＜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
When I look at recent developments in Japanese politics, I worry that Japanese politics and policies are heading in a completely wrong direction.
Today, I would like to introduce some of the political and policy issues that I find problematic. For more detailed information on each, please refer to the articles under “internal links.”
Many people may see the issues described below as “paradoxes” that defy conventional wisdom.
However, if you put aside your preconceived notions and preconceptions, think calmly for yourself, and don’t mind a “paradigm shift” (the dominant way of thinking and perception of an era) or a “Copernican revolution” (a 180-degree shift from the traditional geocentric model, such as Copernican heliocentric model), I believe many will agree.
As a political amateur, I feel like rambling on about politics is like “barbershop chat” or “topic chat,” but I urge all politicians to carefully consider and deliberate these issues and then act calmly and decisively.
1. We need to change our excessive emphasis on COVID-19 countermeasures.
With severe COVID-19 patients occupying many beds, seriously ill patients with other illnesses may be unable to be admitted and may even die. Right now, far too much emphasis is being placed on “COVID-19 countermeasures.”
On the other hand, accepting severe COVID-19 patients leaves less room for other patients, causing significant damage to hospital management, and it is true that many hospitals are refusing to accept COVID-19 patients.
It is also problematic that COVID-19 remains a “Category 2 infectious disease,” on par with “tuberculosis,” “SARS,” and “MERS,” requiring medical personnel to wear heavy infection prevention gear and even close relatives to stay away from the disease.
I believe that COVID-19 should be immediately downgraded to a “Category 5 infectious disease,” on par with “seasonal influenza.” And we need to change our excessive response.
I also believe that Professor Yasushi Takahashi of the International University of Health and Welfare’s “New Coronavirus Hypothesis” and Associate Professor Miyazawa of Kyoto University’s “Fried Egg Model” are worth listening to.
The government must take a broader perspective, balance the situation with other illnesses, and clarify triage.
2. Strong and effective protests should be made against China, South Korea, and Russia’s illegal occupation and territorial violations.
There has been almost no coverage of Russia’s long-standing illegal occupation of the Northern Territories or its seizure of Japanese fishing boats, and even when reports of fishing boat seizures do appear, they are reported in small, matter-of-fact language, and the Japanese government does not appear to be making any strong protests.
Chinese coast guard vessels sail around the Senkaku Islands almost daily and repeatedly violate Japanese territorial waters, but this receives almost no coverage, and the Japanese government does not appear to be making strong protests or taking effective countermeasures.
When Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Japan in November 2020 and made factually incorrect statements at a joint press conference following his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi, suggesting that the Senkaku Islands were Chinese territory, Motegi simply grinned without offering any rebuttal.
I am astonished at the weakness of Foreign Minister Motegi, who is supposed to protect Japan’s national interests. He should have immediately and firmly refuted China’s rude behavior. This blunder could easily lead people overseas to believe that Japan has tacitly accepted China’s sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands.
Strangely enough, the Japanese Communist Party’s firm and stern condemnation of China was the most appropriate response on this matter.
The same goes for South Korea’s illegal occupation of Takeshima.
The frequent violations of territorial waters and exclusive economic zone incursions by North Korea, China, and South Korea in the Yamato Bank should also be ignored.
3. JSDF overseas deployment units should be withdrawn and repurposed for island defense and COVID-19 logistical support.
I believe that the JSDF overseas deployment units currently engaged in anti-piracy measures in Somalia and UN peacekeeping operations should be withdrawn immediately and repurposed for island defense and COVID-19 logistical support.
4. Aid to developing countries is a breeding ground for corruption, so it should be used to combat poverty in Japan.
Japan’s relative poverty rate is higher than other countries, making poverty mitigation a pressing issue. This is not just a government issue; given the significant increase in non-regular employment and the low labor share, it also deeply concerns corporate executives.
Aid to developing countries has sometimes enriched dictators and their wives and become a breeding ground for corruption, so we should do more to encourage developing countries to help themselves.
It may not be widely known, but I think it’s outrageous that until recently Japan was also supporting China as a “developing country.” I’m left speechless, wondering, “What was the Japanese government thinking?”
5. We should take decisive action to eradicate harmful birds and animals that infest residential areas.
Recently, we often hear news of bears, wild boars, deer, and other animals appearing in residential areas and destroying crops. However, due to the dogma of the Wildlife Protection and Management Act, almost no countermeasures have been implemented. While compensation has been provided for some crop damage, no effective measures, such as eradicating the source of the damage, have been taken.
In addition, crows, pigeons, and starlings are causing frequent damage, including droppings, noise pollution, and trash-site ransacking. Despite the risk of transmitting infectious diseases, no efforts have been made to eradicate them.
The same can be said for migratory birds, which transmit avian influenza and lead to the mass culling of chickens. The “feeding” of migratory birds such as swans may also be to blame.
6. Global warming countermeasures are like throwing huge amounts of tax money down the drain and should be reconsidered.
Japan is at risk of throwing 100 trillion yen down the drain on global warming countermeasures. I believe we need to stop wasting tax money ineffectively.
I also believe that Prime Minister Suga’s “2050 Carbon Neutrality (Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Declaration” should be thoroughly reexamined for its cost-effectiveness.
The “universal charge for plastic bags” is also a system whose effectiveness and significance are unclear and should be reviewed immediately.
As for “removing plastic bottles from vending machines,” I don’t understand the point at all.
7. Meaningless programs like the remains collection project should be abolished immediately.
75 years after the end of the war, even a child can see that the “project to collect the remains of those killed in the Pacific War” is meaningless.
Why continue it out of inertia?
8. Constant changes to new programs like the “Go To Travel” program should be avoided.
The “Go To Travel” program was poorly designed and launched without sufficient preparation. Subsequent changes, such as the exclusion of Tokyo from the program, caused confusion and inconvenience to inns, hotels, travel agencies, and travelers alike.
After all, I think we need to design a proper system, thoroughly communicate the details to all involved parties from the start, and avoid arbitrary changes midway through to cause confusion.
Furthermore, the majority of medical experts, hospital staff, media, and journalists seem to be of the opinion that “if Go To Travel is not temporarily suspended, the spread of COVID-19 will not be contained and the medical system will collapse,” but this is also an issue that needs to be addressed calmly.
9. We should preserve the superior position of the former Allied powers and distance ourselves from the unfair and dysfunctional United Nations.
The United Nations unfairly bestows veto power and permanent membership on the Security Council on the former Allied Powers (the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China), while defeated nations like Japan are limited to non-permanent membership and are forced to shoulder huge financial burdens.
Furthermore, as symbolized by the actions of WHO Director-General Tedros, we cannot overlook the UN’s tendency to lean toward China and its willingness to issue biased, arbitrary “UN reports” that are unfairly disadvantageous to Japan.
Is the GHQ’s “WGIP,” a brainwashing program for the Japanese people that replaced “atomic bombs” with “peace,” still alive and well in today’s politicians?
The above problems clearly demonstrate that once politics and policies get going, they are difficult to stop. Stopping or changing them requires extremely strong leadership to direct a change in direction.