＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Added 5/13/2020>
While the state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many celebrities, including Kyoko Koizumi, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, LaSalle Ishii, and Teruhiko Saigo, have recently been tweeting “#Protest against the Prosecutor’s Office Law Amendment Bill,” which has become a trend, and I’m concerned about it.
We sometimes hear that celebrities act as mouthpieces for new religions, but when celebrities go too far in their political statements, it makes me wonder if they are inappropriate.
This move could be inspired by the recent attention that Hollywood celebrity actors have received for making political statements, or it could be that they are trying to attract attention by making political statements after seeing fewer jobs due to the effects of COVID-19.
I think it is good to express one’s opinion based on firm convictions when asked for opinions on talk shows, etc., but I have a feeling that the recent tweets are not of that nature.
I am reminded of the time of the 1960 and 1970 Security Treaty protests, when many student demonstrators joined in and chanted “No to Security Treaty! No to Security Treaty!”
Singer Tokiko Kato is famous for marrying Zengakuren activist Toshio Fujimoto while he was in prison, but I once heard that when Fujimoto asked her to sing at a political rally, she refused, saying, “I don’t want to bring politics into my songs.” I think this was an admirable insight on her part.
In December 2018, celebrity and model Laura posted a statement on Instagram calling for signatures against the Henoko landfill in Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture.
The “political statements” made by celebrities have become the subject of controversy.
1. what Laura said
Search for “We the people Okinawa”. If we all get together, we might be able to stop the reclamation of beautiful Okinawa. All you have to do is register your name and address, and we’ll get your voice to the White House.
She has 5.2 million followers on Instagram, the second most among celebrities in Japan (by the way, the number one is Naomi Watanabe, a comedian, with 8.4 million followers), and her influence is so great that 40,000 signatures were collected in two days.
2. opinions in favor
Actress Miho Takagi said on “The Shinichi Hatori Morning Show,” “Isn’t it time for Japan to change the idea that political statements by celebrities and entertainers are taboo?” She said, “I sense in Laura-san a genuineness that she wants to make this country better, not to bring down politicians, but to make politicians better.”
There are also defenses on the Internet, such as, “The trend that celebrities should keep quiet is not right,” “It is arrogant to ask them to come up with alternatives, and I don’t think it is wrong to use their own influence at a time like this.
3. opposing views
In a program called “Sunday Japon,” TV producer Dave Spector said, “I think ecology is good. But in the case of Henoko, what is the alternative? What should we do after stopping the construction? What about the return of Futenma? There is nothing at all,” he said, criticizing easy opposition.
Fumiko Nishikawa, a female doctor, agrees with Dave Spector, saying, “Okinawa’s problems are not only environmental problems,” and “Any politician would want to clean up Okinawa’s sea.
On the Internet, there were also comments such as “At least explain what you think about Futenma,” “Do you know what kind of situation Okinawa is in? I don’t want you to use it for a performance,“ ”You should stop imitating foreign celebrities,” and other criticisms.
4. Political statements by entertainers in the past
Masahiko Tsugawa is a conservative commentator(保守派の論客), and he has expressed his own opinions on “Takajin no Soko Made Itte Iinkai(『たかじんのそこまで言って委員会』)” and battled with critic Yoko Tajima as an “opinionated” commentator(「ご意見番」).
Gori, a member of the comedy duo Garage Sale, has been one of the first in the entertainment industry to speak out critically on the Futenma base issue, and this is beginning to have a significant impact on his own entertainment activities.
He used to be a successful “Okinawan comedian” with many regular programs on various TV stations, but now he has only a few shows as both a pin-up and a duo, and some people are even saying that he has “disappeared”.
Choi Si-won, a member of the K-pop idol group “Super Junior,” said on Twitter, “Dokdo is our territory and we must protect it with our lives. Let’s protect it with pride,” he retweeted the tweet.
Jun Tamura of London Boots, in a TV program called “Shiritagari,” said on August 15, the anniversary of the end of the war, “Takeshima is an ancient Japanese territory. I feel uncomfortable about foreigners entering without formalities,” he commented.
This comment was made by Masahiko Tsugawa as mentioned above, as well as by Honkon, Zakoba Katsura, and others in “Teach us! News Live: Justice no Mikata(『教えて！ニュースライブ 正義のミカタ』)“ and ”Soko Made Itte Iinkai(『そこまで言って委員会』)” TV programs, I think this statement is no different from those made by Mr. Masahiko Tsugawa, Mr. Hong Kong, Ms. Zakoba Katsura, and others who comment on current issues on their programs.
5. Reactions from sponsors in which Ms. Laura appears
Unicharm, Lion, Suntory, and other sponsors have all stated that they have no problem with Laura’s political comments, and it does not appear that they will drop her from their commercials.
However, there is a possibility that sponsors and TV stations will refrain from using them in the future, which could drastically reduce their work. However, since the majority of her work at present seems to be in commercials, it may not hurt her as long as her commercials are more secure.
<7/18/2019 added>Tsutomu Takei also expresses his political opinions on social networking sites.
Sou Takei, who also appears on variety shows such as “Sunday Japon,” tweeted the following on Twitter on July 8.
Politics-related words are met with aggressive objections from those who disagree: “You’ve never been a politician before, so wait until you do!” The objection is so far off the mark that it’s almost off the mark. Only politicians are not allowed to touch politics. This is a democracy. Politics is not for some remote high and mighty person. Politics is for the people’s lives, and it is for us to think for ourselves.
This was in response to criticism he has received for his political opinion dissemination, such as “You’ve never been a politician before, tell me after you’ve done it.
The tweet seems to be in response to a comment he made on the July 7 broadcast of “Sunday Japon” about a particular member of the Diet, in which he said, “I feel like I don’t want to vote for them again.
Unlike Laura’s case, I believe that Sou Takei, like Masahiko Tsugawa, Honkkon, and Zakoba Katsura mentioned above, is acceptable because he is a person who makes serious and opinionated comments on political topics, even on variety shows.
I think it will also have the side effect of encouraging young people who have been indifferent to politics to vote.