC-%E4%B8%8A%E9%87%8E-%E5%8D%83%E9%B6%B4%E5%AD%90/dp/431401069X%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAINRL55PZQG7MCP4A%26tag%3Dwan03-22%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D431401069X" target="_blank">Buy this book (jump to an Amazon page)</a></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I’m happy to find that they have decided
to translate my book “Woman-Haters.” The subtitle of the book is “Misogyny in
Japan,” and I believe we can apply this idea to many different societies --- “Misogyny in China,” “Misogyny in Korea,” or “Misogyny in Vietnam,” for example. In the
first place, in writing this book, I was inspired by “Between Men: English
Literature and Male Homosocial Desire,” a work by Eve Sedgwick, an American
scholar in gender studies and English literature. So, obviously, we could also have “Misogyny in Britain” and “Misogyny in America.” Unfortunately, it is
difficult to imagine a society without misogyny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This book consists of a theory and its practice. The triad of homosociality,
homophobia and misogyny --- a theoretical apparatus which Sedgwick provided us
--- is very useful. Thanks to this theory, we can understand how different </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">homosociality and homosexuality are and why homosexual males tend to be
“feminized.” And above all, we learned from her theory that masculinity is defined
as “not being (like) a woman,” which means putting women outside of men.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Because this theoretical apparatus
is so sharp-cutting you are tempted to cut what you have using it. Like
“Oh, yes, that group is homosocial,” or “Now I understand that womanizer is in fact a
woman-hater.” And as in Japan today, so also in China, you
will find there are so many situations you can easily explain with this
theoretical apparatus. That is a shame, since it reflects the fact that men are
not willing to change at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">“Women support half of heaven,” was a wonderful phrase that we learned from socialist China. However,
what we have heard after their “Reform and Liberation” are only stories no
better than those in capitalist countries, including companies’ preference for men and a job shortage for women. I was astounded when I learned of a phenomenon
called </span>婦女回家<span lang="EN-US"> (women returning home) in China. While Japanese
women want to escape from being housewives, do Chinese women really want to do the opposite and go back
home and become full-time housewives? The change of society is
full of contradictions. Apparently, the difficulties women are suffering from in
their lives are the same in all countries and under all political systems.
China has its own misogyny. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US">As you know, the Japanese language
has developed as a kind of creole by importing foreign languages like
Chinese and English. You can see that in the mixture of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hiragana</i> (original Japanese phonetic characters), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kanji</i> (adopted Chinese characters), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">katakana</i> (phonetic characters used in describing
loanwords from foreign languages) in written Japanese. Thus, the Japanese
language has historically imported foreign ideas quite freely. But at the same
time, it has failed to translate those ideas to Japanese. In Japan, the word
“feminism” or “misogyny” has been accepted as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">katakana</i> loanword as it is. Meanwhile, in China, “feminism” is
called </span>女性主義<span lang="EN-US"> (women-ism) and </span>“<span lang="EN-US">women’s
center” is called </span>女性中心<span lang="EN-US"> (women-center), which impressed me. Also, I was
deeply impressed to learn that this book of mine would be translated as </span>『厭女症』<span lang="EN-US"> (</span><span lang="EN-US">“Woman-Hater Syndrome</span><span lang="EN-US">”). If it is
a “syndrome,” it should be a distinct medical disorder. Then, how differently would “homosocial”
and “homosexual” be translated? I’m all curiosity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This disorder of woman-hater
syndrome affects not only men but also women. An advantage of the idea of
misogyny is that it can explain the dark side of women too. As I explained in
the book, women's misogyny is much more troublesome than men's, because it can
turn to self-hatred. If we realize this, we may solve many problems including
why women could be easily divided and have conflicts over men, why there is a
saying “Women’s enemies are other women,” or why mother-daughter relationships often
tend to be awkward. Well, curing the disorder would not be so easy, but to realize the fact can at least be the first step.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Feminism in Japan has been
influenced by many foreign countries. This book also has been influenced by
Sedgwick, an American scholar in queer theory, as I stated above. And some
people say that Japanese feminism is no more than an import from abroad. But I
would like to counter this argument with a quote from Gayatri Spivak, a
well-known scholar in post-colonial studies, who was born in India, studies
English literature, has permanent U.S. residency, and teaches at Columbia
University in New York. When she visited Japan to attend a symposium on gender
theory, a Western scholar asked her if “gender” was not an idea which did not originally
exist in Japan. Then she replied, “No matter where an idea was generated, if it
is useful, you should use it.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When a theory is applied to
practice, it is customized according to the places, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>subjects and contexts it deals with. For
readers of the book, it would be hard not to apply the theory to their own
societies, to try to solve the problems they have. As I discussed misogyny in
Japan, I expect some Chinese readers will probably discuss misogyny in China
in the near future. I hope I can read their books in Japanese translation. And what if there are any phenomena this theory cannot explain? I should welcome them as
a sign that society is getting away from misogyny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"><a href="http://wan.or.jp/ueno/?p=4789" target="_blank">Original article</a></span></u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626;"> written
by Chizuko Ueno</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Translated by A. Tawara</span></div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-23831329746351806072015-02-28T18:27:00.000+09:002015-02-28T18:28:03.447+09:00A Movie in My Memory All About My Mother directed by Pedro Almodóvar <div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Review by Siria</span></div>
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<h2>
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Fascinated by a Woman’s Strong Way of Living</b></span></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US">Woman is strong.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">That was my first impression of this movie.
