＜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) on X
1. A Stain on the Administration of the Former Democratic Party of Japan
On September 8, 2020, Seiji Maehara of the Democratic Party for the People attacked Naoto Kan of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan by revealing that “it was then-Prime Minister Kan Naoto who demanded the release of the Chinese fishing boat captain in the September 2010 collision between a Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel and a Chinese fishing boat off the Senkaku Islands.” Maehara served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Kan Naoto during the Democratic Party’s administration.
I believe this revelation was an attack on the Constitutional Democratic Party’s candidate Edano, with an eye on the upcoming leadership election for the newly merged party, and a cover for the Democratic Party for the People’s candidate Izumi. However, even at the time, it was clear to everyone that the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office could not have made the decision to “release the Chinese fishing boat captain” on its own, and that it was “government-instigated.”
Naturally, the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office should have “dealt with this strictly in accordance with the law,” and “the captain’s release was unthinkable,” but this has been unfairly twisted by the Democratic Party government, which succumbed to pressure from China.
In this case, the Foreign Minister at the time of the Democratic Party administration has himself admitted to acting in violation of the Prime Minister’s “separation of powers,” exposing how sloppy and ridiculous this opposition government is, one that ignores the “people” and “national interests.”
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has denied having that exchange, but I believe he should be firmly accountable for this. His tweet dated September 8th sounds like a blatant excuse.
2. The LDP presidential election and the election for the new merged party’s leader are absent from the public, and their understanding of the “people and national interest” is unclear.
Both the LDP presidential candidate and the new merged party’s leader candidate are absent from the public, and their understanding of the “people” and “national interest” is unclear, which leaves me dissatisfied.
(1) It is necessary to clarify which class of “people” the policy should prioritize.
I believe the priority should be policies that enrich the “middle class,” which makes up the majority.
Constitutional Democratic Party leader Edano continues to advocate a “temporary zero consumption tax.” Does he think this will win him popularity?
I believe it is essential to have economic and financial policies that give the “middle class” hope for future economic growth and increased income.
(2) We need to clarify how we intend to protect Japan’s “national interests.”
Is the “WGIP,” the GHQ brainwashing program for Japan, still deeply ingrained in politicians from both ruling and opposition parties? It seems like there are few politicians who are thinking about Japan’s “national interests.”
I believe that we should strengthen our alliance with the United States, work with European countries, and make clear our firm stance in confronting China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea.
With China in particular being unreliable, it is essential to break away from excessive dependence on China in our supply chains, and I think we should rapidly accelerate the return of factories to Japan. We should strongly protest any violations of territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, and the Self-Defense Forces should conduct daily patrols rather than leaving it to the Japan Coast Guard. I think a visit by Xi Jinping to Japan is out of the question.
Regarding Russia, the country has repeatedly made the unreasonable claim that “Russia acquired sovereignty over the four islands during World War II,” so I would like to see Japan take a cautious approach to economic cooperation with Russia, lest it end up being “money down the drain.”
I hope for a firm and stern response to the selfish actions of North Korea and South Korea.
The United Nations also has many problems.
While improving food self-sufficiency is an urgent issue, international “global warming countermeasures” are wasteful, amounting to a dump of money.
Furthermore, the obsession with “animal welfare” is threatening human lives and wasting taxpayer money.
Also, perhaps influenced by daily media coverage, I feel like the government is overreacting solely to “novel coronavirus pneumonia.” Regarding COVID-19, we need to calmly assess the actual situation, including “Professor Yasushi Takahashi’s new hypothesis,” the number of severe cases and deaths, and trends in the effective reproduction number, and then take a balanced approach. We must also carefully consider the “safety and effectiveness of vaccines.”
I hope the new prime minister will resolve these irrationalities one by one and firmly protect Japan’s “national interests.”