＜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
British historian and thinker John Acton (1834-1902) famously said, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I believe this is a truly wise saying.
The recent abuses of power by President Putin, President Xi Jinping, and President Trump are a perfect testament to this truth.
1. President Putin
In December 2020, it was reported that Russian President Putin had signed the “Presidential Immunity from Prosecution After Leaving Office Bill,” which states that “former presidents have the right to be free from criminal or administrative liability, and to be free from arrest or search, for their actions after leaving office.”
This appears to be a move in preparation for prosecution after leaving office. Under the previous law, “actions committed while in office were subject to immunity,” but this amendment (or worsening?) expands immunity to include actions committed after leaving office.
There have been previous allegations of assassinations, murders, and suspicious deaths of Putin’s political opponents and associates, and this bill will be a powerful weapon to completely silence any attempts to expose them.
Whether he runs for president in 2024, when his current term expires, he will be secure.
It appears that he has become a dictator similar to Stalin of the Soviet Union or the Russian Tsars. If he has not committed any illegal acts even after leaving office, there should be no need for this kind of bill.
The very fact that such a bill has been introduced suggests that a reign of terror is being carried out, which can no longer be called a “country governed by the rule of law.” Ideally, a “revolution” would take place and President Putin would be thoroughly impeached, but it appears that they are cleverly and forcefully suppressing this to prevent it.
2. President Xi Jinping
In March 2018, China’s National People’s Congress approved a constitutional amendment to remove term limits for the president. This allows President Xi Jinping to remain in power for a long period of time, even for life.
Since the 1990s, the term of office for presidents has been limited to two terms. However, with his second term set to end in 2023, President Xi Jinping did not, as has been customary, announce a successor at the Communist Party Congress in October 2017.
At the same time, he has succeeded in incorporating his own ideology (Xi Jinping Thought) into the constitution, giving him authority on a par with that of Mao Zedong and further solidifying his power base. It now appears that the “collective leadership system” has become mere formality.
President Xi Jinping’s recent actions, such as his persecution of ethnic minorities in Tibet and Uighur, his suppression of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” policy, his attempts to contain Taiwan, and his provocative actions over the Senkaku Islands, pose a threat in many areas.
3. President Trump
In December 2020, with his term nearing its end, President Trump issued last-minute pardons or commutations to 29 of his closest aides.
Furthermore, multiple media outlets reported that he was considering issuing preemptive pardons to President Trump himself and his family. President-elect Biden expressed his opposition, stating that he was concerned about how the United States would be perceived around the world.
If this preemptive pardon for the president and his family were implemented, it would be considered an abuse of power and an outrageous act, not unlike that of President Putin.
The recent abuse of power by these three individuals is on a par with that of despots during the era of absolute monarchies. While Russia and China are one-party communist dictatorships, the United States is a democratic nation, making President Trump’s actions difficult to understand.
It has been the norm for South Korean presidents to be arrested and prosecuted after leaving office, or to commit suicide after voluntary questioning. Some former presidents have gone into exile or been assassinated, and some have had their sons arrested. This is proof that “power corrupts,” and the more dictatorial a person is, the greater the likelihood of this happening.
President Moon Jae-in tried underhanded tactics to avoid arrest and prosecution himself, such as carrying out “prosecution reform” and having the Minister of Justice, who is in his own hands, suspend the Prosecutor-General who was opposing him, but ultimately failed.
I believe that President Moon Jae-in should also be brought to justice after he leaves office.