Woman is strong.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The heroine, Manuela, is a single mother
who lost her son Esteban in a car accident. He died on his birthday of all
others.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">She has grieved his death for days until she
makes up her mind.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">She decides to go to Barcelona to find
Esteban’s father.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It’ difficult to make an important decision
when you have lost someone you loved. I think only women can do that.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When it comes to romantic relationship, men
in general find it harder to forget their love than women. Some are obsessed
with the memories in the old days, and their friends get fed up with that.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Manuela has been living with her son
peacefully for 18 years since she divorced her husband. But this peace is
broken by the great sadness of losing her son. I have never married nor had any
child of my own, so her pain is beyond my imagination. In the middle of her
grief, she leaves Madrid to look for Esteban’s “father”. And, she does this all
by herself. The scene where she leaves for Barcelona reminds me of the innate strength
that a woman has inside her.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In <i>Volver,
</i>another movie directed by Almodóvar, the “male sex” was excluded from the
plot naturally. In <i>All About My Mother</i>,
on the other hand, male only exist as the symbol of the “sex”. There are some
male characters who underwent a sex-change operation (therefore regarded as
female). They had breast implant surgery, but never have their penis removed. In
this sense, they are male AND female at the same time. Although they serve as
the symbol of male sex, they are never excluded from the plot because the half
part of them is female.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Esteban’s father,
Lola is also a woman with a penis. She married with Manuela, had breast implant,
and now she leads a life almost same as a prostitute’s. In Barcelona, Manuela
meets a nun called Sister Rosa and finds that the sister is also pregnant by
Lola. Rosa is HIV positive; she dies soon after giving birth to her son. As
promised Rosa, Manuela takes care of the newborn baby. Gradually, she gets past
her grief of losing her own son, if not completely, and takes her life back.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Despite the
title <i>All About My Mother</i>, Manuela’s
son dies in the beginning of the story although he was the one who wanted to
know all about his mother and farther. It’s intriguing that the story develops
from his mother’s view while the movie is titled from the son’s view. Actually,
no characters in the story can find out all about Manuela’s life; only the
audience can. When you are in despair, you will be fascinated by the lives of Manuela
and other strong women in this movie.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">----------------------------------------</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">About the
author: Siria was born in Brussels, Belgium. She is half-Japanese and
half-English, and grew up in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. In her early days, she studied
in the School of International Liberal Studies of Waseda University, believing
that she should establish an international career because of her international
background. But she felt uncomfortable among many other cosmopolitans and
dropped out. After working as an editor and designer of cellphone websites, now
she works for a company. She enjoys her free life in her own way tweeting about
various topics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Twitter
@Les_Niniches </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://wan.or.jp/reading/?p=1167" target="_blank">Original Article</a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">(Translated by N. Tajima)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></div>
w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-84820755955057048662015-01-31T22:13:00.000+09:002015-01-31T22:29:17.974+09:00Online petition: Please do not approve the re-opening of nuclear power plants!<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px;">
<b>Sign a petition to the Governor of Fukui Prefecture Issei Nishikawa: </b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px;">
<b>“Please do not approve the re-opening of nuclear power plants!” </b></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px; min-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px;">
“Do Not Re-open Nuclear Power Plants Any Longer!” Fukui Prefectural Residents’ Petition Executive Committee has been working on a signature campaign to send the petitions to the Governor of Fukui Prefecture not to approve the re-opening of nuclear power plants. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px;">
Please join the petition. Online petition is available from: <a href="http://fukui.jpn.org/international/eng.html">http://fukui.jpn.org/international/eng.html</a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px;">
If you are able to spread the campaign, it is very much welcomed, too. The committee gathers signatures not only from Fukui but also from other prefectures in Japan.<br />
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<div style="font-family: 'Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro'; font-size: 13px;">
For more information, please visit: <span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;"><a href="http://fukui.jpn.org/international/">http://fukui.jpn.org/international/</a></span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; min-height: 17px;">
( Reported by Harumi Kondaiji )</div>
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<div style="color: #4787ff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">Original article: <span style="color: #4787ff; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">http://net.wan.or.jp/tzn/2015/01/10/</span></span></div>
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<div style="color: #323333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px;">
Adopted and Translated by Shin Yamaaki</div>
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-420129237603224592.post-39902048814293593302015-01-30T11:13:00.002+09:002015-01-30T11:13:08.002+09:00A human chain for "Women's Peace" issued a red card to the Abe administration. <br />
Over 7,000 women and men dressed in red gathered and surrounded the Diet forming a human chain to raise their voices for peace and to say "No" against the runaway Abe administration on January 17th, 2015. They consider a wide range of policies pushed under the Abe administration as pro-war, especially the approval of the right to collective defense.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1rFCZZO7xAo" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Wearing red comes from the Icelandic Redstocking movement. The protest chain was formed four times on that day and at times reached 2 kilometers. Various advocates delivered strong speeches and encouraged people to lead lifestyles of peace and friendship.<br />
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Original article: http://wan.or.jp/emergency/?p=1886<br />
http://wan.or.jp/ueno/?p=4748<br />
Adopted and Translated by Naoko Uchibori<br />
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w-wanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04240343026071510871noreply@blogger.com0