＜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 2019/8/27>
Cho Kuk, who is President Moon Jae-in’s closest aide and was nominated as a candidate for Minister of Justice on August 9, is facing allegations that his daughter illegally entered the prestigious Korea University and that he postponed his son’s military service five times.
Regarding the allegations of fraudulent admission of his daughter, the prosecution launched a compulsory investigation.
According to an August 26th announcement by South Korean polling company Realmeter, Moon’s disapproval rating has risen to 50.4%, while his approval rating has fallen to 46.2%.
In addition, the “Petition to Impeach the President” on the “National Petition Board” started by President Moon Jae-in himself has reportedly collected over 200,000 signatures.
I think many Koreans feel that this is a “terminal symptom of the Moon Jae-in administration.”
Recently, the Moon Jae-in administration has been escalating its hostile behavior toward Japan. In contrast, it has completely stopped hostile toward North Korea and is now treating them as “comrades.”
If the second U.S.-North Korea summit on February 27-28 proceeds at Chairman Kim Jong-un’s pace, North Korea will not only be guaranteed the Kim Jong-un regime, but it will also not be asked to hastily dismantle its nuclear weapons (I believe there is a high possibility that North Korea never had any intention of dismantling its nuclear weapons in the first place, and will get away with just disposing of its aging and unnecessary nuclear facilities), and it may be able to obtain a promise from President Trump to obtain aid from Japan.
If that happens, Kim Jong Un will be the sole winner, leaving Japan out of the loop, and there is a risk that he will be asked to provide huge amounts of financial assistance.
Of course, Japan should not accept such unreasonable demands, but this is possible in the world of “power politics.”
１．The possibility of Korea becoming “Red Unified”
Recently, there was a mysterious news that President Moon Jae-in’s daughter and her family moved to Thailand. To put it bluntly, it could be interpreted as “fleeing the country.”
This brings to mind the incident at the end of the Vietnam War when former South Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky defected to the United States in a U.S. military helicopter, deserting before the enemy just before the fall of Saigon.
In addition, President Moon Jae-in and those around him have also been accused of corruption, and he has been severely criticized by the opposition party in South Korea. The allegations are as follows:
(1) Governor Kim Kyung-soo, a confidant of President Moon, was sentenced to prison for “fraudulently manipulating public opinion” using the internet 88.4 million times during the presidential election (manipulating public opinion to make Moon Jae-in appear more popular).
(2) Allegations of fraud regarding the relocation expenses and real estate sales of President Moon’s daughter and her family to Southeast Asia.
(3) Allegations that Rep. Son Hye-won, a classmate of the First Lady, used the First Lady’s name to make illegal profits through real estate speculation.
President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating was 84.1% immediately after taking office, but it has been dropping to 48.8% recently, and it can be said that he is in a difficult position. I think there is a possibility of a “red unification” of Korea.
Am I the only one who thinks that the second US-North Korea summit will be held in Vietnam (Hanoi) as a hint at the communist unification of Korea?
２．”Tsushima” could become a “frontline base” against North Korea
In the current situation where South Korea is leaning toward North Korea, it would be easy for North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, to take military control of Seoul.
If that happens, Tsushima will naturally become a “frontline base.” Currently, a South Korean-funded hotel is being built right next to the Self-Defense Forces garrison on Tsushima, and the border with the garrison is only a simple wire fence, so it seems defenseless in terms of security. In addition, the back of the hotel is a suitable location for a military port. If North Korea were to invade here, it would be obvious what the outcome would be.
To prevent Japan from falling into such a situation, I think it is necessary for Japan to take “island defense” more seriously. If we do not do so, we will end up increasing the number of “illegally occupied islands.”
I would appreciate the further consideration of the Japanese government and defense authorities.