＜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 February 27, 2023> Report: U.S. Department of Energy Determines COVID-19 Origin “May Have Leaked from Chinese Laboratory”
The following report was published by Asahi Shimbun Digital.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 26th that the U.S. Department of Energy has determined that the origin of the novel coronavirus likely was a Chinese laboratory leak. Based on newly classified information, the report was reported to the White House and U.S. Congressional leaders. However, opinions are divided within the U.S. government, with some agencies favoring the animal-transmitted-to-human theory.
According to the WSJ, the Department of Energy has determined that the virus spread through an accident at a Chinese laboratory, although with “low confidence.” The Department of Energy oversees the U.S. National Laboratory, which also conducts cutting-edge biological research, and claims to have “considerable scientific expertise.”
Among other government agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also supports the laboratory leak theory. The National Intelligence Council and four other agencies support the animal-mediated theory, while two other agencies, including the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), have not yet reached a conclusion on which theory is most relevant.
1. China’s malicious and clever “public diplomacy”
(1) Remarks by the Deputy Director General of the Spokesperson’s Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China at a Regular Press Conference
At a regular press conference on March 5, 2020, Zhao Lijian, Deputy Director General of the Spokesperson’s Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, responded to a comment by Fox News host Jesse Watters that “the Chinese people should formally apologize for the outbreak of the new coronavirus,” stating that “the source of the new coronavirus has not yet been identified and is not necessarily China.”
Zhao first criticized Watters’s remarks, calling them “absurd and nonsensical, fully revealing the arrogance, prejudice, and ignorance toward China.”
He continued, “The ‘China apology theory’ is completely unfounded and unreasonable. The source of the new coronavirus has yet to be identified. Regardless of the source, China, like other affected countries, is a victim and is fighting the virus. The H1N1 influenza that ravaged the United States in 2009 spread to 214 countries and regions, so who would have demanded an apology from the United States?”
In response, on March 6, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo called it the “Wuhan virus” and criticized China’s slow initial response. China has strongly protested, and a fierce exchange of words continues between the U.S. and China.
(2) Tweet by Deputy Director of the Spokesperson’s Office of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In relation to the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), Zhao Lijian, Deputy Director of the Information Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted on March 12, 2020, that “the US military may have brought the COVID-19 outbreak to Wuhan. The US owes China an explanation.”
However, he did not provide any evidence to support his claim.
Incidentally, “American conspiracy theories” have been widely reported by media outlets in China, Iran, and Russia. However, this is the first time that a high-ranking Chinese government official has voiced such a “conspiracy theory.”
This tweet was posted after President Trump referred to the novel coronavirus as a “foreign virus” on March 11.
(3) Blame-shifting tactics using the WHO
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been blatantly courting China since the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. He met with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on January 28th and needlessly delayed the declaration of a state of emergency and a pandemic.
In the end, the state of emergency was not declared until January 30th, and the pandemic until March 11th, delaying the initial response.
He has also praised China for its extremely appropriate response to the coronavirus. This makes him seem like a China public relations agent, and is absurdly nothing more than a “kowtowing” to China. He has repeatedly made statements that seem to cover up China’s responsibility, claiming that “Europe is now the epicenter of the pandemic.”
(4) President Xi Jinping’s Appeal for the Suppression of COVID-19 Pneumonia
Two days before the WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic, President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the city believed to be the source of the COVID-19 outbreak, for the first time since the outbreak began. He received situation reports from medical and military personnel on the ground and met with patients undergoing treatment, demonstrating his energetic inspection of the city.
He then stated, “The infection has basically been contained. Thanks to the success of our early efforts, the situation has stabilized, and the tide has turned in Hubei Province and Wuhan City.” He emphasized that the situation has already been contained.
2. China Should Provide an Honest Explanation to the International Community about the COVID-19 Pneumonia
(1) The Chinese Government’s Initial Explanation
The Chinese government initially pointed to the possibility that the virus originated from wild animals sold in a market in Wuhan.
(2) Intentional and malicious “demagoguery” by the Chinese government
However, recently, the government has repeatedly asserted that the virus’s origin may not necessarily be in China, and conspiracy theories alleging that the United States is responsible for the virus outbreak have rapidly spread on Chinese social media.
I believe this is intentional and malicious “disinformation” (short for “demagogie”) or “propaganda” by the Chinese government, a conspiracy theory intended to deflect criticism that China is the source of the pandemic. China appears to have clearly shifted from “epidemic prevention” to “information warfare.”
Researchers around the world have been working for months to identify the first infected person and the source of the outbreak in China. Investigations are also focusing on China’s “state-run virology laboratory” in Wuhan. However, the Chinese government appears desperate to shift the blame elsewhere.
(3) China Should Apologize to the International Community for its Delayed Initial Response and Provide an Honest Explanation of the Current Situation
The Chinese government bears heavy responsibility for detaining a doctor who sounded an early warning (who later died of COVID-19 pneumonia) and then ignoring his statements, which clearly delayed the country’s initial response.
I believe the Chinese government should first apologize to the international community for this and then honestly disclose the information it currently has about the source of the outbreak and the number of patients.